Page 67 of Strings

“I made a fool of myself in front of Sebastian.”

“What happened?”

Cringing, I try to explain. “Don’t repeat this, okay?”

She nods.

“Sebastian dated Cherese when he was a teenager. She told me there was nothing between them, but just now, I walked up on what looked like a really intimate conversation.”

“Let me guess. You got jealous?”

I teeter my head back and forth because jealous is such a strong word for it. “I don’t know. Maybe?”

“And he didn’t like it?”

“At first he seemed flattered, but then he seemed pissed.”

“Men.” She shakes her head. “I just went through this at the grocery store with Larry. He was flirting up a storm with the cashier right in front of me. Then he got angry when I called him out on it.”

“What did you do?”

She smirks. “I made sure he got a taste of his own medicine.”

I twist to face her, my interest piqued. “And?”

“He didn’t like it one bit.”

Leaning back in my chair, I toy with the idea. “The thing is, Sebastian isn’t the jealous type. You could even say he’d probably simply break up with me and move on.”

Amy shakes her head. “Um… that man has it bad for you. I’ve seen how he looks at you when you’re not paying attention.”

Oh, Amy. Bless her heart. She’s such a romantic. Sebastian has zero feelings for me unless he’s annoyed. She thinks she knows, but she doesn’t.

“What do you have to lose by trying? Make it so subtle, he won’t know what happened.”

“But how?”

“You leave that up to me.”

“Tell me what I’m supposed to do again?”

“So, Stuart in security is going to come talk to you right after the concert, as the musicians are packing up. I’m sure you know this, but Sebastian has a routine. He shakes everyone’s hands after the concert and is usually the last one to change. He’ll go back to the dressing room, change, and then head to the back room for a bottle of water. That’s where you’ll be talking to Stuart.”

I press a finger to my temple. “Stuart? Which one is he again?”

“He’s the tall one that always looks like he’s going to burst out of his shirt sleeves.”

“Oh, the one with the baseball cap on backwards?”

“Yep, that’s him.”

“Is he in on it?”

“No. But I know for a fact he likes you. He always asks me where you are and how you’re doing. I’m going to tell him you’re in the reception room alone and that he should go talk to you.”

“Ugh. Okay.” I lift my phone. The concert is almost over. I fluff my hair. “How do I look?”

“May I?” Amy asks, pointing at my shirt.