Page 2 of Spring Break with a Bass Player
“But it’s only gonna make me try harder next time.”
“What? What next time? There is no next time.”
“Ah, but there might be.” I grin, walking backward toward my car.
“There’s not.”
“I guess we’ll just have to see then, Beautiful.”
She gapes at me before letting out a frustrated growl and slamming the door.
I should probably be discouraged by that, but all I can think about is the fire in her eyes and the purse of her lips, and it only makes me want her more.
Because Saige Reiser is not for the faint of heart.
She’s the kind of woman most guys don’t know how to handle—brazen and sexy and answers to no one. It makes me smile as I climb into my car and back down the driveway, knowing that she can’t avoid me forever.
I pull up to my house next door…
1
BRIDGER
PRESENT DAY
Love Beach Brews is quiet as I step inside. The space is one of my favorites in town with eclectic signs and license plates covering the walls. It’s the epitome of a beach bar although it attracts less of a rowdy crowd than the Sandy Sipper down the way.
We’ve played both places, and while opinions are split, I’d rather play here, but maybe I’m just getting old.
As the bass player for Tin Can Aficionados, or TCA, music has been my life for years, only recently moving from passion tojob.But that’s why we’re here in Love Beach, to plant some temporary roots and give ourselves a chance to regroup.
When my father ended up in the hospital more than a year ago, it was a wake-up call. I hadn’t been able to drop everything to be by his side, and that guilt still weighs on me. I hadn’t been able to put my family first and that needed to change.
Having the band’s support didn’t hurt either. They all expressed feelings of burnout and restlessness from being on the road.
But we all still wanted to make music, perform, and do what we love—it just wouldn’t work in my hometown.
It was a conundrum.
Until I’d found this little beach town and pitched taking up temporary residence here. It wasn’t a hard sell—Nick’s wife is pregnant and Sam is getting married this summer and the rest of us just needed a break.
I wanted to fly home as soon as I found a place in Love Beach, but my parents had insisted I take some time to settle in. That was months ago, and now their schedule seems to be busier than mine.
“Hey, Bridger, give me a second and I’ll be right out,” Wells says. He’s the brewmaster here and despite being Saige’s cousin, he seems to like me.
Thankfully.
He and Isaac had jumped at the chance to have us play a few times a month and had taken to calling me to fill in random nights their other talent canceled.
“Sure thing, man,” I say, taking a seat at the bar and studying the taps even though I don’t plan on having any. Movement to my right catches my eye as a young girl folds up a notebook and carries it toward me.
Hoisting herself up on a stool, she holds out her hand to me with an expression I can’t read. “I’m Haven Reiser.”
Ah, the expression makes sense now.
“It’s nice to meet you, Haven. I’m Bridger,” I say, returning the shake and offering her a genuine smile. Her hair is dark and pulled back into a ponytail, little wisps framing her face, her hazel eyes bright and serious as she watches me.
“You’re the guy in the band.”
