“He absolutely is magic,” Miles agreed before his phone made a sound. He looked down at the screen and then back to her. “The rest of Earthquakes is here. We’d love to meet you three in person. Do you have the time right now? Are Brian and Nora here?”

  “Yes. I left them in our common room to come out here to watch load out.” She sent him a smile as she stood. “I’d love to meet everyone.”

  “Your dressing rooms are just down from ours. We can stop by to grab Nora and Brian on the way if that works for them,” he said, walking at her side.

  “It should be, yeah. You all ready?”

  “We’d better be,” he said with a snort. “From today until late September we’ll be touring. Hell, you’ve already toured three months and you’ll be out until the end of summer?”

  “We just scheduled two new shows this morning, as it happens. Looks like once we’re done with this tour, we’ll hit the festival circuit that takes us into September. We haven’t done any shows in Europe for two years so we’ll most likely schedule some shows in at some point.” Though certainly not the size of the tour Earthquakes was taking to Europe.

  “Awesome,” he said, nodding to security who gave them both access to the performer spaces backstage. They recognized Miles immediately but gave the badge she had on around her neck a quick look before waving her through.

  At their dressing room Miles paused. “We’re just up there.” He pointed. “Come on over when you’re ready.”

  “Okay. See you in a few.”

  He took her hand and then halted, obviously surprised by his actions. Harlow squeezed to give him some cover and also to give herself a few breaths once he let go.

  She’d planned to watch him walk away but he remained facing her, taking backward steps so she let him see the sway of her hips as she went in to find her bandmates.

  CHAPTER

  THREE

  Miles had to pause a moment once she’d gone through the doorway and out of his sight. The impact of just a few minutes with her fucked with his head.

  He’d wondered what that first time they saw one another again after all these years would be like. If it would be awkward or lacking the chemistry he’d hoped for. But he’d been looking forward to finding out.

  After making a quick stop in the venue business offices to sign a few things their management needed to have couriered back immediately, Miles had headed down to where their hospitality room space was.

  He too had paused on a mezzanine level to take in all the chaos. Vehicles, techs, construction workers and a dozen other types were down there where his band that he’d started a version of in middle school would open a nationwide stadium and arena tour.

  As he’d been watching, Miles he’d caught sight of her sitting and doing the same thing he’d been and he’d started loping her way before he’d consciously decided to. Her dark hair had been pulled up into a braid, exposing the beauty of her face. And the wonder on her features.

  During their twenty minutes or so, he’d taken her hand twice. Even now he felt her skin against his.

  Just that closeness and the touch of her had nudged that placed within him that had already begun to wake and stretch after he’d watched her perform. Woken it further so that he was already thinking about when he could touch her again.

  Grinning, he spun on his heel and arrowed through the main door of their green room space.

  “Signed those papers,” he told everyone. “Ran into Harlow. Told them we wanted to meet them, so they’ll be here in a minute.”

  “Cool,” Silas said.

  “Make sure to invite them to eat with us,” Poppy said.

  When his sister told him she wanted to be his tour assistant Miles had turned her down.

  He’d argued that she was too young to be out there dealing with the kind of bullshit that happened backstage. He sure as hell knew that firsthand and he shuddered to think about that touching her in any way.

  She’d begun an entire campaign for the job that had involved her just sort of…taking over his life but in the best way. She got things done efficiently and to his specifications even when he didn’t know she was about to do something or other until she’d completed the task.

  Then she got their parents involved over the Christmas holidays and it had turned into a big Brown family thing and half his relatives were involved in a very lively discussion that had ended in Miles offering Poppy the job she’d already been doing really well.

  And there she was being great at it yet again.

  A few taps on the doorjamb and Harlow came in with the other two members of Above Me. She raised her chin in greeting, along with a waved hand.

  “Hi, everyone.”

  Miles moved to her side and faced Nora and Brian. “I’m Miles Brown. That’s my sister and my assistant Poppy. Omar Marquez, lead guitar. Silas Best, drums. Maddie Hurley, rhythm guitar.”

  Harlow grinned at them all. “I’m Harlow Martin, guitar. Nora Abelard, drums and Brian Green, bass. We’re really glad to be here. Thanks for having us.”

  There was a bit of back and forth as everyone bumped elbows or shook hands and Miles breathed a little easier because so far so good.

  Maddie and Harlow stood chatting with Poppy and Nora and he made his way over.

  “I saw you sing on stage with your dad’s band six or so years back. I can’t even remember what festival it was, but I do remember it was at the Gorge and I was drinking a beer so I was legal. The sun was setting and it was purple and orange and you came out,” Harlow told Maddie. “It was “Everything”, from the Star is Born with Barbra. It was just fucking amazing. You said it was for your mom and that was lovely. I’ve never forgotten that.”

  Maddie blushed and took Harlow’s hands. “You don’t know what that means to me. I’m so…thank you. My sister and I used to always sing that one when we were growing up. My mom still cries if anyone ever brings that night up.”

  “Small world,” Miles said. “I was there that night too with Silas and Omar. That’s when we swooped in and told her she had to be in our band. I don’t remember seeing you that day though.”

  “I was there as a concertgoer. No backstage. Sometimes you just want to be a fan, you know?” Harlow said and became a thousand times more sexually attractive. “I love that it was when the four of you became Earthquakes.”

  “Hey listen,” Miles said, “Maddie’s aunt, who is also my aunt too, but by choice rather than by birth, she used to go out with Sweet Hollow Ranch as their personal chef. She and her friends created a catering company that travels with touring acts. They have a load out of a whole ass kitchen before each show. Just in case you were expecting a packet of crackers or room temperature deli meat,” he said. “They also have a post show meal. Something easy and portable most often as they have to tear down every night too.”

  “I’ll have it added to your dailies,” Poppy told them.

  “Thank you. We’ll definitely take you up on that,” Nora said with a smile.

  Harlow poked her in the ribs.

  “What? They invited us!” Nora hissed at her friend.

  ”Just because we think a thing doesn’t mean we have to say it out loud immediately,” Harlow told her in a sing song voice.

  “Whatever. Fortune favors the bold.” Nora rolled her eyes and the two friends started to laugh.

  Brian just sighed, clearly used to it.

  “Do you mind if we sit in on your soundcheck?” Harlow asked Miles.

  “Only if we can watch yours,” Maddie said.

  “Yeah, that,” Miles agreed.

  “Sure. It’s during your meal break though. So we get it if you choose to eat instead,” Harlow told him. Lots of musicians didn’t eat a big meal before the show so it didn’t slow them down performing. Harlow had found that a good meal about an hour or so before they went on helped her keep her energy, leveled out her blood sugar and mood. A hungry Harlow was an unpleasant Harlow.

  “We’ll work it out,” Miles assured her, and she got the distinct feeling he’d do whatever he wanted whatever the case.

  “I assume you have a ticketed soundcheck?” Brian asked, and Harlow wanted to laugh but didn’t. Brian was always thinking about different aspects of the business and what could be done in each to further the band’s aims.

  “Yeah. Just started this tour. It’s a fan club perk,” Omar said. “There’s a lottery system for the tickets each date. They’re not sold via ticket agencies so there’s no issue of a single agency buying all the tickets and selling them for more than most of our fans can afford.”

  “We were considering doing the same thing.” Brian and Omar settled in for a long discussion, so Nora and Harlow left them to it.

  Poppy directed two people to put several large boxes on a nearby table. “Promoter sent us cookies and mini quickbread things. Score.” She tipped the delivery folks and then began to poke around, holding out various sweets and demanding someone try it to give a thumbs up or down.

  Harlow watched the scene as she tried chocolate chunk caramel cookies and banana bread.

  “No one seems horrible. I like them all so far,” Nora said quietly. “And I think Brian is going to leave me for Omar now.”

  “Omar is really handsome,” Harlow teased. “And seems as obsessed with all this stuff as Brian is. But. I think the lack of cute boobies might be a deal breaker for Brian.”

  “He’s ours.” Nora shrugged. “No one else can have him.”

  Snickering, Harlow put her head on Nora’s shoulder for a moment.

  The three of them excused themselves to go get dressed. They’d do soundcheck after Earthquakes and so she preferred to dress for their set in advance. Between soundcheck—and being after a headliner meant they’d be dependent on Earthquakes not taking up that whole time slot before the doors opened at seven—and trying to get a meal before their set, it was wise to be ready to go.

  Harlow could admit she wanted to look gorgeous not only for the fans, but for Miles. Only to herself, but she could admit it.

  Nora braided Harlow’s hair and helped pin it into a crown while Harlow did her makeup with a dramatic eye, saving lipstick until after she’d eaten. Nora’s hair was pixie cut short so she just ran styling product through her hands and pulled it up into a deliberately messy style that showed off the royal blue tips against the ash blond of Nora’s natural hair color. Nora chose a halter that’d leave most of her back bare, in bright magenta that matched her sneakers. Denim shorts would keep her cooler and the embroidery up each side echoed the color of the top.

  “You look like a piece of very dangerous candy,” Harlow told her. Nora beamed. Her best friend was crunchy in so many ways—crystals and meditation and all that stuff—while also having a natural sort of edge she always seemed to effortlessly style. “If I didn’t love you so much I’d hate your guts.”

  Nora laughed. “If we were on a housewives show, looks like a piece of very dangerous candy needs to be in my tagline. And we could have microphones instead of diamonds or peaches.”

  “I’ll save the butterflies for right before we go on stage,” Harlow said to Nora’s reflection in the mirror. Part of that particular outfit were jeweled butterflies that tucked into the braids wrapping around her head. Pinks, purples, blues, and oranges, they caught the lights and made her feel beautiful. They echoed the butterfly on the back of the delicate looking—but truly sturdy—topper she wore over a purple slip dress. Also to wait until right before the show to put on. Fishnet tights that were performance style so she could wear them for several hours without discomfort, came next. Last, she pulled on boots that zipped up the side. She used to have lace up boots with thicker soles, but it was easier to control all her pedals with a thinner sole or barefoot, and once she’d taken a header on stage when her boot had come untied so that had been the end of laces.

  Once they’d finished most of the preparation, they headed out to the floor to tuck off to the side to catch Earthquakes’s soundcheck.

  Kenya, their sound engineer, sat in the booth with Earthquakes’s guy, Ned. She didn’t appear to be annoyed, which was a good sign that she wasn’t having any issues with access.

  There was a nice sized group of fans standing in front of the stage. They celebrated every noise the band made, cheering even when a song would pause just a few seconds in to adjust sound.

  They were all still in the same clothes they had on earlier, not going on for several more hours. And yet, Miles didn’t need that anyway. Her gaze and attention was drawn back to him over and over.

  Plenty of yells of his name, most with I love yous involved. He just smiled and told them he loved them too.

  “It’s like a sex bomb detonated,” Nora murmured of Miles and his ridiculous charisma.

  Sure felt that way in Harlow’s panties.

  She did resist that reply because it was public, Brian was just on Nora’s other side, and she wasn’t ready to admit it out loud. Her bestie would figure it out soon enough.

  They finished up by six fifteen, Harlow and the others heading stage left so they could watch closer but be out of the way as Above Me’s stage plot was laid out according to the plan Brian had sent over in advance.

  Set up wasn’t new. Playing live music wasn’t new. There was a comfort in the way she’d seen this happen countless times. A confidence that won out over the nervousness that always came before a show.

  And yet as she walked out to meet her guitar tech and she looked out from the stage at the vast arena beyond, this step was astonishing. She sent Nora a grin and devil horns and Nora gave a few beats of the drums in response.

  Chick, her tech, and Kenya spoke back and forth as they tuned and adjusted the sound of Harlow’s guitar. Another tech tested microphones while Brian and Nora conferred with their people.

  Lights were tested as the technical part of their performance was run through its paces and sharpened.

  It wasn’t until she stepped forward to her spot, guitar slung over her shoulder to test the mic herself that she noticed Miles and the rest of Earthquakes in front of the stage and hoped he couldn’t see her blush from there.

  And she didn’t really think about him again until the process was finished and she handed off her guitar.

  “Good job with time,” Phil, their tour manager told them as they left the stage at five minutes to seven. “Anything you need from me?”

  Brian had some technical thing he wanted to talk about so Nora and Harlow left them to it and left the stage.

  Poppy waited for them with a bright smile. “Hi! You sounded great. Miles and the rest went to eat but I said I’d come grab you.”

  The room they’d converted into a small dining area was full when they arrived. Miles was up and at her side immediately and Harlow wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.

  “Hey,” he said. “Everything go okay with soundcheck?” He led them to the table where the prepared food had been laid out.

  “Yes, thanks. Sound is great.” Though she knew theirs would be better. They had better gear and that’s how it went. Still, through her earpiece, things worked well and she was confident they’d sound fantastic.

  The meal had a fish option, a meat option, and a veggie option. Something for everyone, Harlow figured as she chose salmon with roasted veggies and instead of the pasta she wanted—and knew would make her want a nap in an hour—she chose the tabbouleh. Filling and good energy. She’d have that pasta later.

  Nora looked at her carefully once they’d settled in at the small table Miles had led them to. “Be right back,” Miles said. “I’ll bring some water for the table.”

  “Let it go,” Harlow whispered.

  “For now,” was the only guarantee Nora gave as she dug into her food.

  “Come back here after the show. There will be box lunch type things for everyone,” Poppy told them as she joined them with her full plate.

  “It’s very handy to have an aunt who starts a tour catering business, huh?” Harlow teased.

  “It really is! I wish so much that Mary, that’s our aunt, was with us. But our cousins are in high school and they’re doing baseball so there’s all sorts of stuff they don’t want to miss being out on the road. You’ll meet her at the end of the tour. They live in Hood River, Oregon. It’s not very far to the Gorge so I think she and my mum are going to plan something big. Browns, Keenan-Copelands and Hurleys never do anything halfway.” Poppy’s tone and her eyeroll were laden with affection and Harlow liked her even more for it.

  They made small talk for awhile until it was nearing their set so they cleaned up and headed back to their dressing room to add the finishing touches to their outfits.

  Miles had been in and out of the dining room while they’d been eating but Harlow understood. He was responsible for making sure everything went well for Earthquakes. There was media stuff too.

  She still felt a phantom tingle where he’d put his hand on her elbow as they’d entered the room the first time.

  Harlow had Nora help her slide the topper, which was a series of crystals hanging in chains, over her slip dress. On the back there was a butterfly detail that she’d used as inspiration for the glittery butterfly hairpins she’d stumbled on at a flea market in Nashville a few months back. A quick smooth of her hair and careful application of deep red lipstick and she was ready to go.

  She and Nora stood side by side, looking in the large mirror. “We look awesome,” Nora said.

  “Totally.”

  Brian came in as they took some selfies and then it was time. Phil came to collect them and walk them through the maze of hallways to the stage where they’d enter from the rear instead of stage left.