Page 1 of Rival Hearts

Chapter One

Maggie

Iopened the door to the karaoke bar one town over from Little Falls, the June breeze blowing in behind. I was probably the last one to arrive, but Mrs. Smith was a talker, and she’d walked me out of the pharmacy to her car to gripe about small-town politics. Dispensing medications was my first job and listening to the people in my town was my second.

“Ahhh! Maggie!” Lila, my best friend, cried from the bar as soon as she caught sight of me at the entrance. “I love you for closing up early,” she said when she reached me. With her glossy black hair cascading over her shoulders, she looked like she belonged in a commercial for hair products.

“Like I’d miss this!” I grinned and enveloped Lila in a hug. “Besides, I gave my customers lots of notice. It’s your birthday. Welcome to the dirty thirties. Is there anyone in Little Falls who doesn’t know it’s your big day?” Once I learned they’d planned an open mic night instead of singing karaoke, the decision to attend was easier.

Not that I would have said ‘no,’ even if Lila signed me up for a solo performance. Earplugs might have been a necessityfor everyone else, though. Neither of us could carry a tune if our lives depended on it, but Lila loved to marvel at the talent of others. I suffered through her addiction to pop star-wannabe television shows likeThe VoiceandAmerican Idolbecause there was no friend in the world I loved more than Lila Wang.

“It’s not usually the paying customers who keep you away.” Lila looped her arm with mine and sauntered past the sports memorabilia dotting the walls toward the long table at the back of the bar. Her table was closest to the stage, of course. “It’s those customers who come into your pharmacy looking for the mayor who are the real time suck.”

“You enjoy my mayor status.” I gave Lila a sideways glance. “It helps while we’re in the urban renewal meetings and we function like one brain.” I tapped Lila’s temple.

“There’s still no one registered to run against you?” With her fingers crossed, she squeezed her eyes closed. She mouthed,please say ‘no.’

“No one yet. The deadline is tomorrow.” Up ahead at the heavy wooden table, my older brother and sister, Tyler and Emily, were laughing, probably at some inside joke no one else understood. Other friends were gathered around, celebratory drinks in hand.

“Four more years, baby!” Lila released me and threw up her hands. “Did you tell anyone else yet?”

I glanced around, hoping no one heard Lila’s enthusiastic cheer. While the likelihood of someone springing up at the last minute to run against me was slim, I didn’t like to make proclamations until I was sure they’d come true. “Tomorrow night,” I said. “When it’s definite.”

“Anyone with eyes knows what a great job you’ve been doing for our town. In four years, you’ve managed to revitalize the downtown core.”

A small smile rose at her claim. It was true, sort of. There was still lots of work to be done to create the Little Falls of my vision. The fact we traveled to the next town over for this event made me feel like a traitor. I should have insisted on doing something locally to support the downtown core I’d so painstakingly cultivated. But our small town of four thousand hadn’t quite established a nightlife.

And I’d never been able to say no to Lila. Ever since we met on the playground when we were five, we’d been best friends. Lila’s family emigrated from China and, even though we didn’t speak the same language at first, it felt like our hearts strained toward one another, seeking something only each other could provide. We often called ourselves sisters by choice. My family accepted Lila as one of our own. According to Lila, she hadn’t felt like an only child since she’d met us. Sometimes, Lila said, she forgot she was one.

“Lila’s in the house!” Tyler stood up and saluted us with a sloshy beer. He owned a thrift shop in town and followed fashion with the same passion I devoted to medications and innovations in medical treatments. Although he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt like the rest of the people at the table, the cut of his clothes was more flattering, as though he’d told his outfit to behave, and it had listened.

Lila laughed at Tyler’s theatrics as she plopped down beside him. Her lilac dress billowed around her knees. Without waiting for an invitation, she grabbed his beer from his hand, tipped it back, and downed the rest. I couldn’t help a grimace. If there was one thing we sometimes bickered about, it was that I no longer let loose with alcohol.

For a while, we’d been united in our drunken ways. Perhaps if I was able to control my wayward thoughts and actions when I had one drink too many, I’d be able to indulge. I no longer trusted myself where alcohol was concerned.

“Where are the shots?” Lila scanned the table, searching for willing participants. “Jell-O shooters? It’s my birthday!” She threw up her hands and let out another whoop, drawing everyone’s attention toward the table.

Tyler signaled the waitress while I found a chair near the end of the group, facing the stage. They’d all be getting drunk, and at least this way, I wouldn’t feel excluded for one part of the evening. By the time everyone needed a ride home, I’d be the most popular person there. I preferred being on the fringes, but I had learned to be adaptable. Being the outgoing, social butterfly was needed to perform my mayoral duties, and I could embrace that persona when I had to.

Top 40 tunes blared from the speakers, and I ordered water from the waitress when she made her next pass. Fernando, one of Lila’s work colleagues, leaned into my shoulder and put his lips close to my ear.

“What time does this start?”

I shifted toward him so my voice would travel over the buzz of the crowd. “In a minute or two.” I checked my watch. The first performer should have started five minutes ago. Running behind for some reason? Or fashionably late? Maybe the potential performers were intimidated by the large audience? I’d been here before with Lila for an open mic night, and the bar hadn’t been this packed.

The yellow curtain on the stage stirred. Kareena, the owner, burst through the gap to the small bit of stage in front. She looked flushed and too excited for a simple open mic night. “Ladies and Gentlemen.” She waited for everyone to quiet down.

I sat straighter in my chair. The place hummed with an unusual energy.

“Tonight, as some of you know—news like this spreads like wildfire—we have the privilege of a very special guest.” Kareenaglanced behind her, her brown cheeks rosy. “Oh gosh, I amsoexcited.” She giggled and covered her mouth.

I frowned and eyed everyone in our party who looked equally confused. Other people in the crowd whooped and hollered as though they, too, knew the secret. What could be so special about some singer at open mic in a town barely bigger than Little Falls?

“I was going to do this big, long spiel about our guest, but he asked me to keep it simple since his appearance is last-minute. So, maybe I’ll let it be a surprise to those of you who don’t know yet.” Her grin was broad enough to split her face. “Enjoy the night, everyone!” With a flourish, she threw back the curtains and disappeared.

“That was weird,” Fernando muttered. “The only person I know who has ever inspired that kind of weirdness is—”

The curtain peeled back, and the chords of a familiar song started. My breath caught in my throat.

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