Hoping for Love Read Free Page A

guitar and joined in the chorus of “Sister Golden Hair.”
    After they played the last notes, Owen stayed at the microphone while he strummed his guitar. “Y’all may not realize it, but we have a real
star
in our presence.”
    While Evan made plans to shoot his friend after the gig, he stole a glance at Grace to find her watching them with interest. He was glad she’d stopped crying.
    “The eminent Evan McCarthy, recording star straight from Nashville, Tennessee, is gracing our stage tonight.”
    “Shut up,” Evan muttered to Owen as the table full of women went crazy cheering.
    “I’m sure that with enough
encouragement
, Evan might be convinced to share the first single off his new album with us. Waddya say, Ev?”
    As the crowd went wild, Evan said, “I say I’m gonna kill you for this,” even though he appreciated the chance to show off one of his new songs.
    Owen gestured for him to take center stage.
    Evan rolled his eyes, bit back the surge of panic he’d grown accustomed to, then stepped up to the microphone and strummed the opening notes to “Here for You,” the ballad he’d co-written and hoped would launch his career. The song was about a couple trying to recover their friendship after a rough breakup. As he hit the refrain, he again sought out Grace in the crowd and found her watching him, her chin propped on her hands.
    While she appeared to be enjoying the music, she still looked so hopelessly sad. Something about her tugged at him and made him want to make it all better, even though he knew it wasn’t up to him. It was, however, within his power to make tonight a little better for her. So for the rest of their set, he sang to her, for her, and in his opinion, he’d never performed better in his life.
    “You were awesome tonight, man,” Owen said as they packed up their guitars and enjoyed a beer.
    “So were you.” Evan took a drink from his beer. “You got a date tonight?”
    “Nah.”
    Evan stopped what he was doing to stare at his friend. “Why not?”
    Owen shrugged. “Not in the mood.”
    Evan reached up to place a hand on Owen’s forehead. “You’re not feverish. Have you seen a doctor lately?”
    “Shut the fuck up,” Owen said, laughing. “For your information, I’m
tired
. I’m going home and going to bed.
Alone
.”
    “Really, I think you need a physical or something. This isn’t like you.”
    “I’ll take that under advisement. What’s the plan with Weepy?”
    “Don’t call her that. She’s had a rough night. Her asshole boyfriend dumped her here and took off—on a boat—with her purse and all her stuff. She’s truly marooned.”
    “Whoa. That sucks. So what’re you going to do?”
    “Take her home to Linda. What else?”
    Owen laughed. “Dude, she’ll have you two married with four kids by the morning.”
    Evan felt like he’d been hit by an electric cattle prod. “Jesus, you’re right. Maybe I can sneak her in and out without Linda ever knowing.”
    “You talking about Voodoo Mama? Good luck with that.”
    “Oh my
God
,” Evan moaned. “I promised her a place to stay. I can’t renege now.”
    “I’d offer her a room at the Surf,” Owen said, referring to the old hotel in town that his grandparents owned. “But we’re not exactly prepared for guests.” Owen’s grandparents had recently hired Evan’s cousin Laura to renovate and reopen the hotel.
    “And of course everything else is sold out this weekend.”
    “Looks like it’s either Linda or a tent on the beach.”
    Evan actually considered the latter alternative before dismissing it as too impractical. He was way past the point where sand in places sand didn’t belong appealed to him. “Any rumors you may hear in the morning regarding my impending betrothal are not to be believed. Got me?”
    Owen snorted beer through his nose and winced from the pain. “Don’t say crap like that without warning me.”
    While they were talking, the bar had more or less cleared out, leaving