String Beans (The Girls of Beachmont #2) by T. K. Rapp Read Free Book Online

to give the stranger space.
    “Where are you?”
she asked.
    “Open mic night.”
    “Are you going to
perform?” she asked excitedly.
    “You know me better
than that.”
    She paused, and I
knew Dani was choosing her words carefully. She always did.
    “You know, someday
you’re going to get back up on stage again. I don’t care how big or small it
is.”
    “I don’t know about
that,” I lamented.
    It was a great
theory, and I loved the idea of performing again. There was a time when writing
my songs and singing them, even if only for my friends, had meant so much to
me. But school, and then work, had taken over and I had little time. And then
there was the part about me putting my dreams and interests on hold to help
Will achieve his. In hindsight, he never asked me to do it, but it had felt
like the right thing to do at the time.
    “I do. Because I
know you. When you’re ready, it’ll happen.”
    “You know, I looked
at my journal the other day. The last time I wrote anything significant was
almost a year ago.”
    “A year?”
    “Yeah,” I scoffed.
“I don’t know how that happened, but I suppose one day turned into months and
the next thing I know, it’s been a year. You’d think I would have noticed something
that big, right?”
    “Vi, give yourself
a break. You’ve had a lot on your plate. And now, it’s time to take care of you.
And taking care of you means getting back to the things you love.”
    I smiled at her
words because I needed to hear them.
    “We’ll see,” I
said, loving her confidence that she was right. I hoped she was right.
    “I better go… have
to get to Mom and Dad’s. But we’ll talk soon, okay?”
    “Sounds good. Tell
them I said hi.”
    “Will do.”
    I stood outside
wishing I could see the stars overhead, but between the tall buildings and the
hazy sky, I’d have to wait another night. After a few minutes of standing
outside, I turned to go in and saw Atticus still sitting at the table, but
Wyatt was nowhere in sight. Still, I walked over and joined my new friend and
listened to the rest of the performers, enjoying some and disliking others.
    But mostly, I felt
inspired. Listening to people as they poured their hearts out and exposed
themselves musically in front of strangers was something I hadn’t realized I
missed. Between Dani’s assurances that I’d be me again, and the talented
performers, hope began to run through my veins. And I couldn’t wait to get back
home and maybe put pen to paper.
    ***
    It was nearly
eleven when Atticus left, and I ended up enjoying his company. He was studying
at some art college nearby and told me about his classes. I didn’t share much
about my own life, nor did he ask. It was a nice distraction.
    There were only a
few people lingering and I decided to go back to my place and get some sleep.
Or try to read until I fell asleep.
    I didn’t see Wyatt
the rest of the night, though I did actually look for him a time or two. I
tried to fight it and ignore that he existed, but it was futile. He did exist and I was looking for him…I was weak for a pretty face.
      Atticus caught me looking once and
mentioned that Wyatt had said he needed to go, but didn’t elaborate. I was a little
annoyed that his absence disappointed me.
    “It was nice to see
you smile,” Wyatt said as I was walking out the door.
    I turned around and
saw him wiping off the counter. “I didn’t see you there. Where did you come
from?”
    “I had some
paperwork to take care of in the back.”
    “Oh.”
    “You headed home?”
    “Yeah,” I said, but
my stomach let out a loud growl.
    “You should do
something about that.” He smiled.
    “That Thai place
down the road is open, right?”
    “Sure is,” he
laughed. “And the food poisoning comes complimentary.”
    “Gross. Really?”
    “Nah. But it’s not
that good.” He took his apron off and walked toward me, holding the door open. “C’mon,
I’ll take you to my favorite place in the