Page 16 of No Rhyme or Riesling

What he wanted to do was offer to get Skylar an apartment there in Paso Robles. Help him find a regular job. At least that would get him out of the city and the life he hated so much. But, in all honesty, if Adam hadn't been terrified of the idea of his friend going under a knife, he would have gladly offered topay for the surgery himself. So Skylar's assumption hadn't been entirely wrong.

Adam squeezed Skylar's hand back. “Okay. But if you ever change your mind, I'd love to help. And then you can move down here!” Adam added, bouncing in his seat. “I'll help you find a job and we can hang out all the time and…Oooh! Maybe we can see if there's a music lounge or anything like that around here. You play piano and I'll sing and it'll beepic.”

“You're singing somewhere?” Morgan asked, coming up to Adam with his fiancé, Everett, right at his side.

“No, I was saying–” Adam began, then paused and gestured between Morgan and Skylar. “Sorry. Have you guys met?”

Morgan shook his head, then held up a hand and gave a little wave. “Hi. I'm Morgan.”

Skylar smiled back shyly. “Skylar,” he replied.

“Morgan works with me at Sacred Grounds,” Adam explained. “Coffee shop downtown. And that's Everett.”

Everett stuck out his hand. “Morgan's fiancé.”

Skylar quickly shook hands. “Congratulations.”

Everett and Morgan beamed at one another, looking ridiculously in love. Adam couldn't help smiling at the sight. He loved seeing his friends so happy.

But Skylar looked uncomfortable.

“You okay?” Adam whispered.

Skylar grimaced. “I know it sounds stupid, but I wasn't planning on mingling. Charlie and I were hiding upstairs because it was too noisy for him, but then he got hungry, so I brought him down to get food, and then I saw you…”

“I don't remember you being shy.”

Skylar shrugged. “I didn't think anyone here would want to meet a dirty whore.Sheesh, I need a drink.”

You and me, both, he thought, hearing another use of theD-word somewhere nearby. “You're not a dirty whore,” Adamhissed under his breath, trying to focus on his friend and drive away all thoughts of drink.

Skylar waved his hand, clearly wanting to change the subject, so Adam straightened up and looked back at Everett and Morgan.

“How are the wedding plans coming?” he asked.

The couple sighed in tandem. “Actually,” Everett said, “things were going great right up until the DJ had to cancel on us. So now we're scrambling to find someone else.”

“Although,” Morgan began slowly. He fidgeted where he stood, then said, “Okay, I wasn't going to ask because I didn't want to impose on our friendship, but I told Daddy what a great singer you are–”

Adam winced at the dreadedD-word, but Morgan didn't seem to notice.Fuck. Now he needed a drink even more!

“And I know John was raving about the show you did over Christmas,” Morgan went on, “so we were wondering if you might be interested.”

Adam blinked dumbly, trying to concentrate on Morgan's words and get his mind off the temptation of alcohol. His hands were already shaking with the need of it. “Interested?”

“In singing at the wedding.”

Adam gasped when the offer finally penetrated his brain. “Holy shit. Seriously?”

“Not that I don't trust Morgan's judgment,” Everett said, “but if you are interested, I would like to hear something before we decide. If your band has a recording, or–”

Shit. Adam's eyes went wide as his thoughts jumped all over the place. Could he get back together with his old band again? Would they be willing to play a small wedding in the middle of nowhere?

Skylar gave him a light, backhanded slap on the arm, then hooked a thumb over his shoulder. Adam turned to see what hewas pointing at, then spotted the upright piano inside the sitting room.

“Oh!” Adam jumped up, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Okay. So it's not a whole band, obviously, but I can give you a voice demo, at least. What's your song?”

Everett and Morgan looked at one another and winced.

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