Ruby Tuesday Read Free Page A

new acquaintance.
    “Teagan is an unusual name,” he said, searching for some scrap to start the conversation since she obviously wasn’t going to spend the standard twenty minutes gushing about how great he was and how much she loved his music.
    What a relief.
    She laughed lightly. “Yeah, well, I have Sunday to thank for that.”
    “Sunday?”
    “My mother. She took the naming of her seven children very seriously.” Sky leaned back in the booth and grinned. “Seven children?”
    “Yep.” Teagan turned toward the bar. “In fact, if you take a look over there, you’ll see two of my four brothers glaring at you from behind the counter.”
    “Ah, so they are. Should I be preparing for a ‘pistols at dawn’ challenge?” he joked.
    Teagan shook her head, her smile growing wider. “I think you’ll be okay so long as you stay on that side of the table. Tris and Ewan have learned a bit about restraint lately. My oldest sister, Keira, just recently moved in with her boyfriend.”
    “I think I’m beginning to understand your comment about the unusual names—
    Keira, Tris, Ewan.”
    “Actually, I have to confess all the names seem to fit. For instance, ‘Teagan’ means poet.”
    Sky nodded. “Very fitting for a songwriter.”
    “Your name is fairly unusual as well,” she said.
    “It’s not my given name,” he confessed.
    “I didn’t think it was. No doubt someone must have thought Sky was a terribly clever name for the lead singer of a band called The Universe.” 15
    Mari Carr
    “So you do know who I am.”
    “Of course,” she said, and then she broke into peals of laughter. He was confused by her response until she added, “Actually, I had no idea until my sister, Riley, spotted you. I mean, I’ve heard of The Universe, but I have to admit it’s not the type of music I usually listen to.”
    “Not a fan of popular music?” he asked, surprised. While her songs were definitely folksy, Maybe Tomorrow would be very easy to put a contemporary twist on by eliminating the acoustic guitar and adding more instruments.
    “Not particularly. I prefer folk music. You know, songs where you can actually understand what the singer is saying.” The moment the words left her lips, he watched her blush uncomfortably. “I’m sorry,” she added quickly. “That was completely rude and I can’t believe I said it.”
    He shrugged good-naturedly. “I’m not offended. I agree there are a lot of bands out there that rely on painfully loud music to drown out the fact that their lead singer can’t sing or their words are utterly ridiculous. I hope you don’t feel that way about The Universe’s music.”
    She winced. “I was kind of hoping to avoid admitting the fact that I don’t really know any of your songs. I mean, it’s entirely probable that I’ve heard them on the radio and just didn’t know it was The Universe.”
    Sky shook his head in disbelief. He wasn’t so cocky as to believe everyone in the world knew the band’s music, but it had been so long since he’d actually met someone who didn’t, he wasn’t sure how to react.
    He watched Teagan glance at a spot behind him and he realized it was the third time she’d done so. He turned to see what she was looking at. All he saw was a staircase. “Are you waiting for someone?” he asked.
    “My sister, Riley. She was excited when she realized you were here. She went upstairs to change her clothes.”
    16
    Ruby Tuesday
    He grinned. That was a response he could understand. “Is your sister as pretty as you?” he asked.
    “She’s much prettier. No freckles or bright red hair.” He was surprised by the sincerity of her response, as well as the lack of jealousy behind it.
    “Oh Teagan, I had to tell you how much I loved that last song!” Sky looked up to see an older woman standing by their table. He was struck by the fact that, once again, he was virtually invisible, as the woman never glanced his way.
    “Thank you, Mrs. Tibbs.”
    “Bev