A second later the door opens a crack, revealing a disgruntled Lucas in his boxers. Huh. Guess he was sleeping.
“What?” he says angrily. “What is so important that you needed to wake me up?”
“We got the gig at Kincaid’s,” I say. I’d planned on dragging out the news obnoxiously, but I do feel a little bad about waking him up.
His eyes go wide. “Shut up, for real?”
“Yeah, Gemma just told me.”
“Gemma told you?” he looks suspicious. “When did you see Gemma?”
“Just now, on the deck. She heard me outside playing.”
I leave out the part about her brother being concerned about my “bad reputation”. No need for that to get back to Max. If he wasn’t the one who started that rumor I sure as hell don’t want him hearing about it. “Her brother is going to call Max tomorrow.”
“Let’s call him and tell him right now,” Lucas says, slipping out of his room and closing his door behind him. Now it’s my turn to eye him suspiciously.
“Eh, let’s let him be surprised,” I say. “Besides, I have a feeling Gemma wasn’t supposed to tell us, so better for Max to seem genuinely surprised.”
If Liam doesn’t want Gemma hanging out with me he’d probably be pretty pissed to find out she told me the news before he could. And the last thing I need right now is to ruin this before it’s even started.
“Yeah, okay,” Lucas agrees. He has his hand on the doorknob to his room, like he’s holding it shut. “This is great news though, he’s going to be pumped.”
“He’s going to be a nightmare about this, is what he’s going to be,” I say. “Get ready for Max turned up to eleven.”
Lucas laughs. “Yeah, you’re right, but that doesn’t mean you have to hassle him about it. You only make it worse when you pick at him like that.”
“Hey,” I shrug. “He asks for it.”
Lucas shakes his head at me. “I’m going back to bed. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you,” I say.
Lucas doesn’t move, and neither do I. He’s acting really weird.
“Are you going to bed, or what?” I ask.
“Are you going to stand there watching me?” he asks.
Something dawns on me. “Do you have a girl in there?”
Lucas turns red.
“You do!” I crow. I smack him on the shoulder. “Nicely done, Lucas.”
“Shut up,” he hisses at me.
“Okay, okay. Sorry for the interruption. Please, resume your activities.” I gesture towards his door, grinning.
Lucas flips me off and retreats back into his bedroom.
Good for Lucas, it’s been awhile since he’s had a girl in his room. Not since the last one he brought home broke his heart. I’m all for the casual hookup, but Lucas wants nothing more than to have a girlfriend he can obsess over. I don’t buy into the whole notion of falling in love, but Lucas’s thing is falling in love as often as possible. Inevitably he gets too clingy and the girl breaks up with him, leaving him heartbroken and extra whiny for awhile. Eventually he gets over her, but then he finds someone new and the cycle starts all over again. For his sake and my own, I hope whoever is in there with him doesn’t break his heart.
Chapter Eight
Gemma
Amanda and I spend the few hours before Losing Streak’s first official show bickering.
I don’t have much experience sharing one bathroom with another girl, and we’ve been battling for the space all afternoon. Amanda typically takes forever to get ready, but I don’t usually spend this much time preening. The extra effort I’m putting into my looks tonight is because I’ll be seeing Spence again, and I hate myself a little bit for it. But just because I plan on keeping him at arm’s length doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the way he looks at me.
“Why are you taking so long?” Amanda huffs from the bathroom doorway as I’m putting the finishing touches on my eyeliner.
“I’m not taking any longer than I usually do.”
Amanda quirks an eyebrow. “Sure you’re not. Wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with a certain someone’s band playing tonight?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I take one last appraising look at myself in the bathroom mirror before pushing past Amanda out the door.
“I don’t believe you!” Amanda calls out as she hurries into the now vacant bathroom and closes the door.
I leave while Amanda is still in the shower, yelling a quick “see you later” on my way out.
I’m way early for my shift, and when I get to Kincaid’s it’s not that busy yet. I’m the relief shift for the afternoon bartenders, Henry and Rose. It’ll be me, Liam, and our other bartender, Dominick.
Liam and I usually take turns working Saturday nights, but he wanted to be here for Losing Streak’s first show. Whether that’s to keep an eye on them or on me I’m not sure. Either way it’s a little annoying, because it means I won’t be able to ogle Spence with reckless abandon.
“You’re here early,” Liam says when he sees me walk in.
I shrug. “Yeah, didn’t have much going on today so I figured I’d come down.”
“Right,” Liam says, making a face at me. “I’m sure it doesn’t have anything to do with the band playing tonight and the lead singer of said band.”
“It doesn’t!” I say, insulted that both him and Amanda are ganging up on me.
He shakes his head. “I’ll be in the office. Send the band back when they get here, okay? But then stay away from them.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” I call after him as he retreats down the hallway into the office.
I head behind the bar to wait for Spence and the rest of the guys to show up. The bar starts getting busy and Dominick, one of the other bartenders, comes in. Still no sign of the band.
“So what’s up with these guys playing tonight?” Dominick asks me. “Liam says you know them.”
“They live downstairs from me and Amanda,” I tell him.
“Are they any good?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah, they’re good. People really like them; you should have seen the crowd in here when they played open mic night a few weeks ago.”
“That’s what Liam said,” Dominick says. “Hopefully that’s the case tonight.”
Even as he’s saying it the bar is starting to fill up. As I’m looking around, I see Spence and the rest of the guys arrive.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Dominick, and hurry over to Spence.
“Oh, hey Gemma,” Spence says, grinning when he sees me. “You working tonight? Or just here to watch me play?”
“Both,” I say, smiling back. “Liam wants you guys to go into the office before you set up.”
He nods and gets Max and Lucas and I lead them down the back hall to the office.
Liam’s office is essentially a converted storage closet. There’s a bigger office at the end of the hall, but that used to be my dad’s, so we don’t really use it anymore. Once we’re all inside there’s barely any room to move. Liam gives me a look as if to say you can go now, but I shoot him one right back letting him know this is my bar, too, and I’m not going anywhere. Never mind the fact that I’ve never shown any interest in the inner workings of this bar whatsoever. He narrows his eyes at me but keeps his mouth shut. I know whatever he’s going to talk about with them will be all business and I don’t really care about any of it, but riling Liam up is one of my favorite pastimes, so I squeeze myself in next to Spence and make a face at Liam.
“Here’s the deal,” Liam says to the guys. He’s talking in his serious business owner voice, which I get a kick out of. “I don’t really care what you play as long as people like it. You’re committing to being here every other Saturday until you or me calls it quits. If you stop bringing in crowds, you’re done. If any of you cause any kind of scene in my bar — while you’re playing or otherwise — you’re done. On the nights you’re playing draft beer is free, any other time you
come in you’re a paying customer. Hard stuff you’ll always get charged. That work for you?”
The guys all nod and mumble their agreement. Liam turns to Max.
“We talked about payment on the phone, still good with what we discussed?”
“Yeah, still good,” Max confirms.
Liam nods and stands up.
“Okay, go get set up then,” he tells them, and holds out his hand for them to shake. He definitely gives Spence a nasty look when he shakes his hand and lets go quickly.
I turn to follow the guys out of the office when Liam calls me back. “Gemma, wait.”
Spence glances at me over his shoulder as he follows the guys down the hallway. I watch him for a second and then pop back into the office. “What’s up?”
“I’m going to choose to believe you when you say you’re just friends with those guys, but if this becomes a problem, they’re out,” Liam tells me.
“It won’t be a problem,” I say, giving him a placating smile. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“Good.” He nods. “You’re dismissed then.”
I reach across his tiny desk to whack him in the arm and he laughs. “Seriously,” he says, still laughing. “Go help Dominick and I’ll be out in a minute.”
Almost as soon as I get back behind the bar Spence appears in front of me.
“I was told beer was available to me?” he says, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile.
I smirk back at him and pour him a beer.
“So I think your brother hates me,” he says, taking the beer and settling in on a bar stool.
I laugh. “I don’t think he hates you.”
“But he doesn’t like me.”
“He doesn’t like you because he thinks I do,” I tell him.
“He thinks you like me?”
I nod.
“Of course you like me,” he scoffs. “Why wouldn’t you like me? I’m handsome, charming, intelligent, talented…”
“Okay, okay,” I say, laughing. “I get the picture.”
“We probably shouldn’t tell him we’ve already gone on a date, then,” Spence says, a mischievous glint in his eye. “At least not until I’ve made him change his mind about me.”
“Good luck with that.”
“He’ll come around, I’m very lovable.”
“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that before.”
“Because it’s true!” Spence insists. “You just wait, you’ll find out.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” I say.
He doesn’t respond, just smiles one of his really good smiles at me, an especially charming one with just enough dimple, and stands up. “I’ve got to go help the guys set up. You’ll be here later?” he asks.
I nod. “Until close.”
“Good.” He grins again, then heads over to the rest of the band.
I get back to work, and eventually Liam comes out from the office and the bar starts to fill up. Amanda shows up just before the band goes on, with a couple of her friends from school. I make them drinks and they join the rest of the crowd here to see Losing Streak play.
It’s hard to stay focused on work when they’re playing. Spence is charming the crowd with his smiles, getting everyone singing and dancing, making them laugh when he jokes with Lucas between songs. I can’t stop looking at him. I’m trying not to be obvious, because I know Liam is watching me, but I can’t help it.
It isn’t hard to see where Spence got his reputation from. Girls are literally falling over each other trying to get closer to the stage, trying to get Spence to notice them. It’s pretty pathetic, but it’s clear he’s eating it up. This is exactly why Liam has nothing to worry about. It’s one thing to watch from afar, but I won’t end up one those girls drooling over him.
The night flies by. Dominick and I are having a blast, singing and dancing as we work, and I even catch Liam bopping his head along at one point. Usually by closing time on a Saturday night I’m exhausted, but tonight I’m wired. The bar is clearing out and the band is packing up. I watch as a girl with curly brown hair hovers around the stage, watching the band pack up. I wonder if she's waiting for Spence, but she doesn't seem to be paying much attention to him and he’s not really paying much attention to her, either.
I don’t see Amanda anywhere. She must have left with her other friends.
Spence looks up at me and saunters over to the bar. “So, what do you think? Does your brother like me yet?”
“Pretty sure he was into the music tonight, so it’s possible you made some in roads,” I tell him.
“So what you’re telling me, is once I get your brother to like me this thing with you and me is a done deal, right?” He points back and forth between us.
I laugh and shake my head. “There is no thing with you and me.”
He grins and opens his mouth to say something else, but then Max yells behind him.
“Spence! Get over here and help, I can’t find Lucas.”
“To be continued,” he says to me, and goes over to help Max pack things up and bring them outside.
The brown haired girl wanders over to the bar.
“Hi,” she says to me. “I’m Max’s girlfriend, Sophie.”
“HI,” I say, slightly embarrassed by the relief I feel, knowing she isn’t waiting around for Spence. “Nice to meet you.”
“You’re Gemma, right? You live upstairs from Lucas and Spence?”
I nod. “Yeah. Me and my friend Amanda just moved in.”
“Max says you helped them get this gig,” she says. “He was so excited about it, so thanks for that.”
I shrug. “It’s not a big deal. We had an opening, and they’re really good.”
Max comes back inside and looks around, concerned, before he spots Sophie talking to me. He comes over to join us.
“Hey, Sophie, did you meet Gemma?” he asks.
Sophie nods. “Yeah, we were just talking.”
“We can’t find Lucas anywhere, but his stuff is in the van, so we’re leaving without him. You almost ready?” Max says.
Sophie frowns. “You can’t find Lucas? Isn’t it usually Spence that disappears?”
“Yeah, it’s weird. He must have found some girl to go home with. Good for him.”
“Or he’s dead in a ditch somewhere!” Sophie says, worried. “Have you called him?”
“Relax, would you?” Max says. “I called him, and he keeps sending me to voicemail. He’s fine. I mean, he’s not fine, I’m going to rip him a new one for leaving without helping us pack up, but he’s not dead in a ditch.”
Sophie rolls her eyes and makes a face at Max.
“Why don’t you go get in the van with Spence? I’ll be right out,” he says to her.
“Okay, don’t be too long,” she says. “Bye, Gemma, nice meeting you.”
“Bye, nice meeting you too!” I call out as she leaves.
Max waits until Sophie and Spence are outside before he speaks.
“Listen,” Max says, almost apologetic, “I feel bad even mentioning it, and I don’t know what’s going on with you and Spence, but I’d appreciate it if you don’t hold his behavior against the rest of the band.”
My forehead scrunches in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Max fidgets, clearly uncomfortable. “Just, if Spence pisses you off in any way, I’d appreciate it if it didn’t mean our gig here was over.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Did my brother tell you to say this?”
Max looks confused. “No, why?”
I pause, trying to figure out if he’s telling the truth, but he’s either a really good liar or he’s being sincere. “Look, it won’t be a problem, okay? I’m not interested.”
The back door swings open and we both turn to look at Sophie and Spence as they walk back inside. Sophie must have said something funny, because Spence begins slapping his hand on his leg as he tilts his head backwards, his dimples on full display as he laughs. He leans forward, catching his breath, and a
s he does he glances over and catches my eye. His smile falls a little and is replaced by a sultry look, the one Spence uses on stage when he wants to entrance the crowd. My heart skips a little. Then he turns away, back to Sophie.
Max looks over at me. “Just don’t encourage him, okay?”
“Don’t worry,” I say, still watching Spence. “It won’t be a problem.”
But I’m beginning to have a feeling it might be.
Chapter Nine
Spence
Wednesday afternoon I lace up my sneakers and go for a run. I’m not really into fitness, but I’ve been running since I was a kid. When I was little I had a ton of pent up energy, so my parents signed me up for soccer and I took to it like a duck to water. I didn’t stick with it after high school, but I try to run a few times a week at least. It’s therapeutic. It helps to clear my head when it feels like I’ve been thinking too much. Which lately, I have been. Mostly about Gemma.
It’s weird. I don’t fixate on girls like this. I’m usually only interested in girls for one thing and one thing only. Lest you think that makes me a horrible person, the girls only want me for one reason, too. I’m no Barney Stinson, but I have a small catalog of women I can call in a pinch. I’ve never had trouble finding a one-night stand, either. It’s a strategy that’s worked for me for a long time now.
Gemma isn’t like the girls I’ve been with before. She acts tough and confident, but there’s another side to her, too. One that’s quiet and serious. While the tough, confident Gemma is the one that drew me in, it’s the more subdued side of her I’m interested in getting to know better. She’s made it pretty clear she’s not interested in something casual. Maybe, for the first time in awhile, that’s not what I’m interested in, either.
As I head back into the building I glance down at my phone to pause my music and almost run smack into the girl in question. Gemma’s on her way out as I’m coming in.
“Oh, hey Spence.”
She takes a step back to let me inside. A gust of cold air comes in with me. She looks me up and down, taking in my sneakers and headphones and heavy breathing. “Were you out running in this cold?”
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