Surprised, Travis’s eyes darted to Greg. It was almost as if he were waiting for Greg’s direction.
“I can’t.” Greg leaned in whispering, “My mom’s coming down for a visit. She wants to talk.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that before?” I whispered furiously. “I’ll cancel my date. I want to be there for you.”
This was huge. Greg’s mother was a timid woman. She’d never gone against her husband’s wishes, and he’d made his wishes pretty clear.
“I need to handle this myself.” Serious eyes gazed into mine. He was scared. I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. “I’ll tell you everything later. I promise.”
He stood up and placed a smile on his face. “So now, about the carnival.”
I looked into baby blue eyes. Hurt and fear lay behind the playful smile. Carnivals had never been my thing. Something about them always made me feel sad. But if I could get his mind off of meeting with his estranged mother for one night, then teacups here I come.
“Okay, fine. We’ll go to the carnival tomorrow. Just promise not to boo after my set tonight.”
“When have I ever . . . oh, yeah.” He chuckled. The last time I’d played in front of an audience was during my junior year. Greg and I had argued about the song I wanted to play. I had wanted to play “Creep” by Radiohead. He was going through his Celine Dion phase and wanted me to play “My Heart Will Go On.” Stubborn man booed and hissed in protest during the entire performance.
“Well, depends what you’re playing tonight.” I scowled. “I kid, I kid. Seriously, Nicole, you need to take a chill pill.”
“Just go to the table already.” I pushed him playfully.
As Lou directed everyone to the table he’d reserved for them near the stage, I sat myself in a corner, strumming my guitar to tune it. I didn’t have a clue what I was going to play.
I looked around the packed room hoping people would leave. Nope. If anything, it seemed like there were more people.
That’s when I felt it. Someone was watching me. Of course people were probably watching me. I was the only one with a guitar about to go on stage. But this was different. It was as if someone was calling me.
Gazing around the room, my eyes rested on smoldering sapphire. Cooper sat in the far corner, in the same spot he’d sat in when he’d last brought his students for ice cream.
I sucked in a breath.
He’s here.
Butterflies stormed my already nervous stomach.
His eyes held mine. There was brief flash of light and the sound laughing, wheels rolling, and music echoed in my head.
I had the sudden urge to go to him, to caress his cheek and wipe away the haunted look in those eyes. Why was he here? Why now?
A manicured hand slowly turned his face, taking those blue eyes out of reach and breaking our connection.
I gripped the neck of my guitar, expecting to see Gianna. I blinked with surprise to see a woman in a business suit sitting across from him. She looked a little older than me and stunning. Chin length hair framed a porcelain face. Thick ruler-straight bangs hung like silk over light brown eyes. Her hair was a severe square-shaped bob like the style 20s flappers wore, except a little longer. Pink lips moved as she spoke to Cooper. He looked at her as if she were the moon.
My heart twisted.
I couldn’t explain why. I was used to seeing women throw themselves at him, especially Gianna. But this was different. I’d never seen him look at anyone like he was looking at her.
I choked back a sob that should’ve never formed in the first place. Why should I care if he brought his date to Jitters? If anything, it showed that he was cheap when it came to dates.
The microphone whined as Lou turned it on.
“Dude, that was loud,” he said. “Okay, everyone. I want to thank you for coming. Jitters is proud to present one of our very own. Please give a warm welcome to,” he glanced down at his open palm, “Nicole Ashford.”
Dread filled my stomach as I made my way to the center of the stage. I still hadn’t decided what song I was going to play. I strummed a little, looking into the audience, fighting the urge to look at Cooper.
“Woohoo!” Greg called out.
The audience chuckled, and I could feel my face heat up. I looked down at Greg’s proud face and Rainbow’s encouraging eyes.
This was supposed to be fun, damn it! I wasn’t going to let Cooper and Flapper Girl ruin my night. I may not be the smartest student. And I wasn’t a world famous pianist like my mom and dad, but I knew for a fact that I could play a mean guitar. Classical musician or not, music was in my blood.
Pulling my shoulders back, I flicked my eyes to Cooper, determined not to fall apart just because he was here with a date. And at that moment, it hit me. I knew exactly what I was going to play.
There was a hush through the audience as I strummed the first few chords of “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” It’d been my favorite song ever since I’d heard Sheryl Crow’s version of it. The moment I opened my mouth and sang of childhood memories, calm washed over me. It happened every time I sang it.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying the song. Lou and Rainbow held hands, swaying them in the air. Others sang the chorus with me. Greg and Travis pulled out there cellphones, using the light as they swayed, holding them up in the air.
The excitement was contagious. I strummed hard on the strings, really getting into the song. I was having so much fun; I didn’t want the song to end, so I started from the beginning again. When I got to the part of the song describing eyes that were like the bluest skies, I couldn’t help myself. My eyes drifted to Cooper’s.
His face was pale as if he’d seen a ghost. Even Flapper Girl looked freaked out.
I stumbled on a note and quickly recovered. With each note I sang, his face twisted in pain as if I was plunging a knife deep into his chest. When I got the chorus, he stood up abruptly and dashed out.
When I strummed the last note, I couldn’t move. Shocked, I barely heard the loud applause and yelling for more. I should’ve been happy. I should’ve been elated by the compliments. All I could think about was Cooper’s handsome face twisted in torment and the deathly glare Flapper Girl gave me before she ran out after him.
Chapter Thirteen
“Are you sure you’re okay, Greg? You’re looking a bit green there. We can take a break.”
“I don’t need a break. See, I’m fine.” He smiled for a moment before letting out a small moan.
After Cooper and his date’s reaction to my performance, I was thankful that I’d agreed to come to the carnival. The moment I saw the twinkling lights and heard the carnival music, I’d felt a tug in my chest. But seeing Greg so excited took my mind off the feeling. We were having way too much fun. Or more like I was having way too much fun watching Greg trying to keep down his corn dogs.
I chuckled. “I told you the teacups would be too much for you. Still want to get on Zero Gravity?”
“Yeah, just give me a few minutes.”
“I don’t get it. Why are you even bothering? It’s not like you have anything to prove.”
He looked down sheepishly. “I kind of made a bet with Travis.”
“Seriously, Greg? You’re such a guy. How much?”
“Fifty bucks.”
“Fifty!” I slapped his arm. “Must be nice to be rolling in dough. You know how long it takes for me to earn that at Jitters?”
“Ow!” He grabbed my hand. “Trim those claws, woman.”
“At least you’re getting normal color back in your cheeks.” I laughed. “And speaking of Travis. You can’t hide anything from me. I know you two are up to something.”
Wide baby blues looked me straight in the eye. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You two were acting strange last night. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”