Secondhand Heart Read Free

making an irrational fear come true.
    “Thanks, I just needed some air,” I tried to assure Bree I was normal as she handled me a bottle of beer. Apricot wheat. “Good choice. Have you tried this?”
    “Yeah, a couple of times. It’s light and fruity, so I knew you’d like it. Cheers.” Bree tapped my bottle, and I tried to cover up that I’d already taken a sip. “I am loving this place. Have you looked at the men walking around here? You’d hardly know it was Plymouth!”
    I’d been afraid to look, but then I realized this party was invitation only. All the people around town that I’d been hiding out from, the ones who stared and whispered when they saw me, wouldn’t be able to get in. Bree was right. “Wow. I wonder where they shipped these guys in from.”
    Her face brightened when I actually seemed interested. “They could be local. This could be the best thing that ever happened to us.” Her eyes widened as she realized I might not agree, but I didn’t say anything. I just took another delicious sip of beer.
    “I think Ev had them all bused in, and when the night is over, they’ll all go back to the island that they hide on. People don’t really look like this.” I made accidental eye contact with one of the hot cowboys and looked away quickly. “Did you hear her say where she went?”
    “No. Is there a backstage or something?” Bree looked like a little kid of Christmas morning. She wasn’t looking at me at all when she talked. She was high off of testosterone and cologne.
    “I guess?” I’d been as far as she had in here. “It’s really a restaurant though, right?”
    “There’s a band! There’s got to be a backstage area,” she insisted, and pointed into the crowd. “There’s Ev!”
    We waved and caught her eye, and she came over to us, hands on hips. “I bring you guys out to this hot party and you’re sitting in the corner?”
    “It was the only seat I could find,” I protested.
    Ev pulled me up. She didn’t get it when I freaked out about stupid stuff. She liked to put me right in the middle of the action when I wanted to run. Ev was over coddling me. I loved her and hated her for it at the same time. “You should be mingling and meeting new people. And having fun.”
    “I am having fun.”
    “You can sit on your ass and drink beer at home. Come on.” She pulled me through the crowd and Bree did her best to keep up. Her head was on a swivel and every couple of seconds she said something about hot . “You ladies are VIP tonight. If you’re going to sit in the corner, at least sit in the right section.”
    Bree banged on my back with excitement. This human pinball game of a party was so up her ally. I wondered if there was a deck outside. That would be more my speed.
    The VIP section wasn’t as packed as the regular area, so it was a little quieter. We didn’t have to scream at each other. Ev brought us over to a booth with a paper tent that said reserved . Bree and I hesitated, not realizing it was for us. “You don’t have to pay for drinks in this section tonight, either.”
    “Why the hell didn’t you say anything sooner?” I asked her. Free drinks? Now this night was looking up, even if free beer meant I’d be hurting tomorrow.
    “You two took off.” Ev rolled her eyes. I made a face at her, since it was totally the other way around.
    The lights went down, and the crowd went wild and swarmed the stage. The VIP section was to the right of the stage, and elevated just enough that we could see everything perfectly. A cover band had opened the show, but Cam Hunter was headlining his grand opening celebration.
    Ev and Bree cheered when Cam came onstage, so I did too, more to be polite. He was picking up my bar tab tonight, after all. I’d never met Cam in person. I’d only heard Ev rave about him and of course I’d seen him on TV. He was taller than I expected, his broad shoulders straining the fabric of his blue and orange plaid shirt. I know, the shirt