Page 55 of Baby, It's You
Hunter claps him on the back with one hand. “It will be okay, man. Don’t worry.”
Eddie shakes his head and throws back his first shot as Hunter continues to calm him down.
His constant reassurance and care for other people makes my heart beat quicker. Hunter is so attentive to everyone around him. He always knows what to say to make someone feel at ease and I wonder if that trait is something he’s always carried. I think of him as a shy kid, being more intuitive than everyone else. Always sitting back and observing everything around him before he spoke. I can imagine Hunter being the childhood friend that you could turn to if your parents got divorced or you flunked a class. I wonder if he would have wanted to be friends with me back in the day. When I was living in a trailer park, basically raising myself, he was living a completely different life in a nice area, with loving parents.
Hunter waves his hand in front of my face and chuckles. I realize he has been talking to me this whole time, as I was deep in my thoughts.
“Sorry!” I laugh sheepishly. “I’ve been zoning out a ton today. What did you say?”
“It’s okay.” He blows a curl out of his eyes. “I was asking if it’s okay for me to start filming some shots?”
“Yeah, of course.” I give a thumbs-up. “Go right on ahead.”
“Thanks.” He half smiles and looks at me like he wants to say something else.
“What?” I ask him.
Hunter's eyes sparkle with mischief as he raises an eyebrow. “In a non-creepy, just friends way, you look beautiful tonight.” His gaze lingers on me for a moment before he taps his hand against the bar top once, and then walks off to set up his equipment.
It’s at that moment that I decide, I’m going to kiss him tonight. Lust wins.
Chapter 37
Hunter
Two hours later, I stop recording, set my camera down on the bar, and glance up at Olive. She is watching some of the bar regulars sing a drunken rendition of “Freak on a Leash” by Korn and it’s horrible. Like, ears bleeding horrible. That doesn’t even matter, though, because the women are having a blast and it’s entertaining to watch. Both of them must be in their mid-40s and they look like they needed a night off from parenting. The women are really letting loose as they scream, “Go!” into each other's faces. Rick, who is sitting to my right, jumps at their sudden yelling, and it makes me chuckle.
“Not a Korn fan?” I ask him.
“I’ll stick to The Rolling Stones and Nat King Cole,” he tells me.
“Where’s Johnny at? I haven’t seen him the past few times I’ve been here.”
“He's been visiting his daughter in Arizona; she just had a baby so he’s on grandpa duty now.”
I'm taken aback to hear that Johnny has a daughter. “No way! I had no clue he has a daughter.”
“Yeah, he keeps his personal life private from most people. I know he comes off as a jokester, but he can be a serious guy, too.”
I wonder about Johnny’s past then, knowing there must be a lot more to the guy other than his playful quirks and usually inappropriate jokes. I got a little peek into the man under the character when Mr. Purngast talked about how he tried to help him, showing what a good friend Johnny was to him.
Suddenly, I see a draft beer slide in front of me and look up to see Olive smiling.
“I thought you would need some liquid courage.” She has a slight smirk on her lips and a hint of naughtiness in her eyes. “Because you're up next.” She motions towards the stage.
I look over at the current drunken singers and quickly shake my head.
“No, no, no.” I turn to her, my eyes widening. “I don’t sing.”
“Everyone sings,” she tells me, and crosses her arms. “Also, you sang in the car with me.”
“Yes, I know Icansing, but I usually choose not to. Especially in a bar full of people.”
She leans over the bar, and I quickly try to divert my eyes from the sudden cleavage on display in front of me.
“Do something that scares you tonight,” she teases. “If I can go tubing when I can barely swim, you can sing for a room of drunk people.”
I run a hand across my face, thinking it over. “I’m warning you. I’m a terrible singer.”
