Kiss Me Goodnight by Michele Zurlo Read Free Book Online Page B

Perhaps he’d pour some of his liquor earnings into the bathroom.
    I stared at myself in the mirror above the sink, the fluorescents making me look pasty, though I knew I looked fine in natural light. Another upgrade. Women don’t need to see a crappy reflection when they’re trying to look good while sweating in a too-warm bar on a crowded dance floor. My eyes—brown, in case I haven’t said—had a sparkle of excitement in them that gave me an impish air.
    Lying would help me wiggle out of this situation. I hadn’t meant to draw so much attention to myself. I turned on the faucet and wet my hands.
    The door opened, and Dylan stepped inside. He watched me, not interrupting my ritual right away. He looked at me in the mirror, and I was too focused on what I was doing to care what he saw.
    “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    He hadn’t. I was about to be busted for lying. “I’m nervous about talking to Mr. Hanover.”
    Dylan crossed his arms and nodded. “You don’t have to talk to him, Lacey. I can go out there and get rid of him.”
    I lifted my gaze from the observation of my third cycle and met Dylan’s in the mirror. My knight in a vintage NIN shirt. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone offer to fight my battles. “Thanks, but that’s not necessary.”
    “What does he want?”
    I started on number four. “I’m not sure. He can’t be that upset, though. I think I made him a lot of money today.”
    “He’s your boss?”
    Funny fact: John noticed early on that I tend to lie when presented with an open-ended situation. He asks me lots of yes-no questions. I shook my head. “I just met him.”
    Dylan frowned. “Don’t leave the building. Insist on meeting with him here.”
    That was sound advice. “Okay.”
    “How did court go? Did you pay your fine?”
    Cycle five. “The judge let me off with a warning.” I did not explain my courtroom shenanigans.
    “We’re playing tonight. Do you think you can come?” He chewed his lip.
    I wanted to chew his lip. I thought about that, and about the fact that he was married and his sister was in his band. I shrugged. “It depends on what my friends want to do. I think we’re going to a movie.”
    We hadn’t yet agreed on which one, and that meant we might end up at one of our apartments doing Jell-O shots or making margaritas. Or both.
    His gaze flickered away, and he didn’t bother to conceal his disappointment. “We go on at midnight, if you want to stop by after.”
    I finished with cycle six and felt much better. “I’ll see what they want to do.”
    Dylan handed me several paper towels. “Was the mix really that bad?”
    “You sound better with less lead and more bass. It complements your voice. Backup singers would also help, especially in the chorus.”
    I deposited my paper towels in the trash. Dylan tucked a strand of curls behind my ear. I looked up to find him regarding me with a mixture of fascination and wonder.
    “I do appreciate your feedback. Nobody outside the band has heard us play yet.”
    A joke about his stage virginity would have been funny right then, but butterflies stampeded in my stomach. I needed to get away from Dylan. Being close to him was too much temptation for me to bear. “You know we’re in the ladies’ room again, right?”
    He looked around as if this were the first time he’d realized what went on in a women’s bathroom. Spots of color crept up his neck. “Sorry. I figured you were washing your hands. I just wanted to make sure you stopped.”
    I took another step away. “And what would you do if I didn’t?”
    He tilted his head and studied me. “I don’t know. You don’t look frantic anymore. Did that guy make you upset or was it me?”
    “Mr. Hanover might not be entirely pleased with me, and I’d rather not go into the reasons.”
    Dylan nodded, accepting my evasion. “Like I said, don’t leave the building with him. I’ll play around with the sound while you have your meeting. That way you