I inclined my head in polite greeting to Rita, and she leaned over the counter, showing me her goods. “Hey there, Kellan…Kiera.”

Kiera smirked at Rita, then turned to me. “I have to go put my stuff away. Usual?”

Biting my lip, I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, thanks, Kiera.”

She leaned up and kissed my cheek, and I immediately twisted to find her lips. A peck just wouldn’t do. Kiera indulged me in my public affections, until my hand drifted down to her ass. Then she pushed me away and pointed at me in a clear warning to be good. I gave her an innocent smile, and she rolled her eyes and laughed before walking away.

While Kiera headed for the back room, I headed for my regular table, up by the stage. None of my bandmates had arrived yet, so I leaned back in a chair and began people watching. A lot of the customers were watching me too, though, so I supposed it wasn’t truly people watching. More like having multiple silent conversations.

You’re Kellan Kyle, aren’t you?

Yeah.

You’re amazing!

Thank you.

Can I come sit by you?

No, sorry…girlfriend. I’m sure you saw me kissing her thirty seconds ago.

I hastily broke eye contact from a group of college girls who hadn’t correctly interpreted our nonverbal conversation and looked like they were about to pay me a visit. That was when a giant, hulk of a man stepped up to me. “Hey, Kellan. How was the show?” At seeing the behemoth beside me, the girls sat back down.

Smiling, I looked up at an intimidating man with a shaved head and arms the size of tree trunks. Sam was a bouncer here and a friend. He’d been there for me a time or two, sometimes grudgingly, but still, he’d been there. And he’d been there for Denny when he had needed him. And regardless of what had gone down between Denny and me, that meant a lot.

“Hey, Sam…it was good.”

He gave me an incredulous look. “Good? You just played friggin’ Bumbershoot. Don’t hold back, tell me all about it.”

With a laugh, I nodded and started recounting the experience for him. Talking about it freshened the memory in my mind, and once again, familiar adrenaline rushed through me. I had a feeling that particular high was going to take a while to fade.

As the night progressed, more of the regulars approached me. They all wanted to congratulate me on the show, hound me for details. I didn’t mind. I loved talking about it, even if some of them had a hard time accepting my answers.