Love Songs
Page 6

Clara turned to him. “Christian can introduce you to everyone.”
There was a whistle from the stage and both Clara and Warner turned their heads. She again held up a finger to the man who had waited for her outside the Starbucks.
“Sorry to abandon you. But they don’t bite.”
She gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and headed toward the man on the stage.
All eyes were on him again and there certainly was the thought that leaving without another word would be the right thing to do. Instead, he sucked up his courage and walked around the table to the empty seat.
Christian and Ed each moved their seats as to give him some room, or to distance themselves. It was Darcy who shifted in front of Ed to speak to him.
“This crowd looks dangerous, but they’re really nice.”
Warner knew his fear was wearing on his face.
Ed let out a snort. “C’mon. We’re supposed to look mean when Clara brings a man to the table.”
“Well I’m not her man. I mean we’re not seeing each other. Purely a working relationship,” Warner clarified.
Christian nodded with a laugh. “Sure. I wonder how long that’ll last.”
“I beg your pardon?” Warner wasn’t sure what a tight family dynamic was supposed to be like, but was this really it?
“You’re just her type.”
Ed gave a nod in agreement. “I suppose we should just put a stocking up with your name come Christmas.”
“What?”
Her brothers laughed and Darcy slapped Ed on the leg. “You seem like a very nice man. And Darcy has a type. It just happens that you fit that type.”
“Oh.” What was that really supposed to mean? “I thought she was with him.” He pointed to the man who had met her outside the Starbucks yesterday morning and now who sat with her on the stage, their heads together tuning up their guitars.
“Randy?” Ed chuckled. “Um, no.”
“No?”
“They’ve played together for years. She’s the background to his stardom. Just the way she likes it.”
That comment made no sense at all, until the music began and her family turned their attention toward Clara.
Randy was the lead guitar. Randy was the voice. This was his show. Clara’s voice and guitar added the harmony which made each song complete. They were right. She wasn’t the star of the show, but she made the star shine.
The waitress came by and took his drink order, how boring was he to order just a Pepsi, but he wanted to keep his wits about him. Though, halfway through their set he nearly spit the drink out when he heard the familiar melody he’d created.
This time it was Clara’s guitar in lead and her voice which resonated through the bar. The tempo had slowed down, the crowd had grown softer, and the eyes of her family had misted to his words. He wrote that song! This was the song she had borrowed and dear Lord, she made it sound good.
How was it that fate worked in such ways? She was just a person in a passing car. And now he could frankly fall in love with her. He wasn’t going to—but he could.
Randy hadn’t added much but an underlying hum where appropriate and a shift in the harmony, which worked. It wasn’t how Warner would have done it, but damn it was genius!
When the song was over the bar erupted into an applause which burst through him. They’d loved it. They really loved it.
“Thank ya’ll for that. I borrowed that song from a very talented song writer yesterday. I think he’ll do well with it.” Her accent had deepened when she spoke to the audience. Then she looked his way. “Everyone give it up for Warner Wright.”
The crowd applauded, but he was all too familiar with the quick whispers which accompanied his name.
Look, it’s the step-son of Patricia Little—the woman who ruined the OX.
The set continued and the spotlight again was back on Randy. But Warner’s eyes were on Clara. She just might be his ticket past the unwanted fame his step-mother brought him. Perhaps, she could help him with the career he’d worked so hard to build.
Clara was more than impressed with how the song turned out. Love Song. Oh, what Carrie Underwood could do to that song, she thought as she slipped her guitar into its case as the next act took the stage.
“You totally upstaged me, you know.” Randy gave her a light shove with his elbow.
“Excuse me.” She shoved back with a laugh. “This was your show. I borrowed one song.”
“And it was amazing.”
“It was, wasn’t it?”
Randy growled. “Why thank you, Randy, for your kind compliment. Bless your heart,” he mimicked.
“Thank you,” she grunted back. “Maybe someone heard it—the right someone.”
“That’s the name of this game isn’t it? Sing till the right someone hears it.”
Warner looked as petrified as he had when she’d left him with her family at the beginning of the set. That wasn’t usual. The Keller family usually embraced everyone.
This made her worry.
What did they see in him?
“You were amazing as always!” Darcy raced around the table and gave her a hard hug, which was followed by her mother, father, and the rest of the family.
Warner stood, but backed up against the wall.
He didn’t understand family. She could see it in the fear in his eyes. Well that was going to have to change. You couldn’t be part of her life and not enjoy family.
There it was again. Why the hell did she care?
Christian pulled up another chair for Clara to sit next to him and Randy planted himself at the end of the table next to Spencer.
“So what did you think?” She brushed up against Warner with her shoulder.
“You guys sound great together.”
“Yeah, but what did you think about your song?”
“Oh,” he nodded nervously. “I couldn’t have imagined it sounding better than that.”
“It was good. Wasn’t it?” She grinned until her cheeks hurt.
The waitress brought her Blue Moon in a glass with an orange adorning the side. She squeezed the orange into the beer and then dropped it inside.
She looked at Warner. “What are you drinking?”
“Pepsi.”
“Want a beer? I’ll order you one.”
“No,” he quickly answered. “I’m good. Thanks.”