Songbird

Twenty-Four: Lennie

"Damn, girl. That song is haunting. Hate to be the chump that one's about."

I looked at Leon who just sat there with a rye smile on his face. "Just where my head was."

It had been almost a month since Colt and I ended. Leon and I were neck-deep in writing and recording land with one of the labels up and comers: Liam Rice. He was a sweet kid: twenty five, hair so blond it was almost white, and a smile that glistened in the sun. He was going to be a country heartthrob by looks alone.  He was playful and smooth, a bit too smooth. He'd apparently taken a shine to me, despite my best efforts to warn him off. Wasn't into the whole cougar aspect, even if I wasn't completely off dating at the moment.

Colt and I had seen each other a few times, mostly in passing. We'd exchange smiles and basic niceties but that was about it. He wasn't trying anything more and I wasn't interested in doing so myself. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a monster. I knew he'd broken his own heart along with mine, the baseball game made that crystal clear. But I wasn't exactly ready to just forget the things he said. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure it was something I'd be able to get past. I didn't hold any animosity toward him, not really, but I also wasn't really seeing a reunion in our future. At this point, I was just trying to heal, and I think he was doing the same. Lord knew that man had plenty of healing he needed to do.

"We should go out tonight," Liam stated, spinning around in his desk chair.

I chuckled. "Not a lot of options there..."

"It is karaoke night," Leon stated, raising his eyebrows at me.

I opened my mouth to give him a swift 'No' but Liam spoke up first. "YES!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Len, come on. Come sing karaoke with me."

"I don't think that's a good idea," I argued.

"Why? It'll be fun! I'll buy. You don't have to pay for a thing."

"I'm not worried about money, Liam..."

"I know, but what kind of gentleman would I be if I let the lady pay?" he winked at me from across the room and I struggled to not roll my eyes. Kid had confidence.

"Len, it's not like you can avoid him forever..."

"Ooh, who's him?" Liam questioned.

"No one," I snapped, glaring at Leon. "And I'm not avoiding him. I've seen him. I just don't particularly feel like spending my evening in his place of business."

"So, the song's about the bar owner then?" Liam guessed.

I groaned. "I so do not want to talk about this."

"Come on, Lennie! Let's go make that idiot jealous!"

"He's not an idiot," I grumbled.

"That idiot is my best friend, kid," Leon said a bit louder. "I wouldn't recommend pissing him off too much."

"And I'm not interested in making anyone jealous," I stated, raising my voice.

"Fine, then come have a drink and sing a song with me," Liam negotiated. "We can just hang out and relax. It's Friday. We deserve it."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but I'm calling Cora."

"Who's Cora?"

"My best friend."

"She as hot as you?"

"She's dating my other best friend, kid," Leon stated. "You really gotta learn to tone it down before your mouth gets that ass in trouble."

"It was just a question!" Liam exclaimed, rising to his feet. "Is there anyone single in this damn town?"

"Maggie is," I stated with a snicker.