Find Wonder in All Things - By Karen M. Cox Page 0,10
with the year before, and it was certainly less messy — more lucrative, too, since he’d joined a band right before New Year’s. They had taken him on even though he wasn’t yet bar age, and playing a few gigs around Dayton had been a real eye-opener.
When it was James’s turn at the mike, Eddie stepped up and introduced him. “Miss Laurel Elliot says her daddy’s new summer worker plays and sings a little. Come on up here, son, and show us what you got.”
James made his way up to the stage to the sound of polite applause and a whoop or two from Stu and Laurel. His heart hammered in his chest. He had no idea what he’d play once he got up there, but he was no stranger to the stage, and the moment he took the guitar in his hands, he felt his pulse slow. He plucked a few strings, tweaking the tuners and strumming a couple of chords.
“What’s your name, son?” someone called out.
He cleared his throat and spoke into the mike. “James.” He looked at the crowd. More people were in their forties and fifties than in their twenties, so maybe a song from a few years back would be just the thing. His eyes landed on Stu and Laurel, sitting with their heads together. Laurel tilted her head back and let out a laugh, and Stuart flashed a grin that ticked James off for some reason. As usual, he has his pick of any girl he wants, and he just wants whoever’s handy.
James began to strum a blues riff that led into an old song about little sisters not doing what big sisters done. Just snarky enough to make them sit up and take notice of how they’re acting and remind Stuart he’s after Virginia, not the little sister. Not that James hadn’t ever charmed a girl for whom he had only marginal interest, because he had — plenty of times — but with Laurel . . . well, it seemed wrong to treat the kid that way.
He dared a look at his audience. Laurel was staring back at him with her mouth slightly open. That guarded look was back in her eyes although the rest of the crowd murmured, signaling their approval of his choice. He let the blues flow through him, making his voice rough in all the right places. It was an easy tune that let him sing his heart without thinking too much. In short, it was his favorite kind of song.
The crowd clapped in appreciation when he was done. As he made his way back to the table, he noticed the subdued expressions on the faces of his friends and felt a little stab of satisfaction.
“Whaddya think?” James asked, his eyes fixed on Laurel’s big, blue ones.
“Umm . . . great. Stuart was right. You’re very talented.” She looked down at her watch. “Guess I should get going in a minute, though. It’s about 11:30, and Mama throws a fit if I’m late.” She hopped off her barstool and made a beeline for the ladies’ room.
“What’s the matter with you?” Stuart asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Why’d you pick that song? She thought you were accusing her of moving in on her sister’s guy.”
“She did not think that.”
“Either that or you had some kind of thing for her sister.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t have a thing for Virginia, do you?”
James sputtered in indignation. “No!”
“Good, because as soon she gets back in town, I’m asking her out.”
“Fine.”
“Okay.”
James fiddled with the cocktail napkin under his drink. “I thought you were moving in on the kid,” he admitted.
Stuart’s eyebrows rose, and then he sat back laughing. “Where’d you get that idea?”
“Oh, I don’t know — the dancing, coming up here just the two of you, all the sly looks.” James was beginning to feel a little foolish.
“Sometimes you just take a notion and run away with it, Marshall.” Stuart sat up and leaned his elbows on the table. “Laurel and I are just friends. In fact, I’ve been driving her crazy with questions about Virginia all afternoon.”
“Glad to hear it. Because going after Laurel when you have that history with Virginia wouldn’t be right.”
“Since when do you get all bent out of shape about a girl’s feelings?” Stuart teased.
James frowned into his glass and said nothing.
Stu leaned over and spoke close to James’s ear. “Laurel answered a lot of questions from me today, but she asked a few too — about you.”