Still Water (6 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

Lily

I
COULDN'T WAIT TO GET ON
that stage. I've been dying to sing. I just wish Frank was here. I was told he always left around six, except on Tuesdays — the regular open mic night. Todd was here, though, and it was half his label too. I didn't like the idea of trying to impress him. He was so confusing. One minute he was sweet, the next a total dirt bag. I grabbed a beer and handed it over the bar to a customer as he handed me a five-dollar bill.

"Keep the change." He smiled.

"Thanks." I grinned back. I quickly made change in the till. I watched as the first person started a bad rendition of some Aerosmith song, and I chuckled.

"That's bad," a new, unfamiliar voice grabbed my attention. "Really bad." His shoulders shuddered with laughter, and he shook his head in disbelief. "Hey, can I get a Jameson on the rocks?" The man's voice was smooth and my eyes met his as he pulled at his tie, loosening it from his neck. His large, broad shoulders looked heavenly wrapped tight in a white button down.

The smile he gave me heated my cheeks instantly making it difficult for me to process what he was asking. "Did you hear me, doll?" he asked. He had dark brown, almost black hair, which was neatly tousled. The thing that was throwing me off, besides the fact he had a face that belonged in magazines, was that his very businessman button down was rolled to his elbows exposing sculpted forearms that were covered in tattoos.

"Jameson on the rocks," I repeated while I grabbed the glass and filled it with ice and whiskey. The man's deep blue eyes never left mine as I handed him his drink. His full bore appraisal left me blushing.

"You new here? I haven't seen you before." He took the drink from my hand and sipped the amber liquid. He closed his eyes, and his nostrils flared. Holy damn this guy was hot. "I needed this, thanks. So yeah, you new?" he asked again while handing me his credit card. I placed it with the others that were being held for tabs.

"Yup, day two for me. Are you a regular?" He didn't miss the flirty smile I gave him, and I was awarded with a cute sideways smirk.

"You could say that.
What's your name?
" he shouted the last part. The sound system kicked back on. The first participant on stage had finished.

I leaned in closer and watched as he did as well. A pleasant warmth filled my limbs. "Lily."

"Lily." My name rolled effortlessly off his lips. "I like it."

Before I had a chance to ask his name, Todd's voice broke my bubble.

CHAPTER SIX

Todd

T
HIS IS NOT FUCKING HAPPENING RIGHT
now. My jaw clenched at the sight of my best friend and Lily looking a little too close for my damn comfort.

"What's up, Seth?" I nodded my chin in my roommate's direction. Lily leaned back when she heard my voice. She was flirting with Seth, and her cheeks were pink. I wanted to punch Seth in his damn face.

"Hey, bro." Seth grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a hug. He placed a firm pat on my back as I did the same to him. "What's up with this open mic shit? I came here for Red Light."

"They canceled." I watched Lily as she tried to appear unaffected by the fact I knew Seth. "Lily, I see you met Seth, my roommate?"

"And best friend." He winked at her.
He fucking winked
. We needed to talk. This was not happening again.

"Really? Todd has friends?" She smirked at me.

I leaned over the bar, purposely getting in her personal space. "I've got lots of friends, sweetheart." I held my eyes on hers. The yellow was subdued in the dim light, and the blue and green tones mixed and created the most unusual color. I almost lost my game. Almost.

"I bet you do." She looked back at Seth dismissing me. "Nice to meet you, Seth."

"Likewise." Shithead gave her a cocky grin.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" I tried to keep my voice under control.

"Sure. Talk to you soon, Lily." He grabbed his drink and followed me to the back office.

Once we were in my office, he spoke, "So you got it bad for that chick?"

"What? You could tell?" I sat on my desk as he leaned in the doorjamb.

"You just basically came over and pissed on her, bro. So yeah, I could tell. I was just flirting. I'll back down. No worries. Okay?" Seth looked at me with pleading eyes. All the humor – gone. Seth was there when I lost everything. When my world dissolved. When I left Elizabeth and everything else behind me. Even though Elizabeth deserved Sawyer, and he one hundred percent deserved her, it didn't make it any easier. The thought that I even cared enough about this Lily chick that Seth had noticed… well, it was killing me. Two days and she's got me all mixed up.
This was such bullshit.

"Thanks man. I don't know. I think she hates me."

"Oh yeah, she hates you all right. Fucking loves to hate you." I didn't miss his double meaning. He punched me in the shoulder, and I laughed.

"Yeah, she does. Let's go get you another drink." I smirked.

"Sounds good."

"How was work?" I asked as we headed back out to the bar.

"Sucks, I hate finance. Working for my dad is killing me, bro. I've got to get that job up on campus. I'm still waiting to hear back." Seth furrowed his brow.

"You'll get it. They'd be stupid not to hire you. You know everything there is to know about music. You'd be a great teacher." I shoved him lightheartedly in the shoulder.

"Thanks, sweetie. Should we hug now or later?" Seth gave me the dumbest shit-eating grin I'd ever seen.

"You're such a tool bag." I smacked him on the back of the head.

"Pot… meet kettle." He laughed.

Our laughter was cut short.

The sound of a guitar playing softly caught my attention as I walked through to the main part of the bar. The slow melodic flow of "
Rivers and Roads"
by The Head and the Heart, one of my favorite songs, drew my appreciations to the stage. My breath hitched as she sang the first few lyrics. Seth bumped into me because I had stopped mid step.

"Dude wh—" His words dropped off as we both listened to the haunting voice. Lily sang the familiar lyrics, lyrics that spoke of loss, family, and distance. The unbelievable sound coursed through my veins. It was the most remarkable thing I'd ever heard.

"Holy shit," Seth spoke close to my ear. "Are you hearing this?"

"Shh." I couldn't take my eyes off her. She sang with such purity it almost hurt to listen. The emotion was profound. In that moment, I could feel everything. It was as if she was making all my hate, pain, loss, and love surface like a rushing faucet. It was to the point that I had to take a deep breath to untie the knot in my chest. This damn girl blew into my bar, into my life, knocking everything over like a fucking tornado. Her voice, her eyes, her smart mouth, all of it. I didn't know if I was coming or going. I just wanted some part of her, and I didn't care how much.

She strummed the last note and the bar was dead silent. She raised her head and her eyes glittered with unshed tears. Lily's eyes found mine and for a split second, before the crowd burst into applause, I lost every bit of control and smiled like I had won the goddamn lottery. Because at that moment, she looked at me like she had won the lottery too.

"
D
UDE!
D
ID YOU JUST
hear that shit?"

I was still watching Lily as she placed the guitar on the stand. The words of the song swam in my head; her voice silenced everything around me.

"Todd?" Seth's amused tone filtered through my thoughts. "Bro, you guys need to sign that shit like yesterday."

"What?" I was still trying to gather myself. Lily had me so screwed up.

"Lily, your new bartender? That's serious fucking talent, man."

"I know. Frank's got to hear her first, though."

Lily walked to the other end of the bar. A substandard musician started playing a song on the piano while Lily got right back to work helping customers.

"Well, Frank's going to lose his mind, that's all I'm saying." Seth poured the rest of his drink down his throat.

"He's going to do more than lose his mind. Let's get a drink. I want to talk to her."

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lily

S
ETH TOOK PERCH ON THE STOOL
he was in earlier. Todd mixed him a drink, and I couldn't help admire how his large body moved with grace behind the small bar. My teeth drew across my bottom lip in an attempt to hide my smile as I thought of how Todd watched me while I sang. My body was alight with goose bumps. He looked at me like he'd never seen something so remarkable in his entire life. Todd's mask had completely fallen for four whole minutes. In those precious moments, I thought I had glimpsed his soul, and it was the brightest thing I'd ever seen.

I wasn't quite ready to talk to him yet, so I busied myself with customers. This side of Todd was unsettling. I almost preferred the asshole. At least I knew how to deal with that.

"Holy crap, girl, you've got to sing for Frank!" Tiffany's eyes were wide. I laughed at her serious expression as I handed a patron their beer.

"Really?" I giggled.

"That was amazing, Lily." Jace pulled me in for a hug.

Todd pushed away from the bar where he was talking with Seth; his eyebrows pulled inward, and his mouth made a tight line. The former guise firmly back in place.

"Jace, I need you to go grab some more bottles of Blue Moon from the back," Todd's commanding tone had me on edge again. Jace nodded and released me from his embrace. I thought I heard Tiff snicker under her breath, but the music was loud so I couldn't be sure.

"I'm outta here, bro. Good job tonight, Lily. It was nice to meet you." I noted Seth's manner was now friendly, the previous flirting long forgotten. Which was probably a good thing seeing how I couldn't help but notice that Tiffany watched Seth's every move. I may be new around here, but the relationships everyone shared were starting to show, the surface façade slowly dimming.

"See you later, Tiff." Tiffany looked up from the sink where she was scrubbing pint glasses just in time to catch a stunning smile from Seth. Tiffany's hard exterior melted away as her cheeks turned bright pink. She gave him a quick smile and went back to work. My lips split into a big grin.

"What's funny, Red?" Todd's voice was smooth and too close. While I had watched the exchange between Seth and Tiffany, Todd must have moved closer to where I was standing. The heat from his body filled the space between us. The crowd was dwindling, and, for some reason, I was glad. I didn't feel like working anymore, and I was ready to talk to Todd. I wanted to know if he thought I had a chance to impress Frank.
Frank.
My smile fell. Todd had me feeling like I was on an emotional rollercoaster. I hadn't forgotten how pissed I was at him for how he'd acted earlier. It was like he got off on messing with me.

My prior irritation reappeared. "Nothing." My one-word answer came out hard.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I didn't miss his exasperated exhale.

"Talk." I stepped back trying to create room for me to breathe. Todd was a presence to behold, and having him this close… my anger, my frustration, and my need all ran together. I couldn't make heads or tails out of my feelings when he consumed the space around me so absolutely. It made me crazy that one minute I hated him, and then the next; I wanted him to like me.
What the hell was that about?

"Let's talk in my office." He grabbed two beers from the beer fridge and motioned for me to follow him.

"It's busy, Todd."

"Jace and Tiff can handle the floor for a minute. Besides, it's dying down." He gave me a small grin that made me feel nervous all over again. I was about to point out the fact that Jace had gone to the back to get the stock Todd had requested, but Jace came through the back door right on time. "Come on, Red."

Why was I hesitating? I wanted to talk to him, and I needed to see if I had a chance at this dream, at the promise I'd made my father before he died.

"Fine." I puffed out a small, irritated burst of air.

I followed Todd toward the back offices wringing my fingers together as I walked ahead of him through the door. I took a deep breath, letting my body rest against the side of his desk. He handed me one of the beers he'd brought back with us. I opened it and drank deeply from the bottle, hoping the alcohol could ease away my tension.

"Whoa. Slow down, Red, you still have about an hour or so left in your shift." Todd's chuckle was infectious. He was actually fun to be around when he wasn't trying so hard to piss me off.

I refused to let him see that he affected me though. "What did you drag me back here for?" I placed the bottle of beer down onto the desk.

"I think you know." It was his turn to take a large gulp of liquid courage. I didn't answer so he continued, "How long have you been singing, Lily?" Todd spoke kindly again, and my name uttered in that tenor made my heart skip a beat. The actual interest in his voice threw me for a loop. He was stirring up feelings I hadn't expected to feel, especially about him.