Page 86 of Love is a Lyric
He was right. And on a Friday night, there was only one place she wanted to be. “The pub? Saturdays are their open mics.”
“Saturdaysusedto be the only open mic night. Now it lasts all weekend.” He grinned. “And you’re lucky.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t change after work so you’ll be arriving with the sexiest thing in the pub.” He twirled.
“Well, you just called yourself a thing, which is… weird. But you Chase Evans are very handsome. It’ll take the eyes off me at least.”
He wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. “My beautiful best friend shouldn’t be in the shadows.”
“You’re squishing me.”
He released her with a laugh. “Let’s go tell the parentals their babies won’t be around for dinner.”
She followed him into the kitchen where Julia and Jonathan had a laptop on the table.
“Watcha watching?” Chase bounced toward them. “Porn?”
Julia smacked him upside the head. “Watch your tongue, boy. Your brother was on the news last night and didn’t tell us until this morning. We found it on YouTube.” She sent Piper an apologetic look.
Piper tried to rid herself of the ice slinking through her. She couldn’t help inching forward, needing to catch a glimpse of him.
When the camera finally settled on Ben, he sat on a white couch, almost unrecognizable in his rockstar persona. That wasn’t the man haunting Piper’s dreams.
Yet, when he smiled, everything else faded away.
Two reporters sat across from him, talking casually. Piper barely heard the words they spoke until they drove a dagger right through her.
“So, Ben, the rumors around L.A. are that you have an announcement.”
She would have sworn she saw a grimace flash across his face, but it was gone just as quickly as he straightened and looked straight at his interrogators, becomingthatBen Evans, the one fans loved. A slow smile spread across his face. “Not one I’d like to share. We’re here to talk about the free concert we’re doing next week along with Noah Clarke.”
The reporter smiled. “But the world wants to know, Ben, are you engaged to Quinn Hayes?”
Panic swirled in his eyes, but it showed on no other part of him as one corner of his perfect mouth curled up. “Well, I don’t want to lie to my fans. There is aFatewedding in our future.”
Piper stumbled back, almost tripping over the leg of a chair.
Julia shut the laptop, cutting off the rest of the interview as they waited. For wait? For Piper to explode? To cry? To fall to pieces?
No. No guy would destroy her. Whether the engagement was real or fake, it shouldn’t matter to her anymore.
Their half-finished music was just another piece of paper crumpled in the trash.
But Piper Hayes… she still had more notes to play.
Her eyes met Chase’s concerned gaze. “Are we going?”
Chase looked to his parents, his brow scrunched in concern.
“Look.” Piper faced them all. “I’m okay. My feet are still planted firmly on your very clean ground. Stop looking at me like I’m wounded. I just…” She pushed out a breath. “I need to sing, okay? I just need to sing.”
Julia smiled. “Have fun, kids.”
Piper walked down the hall and yanked on her tennis shoes. The pub wasn’t a dress up kind of place. She was fine in loose jeans and a V-neck blue shirt with her hair pulled into a side pony over one shoulder.
By the time they got to the pub, the Friday night crowd packed the room. People called for drinks over the cacophony as a singing duet took the stage.
