Day one, and I already missed my first chance. Of course, it makes me think she’s as flighty as her father that she slept through my arrival. No wonder the place was vacant and could be rented out at the last minute if that was how they did things.
I walked around the apartment that I was going to call home for three months and debated packing it all in and getting the hell out of the podunk little town. I was already going stir crazy after twenty-four hours there. Three months was going to be painful.
At least the weather was good, though. And the water was pretty amazing. And Piper and Gavin seemed okay.
But they weren’t why I was in MacKellar Cove. I was there for one reason only. And as soon as I got what I wanted, I could get the hell out of dodge and move forward with my life.
It took me all of five seconds to settle in since I only brought clothes and my guitar with me. The guitar was locked in my trunk while I was staying at the Inn, but being in the apartment, I had to bring it in. I felt more myself with it in my hands. Like I knew who I was.
The apartment building was vacant and dead when I walked outside. The street parking was less than ideal, but the location was the best in town. With Sofia Frank as the building manager and maintenance person and all-around welcome wagon, it was where I needed to be.
I grabbed my guitar and the notebook I’d been trying to write songs in from the trunk, then turned back to the building. Two women were approaching from the other direction. One was blonde, curvy, and made my mouth water. My fingers itched to touch her the same way they did to pick up my guitar when a song ran through my mind. Like if I didn’t get my hands on her in a few seconds, I would lose that feeling forever.
The other woman, a brunette, waved. Shit. It was Piper. Which meant the blonde was the woman I’d moved there for.
Sofia Frank.
I wasn’t expecting her to be beautiful, or for her to have curves that made me want to forget about getting out of there in three months.
I shook my head. Fuck that. I wasn’t the settling down type. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to settle down in a town that barely had a decent bar, let alone nothing in the way of entertainment. A movie theater with two screens? A few tiny restaurants? The biggest stage was two hours away. Same with the hospital and nightclubs and women who would be easy to slide into bed with.
“Daniel! Hi!” Piper said, catching me mid-daydream on the sidewalk in front of the apartment building. She smiled that big, cheerful grin of a woman who slept with the man she loved every night. That was the smile my music inspired. The smile that said I’d done my job.
“Hey, Piper,” I said, ignoring the twinge of jealousy that tightened my gut. I didn’t want what she had. Never did. Never would.
“I’m so happy we ran into you. Now you can meet Sofia,” Piper said, shoving her friend toward me.
“Hi, Daniel. It’s so nice to meet you. I apologize for not being available earlier. It’s not like me at all. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, please let me know.”
She shook my hand with a grip that shocked and impressed me. Most women preferred to bat their lashes at me and pretend they were helpless and needed me to care for them. Not Sofia. If her grip was anything to go on, she could not only take care of herself but kick my ass if it came down to it.
“It’s nice to meet you as well. And nothing to apologize for. Things happen. Piper and Gavin were nice enough to run over and get me the keys, so all good.”
“Well, thank you for being so kind. Piper’s been singing your praises.”
I glanced at Piper, trying to get a read off of her. Did she recognize me? Was Sofia trying to tell me something?
“What’s your favorite song to play?” Sofia asked before I could answer the questions in my head.
“Excuse me?”
She nodded to my guitar case. “I’m assuming there’s a guitar in there and not a really big gun.”
“The gun’s in my pants,” I said without thinking.
The three of us were silent for a long moment. I wanted to melt into the sidewalk. What the hell was I thinking?
I wasn’t. That was the problem.
Piper burst out laughing, bending over and laughing so loudly the sound echoed off the building. Sofia glanced at me, then at her friend, then started laughing with Piper.
I chuckled, trying to not feel like a douchey asshole for throwing a line at them. I needed to stop being the dick I was out on tour and act like a human being.
“Oh shit, that was good. I like that one,” Piper said, wiping tears from beneath her lashes. “That was just smooth. I needed that laugh. Thank you.”
“I aim to please,” I said, smiling at her, and getting another giggle out of her.
“Well, that was good. But I need to head home. Please let either of us know if there’s anything you need while you’re here. And I hope you take Gavin up on the offer to meet at O’Kelley’s tomorrow night. There’s a group of guys who meet every week. I think you’ll like them.” Piper stopped and shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to presume. I have no idea who you’d like. But they’re good guys. Since you’re going to be here for a few months, it can’t hurt to meet some people, right?”
“Of course.” I smiled at her even though I had no intention of buddying up to the locals.
Except one.
“Good. Okay, I’m gone. Love you, hun. See you soon.” Piper hugged Sofia warmly, Sofia’s lids falling closed as the two embraced. Piper released her and waved to me, then retreated down the sidewalk back toward where they came from.
“Can I get the door for you?” Sofia asked, moving toward the building.
It took me a second to realize what she was asking. I finally nodded and followed her. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
I proceeded her into the building, feeling like an ass for not holding the door for her. Didn’t women like her expect that?
“Nice meeting you,” she said as soon as she was inside the building. She headed toward the mailboxes on the ground floor without a second look at me.
I stared after her, wondering how in the world I was going to get her to tell me where her father was if I couldn’t get her to have a conversation at all.
A door closed somewhere down the hall, and I sighed, accepting defeat. Again.
I carried my guitar and notebook upstairs and let myself back into my apartment. I locked the door as soon as it was closed, then took the guitar to the living room. I laid the case on the floor and flipped it open.
Now, I could consider myself unpacked.
What the hell was I thinking? Could I blame it on the local water? Was there something in it that made me want to get out on a Thursday night and meet a bunch of strangers at a bar? A bunch of male strangers?
I was telling myself that because there was no other excuse. Besides extreme boredom. Fuck, there was nothing to do in this tiny little town. I planned to explore all day and ran out of shit to do by eleven. I started at ten.
My mind was melting. And not in a good way.
So, I was standing in front of O’Kelley’s, wondering what was wrong with me and finding I had nothing better to do with my evening than get to know some of the local men.
I opened the door and was more than a little surprised by the volume inside. The place was busy. Pool balls clacked together toward the back, tables were full of customers talking and laughing. And the bar was crowded.
I pulled my hat lower over my face, knowing the risk was high that someone would recognize me. As I made my way to the bar for a drink, I caught a few looks, but no one pointed at me.
The bartender caught my gaze and held it while I walked toward him. He was a big guy, shaved head and full beard. He looked like he could have been the bouncer, but with a guy his size behind the bar, they probably didn’t need a bouncer.
“How ya’ doing?” he asked when I got close enough to hear him over the noise.
“Good.”
“New here?”
I nodded.
“Are you Daniel?”
I was a little taken aback that he would know my name, even if it wasn’t the name I’d been going by for nearly two decades. “How do you know that?”
He jerked his head farther down the bar and started walking that way.
I looked at where he was going and spotted a group of men with Gavin in the middle of them. I followed the bartender, unsure how I was supposed to break into the group without coming across like an asshole.
“Daniel’s here,” the bartender said, interrupting the conversation without a hint of unease.
All the men, more than half a dozen of them, turned at once to where I stood a few feet away.
Gavin stood and came toward me. “Glad you made it! Come meet everyone.”
He shook my hand and clapped me on the back, shoving me into the middle of the group.
“Ian owns Jameson Custom Boats. Colin owns Jones Family Maple Farm. Ramsey is a business attorney. James and Rowan are MacKellar Cove police officers. Nico’s an oncologist. Knox owns Al’s Hardware.” Gavin pointed to the bartender. “Hudson owns this place.”
I looked down the line of men and nodded to each of them. I had to admit I was a little impressed. Business owners, cops, and a doctor? Not who I expected to meet at a small town bar.
“Daniel’s renting a unit in Piper’s building for the next three months,” Gavin told them.
“Nice place. My girlfriend lives in the building,” one of the guys said. “You must be in the apartment Sofia was renovating the last week. She got all the supplies from my store.”
I nodded. Hardware store guy. “Yep. It’s all I need for a few months.”
“So, what are you doing here? Taking the summer off?” the bartender, Hudson, asked.
I nodded. My cover for the summer was that I was in between jobs and taking a few months off to figure out my next steps. I decided to tell people I lived in LA and worked in the music industry, but that was as close to the truth as I was willing to get. The full truth was we were heading into the studio in the fall, and I needed to bring some new music with me or we wouldn’t have anything to record.
“Yeah. Seemed like a quiet area to get focused on what I want to do next,” I told the guys, nodding my head and looking at the bar like I was broken up about it and not wanting to talk much.
The trick worked like a charm. A beer slid under my nose, and the conversation around me picked up again.
“If you need anything, let me know,” Hudson said. “First beer’s on the house.”
I nodded my thanks to him and wondered if I saw a harder glint in his eyes than a moment ago.
He walked away, checking on other customers, and I told myself I was wrong. Everything was fine.
The men talked about work and women and life. There was a comfort with them that I didn’t expect. Especially knowing them for an hour. They included me in their conversations, asking about my history with women and if I was involved with anyone.
“Not right now. I’m not very good at commitment,” I admitted. It was the truth. There were too many options out there for me to be willing to settle down. It didn’t matter that I sang about finding love or romance; I wasn’t made for it. I’d spent too many years on the road. At thirty-seven, I was past the point of wanting to settle down, wanting one person to spend my life with. It wasn’t going to happen, and I was okay with that.
“I never was either,” Ian said. “But really, I was lying to myself. I slept around because Blake was involved with someone else and I was in love with her.”
“How long did that last?” I asked. Because it was good for a song, not for any other reason.
“Five years, she dated Willie. When they split, it took me another nine months to pull my head out of my ass and get up the nerve to ask her out,” Ian admitted.
“Yeah, and you didn’t even really do that,” Ramsey added. “He started sleeping with her without telling her he was in love with her. Met her on an online dating site and played both sides.”
“Online dating? I thought you all grew up here?”
The men all chuckled.
“Don’t do it, man,” Nico said.
“Someone should warn him,” Knox said.
“What are you all talking about?” I asked.
“There’s this app. One of our friends made it,” Hudson said. “All of us have met our wives and girlfriends through it. My wife and I hated each other, but we started talking there and fell in love. Let us see a different side of each other.”
“Why did you match if you hated each other?” I asked.
“The app doesn’t let you use names and there are no pictures,” James explained. “My wife and I were like Hudson and Anna. She couldn’t stand me. But we worked it all out.” He smirked.
I couldn’t help but return the look. I knew that look. They figured it out in the bedroom.
“For Blake and me, we were friends. She’s best friends with my sister. I’ve been in love with her forever, and she wasn’t looking for anything serious when we got together, so I pretended I wasn’t either. Almost ruined everything, but we got it right in the end. I know you’re only here a few months, but Book Boyfriends Wanted is the best app for meeting people in the area.”
“Book Boyfriends Wanted?” I was skeptical of the name.
They all nodded.
“The woman who made it, plus all our women and more, meet up at the bookstore next door and talk about men in books. Always say they’re better than real life,” Hudson explained. “That’s where the name came from. Asks you a bunch of questions about books and who you are and pairs you up based on what you read.”
“What if I don’t read?” I asked. I didn’t take a lot of time to read between international tours and women.
The guys shrugged.
“Then don’t worry about it. Maybe it’s not for you,” Knox said.
I nodded, wondering why I cared. I wasn’t looking to meet anyone. Hell, I wasn’t even considering sex at the moment. I had a goal, and when I had a goal, that was all that mattered. Getting to know Sofia was the only thing I needed to be thinking about for the next three months.
“Haley said Sofia signed up again. And Chelsea. She and Chelsea have been talking about it at the salon. More and more women are signing up,” Knox said.
“Sofia?” I blurted before my brain could stop me.
Knox turned to me with a smirk. “You know Sofia?”
I shook my head and reached for my beer. The glass was empty, leaving me holding absolutely nothing. I set the glass back down and tried not to let my panic show. “I met her yesterday. She was with Piper.” I nodded to Gavin to back up my story.
“Sofia’s great,” Knox said. “Smart and funny and creative. She’s pretty quiet, though, so if you’re looking to get to know her, the app might be a good option. She doesn’t let a lot of people in.”
“But don’t fuck with her. Sofia’s a good person,” Hudson said.
“Daniel’s not like that, guys,” Gavin defended me. “He’s here for three months. We all know it. Sofia knows it. Nothing is going to get messed up. Hell, Sofia barely dates, so it’s not like he’s got a great shot, anyway.”
I tried not to be bothered by their protective instincts surrounding her. And I tried not to take offense to their comments about me not having much of a chance.
I was Trey fucking Ryan. I was a damn rockstar. I could have any woman I wanted. And I had any woman I wanted. All I had to do was turn on my rockstar charm, and she’d be putty in my hands.
All the way to the studio.
