Page 100 of Thorns and Ashes
He grins like he knows he’s wearing me down. “The boys and I are going to sing karaoke at The Boozy Bear tonight and wanted to invite you.”
“Karaoke?” I ask, more bewildered that they do karaoke willingly than by the fact that he’s inviting me.
“I know,” he chuckles, taking in the confusion on my face. “I didn’t think I’d like it either. The owner, Remy, she hosts karaoke every Monday and Wednesday.”
“Right,” I say slowly, brows still furrowed and jaw set.
“It’s fun, I swear. Mark, Blake, Caiden, and Tom are all going too.”
“Tom is going?” I ask, somehow finding myself actually considering this.
“Yeah.” He slaps my shoulder. “And you should too.”
He walks away, and I spin my keys in my hand. Am I really considering this?
He’s halfway to his truck when a thought crosses my mind.
“Billy,” I call out, waiting until he turns around to continue. “Do you know someone named Fred?”
An expression I can’t read passes too quickly over his face before he smirks. “Absolutely. Everyone knows Fred. I’m surprised you haven’t had the pleasure yet,” he laughs, climbing into his truck.
I’m still staring in his direction when he rolls the window down and pops his head out.
“Come out tonight, and I’ll introduce you. He’ll be there.”
Hearing Tris bring up Fred the night of her birthday left me curious, but I haven’t thought about it since. Now I may go out tonight just to see what the fuss is about.
“We’ll see,” I mutter before getting into my own truck and heading home.
I reach for my phone and hit Tom’s contact. He picks up on the third ring.
“Well, good morning, Uncle Bigfoot,” he jokes through the phone, making my lips tilt up. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“We, huh?” My smile grows. “Are you on daddy duty this morning? How’s my favorite little girl doing?”
“You’d be proud. Not only is she crawling around non-stop, causing trouble, but I’m pretty sure her morning diapers can be considered a bio-hazard.”
A soft laugh shakes my shoulders, and I can hear Sunny in the background saying “dada.”
“Bio-hazard or not, Dada. I know you love this.”
The line is silent, but I can see the smile that Tom is wearing right now in my mind.
“Of course, man. There’s nothing better than this.”
I know he means it. I drink in the scenery of Turtle Bay, how this small town transforms for every season and somehow always looks as incredible as the last. The trees are full of color now, and the breeze is just crisp enough to remind me that soon winter will be here. It’s a beautiful place to live, but one of the best things about my moving out here is being able to watch my best friend be a dad. Spending time with him, Callie, and Sunny isn’t something I would have been able to do living so far away. Getting to watch Sunny grow and be her uncle is a gift, and it makes me excited for the day that I have a family of my own.
“Why don’t you stop by?” he asks. “I told Callie to sleep in today, but she’ll probably be up by ten. If you want, bring Tris, we can all have breakfast.”
This time, I laugh out loud. “Are you sure Callie is ready to see Tris first thing in the morning?”
Callie doesn’t hold as much hostility for Tris as she used to. In fact, most of our friends don’t, but first thing in the morning might be pushing it.
“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” I say after giving it some thought. “Billy invited me out to karaoke tonight.”
“And you’re considering it?” Tom laughs. “You feeling okay?”
“I’m curious about Fred,” I admit.
