Sweet Harmony (9 page)

Cat felt eyes upon her and instantly knew that she was recognized. She saw a few people trying to discreetly take pictures with their smartphones, but no one approached, so that was something positive, she supposed. But in reality it also felt odd and sometimes lonely when people were afraid to just sit and have a friendly conversation with her. As she’d explained to Mia, just because she was a celebrity didn’t mean that she didn’t want to kick back and have fun like everybody else. It was so weird that people either paid too much attention to her or none at all. Cat was totally grateful for her success, but, boy, it would be so nice for once just to be . . . normal.

Well, she would never be normal, exactly, she thought with a small grin.

A moment later Cat heard a little squeal and spotted Mia hurrying her way. “Oh my gosh, it is so good to see you!” Mia gushed. “Wait—did you get taller?” Mia asked and then rose up on tiptoe to give Cat a hug. She pulled back and tilted her head to the side. “And prettier? Seriously, do those legs ever end?”

“These legs trip over everything.” Cat laughed and started to feel more at ease.

“Ha. Well, you’re gonna stir these boys ’round here into a frenzy.”

“Are you getting a Southern accent, Mia?”

“Maybe. You will too after a while.”

“I lived in South Carolina as a child and then in Nashville for three years. If it hasn’t happened yet I don’t think it will. I still sound mostly Midwestern.”

“Southern is a state of mind, Cat. It will happen.” Then in true form Mia bounced up and down. “I really am so glad to see you! I have a high-topped table over by the bar. Let’s get you a girlie drink and put some of our favorites on the jukebox.”

Cat laughed. “Backstreet Boys? Ninety-eight Degrees?”

“Yeah!”

Cat looked around at cowboy hats and baseball caps. “Um, I don’t think that would be a popular choice. I think we need to get something in a longneck bottle and play some George Strait.”

Mia shook her head. “You’re no fun.”

“I am very fun! Ask . . . anybody.”

“How about I ask that sexy cowboy leaning against the wall?”

“I think I need to get my drink on first.”

“Now you’re talkin’.”

Cat was pretty much a lightweight, so that meant maybe two or three beers at the most. She knew from experience that little bitty Mia could drink her under the table. A moment later a good-looking guy came over.

“Clint, what are you doing here?” Mia asked.

“Filling in for Dad. He needs to hire a few bartenders, if you know anybody interested.”

“I’ll ask around,” Mia said.

“Ava is taking him shopping for a much needed new wardrobe.”

“And why are you grinning?” Mia wanted to know.

Clint’s grin widened. “Apparently he’s taking my mother to dinner Saturday night.”

“A date?” Mia bounced in her chair.

“Mom says it’s business but I really think Dad has other ideas in mind.”

“It’s obvious how you feel about it,” Mia said.

“All I can say is, it’s about time. They are both too stubborn for their own good.”

“Wait. So you must be Pete’s son,” Cat said, extending her hand. “Cat Carson. I’m so honored to be working with your mother. She’s an amazing songwriter. She may not know what she’s getting herself into, but your mother has taken me under her wing.”

“Oh my gosh.” Mia shook her head. “I’m so sorry. In my excitement about the date I forgot to introduce you two.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Cat. I’m a fan, and so is Ava.”

“Thanks so much.”

“You seem surprised.” Clint chuckled. “I lived in California for a long time. Your songs always make me think of the beach and never fail to put me in a good mood.”

“You’re welcome. I love the beach too, but your mom and I are going to expand my horizons. Dig a little deeper creatively.”

“I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever direction you go. You have a great voice.” He grinned. “Oh, and whatever you do, don’t call the thing with my dad a date to my mom’s face. She will set you straight.”

“Your mother is a straight shooter, for sure,” Cat said. “I love that about her. But don’t worry. I won’t say anything.”

“Thanks. So what will it be, ladies?”

“A bucket of Kentucky Ale,” Mia answered and then looked at Cat. “What do you want to eat?”

“Do you have an appetizer sampler of bad-for-us stuff?”

Clint laughed. “Well, at my insistence we do actually have some healthy choices on the menu, but yeah, I can get a platter of bad-for-you stuff.”

“Load us up and make sure there’s onion rings.”

“We hand batter our own,” Clint informed her. “A bucket and a platter of bad-for-you stuff coming right up. And welcome to Cricket Creek, Cat.”

“Thanks!” Cat said and then smiled across the table at Mia. “Ordering that felt so rebellious. But I guess I’ll be jogging tomorrow morning. Note to self: stay on the path and keep the creek by the cabin in sight.” She rolled up her sleeve to reveal her bandaged arm.

“What? Stitches again? Did you really take a tumble?”

“Are you surprised?” Cat relayed the hiking incident, but left out the kiss. “Apparently staying on the path is important.”

Mia narrowed her eyes. “Why do I think there’s more to the story? You’re leaving something out.”

Cat paused when Clint delivered the bucket of beer. Trying to look innocent, she pulled a longneck from the ice. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You have that . . . look.”

“I don’t have a . . . look.” Cat put the bottle up to her lips and took a long swig. “Wow, I’m not a huge beer drinker, but this is tasty. Kentucky Ale, huh?”

“Craft beer brewed in Lexington, Kentucky. We have it on tap over at the stadium. You’re avoiding the question.”

“What was the question?”

“What are you leaving— Wait. Did you . . . Did something happen between you and Jeff?”

“Yes. He rescued me,” Cat said firmly but felt a blush warm her cheeks.

“Come on, Cat—that’s not the whole story.”

Cat sliced a dismissive hand through the air and felt a twinge in her sore pinkie. “We might have had, well, like . . . a moment or something.”

Mia sucked in a breath. “Wait. Did you . . . Did you kiss him?”

“No! I mean, well—he kissed me. Or maybe we kissed by accident. I do most things by accident.” She took a drink of the beer and waved her hand through the air. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Liar.”

“Okay, it wasn’t a big deal to him.”

Mia grabbed a beer and then shook her head. “For the life of me, I don’t know why you don’t get that you’re gorgeous.”

Cat rolled her eyes. “That’s a stretch.” She played with her napkin.

Mia shook her head. “Granted, there’s nothing conventional about you, but that’s part of your charm. Celebrity or not, you stand out in a crowd. And I bet Jeff thinks so too. It’s just safer to assume otherwise.”

“Bad-for-you sampler,” Clint said, setting the tray down with a flourish. “Enjoy, and if there’s anything else you need just give me a wave. Now, I have a little favor to ask.”

“Name it,” Mia told him.

“See that cute girl selling shots? Her name is Tricia Riol and I hired her as a shot girl. It’s her first night and she’s nervous as hell. Would you mind buying one from her?”

“No problem,” Mia said. Cat nodded her agreement.

Mia picked up an onion ring but instead of eating it shoved it toward Cat.

“What are you doing?”

“You said it was your truth serum. So take a bite.”

“No.” Cat reluctantly put the crispy onion ring down and picked up a deep-fried pickle. After swiping it in the little cup of ranch dressing she popped it in her mouth.

“Cat, you’re willing to take a chance with your career. Maybe you need to do the same thing with your personal life.”

“Why are you pushing Jeff Greenfield so hard?” Cat asked. She looked at the onion rings with longing.

“I’m not. I just don’t want you to push something—make that
someone
—with potential away, that’s all.”

“Mia, I don’t think you even get it. Yes, I find everything about Jeff attractive.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Downright sexy. And I don’t just mean his looks. But I don’t think I’m his type.”

“You don’t fall for a type, Cat. You fall for a person.” Mia waved an onion ring at her. “And come on—what’s not to like about you?”

“You said it yourself. I’m . . . different. I just bet that Jeff goes for conventional. The all-American girl-next-door type. And as you already know my childhood was anything but conventional. Let’s put it this way. If we were in high school he wouldn’t have looked my way. I didn’t sit with the cool kids, Mia.”

“First of all, you don’t know that. Secondly, we’re not in high school.” Mia grinned. “Although those same kids sure would like to be sitting with a country music star now, wouldn’t they? Like the Toby Keith song ‘How Do You Like Me Now?’” She put her hands on her hips and wiggled so hard that her chair almost tipped over.

Cat tossed her head back and laughed. “Oh, Mia, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I know. I can’t believe you’re living here!” Mia handed another onion ring to Cat and gave her a raised-eyebrow challenge. “Okay, take a bite.”

“Okay.” Cat bit into the crunchy batter. “Oh, this is heaven.” She squirted some ketchup onto her small plate and dipped it into the deliciousness before taking another bite. “What?”

“If you thought there was a chance with Jeff, would you be willing to see where it goes?”

“Do you know something I don’t?”

“Don’t look. But he just walked in the door.”

Cat’s heart thudded as she twisted in her chair.

“I said don’t look!”

“You know full well I can’t abide by that rule.”

Mia sighed. “It’s time to find out if he has any interest.”

Cat leaned forward. “What in the world are you going to do?” she asked in a stage whisper.

“Find you a hot cowboy or baseball player to dance with. Make Jeff jealous.” Mia drummed her fingertips on the table while she looked around.

“Why do you even begin to think Jeff would get jealous of me dancing with another guy?”

“Because he immediately saw you and his gaze lingered until you turned around and he looked away. Totally a tell sign.”

“This is silly. We’re beneath high school antics. Do you think I should pass him a note and ask him to circle yes or no?”

“That would be kind of fun. Cute. Let’s do it.”

“Mia!”

“I’m just kidding. Sort of.” She snapped her fingers. “We could put George Strait’s ‘Check Yes or No’ on the jukebox. Think Jeff would get the message?”

“No! Mia, he wouldn’t get it because there’s nothing to get.”

Mia pulled a pout. “Okay, then. Let’s snag a dance partner for you. Smile at the guy over by the pinball machine. He’s been checking you out.”

“Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?”

“I’m just a really awesome wingman. Follow my lead.”

“No, I smell like onion rings and beer.”

“It’s a bar, Cat. Everything smells like onion rings and beer. Quit being a weenie.”

“I’m
not
a weenie.”

“Prove it. He’s walking your way.”

“Jeff?”

“No, the cute cowboy.”

“Oh.” Cat tried not to sound disappointed. Could Mia be right? Would Jeff actually get jealous? Perhaps it was time to find out.

“Hey there, ladies. Y’all having a good time?”

“Yes,” Mia answered and gave Cat’s leg a sharp tap beneath the table.

“Sure,” Cat answered.

“My name is Devin Daniels.”

“I’m Mia and this is Cat.” Mia shook his hand and gestured toward Cat. “She just moved to Cricket Creek.”

“Well, welcome.” He gave Cat a look like he should recognize her but didn’t quite know why. She got that sometimes. Onstage she wore dramatic makeup and a variety of hairstyles. When she dressed down she wasn’t always recognized in public.

Devin tipped his cowboy hat back to get a better look. “You look familiar.”

“I’ve got one of those faces,” Cat said. He might put two and two together soon, but she wanted to remain normal for as long as she could.

“Well, it’s a very pretty face.”

“Thank you.” She knew this was where she was supposed to flirt back, but she wasn’t very good at it. Humor she knew. Flirting was still a bit of a mystery.

“Would you like to dance?”

Patient choreographers had turned easily distracted Cat into an excellent dancer and she had fun showing off. Still, she was about to decline when Mia tapped her shin harder. “I bruise easily,” she said to Mia, and Devin gave her a curious look.

“I’ll try not to step on your toes,” he promised in a cute Southern drawl and then offered his arm. “Do you know how to two-step?”

“No. Honestly, I’m lucky to one-step,” she fibbed, drawing an eye roll from Mia.

Devin laughed and Cat suddenly felt more in her element. “Well, then, we’ll just freestyle. If I’m lucky, the
next one will be a slow song.” He gave her a charming grin and she relaxed even more.

Cat didn’t want to draw attention, so she refrained from busting a move. Instead, she did a safe little shoulder bobbing and tapped her feet back and forth to one of her favorite Keith Urban songs. Halfway through Cat couldn’t resist the urge to raise her arms and snap her fingers. When Devin smiled, she stepped it up a little and added a spin move that she used onstage.

And then she spotted Jeff looking at her and her feet reacted by getting tangled up. She did a little stagger to the left and then decided to do it to the right in an effort to make it look like a grapevine dance move. Devin, bless his heart, starting doing it with her like it was a line dance. When he added a little spin, Cat did it too, a bit off balance, but she laughed when he grabbed her hands and started to spin her around with him. When she saw Jeff turn away, Cat felt a little surge of disappointment that he didn’t seem at all jealous. But then why should he? Cat tilted her head to the side and gave Devin her undivided attention.

When the song ended, George Strait started crooning “If I Know Me.” Devin pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, “My wish just came true.”

Cat smiled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slow danced, and it felt really good to be in someone’s arms. Devin was tall and she fit nicely in his embrace. He smelled woodsy and masculine and when he pulled her a bit closer she didn’t protest. Her hand felt small in his big warm grasp while his other hand rested at the small of her back. Cat loved the song. Everything about the experience was pleasant and she smiled, glad that she’d decided to come out for the evening.