Hide and Seek Read Free

grinned hugely, the smile lightening his face and making him seem like some sort of playful god. Strong, self-assured, with a steady, rock-like quality to him. Josephine shook her head. Maybe the light beer tasted awful, but she couldn’t possibly be tipsy from the few sips she had taken over the last half hour or so.
    The man’s smile was so infectious, so genuine, Josephine couldn’t help herself, she smiled right back at him, her normal, cheery, devil-may-care grin that always made her feel cheeky and wicked. The man studied her further for a moment and then nodded his head, as if he had decided something. He winked at her and paid no attention when the vocals man slapped him on the shoulder in that manly, playful way brothers often have.
    The time from then on seemed to pass in a happy, carefree blur. Josephine no longer cared that the bar stank, that the beer tasted repulsive or that the clientele was not exactly safe. She sat and watched the four men interact and jibe each other, singing to the crowd and entertaining themselves, if not some of the patrons.
    After their set, the tall bass guitarist headed towards her. His stride, confident and strong, made her quiver, whether in nerves or excitement she didn’t know, and didn’t particularly care, either.
    He glared at the man next to her until he mumbled something rude and shifted to the next barstool away from her.
    The man sat down and grimaced at her beer.
    “It’s awful stuff, I know. I do not recommend it at all.” She stopped, wanting to kick herself the second the words left her mouth. Surely he wouldn’t be stupid enough to think she was warning him away or something? Before she could rush on and make a bigger fool of herself, her guitarist smiled and spoke to the bartender.
    “A Coke for me and the lady will have…?”
    Josephine smiled at him. “A white wine spritzer please.”
    The man nodded at the bartender, who shrugged and moved to get the drinks.
    “I’m William Rutledge. What are you doing in such a dive?”
    Josephine smiled. If she hadn’t spent the best part of the last hour watching him interact with his brothers, she’d be pissed at his bluntness. Yet she had learnt a bit about him in the last hour.
    He was a bit rough around the edges, one of those men who used gruffness and blunt, tactless comments to show he was concerned or cared. As she would never see him again and didn’t really want to pick a fight, she decided to verbally spar instead of start a drag-out fight with him.
    “Not that it’s any of your business,” she glared at him, certain her smile would soften the blow, “but I just needed a breather before I went back to my motel room. I’m fairly new in town and didn’t realize what sort of place this was. By the time I did, my beer was already bought, and I refused to waste four bucks, no matter how awful the beer is. When you and your brothers began to set up, I wanted to stick around for the music. It’s been a while since I’ve heard a live band, and the temptation was too good to resist. Do you often play in rat holes like this?”
    The bartender set their drinks in front of them, and Josephine watched William take out a few bills and passed them over with a nod.
    “My brothers and I play in any number of bars, ones much classier than this, and sad to say, much worse than this.” He shrugged.
    Josephine smiled and took a sip of her wine. Just barely, she managed not to choke on it. It was terrible . Smiling with a little less brightness, she wondered if she could duck into the restroom and rinse her mouth out with water. She crinkled her nose. Undoubtedly the restroom would be just as dodgy as the rest of the bar.
    “Wine not that good, huh?” William smiled gently. When he reached out to touch her thigh, even covered by the black work pants she wore, she felt the electric current run through her, jazzing her as no alcohol or drug ever could.
    “What’s happening?” she asked quietly, not even really