on and Jonah circles the table like he owns it. He sinks four quick shots plus the eight ball, and just like that, the game is over. Jonah’s opponent puts his hands together in a praying motion, bowing in an exaggerated manner that, somehow, still seems kind of respectful. Then he extends his hand for a fist bump before melting back into the crowd. The band wraps up to loud applause, but instead of launching into their next song, they start conferring onstage.
“One of these days you’re going to explain how and where you acquired your mad skills,” I say as Jonah places his cue in a wall rack. I mean it as a compliment, but the confident smirk drops from his face like I just wiped an eraser across it.
Before I can apologize—for what, I don’t even know—the Asteroids’ lead singer leans into his microphone. He has the same Gull Cove townie look about him as the guy Jonah just beat: deeply tanned, weather-beaten, and older than he probably is. “Evening, all, and thanks for coming out,” he says. “We’re just about done for the night, but before we take off, we’ll be switching things up a little. Our guitarist, who’s usually a stay-in-the-shadows kind of guy, has asked if he can close things out with his favorite song. So please give it up for Chaz!”
“Let’s go listen,” I say to Jonah, starting for the table where Aubrey, Efram, and Brittany are still sitting. He follows me, so closely that when I suddenly turn, I nearly bump into him. I should probably back up, but I don’t. “Oh! One more thing. I was supposed to find out whether or not you have a girlfriend.” My voice comes out breathier than I’d intended, and I try to inject a more businesslike tone when I add, “For Brittany.”
Jonah stares at me for a beat, brown eyes sparkling with reflected light from the stage. “No,” he says. “I don’t have a girlfriend. But I’m not interested in Brittany.”
My face is way too hot. “All right. Noted,” I say, turning before he can pick up on my blush. We reach the table just as Chaz steps into center stage, blinking like he’s not quite sure how he got there. Even from this distance he looks rough, and I have no problem believing he’s still on that days-long bender everyone at Gull Cove Resort keeps gossiping about.
I slip back onto my stool, avoiding Brittany’s gaze. Chaz mumbles, “This one’s for my family,” his voice crackling against the mic, and strums a familiar chord. The band kicks in seconds later, and Aubrey straightens in her seat.
“Is that—” she starts.
“Weezer,” Brittany says. “ ‘Africa.’ ”
“Not originally.” Efram leans forward. “Toto did it first. This band is all about the eighties, remember?” He frowns a little. “This song is really…a product of its time, isn’t it? Like, they’d probably never been to Africa, but they decided to sing about it anyway. In a supremely cringey way.”
He’s right, but that’s not what I’m thinking about as I try to catch Aubrey’s eye. Was this song as much a part of her childhood as mine, or did Uncle Adam not share this particular bit of Story lore? Has she seen the video of my mother, her father, and their brothers, singing this song at the top of their lungs when they were kids?
Aubrey is staring intently at the stage, so I shift my gaze from her to Chaz. He tilts his head and closes his eyes as he sings the chorus and— Ohhhh.
Oh my God.
I’m on my feet in an instant, shouldering my way through the crowd until I’m almost at the front of the stage. I’ve been closer to Chaz in The Sevens than I am here, but I can see him clearly beneath the bright lights of the stage.
I can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out.
As soon as the song finishes to loud applause, Chaz drops his guitar onto the stage and lifts one hand in the air, signaling to the bartender as he walks offstage. I turn and head for the bar, too, but get stuck behind a group of guys my age. I have to start breathing through my mouth when the smell of too many competing colognes overpowers me.
“Hey, Milly, how’s it going?” Reid Chilton says, smiling widely as I crane my neck to see past him. Chaz looks slightly panicked, but also determined. Like he just realized he