Page 50 of The Drummer

“You know, Casey wrote most of that one,” Luke says finally.

Callie and I snap our gazes to him for different reasons. I fight the increase of my heart rate with a casual shrug.

“Black sheep, right?” I curl a weak smile.

Callie searches my face, and I pretend to be interested in my cold eggs again. She clearly suspects more than she’s saying. Fuck. Can she tell this song is about my dad beating the shit out of me?

“It’s basically what got us signed,” Luke continues.

“Well, that and our devastating good looks,” I joke before this goes any further.

Her gaze runs over me again, stirring a new kind of heat.

“She thinks it’s pretty,” I continue. A reassuring smile cuts across Luke’s face like he knows exactly what I’m doing.

“Pretty? ‘Argyle?’ She would,” he mumbles in a conspiratorial tone.

“I would? What’s that supposed to mean?” Callie returns.

Luke shrugs and takes a sip of his coffee. “Nothing, I’m just not surprised, that’s all.”

I feel badly about turning this conversation on her, but it’s better than where it washeaded.

“Well, excuse me if I’m not dark and depressing enough for you edgy rockers,” she quips.

Luke’s amused gaze blasts me with a silent“See? What did I say?”

When Callie crosses her arms with a scowl, I’m officially hooked. “What? What did I do now?”

“Nothing,” Luke says in a soothing tone.

But Callie isn’t buying it and looks to me. I have no clue what’s happening right now but it’s funny as hell.

Her ire seems directed equally at both of us. “Fine. I shouldprobably get going anyway,” she fires back as she slides off the stool.

Hang on. Is she seriously upset? Now I feel like a dick.

“Callie…” I reach for her as she brushes past. “We didn’t…”

She rips her arm away and stalks toward the hall.

“Callie!”

I stare after her, still not sure what’s going on. We’ve been bantering since the moment we met. How did it turn into this?

“Let her go,” Luke says, probably sensing I’m about to run after her.

“What just happened?” I ask in bewilderment.

“Stress. Fear. The sudden realization that she’s totally out of her element and has no idea how to process all this shit?”

I blow out a breath and run my hand over my head. “Right. Yeah. This whole thing can’t be easy on her. Last night was… a lot. It rocked me. I can’t imagine what she must be feeling right now.”

He lowers his gaze. Guilt washes over his face, but we have bigger problems at the moment.

“I’ll go talk to her,” I say. “Make sure she understands we’re the assholes in this equation.”

Brows furrowed, he glares into his mug. “Pretty sure I get the crown on that one. I should talk to her.”

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