Chapter 28

28

Sadie Lewis grabbed a beer mug,and before she could get it under the tab, the glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the cement floor. She bit back the curse that was on the tip of her tongue and turned to the customer. “I’m so sorry about that. Let me just sweep this up real quick, and then I’ll get that beer for you.”

“No problem,” the handsome man said, looking more amused than annoyed.

Of course he found it funny. He wasn’t the one who had to clean up shards of glass.

The door swung open, and another group of people walked in, making the knots tighten in her gut. Why tonight, of all nights, did half the town have to show up?

“Sadie! Great turn out tonight!” Imogen Thane called from across the room and gave her two thumbs-up when she caught Sadie’s eye. She was sitting with her sister, Harlow, and their significant others. After working with Imogen on her cousin’s wedding the two had become pretty good friends. The kind of friends who showed up to support each other, apparently. Much to Sadie’s chagrin.

Sadie waved, both grateful for and annoyed by her friend’s support. Didn’t she understand that the more people who were in the audience tonight, the more nervous Sadie was going to be?

No, Sadie, she doesn’t because you never told her that,Sadie chided herself.

“Your friend’s right. It’s a good turnout tonight,” the handsome stranger said, watching her. “Is it always this busy in here?”

Sadie continued to sweep up the glass and only briefly glanced at him. “It can be. The Keating Hollow Brewery is an award-winning pub. Most people who visit town usually end up here eventually.”

“If the beers are as interesting as the staff, then I can see why,” he said with a sexy little half grin.

Okay, that was nice. It wasn’t every day that Sadie was hit on. But that probably had more to do with the fact that most of her customers were married than anything else. Keating Hollow seemed to be a commitment town, and the pool of dateable men in her age range was pretty slim. Most of her matches on dating apps came from men thirty to fifty miles away. Not that they’d proved to be winners, obviously. Otherwise, she’d have given up the dating app. But this guy? He had potential.

Once she was done sweeping and washing her hands, she quickly got on that beer she owed the hottie. Then she said, “Sorry about the wait. Can I get you a complimentary appetizer?” That’s right. Sadie Lewis wasn’t above bribing cute men to like her.

“Complimentary, huh? Well, I would be foolish to turn that down.” He quickly scanned the menu. “The crab dip looks interesting.”

“Crab dip it is,” she said and sent him a wink of her own. As she tapped it into the ordering system she asked, “What brings you to Keating Hollow?”

“I just needed a change of pace. I have a friend who lives here who said I could use his house, so here I am. So far I’d say it was an excellent decision.” The way he was eyeing her, there was no missing his innuendo. “And you? You obviously work here, but did you grow up here or are you a transplant?”

“Born and bred,” she said and poured another beer. “Keating Hollow might seem a little on the tame side, but it’s a gorgeous place full of fantastic people. I hope you enjoy it while you’re here.”

“I will… if you agree to let me take you out,” he said, eyeing her with a cocky smile.

Sadie couldn’t help it. She laughed. “I bet that always works for you. I bet that every time you’ve asked someone out like that, they’ve eaten it right up.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I do okay in the dating department.”

“I bet. When you look like that, it’s hard to strike out.”

It was his turn to laugh. “You think you have me all figured out, don’t you?”

“Maybe not all figured out. Let me guess. You’re a D-list actor who’s desperately trying to raise your star in the business and you’re here to woo Miranda and Cameron so you can get a part in their next project.”

“D-list? Ouch.” He clutched his chest as if she’d shot him. “You wound me. But no. Not an actor. Try again.”

“Not an actor. Okay, a reality star? Something like Love in the Redwoods,” she tried again. The man had a polish about him that just screamed Hollywood. And if he had a friend who had a house he could borrow, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. A lot of stars ended up in Keating Hollow at one point or another.

That made him laugh out loud. “Definitely not a reality star. What else do you have?”

“Trust fund kid?”

“Far from it,” he said and took a sip of his beer.

“Sadie?” Clay, the brewery manager, called from the other end of the bar. “Are you ready for your break?”

“Sure, boss.” She looked at her customer. “Need anything before I head out for a few minutes?”

“Your number.” He held out his phone for her to type it in.

Sadie’s lips twitched with amusement. Normally she didn’t really go for cocky guys, but this one had a charm that she just couldn’t seem to resist. She gave him a hint of a smile and then tapped in her number.

The moment he took his phone back, he hit the number. When her phone started to ring from her back pocket, he grinned. “Just checking. Enjoy your break, Sadie.”

She rolled her eyes at him, but as she walked away, she couldn’t help looking over her shoulder at the man with the dark blue eyes and dark curly hair. He tilted his head toward the door, silently asking if she wanted to join him.

Why the hell not? she asked herself. She was twenty-seven years old and deserved to enjoy a handsome stranger for the night, right? With a short nod, she reversed course and followed him out front. The moment she was free of the pub, he tucked her hand in his and led her down the cobblestone sidewalk until they were standing in front of A Spoonful of Magic’s magical window. It was enchanted to show chocolate bunnies playing leapfrog with the yellow marshmallow ducks. Gumdrops had been utilized to look like a rainbow river, and everything about it screamed happiness and joy.

“What’s your name?” Sadie asked him.

He gave her a wry smile. “You gave your number to a complete stranger. I thought that was frowned upon, even in small towns.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Once you give me your name, we’ll no longer be strangers, right?”

He chuckled. “It’s King.”

“Oh, so not Hollywood. You’re royalty. How pretentious of you,” she joked.

He snorted. “Hardly. I think my mom just wanted to pretend we were something more than we were. It’s harmless, but I’m about as far away from the crown as one can get.”

“You gotta give her points for originality, I suppose,” Sadie said.

He smiled down at her. “Maybe.”

After a few beats of silence, Sadie said, “I’ve always loved this store. The window displays usually change each month, and the owner, Miss Maple, is just about the kindest person I’ve ever met.”

“This is what I came here for,” he said wistfully.

“Chocolate? It’s good, but I’m not sure it was worth traveling for.”

“No, Sadie of Keating Hollow. I meant the small-town flavor. You don’t get this where I’m from. Not even close.”

Sadie tilted her head to look up at him. “I’m getting the feeling that my first impressions of you were way off.”

“You could say that,” he said with a wry smile.

She nodded. “Okay. I’m intrigued.”

“Good.” He gave her that sexy half smile. “What time do you get off?”

“Tonight? Nine o’clock.”

“I’ll be here.” Then he walked off in the opposite direction of the brewery, leaving her at the window. Sadie shook her head, wondering what in the world that was about, and then she went back to work, grateful for the short distraction.

An hour later, Abby Garrison got up on the small stage in the brewery and said, “Good evening, everyone. We have a special treat for you tonight. Are you ready for some really excellent music?”

A deafening cheer filled the bar, and Abby beamed.

“Wonderful. Well, let me introduce Austin Steele, Keating Hollow’s very own resident music producer. Give it up for Austin.”

Everyone cheered while his wife Brinn let out a loud whistle.

Sadie remained a ball of nerves. Tonight was the night she was supposed to get up there and sing. It was her official audition to be signed to Austin’s label. She just didn’t know when it was going to happen. Right now? Later? She wished her nerves would settle. Otherwise, she was going to lose her lunch right along with her courage.

Austin came up on stage. “I’ll make it short and sweet. Tonight we have a special guest. Put your hands together for King McGrath.”

The band started to play and instantly, Sadie recognized the song. It had been a popular hit a few years back. “Small Town Love.” It was catchy but a little too pop for her taste. And that’s when it hit her that the guy she’d met was the pop star King McGrath. He strode out onto the stage with his guitar, already strumming it. Then he spoke into the microphone and said, “We have another surprise for you tonight. Sadie Lewis? Can you come up here?”

She stood there frozen like a deer in the headlights. When Austin had said he wanted her to sing tonight as part of her audition, he hadn’t said anything about singing with a pop star.

“Sadie?” King’s eyes met hers, and suddenly she found herself walking up to the stage and standing right next to the handsome man she’d been flirting with half the night.

He strummed the guitar and said, “Do you know this one?”

She nodded.

“Okay, you come in on the second verse.” He winked, clearly trying to set her at ease.

Had he known all along she was a singer? Was that why he’d taken an interest in her? She wasn’t going to find out right now. She had a song to sing.

“Bright lights in the rearview,” he started. “Life has never been the same after you. Searching for something greater than that night beneath the northern lights.”

Sadie felt the song come alive in her body and sang, “Looking back, you were worth the fight, my solace, my light. I’d give anything to lie with you under those northern lights.”

The guitar strumming stopped abruptly, and King stared at her with a mix of wonder and pure contempt. Then he said, “It’s you.”

She blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

King glared at her and then, without a word, he stormed off the stage, leaving her in front of an entire restaurant full of people, all of them just as dumbfounded as she was.

Austin appeared and handed her a guitar. “Sing something. Anything.” Then he bolted after his musician.

Sadie cleared her throat and then finished King’s song. When she was done, she walked off the stage to varying degrees of applause and went to look for King and find out what happened. But he was gone, and there was a text on her phone from his number.

I’m the one leaving this time.

***

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