Page 85 of Paint Our Song

“Five hundred viewers!” Twin number one says, screaming in delight. “Well, everyone, my cousin’s still in her room and has noidea the band’s not here yet. She’s going to throw a fit! What’s that? Where are we? We’re at Hannah’s Inn, a cozy place here in Ridgeford town!”

“Oh, god.” Miles closes his eyes.

“My cousin’s parents are liviiiid. She says they should’ve done this at Camilla Hotel, because at least their ballroom’s fancy enough even without flowers!”

Miles wants to cut in and tell them that the flowers have already arrived, but really, what’s the point? He clutches at his stomach, ready to throw up. Mom spots him from across the room and waves at him, and he waves back with the fakest smile he’s able to muster.

“Aren’t they from Cloverlily?” squeals one of the twins. “Are they the wedding band?”

That gets Miles’s full attention. Chase and Gil walk in, bickering as they shove at each other, totally oblivious to the twins.

“Helloooo,” the twins say in unison. They angle the phone toward the two, who pause when they realize they’ve got an audience. Chase awkwardly waves at the phone. “I can’t believe my cousin booked Cloverlily for her wedding.”

“What’s that now?” Gil exchanges a look with Chase.

“We’ve got a gig?” Chase asks.

“No…?”

“Excuse me.” Miles grabs Chase and Gil by the arms and walks them away from the twins. The twins wave as they’re dragged away, and they get even that on the stream. “Sorry. Everything’s chaotic, and they’re doing a livestream because the universe has it out for me.”

“That was a livestream…?” Chase asks, baffled.

Miles nods, sighing. He leads them away to a quieter corner. “The band’s not here yet. They had to get a different pastor, and photo and video aren’t fucking here, either.”

“Sounds messy.” Gil gives him a grim smile. “How’s the bride taking it?”

“I’m petrified, to be honest. She was ready to sock me earlier and I’m not even the person in charge of all this.”

“Wait.” Still looking lost, Chase points at the twins who still have their phones pointed at them. “That livestream. How many viewers do they have?”

“I heard them say they’ve got five hundred viewers.”

“Damn,” Gil and Chase say in unison.

“Yeah, uh. Sorry about that.” Miles starts backing away, and he smiles at them sheepishly. “You might want to lie low. The guests are arriving, and I’m sure they’ll fuss over you. I need to go find Gabby and see what we can do before the bride loses her mind.”

For a moment, Gil and Chase only stare at each other. Gil murmurs something that Miles can’t hear, and then both of them stride over to him.

“Hey, we’re a band,” Chase says, very seriously. “Go get Cal. We can play. Just the usual, right? You need music during the walk down the aisle, this and that, the party afterward?”

“I mean. I… I can ask the coordinator, if you want. She can ask the couple. How much do you charge for weddings?”

Gil nudges him. “What are you talking about? We’d do it for free. We’re freeloaders here, aren’t we? Haven’t paid for our rooms sincewe got here.”

“What? No, you’re not freeloaders. That’s because you’re helping us out with our social media.”

“Holy shit, Miles.” Chase smacks him hard on the shoulder, and he winces. “Let us play. Go get Cal! Where is he, anyway?”

Miles’s world is spinning. “I can’t let you play for free—”

“Is this the wedding coordinator?” Gil asks, pointing across the lobby. The coordinator’s there, pacing back and forth, with a clipboard in her hand. She’s talking into an earpiece and seems about ready to bawl. Gil waves to get her attention.

She’s sniffing when she approaches them, her grip tight on her clipboard. “Yes?”

“Hi, we’re Cloverlily,” Chase tells her. “We’re a band—”

“I know who you are,” she cuts in, still sniffling.