“No, she used to be in a band with Roxy. That’s how I met Roxy actually. But Steph’s not in the band anymore.” Mel straightened up then and waved at someone behind me. “Steph! Over here!”

I turned to see Steph weaving her way through the tables toward us.

“Did you get a slot?” Mel asked.

Steph placed her guitar case on the floor, partly beneath the table. “Yeah, but I’m going next to last. Where’s Lis?”

“She went to get coffee,” Mel said.

“I’m gonna get a water. Do you want anything?” Steph looked at me and Mel.

“Lisa got me,” Mel said.

“Sure, a chai?” I said. I opened my purse to pull out some money but Steph waved it off.

“I’ll get it. Be right back.”

Steph went to stand in line, and I put away my wallet. I saw Mel smirking at me.

“What?” I said.

“Nothing,” Mel said.

The look on her face told me she was holding something back, but before I could ask, a white woman in a shapeless linen dress and Birkenstocks stepped onstage and tapped the mic. “Good evening, Bolinas Café!” A spotlight snapped on, slightly delayed, lighting up her curly gray hair.

A half-hearted round of applause greeted her.

“We’re going to need more enthusiasm than that,” she scolded us. “Let’s try that again. Good evening, Bolinas Café!”

I clapped this time, and Mel whistled.

“That’s better! I’m Linda Goode, your open mic host, and we’ve got an amazing lineup for you tonight! First up, and making her Bolinas Café Open Mic debut, is Fairfax’s own Lexie Anderson. Lexie, come on down!”

A woman with bright blue hair made her way through the café, holding a banjo. Lisa rejoined us and handed Mel her mocha as Lexie stepped into the spotlight.

“Hello, Fairfax!” Lexie Anderson said, smiling. “I’ve got a couple of bluegrass songs for you tonight. The first is called ‘Edge of the River.’ ”

She launched into a lively number on the banjo and then began to sing in a bright, sweet voice. She was good, and it surprised me. Now I wasn’t sure why I’d been certain the open mic would be terrible. Mel seemed a little surprised, too. When she caught me looking at her, she winked, which made me smile.

As Lexie finished her second song, Steph returned with her bottle of water and my chai. “Thanks,” I said. As I took the large white mug, Lisa shot me a surreptitious look. I blew on the foamy top before I took a sip, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Steph lean back in her chair and put her arm around Lisa’s shoulders. She seemed to relax a bit.