for this meeting with Courteney Clarke because I felt comfortable here. Ever since Danica first brought me here months ago, I’d loved it. Awesome menu, local art on the walls, and Becca had great taste in music. If nothing else good came out of this meeting, at least I could get a fantastic coffee.
A Dirty song was playing; a ballad called “Somewhere,” off their last album. A few of Katie’s paintings hung on the walls, portraits of Becca’s kids. There were a couple of signed photos of Dirty on display, too. Becca and Jack made no secret of the fact that Katie used to work here or that she was now married to Dirty’s lead guitarist, Jesse Mayes. They were obviously proud as hell of Katie and Jesse.
I’d heard that Becca and her family used to live in the backside of the house, but that after Katie’s relationship with Jesse went public, they’d moved to another house. For privacy.
That must’ve been strange. Your whole life having to change because your sister married a famous guy, and now people were knocking on your windows wanting to talk to you—and maybe see if he was over for Sunday dinner.
Very strange.
“Hey, Taylor.” I heard a familiar voice and turned to find Becca, down at the end of the bar, where she was pouring coffees into takeout cups. I waved and she beckoned me over. “Katie’s here with the baby. Wanna say hi?”
“Yes, please.”
“Go on back.”
She nodded for me to come around the bar, so I did. But when she pointed me into the back, I paused and asked her, “Hey, Becca. What’s your favorite Rolling Stones song?”
“Hmm. I’d have to say ‘Paint It Black.’ Why?”
Huh. “No reason.”
I headed into the small, industrial kitchen. And there was her sister, Katie Mayes, hanging out in a back corner with her baby, out of the way of the bustling staff. Some biker guy was leaning on the counter a few feet away, looking at his phone; he wore a plain, black T-shirt and jeans, which didn’t say much, but the ink all over his arms and the jagged look he gave me when I approached Katie sure did.
“Hey, Taylor!” She greeted me, and when she reached to give me a hug, her security dude seemed to relax.
“Hey.” I gave her a squeeze. I’d met Katie Mayes plenty of times now, but I’d only seen her baby boy, Madsen, a couple of times when he was much smaller. “How’s the little ladykiller? Holy crap, he grew.”
Katie beamed. “Yeah. He just turned six months.” He was trying to stand on his chubby legs on a chair, with his mommy’s help. He had thick whorls of dark hair like his daddy did, and he wore little baby jeggings over his diaper butt with a button-up shirt that had rhinestone buttons on it. He looked like a tiny little rock star.
He reached out and tried to grasp the skull-and-crossbones on my necklace, and when he looked up at me and smiled, holy Christ. He had Katie’s big, blue-green eyes and Jesse’s smile. “Whoa. You realize the girls of future generations are fucked if this is what you’re sending their way.”
Katie laughed. “I know. He’s so much fun.” She peppered kisses on his face and he squirmed and grunted, laser focused on my necklace. “Is Danica here?”
“No, just me. I’m meeting Courteney Clarke for a coffee.”
“Ah. Nice.”
“Hey,” I asked her, as Madsen played with my necklace, “what’s your favorite Rolling Stones song?”
“Oh, I love the Stones. How did you know?”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, ‘Start Me Up’ is up there… and ‘Beast of Burden’… and ‘Wild Horses’… Damn, there are so many good ones. But I’d say ‘Paint It Black’ is my all-time fave. Why do you ask?”
“Just wondering.” I glanced at the security guy, who’d gone back to his phone and was pretending not to listen. “Is that a new one?”
“Oh, there’s an endless supply of them. We’re going shopping with Auntie Becca today, so we get an escort.”
“Cool.” I wondered if it was cool. If she was used to it by now or not.
Madsen tried to stuff my necklace into his mouth and Katie lifted him away; he lost his grasp on it as she swung him up in the air. His face crumpled and he emitted a little squeal that he probably hoped was wrathful.
“Ooooh, little temper on that one, huh?” Courteney remarked as she swept in.
“Oh, he’ll definitely let you know when you’ve pissed him off.” Katie swung her son