The Christmas Scarf(15)
“Fine by me. Does that work for you, Missy?”
“You sure, Dylan?”
“I’d actually love to hear you sing. Why don’t you take this one tonight?”
Frankie grinned. “Okay, one more favor. I need an act for New Year’s Eve. Could you two cover that?”
Missy looked over at Dylan.
“Works for me.” Dylan reached out and shook Frankie’s hand. “New Year’s Eve it is.”
“Thanks. I’m sure we’ll have a big crowd that night. Maybe we could set up some regular work for you two?”
“I’d like that.” Missy felt a sense of relief. At least she’d be bringing in a little something until she could figure out a job and a way to earn more money.
“Great. Well, I don’t want to interrupt your meal. I’ll see you up on stage in a bit?”
“Yes.” Missy looked down at her plate and lost her appetite. Nervous flutters drifted across her stomach.
Dylan looked at her and laughed. “Got a case of the nerves?”
“A bit. I mean when you called me up there the other night I didn’t even have time to get anxious.”
“You’ll do great. You’ll see.” Dylan attacked his burger with gusto.
She sat and picked at her fries and tried to decide which songs she should sing. Dylan just sat across from her and grinned at her nervousness.
~ * ~
Dylan watched while Missy went up on stage and got ready to sing a set. Hadn’t taken much encouragement from Frankie to coax her into it. Maybe Missy could be happy here in Comfort Crossing, singing some at Frankie’s, finding a job.
Shawn slid into the seat across from him and handed him a beer. “So, Frankie talked her into singing again?”
“Sure did.”
“You two have sure been seeing a lot of each other while she’s been in town.”
“Some.”
“When is she leaving to go back to Nashville?” Shawn glanced up toward the stage.
“She’s not.”
“Not leaving?” Shawn set down his beer mug. “Really?”
“Really. She’s staying in Comfort Crossing.”
“I thought she wanted to be a big country singer star.”
Dylan looked at his friend, not sure what to say because it wasn’t his story to tell. It was Missy’s.
Shawn cocked his head to the side and stared at him. “Okay, that was always her dream, so I have to guess she couldn’t make it happen. That’s too bad. So she’s really moving back?”
“She is.”
“You know, living here in this small town has never been her dream. I hope you’re being careful. I know how you were after Valerie left to move to Chicago.”
“This is different.” Dylan stared down into his beer mug, wondering if it really was different this time. If the small town of Comfort Crossing really could hold Missy’s interest. He’d been gutted when Valerie left. He hadn’t been enough to make her want to stay. He’d barely dated in the years since then, now look at him. Falling for a woman whose dream was in Nashville. Was. She said that dream was over.
Shawn shook his head. “Whatever you say, buddy. Just be careful.”
Dylan sat and listened to Missy’s set, watching her eyes light up when the crowd clapped, watching the wide smile she wore after each song. Watching her come alive.
He turned and looked at Shawn. His friend just shrugged and sipped his drink.
~ * ~
“Will you go out on an actual date with me tomorrow?” Dylan stood, once again, on Becky Lee’s front porch.
Missy’s eyes widen. “A date, date?”
“Yep. The real kind. I pick you up. We go out. A date-date.”
“Um… sure.”
“Don’t sound so enthusiastic.” Dylan rolled his eyes and grinned at her.
“No, I mean…” Missy let out a little huff of air. “Yes. That would be fun.”
Not exactly the eager acceptance he’d been hoping for, but he’d take what he could get.
“So I’ll pick you up about six tomorrow night. Give you time to get home after rehearsal and do whatever it is women do to get ready for a date. They have a nice restaurant in that plantation out of town. Did you know they turned the old plantation into a resort?”
“No, I hadn’t heard. That sounds nice.”
“Good, it’s a date then.” He winked at her. “A date-date.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Missy stood in front of Becky Lee’s closet as Becky Lee rummaged through it, pulling out outfits. “How about this one?” Becky held up a simple black knit dress. “I have this red jacket you can wear with it. Very Christmasy.”