Free Brooklyn Rockstar (Kendall Family #1) by Jennifer Ann

whoever’s playing won’t be as fit as Charlie Walker, but I’m sure it’ll still be aces all the same.”
    She continues talking, but my mind clouds over with the mention of Charlie Walker’s name. Just when I thought I had him out of my system, the visual of him standing on the stage seeps into my brain until I’m warmed from head to toe. What is it about the guy I just can’t shake?
    “Love, are you there?” Sharlo asks. When I look up, she pops a grape into her mouth and grins. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were fantasizing about someone . Care to share with the rest of the class?”
    I’ll die before I admit to Sharlo or any other living being that I’ve taken my obsession with a rockstar to the fangirl level. I sit tall, shaking my head.
    “No worries,” she says with a laugh. “Perhaps tonight’s the night you'll finally find a bloke to have a go with. Maybe we’ll both find someone. God knows I could use a little snogging myself. It’s been far too long.”
    Another private car—one of the many perks of living with a wealthy heiress—takes us to the Chelsea Market where I’m pretty sure I’ve died and gone to shopping heaven. Despite my tight budget, Sharlo goads me into buying an artistic, floral print cami dress and coordinating jewelry for our night out. It’s a little bit sweet and sexy at the same time, showing off my tanned legs and most of my back without revealing too much up front.
    “You look smashing in that dress, love,” she gushes as we leave the boutique with bags in hand. “It’s well worth the money, I assure you. I’ve got the perfect pair of strappy sandals you can borrow and I must insist on buying your drinks tonight, so it will basically be a wash. You’ll have men tripping over themselves to have a chat.”
    “ You should talk,” I say, motioning to her bags. In her true bohemian style, Sharlo chose an ivory dress that sits off her shoulders and stops at her knees, filled with lace detail and billowing sleeves that make her look like an angel. “I doubt you’ll make it far without starting a mob of admirers in that gorgeous dress.”
    Her lips tilt with an amused smile. “A mob? Really?”
    “I don’t understand how someone like you could be single in a city this size.”
    “American men can’t assimilate my forward personality. Believe me, I’ve had my share of suitors. They just never pan out once they get to know the real me.” She hooks her arm through mine, laughing. “We better get a move on. I made reservations for a late lunch at a rooftop bar with a smashing view of the city. It’ll knock your knickers right off.”
    “Sounds dangerous,” I say, bumping her hip with mine. “Maybe it’s the fact that you’re willing to eat lunch in public without your underwear that scares men.”
    Tilting her head to the blue sky, Sharlo laughs in the tinkling sound I adore before we flag down the private town car and take the short ride to our next destination.
    The rooftop bar on Fifth Avenue is easily my favorite place since I’ve arrived in the city. While eating fish tacos and drinking margaritas, surrounded by palm trees and tropical music, we take in the stunning panoramic view of the skyscrapers and the Chrysler Building. Sharlo tells me stories of growing up with wealthy parents in California, some of which I’ve heard before, but still love to hear again.
    The two of us couldn’t have been raised any differently. While she was rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, I was playing in the dirt. She’s never had a driver’s license because she always lived in a big city, and my dad had me driving the pickup when I was just twelve. Her vacations were all over the world, while mine were usually an hour down the road on a green, slimy lake. She grew up an only child, and I had to put up with five siblings. It’s both exciting and a little intimidating to be around someone accustomed to a completely different lifestyle.
    After