I giggled as I slipped it on. “I dare you.” I smiled.
“Dude and dudette, let’s go!” Sam yelled from across the room.
“Shut it, man! We’re coming!” Luke yelled back.
“I bet you are!” he exclaimed.
We looked at each other and started laughing. Luke got dressed, and we walked into the living room. Gretchen looked at me, got up from the couch, and grabbed my arm, leading me into the bathroom.
“You have sex hair. You can’t go to the bar with sex hair.”
I sighed as I took the brush, ran it through my hair, and touched up my makeup. “How’s that?” I asked her as I turned around.
“Much better.” She smiled.
We walked into the living room, grabbed our guys, and headed to Bernie’s.
24
“Four beers, Candi,” Luke said as he walked past the bar, and the four of us sat at a table.
“What’s going on with your sister and Lucky?” I asked Gretchen as I grabbed her hand.
“I don’t know. She said it’s weird because he’s not her type at all, yet she can’t stop fucking him.”
I twisted my face at her as Candi brought the beers to the table.
“It looks like it’s a full house tonight, Luke. Maybe you should be up on that stage, playing your guitar and singing us a song.” Candi smiled.
“I’d love to, Candi, but I didn’t bring my guitar.”
“Maybe you didn’t bring it, but I did.” Sam chuckled.
Luke shot him a look. “You brought my guitar, man?”
“Yeah, it’s in the back of the Jeep. I put it in there in case you needed it.” Sam replied.
“Great!” Candi grinned. “Thirty minutes, Luke. Get ready to knock the socks off this crowd,” she said.
Luke looked over at me as he took a swig of his beer. “How about you get up on that stage and play what your daddy taught you?”
“No way!” I exclaimed as I took a sip of my beer.
I didn’t know if he was joking or not, but there was no way in hell I was getting up on that stage and playing the guitar.
“Come on, Lily. You have a beautiful voice.” Luke smiled.
“Since when have you heard me sing?”
“Through the wall; you sing almost every night before you go to bed—at least you did before I started sleeping over.”
“Damn it, I have to move; those walls are too thin.”
Luke laughed, pulled me from my chair, and hugged me. “You aren’t going anywhere,” he said.
Sam went out to the Jeep, grabbed Luke’s guitar, and handed it to him as Candi announced Luke’s performance from the stage. I smiled at him and kissed him for good luck. He winked at me, walked to the stage, and sat on the bar stool Candi provided for him. Luke adjusted the microphone and said hello as everyone in the bar clapped. His smile captivated me like it always does, and the way he held his guitar and strummed a few chords for a sound check, pulled me in. Candi set another beer down in front of me, leaned over, and whispered in my ear as she looked across at the stage.
“Luke’s a great guy; it’s good to see him smile again.”
My eyes wouldn’t leave him as he sat up on the stage, and I stared straight ahead as I replied, “He is a wonderful guy. Sometimes, I think he’s too good to be true.”
Candi patted my shoulder and walked away. I took a sip of my fresh, cold beer and listened as Luke sang a song.
The moment he finished his song, Luke spoke to the crowd. “I’ve met a very special lady. She’s very talented, and I think you’d all like her. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce Lily Gilmore.”
My stomach dropped, and my heart started racing. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to kill him, but that would have to wait because people were cheering and clapping for me. Gretchen pushed me up on the stage; then I stood there and faced the cheering crowd.
Luke stood up, handed me his guitar, and whispered in my ear, “You can punish me later.”
I shot him a look and sat down on the stool with his guitar in hand. Luke made his way off the stage and back to the table. I stared out in the crowd, remembering the night my father did the same thing to me. Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and started playing a song that I wrote shortly after my father’s death.
“You were taken away
By the love and alcohol you liked to play
I love you are just words
If there’s no action, it can’t be meant
You told me you loved me, and I was heaven sent.
You left a cut so deep in my heart
There’s no escaping who you are
But I’m your daughter, and I’m your star
You left me alone and full of scars.
There were more important things to you
Then the family that you once knew
You always told me to shine bright
And that I was your shining light.
You left a cut so deep in my heart
There’s no escaping who you are
But I’m your daughter, and I’m your star
You left me alone and full of scars.
You said you’d always be with me
Even when I needed you most
You’re just a phone call away
Over on the East Coast.
I’m done crying now, and I’ve said goodbye
I’ll remember you always until I die
I hope you can hear me from wherever you are
This song is for you, from your daughter, your star.”
While the people in the bar clapped and whistled, I strummed the last chord. Standing up, I smiled and thanked them as Sam walked up on stage and took Luke’s guitar. He kissed me on the cheek and smiled. Luke got up from the table and stood in the middle of the bar, waiting for me to walk off the stage and into his arms. When I climbed down to meet him, his arms tightly wrapped around me.
“Babe, that was beautiful,” he said. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Luke,” I said as I looked up at him.
“I didn’t know you wrote songs; I thought you just sang and played random ones or the ones your father taught you.”
“I write a song here and there.” I smiled.
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed my lips. Gretchen walked up to us, broke our kiss, and hugged me.
“I’ve never heard that song before, Lily. What the fuck, girl, why didn’t you ever sing it to me?” She started to tear up.
“It’s just a song that I kept to myself.”
“Just a song you kept to yourself? You just sang it in front of a shitload of people!” she exclaimed.
“Consider it my debut.”
Suddenly, our favorite song, Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, started playing, and Gretchen grabbed my hand, pulling me to the dance floor. We started moving our hips and dancing; then moments later, I felt two hands clasp my waist. As I turned around, Luke was smiling at me, moving his hands up and down my body while dancing to the music. Our bodies kept the same rhythm as we swayed our hips back and forth. As we stared into each other’s eyes while we danced, Luke never stopped smiling, and neither did I. When the song ended, Luke put his arm around me, kissed me, and then led us back to the table. Sam held his hand up for a high five.