some fraught in there, but they’re good together.”
“And Dave’s date?” Had to have a grip on the cast, after all.
“Tricia. She’s a craftswoman, works in wood. Damn good at it, too. Artistic. Athletic, too. Likes to hike. She and Red hit it off because she surfs. I like her. She and Dave have a nice rhythm. Except Dave has no rhythm. He has algorithms.”
“We’ll see about that.”
He turned onto a back road, pulled into the crowded parking lot in front of what really did look like a house. Single story, though long and deep, with a flat roof.
Big bulb lights strung their way across the front eaves over a porch where a number of people stood around drinking bottles of beer.
Since the doors stood open, she heard music pumping out.
“It’s already busy.”
“The band’ll start soon,” he told her. “It’s early, I guess, by what you’d be used to, but we’ll have a lot of ranchers, ranch hands, farmers, farmhands. They’ll be up before dawn tomorrow, Saturday or not.”
She got out before he could do as he’d been taught and come around to open the door for her. She gestured to the line of motorcycles. “Ranch hands?”
“Bikers like to dance, too.”
A couple of people called out his name as they walked across the gravel lot. Some of the porch people wore Stetsons or ball caps, some wore bandannas and tattoo sleeves.
Inside she saw a lot of wooden tables crowded together, a decent-size dance floor, a long bar. And a stage at the front, raised up, equipment and instruments already waiting.
She felt some mild disappointment not to see chicken wire across it, Blues Brothers style.
Recorded music bounced off the walls—walls decorated with beer signs, bull heads, and cowhides.
“Looks like Leo and Hailey already grabbed a table.” He took Cate’s hand to lead her through the tables, chairs, benches, people.
His friend Leo wore his black hair in short dreads, looked over at their approach with big, appraising brown eyes. Hailey, her honey-blond hair cut in a side swing, had one hand on the mound of her belly as she studied Cate.
Decision pending, Cate thought.
“Hey, man.” Though his eyes stayed watchful, Leo offered a smile.
“Cate, this is Hailey and the guy she married instead of me.”
“Somebody had to. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Cate took a seat. “Coming soon?”
Hailey gave her baby bump a pat. “Eight more weeks and counting. The nursery’s finished, Dillon. You’ll have to come by and see.”
“I’ll do that.” With the ease of an old friend, he gave her bump a rub. “How’s she doing?”
“So far, so perfect. If we don’t count the times—you’ll excuse me,” she said to Cate, “she parks herself on my bladder.”
“Do you have a name?” Cate asked.
“We think Grace because—”
“She’s going to be amazing.”
Hailey cocked her head, and the smile went all the way into her eyes this time. “That’s exactly right.”
The waitress stopped by.
“House nachos,” Leo told her. “Four plates.”
“I thought we were going to be six.”
“Dave and Tricia are always late. With luck, we’ll have polished them off before they get here. Want a beer?”
“I actually don’t drink beer.”
After a beat of silence, Dillon turned to her. “But you’re Irish.”
“And a disgrace to all my ancestors. How’s the house red?”
“In my before memory?” Hailey wagged a hand in the air.
“I’ll risk it.”
Maybe in protest, Dillon ordered a Guinness. Then he smiled. “Hugh bought me my first legal beer. A Guinness.”
“He would.”
“So . . .” Leo lifted his own beer. “You do, like, voice-over work.”
“I do.”
“And Dil said you did the voice for Shalla.”
Cate all but heard Hailey roll her eyes. She leaned forward, looked deep into Leo’s, called up the voice.
“We do not surrender today. We will not surrender tomorrow. We will fight until the last breath, until the last drop of blood.”
Leo pointed at her. “Okay. All right. That is cool. That is seriously cool.”
The crowd whistled and cheered as a group of five—four men, one woman—hit the stage. With a crash of drums, a screaming guitar riff, the live music erupted.
Hailey leaned toward Cate, spoke directly in her ear. “Be grateful the music started, and it’s loud. Otherwise, he’d have wanted to hear every video game voice you’ve ever done.”
Twenty minutes into the evening, Cate learned several things. Hailey had been right about the wine—though so-so was generous. It wasn’t hard for four people to polish off a plate of nachos before the latecomers arrived.
And Dillon could dance.
When a man knew how to rock to a hard,