Free Sliding Down the Sky by Amanda Dick Page B

The band were great – if it’s gonna be like this every Friday night I’ll definitely be here, and I bet the majority of the people here tonight will be too. Hope you guys are ready for that?”
    “I’d like to think we are.”
    The band members were sitting around on the stage, their instruments all packed into cases, having a quiet drink. She came back to my end of the bar and dropped the cloth, then filled a glass with ice and topped it up with Coke.
    “I thought you’d need something stronger,” I said, spotting my opening. “You should be celebrating. Can I buy you a real drink?”
    She shook her head, and maybe it was the lighting, but it looked like she was blushing.
    “Thanks, but I don’t drink.”
    I stared at her, sure I’d heard wrong.
    “God, look at your face,” she chuckled.
    It was the first time I’d heard her laugh, and it wasn’t what I expected. It was deep, throaty and low. Not in the least bit girly or superficial. It was real, and I liked it. I smiled in spite of myself, and suddenly the mood seemed a hundred times lighter.
    “I’m sorry, it’s just that –“
    “I work in a bar and I don’t drink. Yeah, I know. I see the irony, believe me.”
    Just then, someone started playing guitar. I looked over towards the band, and one of the guys was sitting on the edge of the stage, playing something vaguely familiar. Leo had pulled a chair up and was sitting talking to them. He’d lost some of his earlier intensity, and looked relaxed and interested. Dare I say it, more comfortable. I remembered what Jack had said about the piano and his guitar collection. I guess music was his thing.
    “He’s a freakin’ genius,” I said, almost to myself. “Having live music will have people coming from miles around.”
    I looked back at Sass, but her attention was on the band and Leo.
    “I’m really proud of him,” she said.
    Maybe it was the booze, but right at that moment, she could’ve read me the phone book and I’d have hung onto each and every word.
    “He’s worked so hard to get this place up and running. He’s poured his heart and soul into it, and so has Gemma. If this place ends up being a raging success, it’ll be because they made it happen.”
    They were obviously a close family and I envied the hell out of that. Jack was the closest thing I had to a brother these days, and lately I couldn’t even talk to him without crossing my fingers behind my back.
    “You should give yourself some credit too. Sounds like it’s been a team effort.”
    She shook her head, and I could see she was uncomfortable with the praise.
    “I’m just the grunt,” she said, reaching for her Coke.
    We were interrupted by a guy coming to the bar, and she went off to serve him as I sat there and watched the band, who by this time seemed to have settled into an impromtu jam session. Leo was sitting next to them on the edge of the stage now, also with a guitar, playing something slow and soulful that I didn’t recognise. He was good. Really good. He was hunched over the guitar, concentrating, his eyes closed, blocking out his surroundings. I couldn’t play an instrument to save my life, but I recognised passion when I saw it. One of the guys in the band was playing bass next to him. It was a rolling, acoustic piece, but the impact was undeniable. They had me, and the handful of others who were still there, in the palm of their hands.
    “What are they playing?” I asked, as Sass finished serving and came back down my end of the bar.
    She glanced in their direction only briefly, leaning her hip against the bar and picking up her Coke again.
    “It’s a Paolo Nutini song,” she said. “It’s called Numpty .”
    I shook my head, clueless.
    “Never heard of him.”
    “He’s a Scottish singer/songwriter. He plays with a band called The Vipers. It’s a long story, but the short version is that one of the band members was in this other band with Leo, before The Vipers. They’re still friends, and