Page 129 of Next to Everything We Wanted
Phoenix put a hand on my shoulder. “So, I wasn’t going crazy. You keep looking at those dudes.”
I groaned. “How can you read me so well?”
“How are you surprised?”
I sighed. “The dude with glasses talked to me on Wednesday night about enjoying our performances.” My eyes met Jimmy’s, and I snapped my head away. “He’s the owner of Moonlight Lounge and might ask us to perform there.”
Phoenix’s eyebrows shot up. “TheMoonlight Lounge?”
I nodded. “I’m not sure if he will, though.”
“Well, we’re about to find out.”
When I looked in front of us, Jimmy was heading in our direction.Act cool, be cool. I cringed at my thoughts. I’d talked to huge people in the music industry before, so a nightclub owner shouldn’t intimidate me.
“Good evening, Ivan and Nick,” Jimmy said in a professional tone, extending his arm.
I shook his hand, hoping he couldn’t feel my palm sweat. “Good evening, Mr. Cook. I hope you enjoyed our performance tonight.”
“I did.” He gave me a grin that was much warmer than I’d expect from him. “My friend and our daughters were just talking about how much we enjoyed it.”
“I’m glad,” Phoenix said as he shook Jimmy’s hand, not a single nerve in sight.
Jimmy put his hands in his pockets. “Is there someplace I can talk to your bandmates?”
We led him backstage, where Forrest, Celeste, and Ellis were playing UNO. When they saw us, they exchanged confused looks.
“Who’s this?” Forrest asked, sounding anything but professional.
I gave him a tight smile. “This is Mr. Cook. He owns Moonlight Lounge in Boulder Valley.”
Ellis’s eyes widened. “TheMoonlight Lounge?”
Jimmy nodded with a smile. “That’s the one. My daughter has been a fan of your band for a while, and after watching yourpast few performances, I’d love for you to perform at Moonlight Lounge. My first opening is on Saturday the twenty-fourth from seven to ten.”
“Really?” Celeste’s eyes lit up before she looked at us. “Are you guys down for it?”
“Hell yeah!” Ellis covered his mouth. “Uh, I mean,heckyeah.”
Jimmy chuckled.
“If Everett is down, then we’re all down,” Phoenix said, nodding to Forrest.
Forrest scratched the back of his neck. “It sounds like a good idea for growing our fanbase.”
“Great.” Jimmy smiled. “Let me give you my contact information so we can set everything up.” He tapped a few things on his phone before handing it to me.
I put my phone number and business information in his phone, my hands trembling. This was really happening. After almost a year of performing at What Do You Bean, we were finally branching out.
We talked through a few plans before Jimmy left. As soon as the door closed, we jumped around and celebrated.
All of us except Forrest.
He stayed seated at the table, staring at the UNO cards like they had some hidden puzzle in them. My excitement dimmed.
“Do you not want to do this?” I asked him softly, hoping it wouldn’t start a fight.
“No, I do,” he said, looking me in the eye. He had his usual intense gaze, though it seemed different than before. Sadder. Why was hesad? “I just didn’t expect it. We’ve been playing here for so long but have never been offered opportunities like this.”
