Easy Melody(49)

I f*cking love the way he smells.

“Okay, despite my better judgment, I had them add mushrooms because I know you like them,” Declan announces as he returns to the room. He stops on a dime, in the middle of the space, holding a big box of pizza, sodas and a bag of bread and just stares at me.

“What?”

“I—” He takes a deep breath and shakes his head, then walks the rest of the way to me. “You’re just beautiful. Sometimes you take my breath away.”

I blink at him, completely thrown. Declan is a mellow man, but he’s also an artist, and with his artist's heart comes a romantic side. He has a sweet habit of knocking me back a step with it because I never know when it’s going to show up.

“Thank you.”

***

“The show comes on in fifteen,” Adam announces and changes the channel on the big TV in the back of the bar to the Travel Channel.

“I can’t believe they were here only a month ago, and it’s already going to air.” The Odyssey isn’t packed this evening, and that’s okay with me. It’s a Monday, after all, and deep into autumn. I’m nervous about the show, how I’ll look, how the bar will look. Having a huge crowd here would only make it worse.

I grin down the bar at Declan. Of course he came to watch it with me. He calms me. I’ve never told him that, but I’m pretty sure he knows.

He checks an incoming text on his phone and frowns, replies, and lays the phone face-down on the bar. I cock a brow when he looks at me, but he shakes his head, as if it’s no big deal.

Must be work.

A large group comes through the doors, laughing and chatting, catching all of our attention, and I feel my jaw drop as I realize it’s the entire Boudreaux family, even Declan’s mama.

“Hi everyone!” I smile at them all and then look questioningly at Declan, but he just smiles. “What are you all doing?”

“Well, we came to watch the show, of course,” Dec’s mom says and winks at me. “This place sure is beautiful. No wonder they wanted to put it on television.”

“Thank you.”

“We mostly want to watch Dec make an ass of himself,” Beau says as he claps Declan on the back.

“That’s your job, big brother,” Declan replies.

“Well, have a seat wherever you like, and I’ll have my cocktail waitress come get your drink orders.”

I walk over to Declan and lean in so only he can hear me. “Did you know this was happening?”

“I told Beau and Eli about it when we worked out together yesterday. I didn’t know that they used the family phone tree to fill everyone else in, but I think it’s nice.”

“It’s better than nice,” I reply. “I just didn’t expect it.”

“They like you,” he says simply, kisses my cheek and joins his family just as the opening credits of the show begin.

The room grows quiet as we watch, and I’m thankful The Odyssey is the first bar showcased in the show because waiting until the end would be pure torture.

“Lookin’ good, Callie!” Rhys calls out to me when I first appear on camera, and the other boys whistle and cat-call.

“I’ll break your fingers,” Declan says in that smooth way he has, as if he was saying the weather sure is nice.

“You should have let Charly do your makeup, Dec,” Eli says when it’s Declan’s turn on the screen. “You might have looked prettier.”

“Boys,” their mama says sternly, and all three of them pout as if they’re tiny children again, making me laugh.

“You wore the shoes!” Charly exclaims.

“Of course,” I reply. “I love those shoes.”

When our segment is over, which feels like it was three seconds and three hours all at once, we all applaud and cheer. I’m happy with the results. They made the bar look hip, fun and classy, and that’s exactly the atmosphere I’m looking for.

Having Adam with me, and Declan’s family too, is just icing on the cake.

***

“Everyone’s gone,” Declan says after coming back in from walking his family to their cars. “And they had fun.”

“Me too.” I grin, and catch a look that passes between Declan and Adam.

“Hey, Callie, I think there’s something on the roof that needs your attention,” Adam says.

“The roof? The roof is closed.”

“Well, the movement sensors went off, so you should go see what’s up.”

I frown and cock my hip, my hand braced on it. “You’re too chicken shit to go up to the roof, so you’re sending a musician and his girlfriend to check it out?”

“Hey, I may be a musician, but I can kick serious ass when I have to,” Declan says.

“I can too,” I reply with a wink. “Okay, let’s check it out. I’ve told you for years, Adam, this place is haunted.”

We climb the stairs, and I find nothing out of place in the bar area, and then when I step out onto the terrace, I stop cold.

One of the firepits is lit, and on the table is a spread of food from my favorite restaurant.

The Highland Tavern.

“Declan,” I breathe and rush to the table. “How?”

“I have resources,” he says with a smile. “I also have cupcakes from Nic’s shop in Seattle.”