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Rachel wrinkled her nose. “Asa is a little potentate.”
Entering the conversation, I said, “He was in the past, and he still is now.” I’d heard the talk. I heard a lot of talk at my bar. “Most people don’t change as they grow older.”
I certainly hadn’t. Gym, work, home, repeat, I was stuck in limbo, except for the addition of my houseguests.
Oh, and my second spotting of Mr. Amazing Ass. Lingering on the treadmill while pretending not to be looking, I’d caught a glimpse of him again. Only from behind, alas. But that behind, and the way he carried himself, it was like he wanted to be noticed. I couldn’t wait to go to the gym again.
Finished polishing the glass I held, I picked up another. “I wonder if Asa knows Claire is your daughter.”
“Why would that matter?” Claire asked.
“Asa had a thing for your mom. An unrequited thing.”
I placed the spotless glass on a shelf behind the bar. When I turned back around and saw my niece’s slack-jawed expression, I laughed.
“Don’t look so surprised, Claire. All the guys in Southside had a thing for Rachel back in the day, especially the ones who saw her perform. And Asa saw her more nights than most, because for a while he was ABCR’s sound guy.”
Claire gave me a confused look. “What’s ABCR?”
At that, my mouth dropped open. I was so surprised Rachel hadn’t told her about the band that it took me a moment to answer.
“Your mom’s band,” I said, and since Claire continued to look at me blankly, I gave her details. “A for Andy, B for Barry.” My heart skipped a beat on my best friend’s name. “C for Collin. R for Rachel.” I shot my sister awhat the helllook. “I can’t believe you haven’t told your daughter the name of your band and what a big deal it was.”
Rachel scowled. “The name doesn’t mean anything to anyone outside Southside. And you exaggerate. We weren’t that big.”
“I’m not exaggerating,” I said, frowning at her. “ABCR was big, and so was your part in it.”
“Maybe. But it wasn’t my band.” She gave me a pointed look. “Not really.” She shifted her attention to her daughter. “And Asa never had more than a temporary crush on me.”
“Temporarily obsessed, you mean,” I said, and Rachel’s gaze narrowed. “Andy,” especially Andy, “Barry, and Collin, all the guys in ABCR were in love with you.”
“Not all.” Rachel locked her eyes on me.
Afraid she was going to argue with me about Barry, I stiffened. I didn’t want to talk about him. I found myself thinking about him way too much lately.
“Collin was only truly interested in you,” Rachel said to explain.
“Until he wasn’t.” I pressed my lips into a flat line. He made his choice, and he’d made it while we’d still been together.
Rachel sighed. “Miranda never had his heart, Addy. Not the way she should have as his wife.”
I exhaled my relief that it was only Collin she brought up. That book was closed. It was the one that felt like it had remained open with blank and unfilled pages that bothered me the most nowadays.
My sister gave me a look. “And if you hadn’t slept with—”
“Quiet, Rach,” I snapped, pain slicing through me like a blade. I didn’t want to talk about Martinever. Not in front of my niece, and definitely not in public.
“Sorry.” Rachel’s lips went as flat as mine.
I twisted the white bar towel in my grip. “Everyone messed up.”
Translation: I accepted her apology, but we both knew the blame for the biggest mistake of all time had been mine.
“Unfortunately, those mess-ups were a symptom of a significant underlying problem. With Andy first, and then Collin.” I gave Claire and Missy a firm look. “Don’t ever do drugs, girls. They destroy everything.”
“I won’t,” Claire said and glanced at her friend.
Missy remained silent, though it seemed that the topic made her tense.
