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  "Had one of them corner offices for a while," Harold says. "He did well for himself, then lost it all." He shakes his head again.

  "Austin's a musician," Kira says. "He plays the guitar. He's in a band."

  "It's just me and two guys," I say. June and Harold look at each other, then back at me, and from their wary expressions, I get what they're thinking. "I don't do drugs. The other guys don't either. That was a rule when we formed the band."

  Harold points at me. "I knew I liked you, kid."

  "So does your band play much?" June asks.

  "Yeah. We play almost every weekend and sometimes during the week."

  "They're really popular," Kira says. "People love their music. And Austin is awesome on the guitar."

  I smile at her because she's only heard me play one song.

  "Have you tried to get a record deal?" June asks.

  I laugh. "No. We're not that popular. We just play here in Chicago."

  "Paul still has friends in the business," she says. "He could give you some names. Or maybe he could give you some advice."

  "He doesn't want to be in that industry," Harold says. "It's corrupt. All drugs and criminals. You saw what it did to Paul."

  "Oh, Harold, it can't all be bad." She gets up from the table. "I'll give you Paul's number. Tell him you might be calling."

  She leaves, then returns with a piece of paper with her son's name and number on it. I wonder if this guy really was high up in the music industry or if she was exaggerating. I guess I could just call him. Like she said, he might be able to give me some advice about my music.

  Kira helps June with the dishes while I go back outside and work on the tree. The fallen branches are making a mess of the lawn so Kira comes out and starts dragging them to the curb for the city to pick up. Then she rakes up the leaves.

  At four-thirty, we're finally done. Harold and June thank us and June sends us home with a container of brownies.

  "I'm exhausted," Kira says as I'm driving to her apartment.

  "Because you worked your ass off. You worked harder than I did, dragging all those branches and doing all that raking."

  "I really need a shower. And then I need a nap."

  "I'll stop and get you something to eat. Then you won't have to worry about dinner. What do you want?"

  "A burger and fries. I don't want to eat healthy right now."

  I stop at a drive-through, then drop her off. "Pick you up at eight?"

  "Yeah. See you then." She runs into her apartment building before I can kiss her. She told me she didn't want me getting near her because she was too sweaty, but I don't care. I would've kissed her anyway.

  Today didn't turn out like I thought it would, but it ended up being good. I saw yet another side of Kira. The caring and generous side that makes me like her even more.

  I can really see this going somewhere, lasting more than a few weeks or a few months. This thing with Kira could get serious. The only problem is, I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kira

  After Austin dropped me off, I ate my burger and fries, then took a really long shower. I was covered in sweat and dirt. I must be comfortable with Austin because I didn't even care that he saw me like that. I was more concerned with helping those old people.

  It wasn't how I thought we'd spend our afternoon, but it needed to be done. Harold would probably be in the hospital right now if Austin hadn't stopped to help. When he pulled the truck over, I didn't know what he was doing until I saw him kneeling by the old man.

  It showed me a whole other side of Austin. I don't know many guys his age who would stop to help someone like that, and then stay there for hours, working for free.

  Amber knocks on the bathroom door. "You almost done in there?"

  "Yeah. Sorry, I didn't know you were home."

  "I just got back from the store. I bought one of those dinners you told me about but I actually have to cook the meat."

  She's making Matt dinner tonight. I totally forgot. I need to get out of here so she can get ready.

  I shut the shower off. "I'll be just a minute."

  "No rush. I have to figure out how to cook this meat. I'll be in the kitchen."

  I towel off and go in my room and get dressed. Then I go in the kitchen, where every pot and pan we own is sitting out on the counter.

  "Need some help?" I ask as I watch her read the label on the meat. It looks like two steaks in a vacuum-sealed package.

  She sets them down. "I think I figured it out."

  I look over at the kitchen table, which is covered in a white tablecloth and topped with two white candles and a card with the menu written on it.

  "Wow, you even wrote out the menu."

  She laughs. "I figured I'd go all out as long as I'm making dinner."

  I pick up the menu, which is written on a piece of thick, white card stock. It's written in calligraphy, that fancy handwriting with all the loopy letters. "I didn't know you could write like this."

  "I taught myself last year but I never use it."

  "Then why'd you want to learn?"

  "Because it's beautiful." She takes the card from me. "Just look at the L." She points to it. "And the S." She runs her hand over it. "Can you imagine getting a letter written like this?"

  "Nobody writes letters anymore."

  "I know. But they should. People need to start writing letters again."

  Amber loves letters, or the idea of them. She's never actually received one, but she likes the idea of someone taking the time to write down their thoughts, especially a guy. If a guy ever wrote her a love letter, she'd probably marry him on the spot. She used to tell me that if she ever met her soulmate she'd write him a letter, and if he wrote her back, it would confirm they're meant to be with each other. It's completely crazy, and I told her that, but she's a hopeless romantic so she still believes it could happen if she met the right person. That person obviously isn't Matt, because as far as I know, she's never written him a letter.

  She sets the menu back on the table and looks me up and down. "You're not wearing that tonight, are you?"

  I have on shorts and a t-shirt. "No, but what do you think I should wear?"

  "Let's go find something." She grabs my arm, dragging me to my room. I wait on my bed as she searches through my closet. "You only have jeans. Don't you have any dresses?"

  "No. Why would I need dresses to go to college? And why can't I wear jeans tonight?"

  She sighs and turns around. "You're dating Austin Wheeler. Other girls are going to tear you apart if you don't look good. They're all going to be watching you tonight, trying to figure out why he's dating you and not them."

  I roll my eyes. "I really don't care."

  "Then dress up for Austin. I'm sure he'd like to see you in something other than jeans and a t-shirt."

  "That's not the only thing I wear. I've worn nicer shirts around him and I've worn a skirt."

  "You can wear something of mine." She runs across the hall to her room, and comes back with a short red dress.

  "I'm not wearing that. That's something you wear to a club, not a bar."

  "Hmm." She holds the dress out. "You're right. Okay, then we'll go with jeans, but they have to be dark and tight and you're wearing heels. I'll be right back." She returns with a pair of black heels and a shimmery sequined tank. It's silver with tiny straps at the top, the body loose and flowing.

  I take it from her. "Where'd you get this? I love it!"

  "I just got it at some store at the mall. I hope it'll fit over your giant boobs."

  "I do not have giant boobs. And by the way, I can't believe you said that in front of Austin and Matt."

  "Why? They're not blind. They know you have big boobs."

  "Then you didn't need to point it out."

  She laughs. "Find some jeans and try this on. I have to get back to the kitchen."

  "What time is Matt getting here?" I yell from my room.

  "Seven," she
yells back.

  It's already six-thirty. I don't want to be here when Matt arrives. It might ruin the romantic mood Amber's trying to create.

  I call Austin. "Hey, it's me."

  "Hey. I thought you were taking a nap."

  "I don't need one. I feel a lot better after the shower. So what are you doing?"

  "Just talking to my dad. He's fixing something out in the garage. Why?"

  "Amber's making dinner for Matt and he's going to be here soon so I want to get out of here to give them privacy. I'm gonna go wait at the coffee shop down the street. You can just pick me up there."

  "You're going to wait there for over an hour?"

  "I don't mind. I'll just bring a book to read."

  "I'm not doing anything. I'll just come get you right now."

  "You sure? Don't you have to get ready for tonight?"

  He chuckles. "No. I'll leave in a few minutes."

  "Okay, bye."

  I think he was laughing because he thought I was referring to his appearance. What I meant was that maybe he had to get ready to play tonight, like maybe he had to practice, but I guess not.

  As for me, I'm not even close to being ready. My hair's wet and I need to change clothes.

  "Austin's on his way over," I yell at Amber on my way to the bathroom.

  "I thought he wasn't coming until eight," she yells back. I hear a pan drop and then some curse words flying so I don't bother answering her. She has her hands full in the kitchen.

  I dry my hair then run a flat-iron over it. I quickly put on some makeup, then race back to my room and get dressed. The heels feel strange because I never wear them but they look nice with the jeans and sparkly shirt.

  "Kira," I hear Amber yell. "Austin's here."

  That was fast. I fling my door open and there he is, right outside my room.

  "Hi." I smile as he leans in to give me a kiss.

  "You look nice," he says, glancing down at my clothes.

  "Thanks."

  He smells really good, and looks hot, wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt. It's what he wore last time he performed.

  "Do you wear that every time you play?"

  "Yeah. We all wear black. Dylan always wears a button-up and Van and I wear t-shirts. It's just easier than trying to figure out what to wear every time."

  Austin's hair is short on the sides but long on top. He usually spikes up the top a little, but tonight it's more of a tousled mess, which I think is intentional because it was like that last Saturday night when he played. I like it that way. It's sexy, like he just ran his hand through it.

  A loud noise comes from the kitchen and then I hear the exhaust fan running.

  "I think your roommate is about to burn the kitchen down," Austin says.

  "I think so too. We better get out of here."

  We find a coffee shop that's on the way to the bar he's playing at. We each get a drink, then find an open table outside.

  "You ever get nervous before you play?" I ask.

  "Not usually, but I kind of am tonight, with you there."

  "I make you nervous?" I sip my strawberry smoothie.

  "No, but you've never heard us play. I don't know if you're gonna like our music. It's really gonna suck if you don't."

  "I'm sure I'll like it."

  "Austin." A girl comes up behind him, followed by another girl. They're both gorgeous. Tall brunettes with short dresses and long legs.

  Austin turns to see them and does a double take. Yeah, they're that gorgeous.

  The girl pulls out the chair next to him and sits down, crossing her long legs. I'm sure he could see up her dress when she did it.

  "Do I know you?" he asks.

  "No." She leans toward him and smiles. "But I'd love for us to get to know each other after the concert tonight." She glances at her friend. "All three of us."

  She's offering him a threesome? She doesn't even know him. Do girls do this all the time? Because he doesn't look that surprised.

  "I have a girlfriend." He reaches for my hand. "And we're on a date so..."

  The girl gives me a look that says I'm not even close to being good enough for Austin. Then she slips her hand in her purse, takes out a pen and picks up Austin's cup. She writes something on it, then sets it down as she stands up. "In case you change your mind."

  Then she and her friend walk off.

  Austin gets up and tosses his cup in the trash, then comes back and sits down.

  "Sorry about that."

  "You didn't have to toss your drink out."

  "And have you sitting there looking at some other girl's phone number?" He shakes his head. "That was fucking rude. I can't believe she did that after I told her you're my girlfriend."

  "Does that happen a lot? Girls coming up to you like that?"

  "Yeah." He leans back in his chair and stretches his legs out. "It's not just because of the band, but because of the Wheeler name."

  "Have you been offered that before? Two girls?"

  "Do you really want to talk about this?"

  "I just wondered. You said to be direct so I'm asking."

  "Then yeah, it's happened before."

  I'm about to ask if he's ever actually been with two girls, but then decide I'd rather not know.

  He changes the subject and we remain there, talking, until it's time to go to the bar. When we get there, Dylan and Van are setting up.

  "Am I late?" Austin asks, checking the time on his phone.

  "No," Van says. "We're just a few minutes early." He smiles and comes over to me. "Hi, I'm Van."

  He has one of those lazy smiles that puts you at ease but could also be trouble. He seems like someone who could talk you into things without you even realizing it.

  "Hi. I'm Kira."

  "The girlfriend," Dylan says, smiling at me. "Austin's told us all about you. You're pretty much all he talks about."

  I look at him to deny it but he just shrugs.

  "You guys have girlfriends?" I ask, but I'm most curious about Dylan.

  Van answers. "We're both single. So if you know anyone..." He grins.

  "Sorry, but I'm new to town. I don't know anyone here."

  "Other than her roommate," Austin says, "who's burning her kitchen down right now."

  They look at me to explain. "She's cooking dinner for her boyfriend, but she doesn't really know how to cook."

  "At least she's trying," Dylan says. "I've never had a girl try to cook for me."

  This is so weird. I'm standing here talking about Amber with Dylan, the guy she's obsessed with, to the point that she can't stop talking about him. I wonder if he even remembers her.

  "So this is the first time you're hearing us play?" Van asks. He keeps tapping his drumstick on his leg. He seems like a fidgety person.

  "I heard you play last weekend, but my roommate wasn't feeling well so we had to leave after the first song."

  "What are we playing first tonight?" Austin asks Dylan. "Your song, or something else?"

  "We can start with something else. Let's put mine near the end."

  Van laughs. "Maybe your mystery girl will show up tonight and hear it."

  "Mystery girl?" I ask.

  "Don't listen to him," Dylan says, shooting Van a look to shut up.

  "He wrote the song about some girl," Van tells me. "He was hoping she'd show up and hear it."

  So I guess Dylan's moved on. He obviously isn't obsessing over Amber if he wrote a song about some other girl. I wonder if he met that girl before or after being with Amber. I'm sure he doesn't remember her. As the lead singer of a popular band, I bet he has a different girl every night. Plus, he's hot, in that prep school type of way. Dark hair and a pretty-boy face with dark brooding eyes. He has that rich-guy look but I don't think he's rich. From what Austin said about him, he sounds like your average college student, struggling to pay bills.

  As the guys set up, I get a Coke from the bar, then sit at one of the tables near the middle of the room. I don't want to be by
the stage because I know girls will be trying to grab Austin and I really don't want to see that. I'm not sure how I'm going to feel tonight, seeing girls yell Austin's name and flash their breasts at him. He told me that happens sometimes. On the drive here, he tried to prepare me for this, being completely honest about how aggressive these girls can be. But then he assured me that he's mine and he'd never cheat on me.

  That's all good to hear, but when the concert finally starts, his words aren't that helpful. Just like last week, girls are lined up by the stage, screaming his name. And the girls who are sitting with me keep talking about him. There wasn't enough seating so I let some girls share my table but now I'm regretting it.

  "He's so damn hot," the girl next to me says, referring to Austin. I didn't tell her I'm his girlfriend. I didn't want these girls looking at me like that girl at the coffee shop did. I'd rather remain anonymous and just listen to him play.

  "Jessica was with him last May," she says to me. "Said he was amazing."

  I tense up, knowing she's referring to their sex life. "How long did they date?"

  "I'm not sure." She yells across the table. "Jess! How long were you with Austin?"

  She shrugs. "Maybe a week?" She smiles. "Best week of my life."

  She nudges me. "I was with his brother, Jake, a year ago. Best sex I ever had. The Wheeler boys know what the hell they're doing."

  I wish she'd stop talking. I don't want to hear this.

  "I'm gonna get a drink," I say, getting up.

  "Want me to save your seat?"

  "No, that's okay."

  The bar is packed but Austin introduced me to the bartender, so when he sees me, he ignores the people yelling out drink orders and says, "What can I get you?"

  "Rum and Coke," I yell back so he can hear.

  He nods and goes to get it. Up until now I've only been drinking Coke but I need something stronger than that to get through the night. I knew girls would be going crazy over Austin, but hearing that girl actually talk about being with him was too much.

  I remain by the bar for the next half hour. Then the band takes a break and I see Austin making his way through the crowd. He sees I'm not at the table and starts searching for me. I catch his eye and wave at him. Girls try to grab him and talk to him as he walks over.