Page 32 of Dirty Mind
“You wouldn’t mind?”
I knew Reed was baiting him. He was still too hung up on his ex to date anyone else.
“Why the hell would I mind?” Archer said, between clenched teeth. “I already told you, it was one time, two years ago. Believe me, I’ve been with plenty of girls since then.”
“But none of them were like Sky.”
I sucked in a breath, knowing how fast things could escalate when these two started going at it. They loved each other like family and fought like brothers too.
“She got under your skin.”
“Fuck off, Harris.” Archer fisted one hand in the other, cracking his knuckles. “Your ex is buried so deep under your skin you’d have to shed it like a goddamn snake to be rid of her.”
“Okay, I said,” leaning forward before things got out of hand. “Enough. We’ve got work to do. Let’s get back at it.”
“So, we goin’ to Jimmy’s tonight?” Reed asked, re-claiming his spot at the table.
“I think you got your nights mixed up,” I told him. “Charli told me she and some friends are playing at Jimmy’s tonight.”
“I didn’t know she was a singer,” Archer said. “She any good?”
“Crazy good.” Every time I thought about her sitting behind that piano, singing my song, I wanted to hear it again. “You should hear her.”
“We will,” Reed said. “Because we’re all goin’ to Jimmy’s tonight.”
I didn’t think Charli would appreciate me showing up to watch her and I didn’t want to make her nervous. Not to mention the speculation if I showed up, like I was there to support her… as her boyfriend. Not that I’d mind if her friend Max and the drunken cowboys who’d inevitably be hitting on her thought we were a thing.
“Did I say I’m going?” Archer asked, frowning.
“No.” Reed grinned. “I said you were.”
I shook my head. “How do you know Sky’s gonna be there tonight?”
“She posted it online. I think it was a last minute thing. She’s just gonna sing a few songs.”
“Cover songs, no doubt,” Archer said, rolling his eyes. “Not like she has any of her own.”
“How do you know that?” I asked him. “You been following her career?”
“No,” he snapped.
Reed and I looked at each other and laughed before Reed rubbed his hands together and said, “Can’t wait to watch this go down.”
Chapter 9
Charli
Iwas nervous as hell. Jimmy’s was an institution in Nashville, not the kind of place I should be cutting my teeth in front of a live audience. But Max kept telling me I was gonna be great, and it was too late to back out now.
There was a knock at the dressing room door. I was alone, since the guys were hauling their instruments in from the van.
I opened the door a crack and sucked in a breath when I saw Dade standing on the other side. He hadn’t been home by the time I left his house, so I wasn’t even sure he’d remembered my gig.
“Hey,” I said, stepping back to let him in. “What’re you doing here?”
“I hope this is okay?” He stuck his hands in the front pockets of his faded, ripped jeans. “I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, but a friend of ours is playing here tonight too. Skylar?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I heard she’s gonna play a few after our set. She opened for you, right?”
