No cream. No cheese until after we perform. That’s torture in Switzerland.
The guys drool, too.
“You off dairy like us?” I take a chair.
Derek sits down beside me. “Yeah. We’ve got the gala opening tonight. Gotta keep the pipes clean.”
Blake rolls his eyes at Derek. “What a joke that is.” He slaps the menu down on the table. “To hell with clean pipes. I’m having some.”
Derek shakes his head and turns to me. “Are you going tonight?”
I start to explain, but Meadow plops down beside him and pats his arm. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
“Great.” He smiles at her but turns to me again. “I’ll look for you after.”
The three of us sneak out with Meadow. I feel a bit guilty, but the concert is a blast. Why did we come all this way if we’re going to hide in our hotel room? As soon as the Amabile guys hit the stage, every girl in the audience forgets about saving her voice and starts screaming. The guys steal the show. Meaning, Derek steals the show. He’s magnetic. Everyone in that giant auditorium tunes in to him and has a great time. I wish they could do more than three numbers.
“Okay, ladies.” Leah’s acting all official when she’s just as AWOL as the rest of us. “Let’s get back before somebody blows our cover.”
“Hey—” It’s him, Derek, pushing through the crowd toward us. “You made it.”
“Great show.” Meadow touches him again.
“Did you all like it?” He gracefully eludes her grasp, looks around, focuses on me. “What did you think?”
“That spiritual you guys sang was a blast.” I can look at him if I’m talking music. “Really different from ours.”
“It rocks. You can be tender. We’ll bring the house down.”
I nod. “Your solo vocals were totally pure.”
“I can do throaty, too, if you like that kind of stuff.”
“Throaty?” Meadow butts in. “Sign me up for that.”
“I haven’t heard that piece before.” I actually elbow out Meadow—this is official choir stuff. My business. “Where’d you find it?”
Blake comes up and catches the end of the conversation. He knuckles the top of Derek’s head. “Out of this guy’s twisted brain.”
“You wrote that?”
Derek looks at the floor. “Just arranged it. It’s an old spiritual.” A faint tinge of pink washes over his cheeks. “I like working with authentic tunes and lyrics.”
Blake swings his arms around Sarah and Leah’s necks and hangs on them. “Speaking of twisting brains, did you ladies hear that we can drink here? Just beer. Wine, too, if you’re a fancy pants.” He glances at Meadow. “Legal age is sixteen. Bars will serve us. How about heading uptown to see what we can scare up?” He focuses on Derek and me. “You coming?”
Derek gets a strained look on his face. “You know I can’t.”
“That’s right.” Blake winks at us. “This boy’s got a drug habit to feed.”
Drug habit? My eyes dart to Derek’s face.
He glares at Blake. “Shut up.”
“After all I’ve done for you, man. You could at least come hang with me. Make sure I get home safe.” He whispers something that makes Sarah laugh.
Sarah looks ready to head out with Blake. “We compete tomorrow.” I sound like a nagging mom, but this is serious.
Derek turns to me. “I’d rather make sure Beth and—sorry what was your name?”
“Meadow.”
“Yeah. And Sarah and Leah all get back to their hotel safe. Can I walk you girls home?”
“Traitor.” Blake drops his arms off Sarah and Leah and pushes them toward Derek. “That’s Derek. Always looking after the women.”
“Shut up! ”
“If I don’t make it back to the hotel, it’ll be your fault.”
Derek’s eyes roll. “I can live with that.”
Derek walks us to the metro. Meadow makes sure she walks beside him, but he keeps turning back to include the rest of us. He keeps coughing again, like he did up on the mountain. I don’t blame him. He worked hard tonight. He looks tired, too. Wan, not just
The guys drool, too.
“You off dairy like us?” I take a chair.
Derek sits down beside me. “Yeah. We’ve got the gala opening tonight. Gotta keep the pipes clean.”
Blake rolls his eyes at Derek. “What a joke that is.” He slaps the menu down on the table. “To hell with clean pipes. I’m having some.”
Derek shakes his head and turns to me. “Are you going tonight?”
I start to explain, but Meadow plops down beside him and pats his arm. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
“Great.” He smiles at her but turns to me again. “I’ll look for you after.”
The three of us sneak out with Meadow. I feel a bit guilty, but the concert is a blast. Why did we come all this way if we’re going to hide in our hotel room? As soon as the Amabile guys hit the stage, every girl in the audience forgets about saving her voice and starts screaming. The guys steal the show. Meaning, Derek steals the show. He’s magnetic. Everyone in that giant auditorium tunes in to him and has a great time. I wish they could do more than three numbers.
“Okay, ladies.” Leah’s acting all official when she’s just as AWOL as the rest of us. “Let’s get back before somebody blows our cover.”
“Hey—” It’s him, Derek, pushing through the crowd toward us. “You made it.”
“Great show.” Meadow touches him again.
“Did you all like it?” He gracefully eludes her grasp, looks around, focuses on me. “What did you think?”
“That spiritual you guys sang was a blast.” I can look at him if I’m talking music. “Really different from ours.”
“It rocks. You can be tender. We’ll bring the house down.”
I nod. “Your solo vocals were totally pure.”
“I can do throaty, too, if you like that kind of stuff.”
“Throaty?” Meadow butts in. “Sign me up for that.”
“I haven’t heard that piece before.” I actually elbow out Meadow—this is official choir stuff. My business. “Where’d you find it?”
Blake comes up and catches the end of the conversation. He knuckles the top of Derek’s head. “Out of this guy’s twisted brain.”
“You wrote that?”
Derek looks at the floor. “Just arranged it. It’s an old spiritual.” A faint tinge of pink washes over his cheeks. “I like working with authentic tunes and lyrics.”
Blake swings his arms around Sarah and Leah’s necks and hangs on them. “Speaking of twisting brains, did you ladies hear that we can drink here? Just beer. Wine, too, if you’re a fancy pants.” He glances at Meadow. “Legal age is sixteen. Bars will serve us. How about heading uptown to see what we can scare up?” He focuses on Derek and me. “You coming?”
Derek gets a strained look on his face. “You know I can’t.”
“That’s right.” Blake winks at us. “This boy’s got a drug habit to feed.”
Drug habit? My eyes dart to Derek’s face.
He glares at Blake. “Shut up.”
“After all I’ve done for you, man. You could at least come hang with me. Make sure I get home safe.” He whispers something that makes Sarah laugh.
Sarah looks ready to head out with Blake. “We compete tomorrow.” I sound like a nagging mom, but this is serious.
Derek turns to me. “I’d rather make sure Beth and—sorry what was your name?”
“Meadow.”
“Yeah. And Sarah and Leah all get back to their hotel safe. Can I walk you girls home?”
“Traitor.” Blake drops his arms off Sarah and Leah and pushes them toward Derek. “That’s Derek. Always looking after the women.”
“Shut up! ”
“If I don’t make it back to the hotel, it’ll be your fault.”
Derek’s eyes roll. “I can live with that.”
Derek walks us to the metro. Meadow makes sure she walks beside him, but he keeps turning back to include the rest of us. He keeps coughing again, like he did up on the mountain. I don’t blame him. He worked hard tonight. He looks tired, too. Wan, not just
Similar Books
