I laughed. “Sure, just put it in my car.”
He clapped his hands together. “Grazie, bella. Hey, are you okay? I saw you talking to that young man and your face… I’ve never seen that expression on you before,” he commented.
Pain? Loss? Torment? He could have seen any of those.
I patted his arm. “Just an old friend. I’m exhausted. I’m going to finish packing this van up and head out, okay?”
“Sounds good,” he agreed, looking at me skeptically.
“I’m fine,” I assured him with the most carefree smile I could muster.
He waved a hand in the air. “All right, all right. I’ll stop meddling. If Camille were here, you’d be in big trouble.” Something flashed in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. It almost looked like guilt. I was too tired to press him.
I laughed instead. “Don’t I know it!”
By the time I got home, I was so exhausted and distracted by thoughts of Sid that I barely made it up the steps to my apartment, much less remembered to bring Camille’s gift in from my car.
For once, my forgetful nature turned out to be my saving grace.
CHAPTER 3
Iwoke up slowly the next morning and stared at the cracked ceiling above my bed. I’d never been much of a morning person, and being able to take my time waking up was a luxury I took advantage of whenever I could.
My phone chirped with a text and I reached for it, staring at the words blearily.
Drinks tonight?
Caden’s text made me smile. We still saw each other all the time, whether it was to have drinks, or dinner at his place. He’d moved in with Danika shortly after I’d moved out. She and I had become good friends. I was thrilled for both of them.
Sounds good. 9, Mottos?
Yep, see ya.
I set my phone down and with a grumble, forced myself up and out of bed. I walked through my small apartment toward the kitchen. My brother would have a conniption if he saw where I was living, just barely on the wrong side of Melrose, but I liked it. Sure, the neighborhood wasn’t the best, and my place was small, but I’d managed to keep it clean—most days, anyway—and my neighbors were friendly.
I spent most of the day spread out on the floor of my living room, writing. I felt all the more driven after my meeting with Autumn. There was something beautiful and freeing to think that someone might take my words and make them their own—that they’d put a unique voice to the story I’d written into song.
I got ready that night with music blaring, missing Piper as I swayed my hips in front of the mirror. We’d often gotten ready together, picking out each other’s clothes and dancing around the house as the boys grumbled about how long we took, smiling at our antics.
I chose my high-waisted, skinny black jeans and a cropped tank top that showed a hint of midriff. It was sexy without being slutty. I paired it with my black ankle boots and a chunky necklace.
With my petite figure, my voluptuous backside was that much more pronounced, but I’d learned to embrace it over the years.
My shoulder-length blonde hair still had the pink tips, and I created some messy waves. I swept black eyeliner on to accentuate my green eyes and a pink gloss to complete the look. I snapped a picture and sent a text to Piper.
Approve?
I was headed out the door when she responded.
Smokin!
I grinned, making a mental note to call my best friend. Though we texted daily, we were overdue for a longer catch up.
Motto’s was already busy as I walked in, scanning for Caden. I found him and Danika at the bar, grinning like lovesick fools at each other.
“Hi guys.” I grinned, accepting a hug from Danika. With long black hair and blue eyes, she was a striking woman.
Caden had played the field for years, taking full advantage of his good looks and status as a musician and tattoo artist. The combination seemed to make women turn to mush. My thoughts turned to Sid with a wince; the military-musician combination had seemed even more powerful while it lasted. Not that his appeal had diminished since the band had broken up.