Page 131 of You Found Me

“Bite me,” Ward said. He gestured for Della to go in first. “We brought snacks.”

“Magic words.” Brick opened the door wider to let Della through. “I’m starving.”

Ward handed chips and an apple-infused steak burrito to Brick. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem,” Brick said. “You kids have fun.”

“You’re not staying?” Della sounded sorry to see him go.

That rankled. It was almost as if she didn’t want to be alone with him. He shouldn’t be surprised. He’d been pushing her away all week.

“Nah. I got a backstage pass.” Brick shouldered the door open. “I’m the bouncer. I’ll catch up with you later. See ya.”

“Later.” Della stepped inside. “We’re trespassing, aren’t we.”

“No. He has a key. His lawn care company has the contract for all the city buildings.” Ward indicated the stairs to the right. “After you.”

They climbed to the second floor, then Ward led her down the hallway to a small, bare-bones waiting area with French doors that opened onto a small balcony.

“What is this place? I thought it was a museum or something.” Della looked around. “It’s so quiet in here, you can hardly hear the crowd.”

“It’s the county courthouse.” He’d been inside a few times, but only one time that mattered. He opened the door. “The mayor used to stand out here to give public announcements or campaign speeches back in the day. Now it’s mostly used by people wanting to sneak a cigarette. It’s also VIP seating for concerts.”

“I’ve been in a courthouse a couple of times.” She glanced around as if to make sure they were alone. “It didn’t look like this at all. It was all glass and marble and closed-off rooms, not pretty wood and windows. And it smelled like castor oil or something, not lemons. Oh, look how pretty this is.” Her expression filled with soft delight. “I love this wrought-iron railing.”

Ward shut the door behind them. “It’s not original. They had to rebuild this side about fifty years ago because of a fire.”

Brick had set up two folding chairs and a wrought-iron patio table. There was even a lit candle in the center. It was veryLady and the Tramp. His wingman was still trying to give him an assist. “Front-row seats.”

Della set the now empty cone down on the table and walked to the railing. “It doesn’t matter when it was built. This is perfect.”

“Here.” He handed her one of the sausage dogs. “It’s not fall until you’ve had one of these.”

“Oh-kay.” Della eyed the sandwich with suspicion. “You know, I’ve never had sausage with apples in it before. Doesn’t seem like it would go together.”

“Try it.” He took a big bite of his own. The savory-sweet treat was as good as he remembered.

Della sat, sniffed the sausage, then took a bite. She made appreciative noises as she chewed. “Now that’sgood.”

“See?” He took another bite.

“Mmm.” She nodded as she chewed. “I love this. The smells. The chill in the air. The stars. The people. Especially the people. Thanks for bringing me.”

“Sure.” With the advantage of height, they could see all of the main stage, plus part of the curtained-off backstage area that was already filled with people getting ready for their turn. He could just make out the tall, dark-haired kid with the new guitar who’d be going on first. “There’s Mason.”

Della brushed up against Ward as she leaned over the rail. “He looks fantastic. Love the black shirt with the black jeans. Great callback. Plus, it goes with the black accents on the guitar.”

He found himself leaning into the warmth of her arm.

“Callback?” Ward stared at his not-so-little-anymore brother. He looked like someone who was comfortable onstage. When had that happened?

“To Johnny Cash. You know, The Man in Black? His voice is so similar, people will instantly relate.” Della surveyed the scene with a happy smile. “Me and my sisters got started at places just like this. Our first show was a small county fair. Some contest that Piper and Lizzie set up. I was eight. The whole place smelled like hot dogs and cotton candy and there was this carousel with these brightly colored horses that made me feelsoimportant.Like everyone was smiling and waving just for me. I loved it. Made me feel all grown up.”

“I thought you were born in an arena.”

Her smile deepened. “Not quite. But I got there as fast as I could.”

A loud screech sounded, startling them both.