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He rolls his eyes at me before winking at a pretty brunette who asks for a pina colada.
Sick or not, Galileo’s is filled to capacity when seven forty-one rolls around. Maneuvering my way over to the stage, I swing by the bar and grab a cold can of cola before ascending the stairs.
Thirty seconds.
I snag the guitar that waits on stage. It’s not my father’s, but it will do. Over the din in the bar, no one can hear me doing a quick check to ensure the strings are tuned perfectly. Then, the house lights flicker.
Twenty seconds.
I slide in the cord to hook the guitar to the amp. Cheers erupt just as a man slipping in the entrance catches my eye. My heart speeds up when I realize it’s Ethan. It takes everything inside me not to leap from the stage and into his arms.
Ten.
I hear a piercing whistle and know that’s Levi’s way of calling the bar to attention, ripping mine away from Ethan.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Inhale.
Two.
Exhale. I flick on the microphone.
One.
My lips part and I sing the first word at exactly forty-two after the hour. “Galileo’s…”
Within milliseconds of my voice emerging from the speakers, the rest of the bar picks up the popular tune. All except for Ethan, whose eyes are trained on me for the four minutes of the song.
The second it’s over, raucous cheers break out and I take a quick bow. I lean into the mic and remind everyone, “We’ll be back to toast this amazing bar and its patron saint in the next hour.”
Another cheer goes up as I slip from the stage. I track Ethan as he makes his way around to me. A small parting of people gives me the chance to sprint in his direction, so I take it.
He plants himself, but that still doesn’t stop him from staggering back a step with the force of the impact I hit him with. Wrapping my arms and legs around him, I bury my head into his neck and absorb the fact Ethan’s here with me.
For me.
He spins me around and backs me up against the bar. “Fal? Witch? Is everything okay?”
I cup his cheek before my lips curve. “Now it is.”
That earns me a delicious kiss that sets fire deep in my core. It’s a good thing I know Ethan will quench that particular flame or I don’t know what I’d do.
I don’t know what I’d do without him. Not anymore.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SEVEN VIRTUES, NORTH CAROLINA
There are some things I’m grateful for in life.
1. Being alive.
2. Being healthy.