Forbidden Serenade

Chapter Seven

I wiped down the bar in my brother Logan's restaurant. The stage sat empty this Saturday night. It had been vacant more than used lately. I knew my brother needed to do repairs to it and most bands passed by without a second glance at the aging establishment and now deteriorating stage. The stress had given my youngest brother premature wrinkles. Leo and Logan were twins, though they looked nothing alike. While Leo was dark-haired with brown eyes, Logan was blonde-haired, with a short beard. Leo was intelligent. A mastermind at business or whatever he put his mind to. Logan was a doer. If he put his mind to something, he worked his ass off to achieve it. Somehow, he always figured it out. They each reached their goals in different, though successful, ways.

And then there was me. The fallen stay-at-home mom working two jobs to stay afloat.

The night had been slow. A few of the tables sat full with customers. The regulars joined me at the bar. Thankfully, they were all simple orders. Whiskey, beer, or tequila. Nothing I couldn't handle.

Logan exited from his office and headed over to the bar. Plopping down on a barstool, he regarded me with stress lines etched deep into his forehead.

I strolled over and set my elbows on the bar. "What's wrong, little brother?"

Logan rubbed the back of his neck. "Anna wants me to sell the restaurant."

I stood dumbfounded for a moment. I knew he was having trouble, but I didn't realize it was that serious. "Business is that bad?"

He nodded. Lowering his voice, he glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "I'm barely breaking even each month."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Standing upright from the bar, guilt flooded me. "You don't have to keep paying me. I mean, I could just help around here for free."

"Nonsense," Logan said, waving me off. "Your pay is the least of my worries. It goes a lot deeper." He sighed, turning on the stool and looking at the stage. Leaning back against the bar, his eyes glided over the emptiness and reminisced about previous, successful days. "This used to be the place to be on the weekends. We used to pack this building with the acts traveling through the area. Now no one wants to be bothered doing a show in this small town. And to keep up with technology." He turned toward me and shook his head. "Shit, it's impossible to supply everything these artists want nowadays. What the hell happened to the real musicians who just wanted their music heard?"

I shrugged. "It became commercialized."

Logan's lips tugged downward. "And they all sold out." Standing up, he slapped the bar as he walked away. "I'll figure it out. In the meantime, tug your shirt down and get better tips."

Glaring at him, I flipped him off as he laughed and strolled away into his office. Hesitating a moment, I wondered if there was someway I could help him. I was hardly staying afloat as it was. My savings account was measly, and I was currently storing away every cent to pay for Jessica's bachelorette party in Las Vegas.

Pushing my rambling thoughts aside, I glanced down the bar to check on my patrons. Everyone's drink was still full, or they were busy talking or watching sports on the TV screens. At the end of the bar, I noticed someone new. Someone familiar.

It couldn't be. My mind had to be playing tricks on me. My breathing stopped as I stared at the familiar profile that didn't belong. The world suddenly felt crooked beneath my feet.

With my heart pounding in my ears, I slowly put one foot in front of the other to approach Elijah Wyatt sitting at the end of the bar.

With a black hat pulled low over his face, his brown hair fell on either side. He wore jeans, a black shirt, and a black leather jacket. As I approached, he smirked with his full red lips, which looked too big for his face.