“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Iamright,” Jimmy said. “Anyway, here we are now. And this fine young musician is our best new artist. His album…” Jimmy paused to shake his head and whistle. “Such an important piece of Americana, and an incredible human portrait of the greatest recent tragedy our beloved city has endured. This album and this man’s music has already done, and will continue to do so much to keep the memory of what we lost alive.And!”He thrust his finger into the air. “Will serve as an everlasting reminder of the unbreakable spirit of New Orleans to overcome such adversity.”
The entire bar exploded into cheering, and a single, happy sob escaped Liza’s mouth from behind her hand. She wiped her tears and intentionally reached for Connor’s hand, interlacing their fingers and pleased that she was comfortable doing so.
It had been nearly three weeks since their not-so-little hook-up. She could tell after the uncomfortable discussion that followed that he started trying to withdraw from her, and if it weren’t for Brennan pointing out the obvious—that Liza and Connor had actually made a lot of progress in finding peace with each other—Liza might have let him.
Instead, she dug in her heels and started making an effort to basically hit Connor over the head with how much she cared about him. The morning café au lait for her had been replaced by a morning black coffee for him, along with a banana, a Gatorade, and a friendly side-hug. She insisted that they go to lunch at least once a week and suggested they have dinner on the weekends. When he attempted to decline because he was eating at the Latimer house, she asked to come along despite his bristly, brusque protesting.
The choice to forgive Connor had truly been transformative and healing for Liza. It was clear he had guilt. It was clear he knew, regardless of hisdamn good reasons,that what he’d done was cruel and wrong, and if it had truly been necessary as he believed, he knew there was probably a better way to do it. Liza knew he would beat himself up for it for an undetermined amount of time, but she would not contribute. She would be his friend, and the only beating she would do would be the aforementioned beating him over the head with how much she cared about him.
All of that considered, Liza was careful with her own mental and emotional categorization of her feelings. She ignored and avoided theLword at all costs. She didn’t want or need to go down that rabbit hole, especially since they’d settled into something so nice and so comfortable.
But she did care about him a whole hell of a lot, enjoyed the presence of him being in her life again, and she made an effort to ensure he knew that.
And now, at the after-party of Oscar’s much anticipated album release event, Connor had finally arrived at a point where he seemed to get it. Because when she laced their fingers together just then, he lifted her hand to kiss it, then dropped it for the sole purpose of wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close to kiss her head. Whatever they were, whatever undefinable thing they had, it was sweet and genuine. And if this strange, not-quite-just-friends, not-quite-lovers relationship they’d settled into was all they ever had, she was perfectly okay with it.
They werealt soulmates.That was almost as good as being actual soulmates. Maybe even better.
“Thank y’all, thank you,” Jimmy said as the applause died down, and Connor slid his hand off Liza’s waist to hold her hand again. “Oscar, I think you should say a few words.”
The crowd hooted and hollered, and Oscar dipped his chin as he clutched his gold, silk tie.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you everybody. Thank you, Jimmy. You know…” He paused as he lifted his chin high and nudged his hat backward so he could look at the group and the gathering crowd of bar patrons. “The most bittersweet thing about all this is that I should be thanking my family right now. I should be thanking my big brother and my mama. I wouldn’t know anything about music if wasn’t for them. My mama bought me my first horn when I was four years old and found a VHS tape of trumpet lessons for kids, and that’s how I learned to play.”
He dropped his head briefly and then lifted his chin again. “It’s been about thirteen years since I lost my family, and those were some lonely years.” He held his index finger in the air and wagged it. “But you know what? Just a few months ago, Mister Connor and Miss Liza came to my empty shithole house and gave me an opportunity. And better than that, they told me that Mister Jimmy and this record label are a family. And that’s how they’ve treated me since the very beginning. And no matter what happens. No matter how good or bad this album does, the best thing I got out of any of this was that new family. I love you guys. I thank God for you. And Connor, I feel like you and Miss Liza coming to my house that day was my mama looking out for me. I honestly believe that. Thank you for believing in me.”
Oscar pressed his palms together and bowed his head, and Connor nodded as his Adam’s apple bobbed. In lieu of a brotherly hug, Oscar pointed at Connor, and Connor pointed back, and then the after party was in full swing as the crowd closed in around Oscar.
“Fuck,man,” Connor groaned as he rubbed his eyes. “I need another drink.”
Liza laughed as she held his wrist and tugged him to follow her to the bar. “What’ll it be? I’m buying.”
He smirked as he angled himself toward her and leaned against the bar. “You’re buying from the open bar?Shit. Don’t go nuts or anything.”
“I fully intend to go nuts.” She leaned across the bar. “Two Jamesons, one neat, one with a splash of water.”
“I fully intend to go nuts, too,” Frankie said as she wedged herself next to Liza, causing Liza to shift sideways closer to Connor. “I think we should all do a round of flaming dragons.”
“Now,that’swhat I’m talking about!” Luke crowed, as he, Brennan, and Carson formed a small semi-circle around the section of the bar where Liza leaned against it next to Connor. “Champagne is classy and all, but it’s time to get this party started.”
“So a hundred-thousand-dollar event on the roof of Jax Brewery wasn’t enough of a party for you, Corporal?” Brennan inserted, arching his eyebrow.
Luke turned and leaned his back against the bar as he flipped his palms. “Yeah, yeah, yeah…we all know how much money you spent on that party, and we all know why you did it, and it wasn’t for Oscar.”
“It was too for Oscar,” Brennan countered, but then hid a devilish grin with his glass. He slid his eyes to look across the room at his latest beautiful, leggy woman, who was perched at one of the high-top tables, chatting with a cocktail waitress.
The bartender set down the two Jamesons, and Liza and Connor picked them up, silently regarding each other while they clinked the glasses together. She offered him a warm smile before turning toward the group, angling her back somewhat closer to Connor, and she felt his hand settle on the curve of her hip. “She’s pretty, B. You should introduce her to us.”
“Can’t do that, L. She has one expectation of me, and it’s not meeting my friends.”
“I’m just saying, she looks really nice, and it would be really niceof youto maybe raise those expectations.” Liza waved her glass at him. “Give her a chance to be more than a one-night-stand. You deserve to be with a great girl.”
“Awww,L. I sure do love you.” He winked at her. “But absolutelynot.”
Liza scoffed. “I love you, too, andcome on.”
He put on a faux annoyed expression. “No.”
She fake-scowled at him. “Yes.”
