Waterfront Weddings (5 page)

Ashley laughed all the way to her desk.

Summer turned her attention to the notebook in front of her, filled with possibilities for flower arrangements and bouquets. She tried to keep her mind on the task at hand, but she couldn’t help but feel a little excited. Luke had practically been looking through her for months. Maybe tonight if she wore a new outfit, he’d finally focus on her again.

J
ustin carefully placed his guitar case in the back of Luke’s truck. He’d had such a great day with Colton. Granted, they’d only caught one fish. But those moments were precious. Days like this made him wish he were actually Colton’s biological father. At least then he’d have some rights. As it stood, he knew that Samantha could up and move at any moment and he might never see the child again.

“You ready?” Luke asked.

“Yeah. Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Luke chuckled. “You still have stage fright after all these years?”

Justin nodded. “Little bit.” He loved to play, loved to write songs. But actually being on stage in front of people freaked him out. A lot. The other guys made fun of him for it, but Luke never did.

“Look at the bright side,” Luke said once they were in the truck and on the way. “At least we don’t play for free anymore.” He flipped on his turn signal. “I figure that this way even if we’re out of tune or if crazy Jimmy falls off the stage again, we’ll still make a buck.”

“Like you need it,” Justin said with a chuckle. “Wish I could find me a girl with old money. Life sure would be a lot easier.”

Luke tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “It’s not like that, and you know it.”

Justin glanced at Luke from the corner of his eye. Maybe he’d been out of line. But he’d been over to their house. Not just anyone could afford to live South of Broad. The taxes alone on those houses were more than most people made in a year. “Sorry. I meant. . .” He sighed. “Just that times are tough.”

“Fair enough.” Luke relaxed his white-knuckled grip on the wheel. “But for the record, being the poor man in a rich family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Justin could see where that might be true. But he’d be willing to give it a shot if it meant he could finally buy a house instead of renting and maybe pay off his student loans. “Y’all going anywhere for vacation this year?”

Luke merged onto the James Island Connector. “I wish. It’s the busiest time of the year for Summer. I keep telling her that Ashley can handle things for a week or two, but she doesn’t seem to be open to that possibility.”

Justin knew they’d been through a lot this year. “I’ll bet y’all could use a vacation though.”

Luke sighed. “Couldn’t we all?”

Justin had been friends with Luke long enough to know that he didn’t open up very well. No matter the situation, he never showed much emotion. Even at his little brother’s funeral last summer, Luke hadn’t even flinched. Justin couldn’t understand how anyone could stay so strong. Or why anyone would think they had to, for that matter. “I got to hang out with Colton today,” he said, feeling a subject change was in order.

“How old is he now? Two? Three?” Luke asked.

“Two and a half,” Justin said. “We went fishing. I got him one of those little Snoopy poles.” He chuckled. “Of course, he was more interested in playing with the worms than actually fishing. And he was so dirty when I took him home I was afraid Samantha was going to kill me. She actually made me hose him off outside before she’d let him in the house.”

“I’ll bet.” Luke slowed down as they got closer to Folly Beach and the traffic began to thicken. “How’s that going?”

Justin sighed. “I know it’s weird. It’s not like Colton belongs to me. And Samantha and I barely even dated.” He shrugged. “But that little boy needs me.”

“I’m sure you’re right. But be careful.” Luke glanced over at him once he’d parked the truck in front of the restaurant. “The more attached you get, the harder it’s going to be if Samantha ever moves. Or if she gets married to someone who might not appreciate some other dude hanging around playing daddy to Colton.” Luke climbed out of the truck and shut the door, his words lingering behind him.

Justin knew there was truth to what Luke had said. And he also knew that his friend didn’t want to see him get hurt.

Even so, the words stung.

Luke would never admit it to Justin, but he still got jittery before going on stage, too. Those years when he’d lived in Nashville, guys like him were a dime a dozen. If he were too nervous to go on, there was always someone waiting in the wings more than willing to take his place.

That was probably one reason why he’d failed. Because honestly, singing lead vocals wasn’t his real dream. He’d much rather be behind the scenes, writing the music and lyrics. But somehow that didn’t sound nearly as manly as being the lead singer. He’d grown up listening to Chris LeDoux and George Strait. Even his daddy had listened to them and been impressed. No one ever cared about the guy who wrote the song.

“Mr. Nelson?” An older man walked toward him. “I’m Charlie Hamilton.”

“Nice to meet you in person,” Luke said, shaking the man’s outstretched hand.

Charlie smiled kindly. “We enjoyed your demo tape very much. The cover songs sound great, and of course, you’re welcome to mix in some original music as well.”

That was one reason Luke was so excited about the possibility of this particular gig. A lot of places just wanted a cover band. But the Sand and Suds would allow them to play original songs, too. “Thanks so much for the opportunity. We’ll do our best to keep everyone happy.”

Charlie chuckled. “Now son, you know that’s not possible. It’s one of the great lessons in life. You’ll never please them all.” He pounded Luke on the back. “But if you’re taking requests, I’m kind of partial to Kenny Rogers.”

Luke nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He followed Charlie to the stage area where Justin was setting up.

“I’ll let you boys get settled. We advertised the music starting at eight, so you’ve got plenty of time. Just let me know if you need anything.” The older man walked back inside the restaurant.

“I just got a text from Jimmy. They’re almost here.”

Jimmy Baxter played lead guitar, and his brother Will played keyboard and sang backup. They were good guys, always laughing and joking around. By day, Jimmy was an accountant and Will worked as an insurance adjustor. They joked that they only played music for the groupies, but in reality both were happily married with two kids apiece. “Great. You want to grab something to eat? We’ve still got an hour.”

Justin nodded. “Nothing too heavy though.” He patted his stomach. “If I get sick in the middle of the set, they’ll never hire us for the summer.”

Luke chuckled. “True.”

They sat down at a table near the stage.

Within a minute, a cute waitress set glasses of water on the table. “What can I get you boys?”

“Just an appetizer platter,” Luke said.

Justin smiled at the college-age girl. “We’re in the band.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll have it right out,” the waitress said with a wink.

Luke punched Justin in the arm. “We’re in the band,” he mimicked, laughing.

“Dude. I’m so single it’s not even funny. I figure if being in the band gets a girl to notice me, I’d better take advantage.”

“Whatever works.” Luke shrugged.

“I don’t get it. It seems like every time I meet a girl, she ends up dumping me for some jerk.” He grimaced. “My brother says I’m too nice.”

Luke shook his head. “You just haven’t met the right one yet.” He certainly wasn’t equipped to dispense relationship advice. He used to think he and Summer had a bulletproof relationship. But lately he wasn’t so sure. She’d always been a little tightly wound. But now it was like everything put her on edge. And sometimes he heard himself saying things that sounded just like the stuff his dad used to say. Like this morning when he’d given her a hard time about forgetting the bread.

“I guess you’re right.” Justin let out a sigh. “There’s a new girl at church I’m thinking of asking out. She just moved here from somewhere up north. She’s pretty cute.” He grinned. “Even with that Yankee accent.”

Luke tensed. He definitely didn’t want to discuss church. He hadn’t set foot in a church building since the Sunday before Bobby’s accident. Summer had finally given up on asking him to go with her, but he knew it bothered her. “That’s nice.” He saw the waitress come through the restaurant door. “Looks like our food is here.”

“Enjoy,” the waitress said, placing a heaping platter on the table. “And let me know if you need anything, okay?” She glanced pointedly at Justin before she walked off.

“Looks good, huh?” Justin asked, reaching for a loaded potato skin.

“You’re talking about the food, not the waitress, right?” Luke chuckled.

Before Justin could answer, two women stopped at their table. The taller of the two fluffed her red hair, a broad smile on her face. “Luke?” she asked.

He nodded, trying to place her face. Every now and then he ran into a tourist who recognized him from a Fort Sumter tour. “Yes.”

She slid into the seat next to him, motioning for her friend to sit in the other empty chair. “I’m Jimmy and Will’s cousin, Sherry.” She reached over and plucked a french fry from the appetizer platter and popped it into her mouth. “This is my friend Maggie.” She jerked her chin toward the other woman who was busy batting her fake eyelashes at Justin.

“Hey,” Maggie drawled. “We heard y’all play a few weeks ago at that little place on East Bay Street.” She leaned closer to Justin. “Y’all should get on one of those reality talent shows or something.”

Luke cleared his throat and met Justin’s eyes across the table. “Nice to meet you ladies,” he said. “Jimmy and Will should be here soon.”

“Actually I came to see you,” Sherry said. “I heard that you might need my services.” She winked. “Jimmy was telling me that you’re considering a pretty big purchase for your wife’s anniversary gift.” She let out a tinkling laugh. “And it just so happens that I can help.”

Luke nodded. “Great. Do you have a card or something?” He jerked his chin toward the stage. “It’s almost time for us to go on, but I’d love to discuss it sometime next week.”

Sherry’s full lips turned upward in a smile. “Oh, it would be my pleasure.” She reached into her leopard print handbag and pulled out a card with her photo plastered on the front. “Here you go, hon. Call me anytime. I’d be glad to help.” She reached over and grasped his forearm. “And if you think about it, could you play some Brad Paisley?” She clutched his arm tighter. “He’s my favorite.”

Justin tossed his napkin on the table. “Oh, he would
love
to play some Brad Paisley.” He smirked in Luke’s direction. “Don’t you ladies think he looks like Brad?”

Luke’s resemblance to Brad Paisley was a running joke with the band. Every time they performed one of his songs, the women in the audience went crazy.

“Oh, he does. We noticed that right off, didn’t we, Maggie?”

Maggie nodded, still mesmerized by Justin. “Sure did.”

Luke caught Justin’s amused expression. “That might be so, but did you ladies know that you’re in the presence of one of Charleston’s most eligible bachelors?”

The scowl on Justin’s face said it all.
If you’re going to dish it out, you have to be able to take it
. Luke leaned back and watched the women fawn over his friend.

A
re you sure I look okay?” Summer asked. She adjusted the red drape-neck top for the tenth time. It was way more flamboyant than her normal style, but she had to admit it flattered her figure.

“You look amazing.” Ashley giggled. “I seriously thought that guy in the parking lot was going to get whiplash when we walked past him.”

“Whatever. He was totally looking at you.” Summer glanced at her friend. Ashley had chosen a turquoise tank top paired with dark denim capri pants and wedge heels. Her chunky coral bracelet and necklace completed the look. Summer never would’ve paired the colors together, but on Ashley they worked.

“Does Luke know we’re coming?” Ashley asked as they walked inside the restaurant.

Summer shook her head. “Nope. He’s going to be so surprised.” She smiled at the hostess. “We’d like seats out on the patio.”

The girl nodded. “Great choice. We actually have a band about to start.”

Summer grinned at Ashley. “Perfect.”

They followed the hostess through the restaurant and out another door that led to the outdoor seating area.

“Here you go.” The hostess pointed at a table for two that offered a view of the stage and the water. “Your waitress will be with you in a moment.”

As Summer sank into her seat, she scanned the deck for Luke. Her eyes landed on a table near the stage. She watched as a woman with hair that was a very unnatural shade of red grabbed Luke’s arm and laughed.

“I don’t believe it,” she whispered. “Look at that. She’s all over him.”

Ashley followed her gaze. “Man. That’s some outfit.” She laughed. “And most of the time I’m hard to shock.”

Summer swallowed hard. “Do you see how he’s laughing with her?” Luke hadn’t laughed that way at home in months.