String Beans (The Girls of Beachmont #2) (22 page)

“I—gotta go, they need me inside. I love
you, Vi.”

Before I could respond—and I didn’t know how
to, anyway—he hung up, and that was it. In that moment, I realized that
chapter of my life was coming to a close; and while I didn’t know what came
next, it had to be better than what I’d had.

We walked into String Beans on a hectic Thursday
evening. Wyatt was nowhere to be seen, but Emma and Busy were taking orders and
running around. Emma gave me a friendly wave and I forced myself to return it.
I couldn’t hate her, or even be angry with her. She had Wyatt, and while it
sucked that I was missing out because of my own issues, at least she had a shot
with him.

Our friends felt the strain of the awkwardness
between us, mostly because I’d made it a point to not go to String Beans.
Period.

Avoidance had become something I was familiar and
comfortable with. But I knew the time would come when I’d have to face the
music. I didn’t think it would be on open
mic
night
and because my friends were forcing me out. Dallas had talked all of us into
going because James was going to be there and he wanted us to meet him. I found
it hard to deny that request because I would be the asshole.

As we looked around, I spotted Dallas in the back
corner and noticed Wyatt with him. I slowed my steps, but Jolie gave me a gentle
push from behind.

“Hey,” I said, a little too enthusiastically.

It’d been several days since the Vegas fiasco, but
I’d continued keeping an eye out so I didn’t run the risk of seeing Wyatt. I’d
humiliated myself that night and I wished I could remember everything I’d said.
As it was, the only thing I was certain of was that I lacked the ability to keep
my damn mouth shut.

“Hey,” he answered back as he stood up. He smiled
and gave Callie and Jolie hugs before looking at me. His face was unreadable,
though he did acknowledge that I was there… At least he was more mature than
me.

I could feel three pairs of eyes watching us, so I
stepped forward and pulled him into a strained hug. I fought the urge to close
my eyes and inhale the smell of his cologne, which was sure to be mixed with coffee
beans, before letting him go. And there was Emma. I refused to put her in the
position Will had put me in… I wouldn’t be the other woman or make her feel the
way I’d felt.

“I better get over there to help them out,” he
said when he let go.

“Hold up,” I said, sitting down. “Just one more minute?”

Wyatt glanced over at the counter and held up a
finger. Emma smiled and waved him off as he reluctantly sat back down.

“Tell them,” Jolie said, smiling.

“Tell us what?” Dallas asked.

“There’s a band that I’m friends with… Have you
ever heard of The Fabulous Broken?” I asked. They all nodded and so I continued.
“They’re in town Saturday and they gave me tickets for all of us. Anyone
interested?”

“Hell yeah!” Callie shouted.

“Sounds great. Can I bring James?” Dallas asked.

“Yeah, of course. I actually have ten tickets. So
everyone can bring a date or friend…or whatever.”

Wyatt stood up again and smiled, though it didn’t
reach his eyes. “Thanks, but I have plans.” He started to walk off. “You guys
have fun.”

He made his way back to the front and I tried not
to watch as he walked over and whispered something to Emma. She smiled sweetly
at him and went back to her work, leaving me alone with my friends.

“He’s been like that all week,” Dallas said.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“He hasn’t said much, actually. He’s not even been
at the apartment the last few nights.”

“Oh,” I answered, wanting to cringe at the
implication.

“It could be
that
,”
he said, tilting his head toward the counter, “but I haven’t even seen them
together much, so I can’t say.”

“And he hasn’t talked to you about it?”

As Dallas opened his mouth to answer, he stopped
and smiled as he looked toward the door. I turned to see the attractive James
walking toward us, so I stood up and moved over so he could sit next to Dallas.

“Sorry I’m late,” James said with a wonderfully British
accent. “Parking was a bitch.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” I said and shook
his hand. I was about to give my name when he put his hand up to stop me.

“Okay wait.” He grinned. “Let me see if I can
figure out which one is which. I’ll go with the brunette, and say, Vi?”

“That was too easy,” I laughed.

“Physical appearance is easiest… Would you have
rather I said the girl who missed out on Mr. Perfect?”

“Touché.”

Callie perked up and sat on the edge of her seat.
“Which one am I?”

James looked over at Dallas and then back to
Callie as he studied her.

“Based on the accent, I’m going to say…Callie?”

“He’s good,” she said and then leaned over to Dallas.
“And gorgeous.”

“He’s probably got good hearing too,” Jolie chimed
in.

“That I do.” James grinned and then looked at
Jolie. “That only leaves Jo…the snarky, bossy one of the group.”

“Hey…” She started to pout and then shrugged when
she knew she couldn’t pull it off. “Yeah…that’s me.”

James leaned over and said something to Dallas,
making him smile. I glanced at Jolie, who was eagerly waiting to see Connor.
She’d told me a little more about him when we got back from Vegas, but I needed
to see for myself. She’d dated her share of assholes, though the way she gushed
about this one, he sounded like a good guy.

“What time is he getting here?” I asked, catching
her attention.

She smiled and tucked the phone in her purse.
“He’s parking now.”

“You ladies enjoy Vegas?” James asked. “I’ve never
been before, but hear it’s a good time.”

“We had a great time,” Callie grinned. “I won.”

“And then she lost,” I added. “I warned her not to
give the casino their money back.”

“I didn’t give it all back at once,” she said. “Besides,
I still have a twenty.”

The door to the shop opened and Jolie craned her
neck to get a better look. She stood up and rushed over, wrapping her arms
around him as he lifted her slightly off the ground. When he set her to her
feet, he looked down at her and smiled before kissing her.

They walked to our table and I got a better view
of the man. He looked young, though there looked to be a tint of gray mixed
with his light brown hair.

“Everyone, this is Connor,” Jolie said, holding
his hand and pulling him alongside her.

“Hey.” He grinned, flashing his pearly white
teeth. I could see why she was attracted to Connor, but he certainly didn’t
look like the guys she normally dated. Jolie sat down and he dragged an empty
chair from another table and moved it next to her. He looked mildly
uncomfortable with all of us staring at him, and I smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand.
“I’m Vi.”

“I know all about you,” he said. “Jolie’s told me
quite a few stories.”

“I’m glad she’s talked to someone,” I mumbled and
glared playfully at her.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Jolie said. “She’s just being nosy.”

“Are you coming with us tomorrow?” I asked.

He looked at Jolie and then back to me. “Where’s
that?”

“A friend’s band is playing tomorrow night and Vi
has tickets for any of us that want to go,” Jolie told him.

“I’m in.”

A young guy walked onto the stage and began
reciting a poem I remember hearing when I was younger. The busy coffee shop was
wrapped up in the way he spoke it, but I realized that I needed to get home and
call Kirk about the tickets.

“I’ll see you later,” I whispered to Jolie, who
barely paid any attention to me. I waved goodbye to the rest of the table and
hurried out so I didn’t interrupt the performance. I was nearing the door and
Emma looked as if she was going to say something, but I simply smiled and
stepped out into the evening.

It was a clear night, so I stopped and to look at
the stars that were somewhat visible overhead. A group of people were walking
toward me, and I decided to continue on to my apartment since I wasn’t one to
linger on the street alone. I was surprised by the quietness in the building;
it was almost unsettling.

When I stepped onto the third floor, I pulled out
my keys, and as I passed Wyatt and Dallas’s place, I heard music inside.

It confused me, because Wyatt was working and
Dallas was at the shop with James. I realized that they might have left a radio
on, but that was not normal for either of them to do. I shook my head and
started to walk the short distance to my door, but curiosity got the best of me
and I stopped.

Don’t do it.

I took a step away and then quickly moved back,
pausing for only a moment before pressing my ear to the door. I closed my eyes
so I could concentrate and strained to make out what I was hearing. It was then
that I realized it wasn’t the radio or even the television—it was Wyatt.
He was playing his guitar and…singing?

Wyatt had never told me that he could sing, but
then again, I’d never asked. I knew he played the guitar, and played well, but
his voice was beautiful. It was hard to make out the words he sang.

Suddenly, I was struck with the idea of Dallas or
Jolie catching me listening at the door—or worse, Emma. Hurriedly, I went
to my door and let myself in, closing it behind me and pulling out my phone. I
found Kirk’s number and called him about the next night.

“Kirk Mead, here.”

“Is that really how you answer the phone?” I asked
with a laugh.

“I’m important, Vi,” he mocked. “People want to
talk to me.”

“Gross,” I laughed.

“How the hell are you?”

“I’m good. Excited to see you perform tomorrow.”

“You should be—we put on a hell of a show.”

“So I remember.”

The Fabulous Broken were fun to watch because the
guys engaged the crowd and usually managed to tell stories about their life on
the road. Sometimes the tales were so unbelievable that I would talk to him
later to find out which parts were true.

“I can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long,” he
said.

“I know. But you’re doing good, right?”

“Couldn’t be better.”

“How long are you in town? I’d really like to
catch up.”

“I’ll be here a few days, I’m sure we can figure
something out.”

“Okay, well, I’ll be there with about seven other
people, so make sure we have good seats,” I said jokingly. “What good is
knowing the band if we don’t get special treatment?”

“I’ll hook you up.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

We hung up and I walked over to my dresser and
pulled out the old photo album from college. Looking at pictures of Jolie,
Dani, Millie, and me brought a smile to my face. As I turned the pages, there
were images of Will and me laughing and others of him and Kirk. That time in my
life had been carefree and fun—something I wouldn’t trade. But when I
looked at those pictures, I didn’t recognize myself. There was so much I didn’t
know then.

I picked up my notebook and started writing. This
time, it was with purpose.

It started raining the evening of the show, and
not the sprinkling I would have liked. It was constant, and I thought for sure
the concert would be canceled. Anytime it rained, it seemed like everything
came to a halt. I even texted Kirk to make sure that it was still on, and he
assured me that he was like the postman.

“It’s gonna happen,” he laughed.

When I met Connor, I understood what it was Jolie
saw in him. He was everything she described and completely perfect for her.
Three months was a long time for her to date any one guy, and she’d only done
that one other time that I knew of.

The problem with Connor was that he let her know
how much he liked her and that scared her off. As much as she had moved to L.A.
for me, I knew I was more of an excuse than anything else. If they were able to
work it out, distance and her fear of commitment could be overcome.

We arrived at Chops and learned that Kirk had made
arrangements for my friends and me to sit in the VIP area. Connor and Jolie
dragged a few tables together and began talking, so I walked off to find my
friend.

“Excuse me, but you can’t be back here,” I heard a
familiar voice say.

I cleared my throat and turned around, my hands
firmly on my hips. “Do you know who I am?” I asked mockingly.

Kirk ran over and picked me up, hugging me
tightly. I returned the hug and smiled up at him when he finally set me on my
feet again.

“You cut your hair.”

“I did.” I looked him over and then chuckled. “I
guess you got some new ink?”

“That’s not all that’s new,” he said and grabbed
my hand, pulling me behind him.

“Where are we going?”

I felt like a ragdoll flailing, trying to keep up
in my three-inch heels.

When will I ever learn?

He knocked on a door and something inside me
panicked. My palms grew sweaty and my breathing became erratic.

Please no.

The door opened and a familiar face peeked out,
looking down at me. It took him a moment to recognize me, and when he did, the
door flew open as he stepped out to hug me.

“Holy shit! Viola Banks! What in the hell are you
doing here?”

I exhaled heavily and a smiled appeared when I saw
Josh.

I looked back at Kirk and shook my head as relief
flooded me. “I thought…”

“No. No Will here,” he said.

“My bad,” Josh said. “Are you still a Banks?”

“Not much longer,” I said.

Josh was the first to quit Sound Venom, but he had
good reason, since his brother was in a serious car accident. He’d decided to
move back to Texas to be near his family while his brother recovered.

“You look great,” I said, hugging him again. “When
did you join this one?” I asked, pointing at Kirk.

“About a month ago. I was ready to get back to
making some music.”

Kirk took my hand and started to close the door. “We’ll
see you in a little. I need to talk to Vi.”

“Later,” Josh said as we walked to another room.

Kirk’s guitar was resting in a stand next to a
chair, and I walked over and picked it up. I’d played my own a time or two when
no one was around, but for some reason, I found myself comfortable with him. My
fingers started forming chords while I silently strummed the strings, playing
the song we had written together.

He walked over and sat in another chair, watching
me.

“Have you talked to him?”

“Last weekend,” I answered absently. I looked up
at Kirk and smiled. “I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Are you still writing?”

After Sound Venom broke up, Will had tried to
start another band with Kirk. The two had clashed on almost every decision,
which sucked because they were both immensely talented. They had parted ways
amicably after six months, and Kirk started a new band. Every once in a while, Will
would sometimes sit in on a song or two when The Fabulous Broken performed.

The surprising thing was that Broken had started
to gather a following when their new song “Shadows” came out. It was one of the
secrets I kept to myself, because we never told anyone that Kirk and I had collaborated
on it. He insisted that I get credit, but at the time I was worried about
Will’s ego, and it ultimately didn’t matter to me because I was helping out a
friend. But when they’d started getting more and more attention, Kirk had felt
bad, so he promised me tickets for any show I wanted. Anywhere.

“I’ve written some things down, but nothing I’d
say was actually worth singing since I haven’t even written any music for it.”

“I’m in town for a couple of days… Do you think
that maybe I can take a look?”

The idea of sharing my words with someone again excited
me, and I agreed immediately. We made plans to meet the next day at my place.

“I better get back to my friends,” I said as I
stood up. “Come out and meet them after?”

“Sounds good, Vi.”

Kirk hugged me and I walked back out to the venue,
seeing a much larger crowd waiting for the band to take the stage.

***

The band was well into their set and the crowd seemed
to enjoy the show. I knew that as soon as “Shadows” was played, the place was
likely to erupt with people singing along. I glanced over at Jolie and Connor,
who appeared to be quite cozy while Callie stood looking at the band…Kirk in
particular.

I never understood what people saw in him. It
wasn’t that Kirk was unattractive, but he looked scrawny and unkempt. The few
times that I saw him well-groomed, I could admit I noticed the appeal, but he
wasn’t my type. Millie had once described him to someone by saying he looked
like a wannabe tattooed bad boy who didn’t give a shit, but under it all, he
was really the sweetest guy.

And she was right.

“Who are you staring at?” I asked Callie.

“That lead singer is hot,” she grinned.

“Kirk?” I asked as if I didn’t know.

“
He’s
the one you know?” she asked eagerly, to which I nodded. “Can you get me an
intro?”

“Yeah, I told him to come over after the show.”

Callie was trying to contain her excitement, but
it still showed. I knew she’d have questions that I would need to answer later,
but for the moment I was going to have fun.

The set was winding down and I felt my stomach
begin to swirl. Since it was their more popular song, I figured Kirk would end
the show with the one we had done together. Even though I knew the song well,
and had a copy of it at home, I’d never heard it performed live. I began to
grow more and more nervous as they ended their last song.

“You guys having a good time?” Kirk asked. His
smile was wide as he listened to the shouts from the crowd. “A while back, I
was having a hard time writing this song. Something about it just wasn’t
working for me.”

Someone in the crowd screamed “Shadows,” and Kirk
nodded.

“Yep, that’s the one…. So a good friend of mine
came over one night and I played the music for her and sang the one and only
line that I had.”

“I’ve never heard this story,” Jolie said as she
continued to listen.

“We never thought this song would take off, and I
gotta say, I’m really happy so many people like it. And tonight, I’d like to do
something a little different.”

“Oh shit,” I muttered.

Don’t do it.

“Viola,” he said, putting his hand up to his eyes
as he looked into the crowd. “Where are you?”

Callie started clapping and hollering, “She’s over
here!”

Kirk looked in our direction and waited until he
spotted me. I could tell the lights were blinding him, but he knew exactly
where I was…it was all for show. He wagged his brows and his playful smirk was
firmly in place.

“There she is. C’mon down here,” he said, waving
me over to the stage.

I shook my head and smiled, though the smile was
hiding my complete mortification.

“Viola…if you don’t come down here, these good
people aren’t going to get to hear the song we wrote, and you don’t want to do
that to them, do you?”

I hate you
, I mouthed, though I was pretty sure he couldn’t
make out what I said.

“Vi…what’s he talking about?” Jolie asked.

“I’ll explain later,” I said.

“You need to get down there,” Callie urged. “Go!”

It took me a few minutes to get to the stage, and
Kirk continued to talk to the crowd and regale them with the band’s upcoming
tour schedule. When I was finally on the wing, he waved me over.

“This is my friend Vi,” he said as I reluctantly
reached him.

“We are not friends after this,” I teased. The
crowd laughed and began murmuring amongst themselves.

“Why don’t we let everyone hear the way ‘Shadows’
sounded the first time we sang it together,” he suggested. Kirk handed me a
guitar while Josh brought out two stools for us to sit on.

“I’m going to kill him,” I told Josh. “Did you
know about this?”

He smiled and shook his head. “Found out right
before we came on stage.”

“Good to know.”

Kirk was adjusting his guitar and I sat next to
him. He covered the microphone with his hand and leaned toward me so only I
could hear.

“Just like we did it the first time.”

I nodded and began to strum the guitar to
familiarize myself with the chords. I was buying myself time. I knew the song
well; I’d never forgotten it. One doesn’t easily forget the words they once
bled.

I never imagined

That you would look at me

I took you as you were

Knowing it’s how it had to be.

I can be your shadow

Just show me where to hide

I’ll turn and look the other way

Ignoring all your lies.

Broken, battered, bruised

Your heart has seen its share

I’ll fix it all

You’ll never know I’m there.

To you it’s all a game

How long will I go along?

I can’t take much more

You’ve shredded my soul

There’s nothing left to give.

You let me be your shadow

There’s no more light to share.

You looked the other way

And I’m no longer there.

It’s just a shadow.

It was hot, blinding, and terrifying on the stage.
But it was also exhilarating. As people began to sing along to the lyrics that
we had written together, something inside me burst with pride.

When the song ended, the place exploded with
applause and cheers. Kirk and the guys thanked the crowd for coming out and
then he pulled me off the stage with him. We got to the side, I punched his arm
playfully.

“What was that for?” he asked, rubbing the spot
I’d hit.

“Oh. You know,” I said.

“Tell me you didn’t love it,” he teased.

“I was not ready for that,” I answered.

“That wasn’t an answer.”

“Okay…it was amazing. But I still hate you.”

“Sorry, Vi, but there was no way I was going to
sing
our
song knowing you were out
there.”

“That was awesome,” Josh said, wrapping an arm
around my shoulder. “You’re a natural.”

I was about to respond with some self-deprecating
comment when I heard Callie and Jolie calling my name.

“Over here,” I called back.

Jolie rushed over and hugged me, the biggest smile
I could remember seeing spread across her face. “You are in so much trouble,”
she said when she let me go.

“Yeah…I figured.”

She turned around to hug Kirk and Josh, and
introduced Connor to our friends.

“Callie,” I said, reaching for her hand and
dragging her closer. “This is Kirk Mead. And he’s an ass, but I promised you an
intro. And this is Dallas and James.”

Kirk thanked the guys for coming out and then
returned his attention to Callie. He was overly flirtatious, but she didn’t
seem to mind.

Jolie was the only one who knew how far Kirk and I
went back. And even knowing that he kept in touch with Will somehow made me
feel better about where I was in my life. They mentioned that he might be
performing at a couple of shows with them and I was happy for him.