Love Notes Read online

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Acknowledgments

  Love Notes Play List

  About the Author

  Also by Michelle Windsor

  Michelle Windsor asserts the right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, distributed, or sold in any printed or electronic form without direct, written permission from the author. Please do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  While this story was inspired by actual events and places, this is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  First published April 2018

  Copyright © Michelle Windsor 2018

  Published by

  Windsor House Publishing

  * * *

  All lyrics in this book were written, contributed and Copyrighted © by Tyler Legare 2018

  You can find all songs mentioned in the book on Spotify.

  Cover design by Amanda Walker Design Services

  Developmental and copy editing provided by Kendra Gaither at Kendra’s Editing and Book Services

  Formatting by Christina Butrum

  To the gang at Kritter’s:

  Thanks for some of my very best memories.

  And to my son, Tyler:

  Thank you for the music, for your words, and for

  filling my heart with more love than I

  could have ever imagined.

  CHAPTER ONE

  I look in the mirror one more time and stick my tongue out at my own reflection as I pull my hair into a ponytail. This is as good as it’s going to get today. It’s over ninety degrees out, and keeping my hair pulled back is the only way I’m going to be able to manage the long, wavy locks as I tend bar. I brush some pink gloss over my lips and leave the bathroom, shutting the light off as I go.

  Ten minutes later, I steer my car into the parking lot across the street from the pub where I work. It’s just after three, but even though my shift doesn’t start until four, it’s Friday and it’s hot. As the clock strikes five, the bar will fill up quickly, so it’s better to arrive a bit early and make sure everything is stocked so we aren’t running around like chickens with our heads cut off later tonight.

  I climb out of the car, make my way through the parking lot, and cross the quiet street. I can see the dim lights on through the gold and blue ‘Hook’s Landing’ lettering on the large, plate glass window, but otherwise, it looks quiet inside.

  “Working tonight, are ya, Sydney?”

  “Yep.” I shield my eyes from the sun with a raised hand and stop to talk to one of our town’s finest, Sargent Sheldon. “Hot enough out here for you?”

  “Oh, yeah, but keeps the riff-raff off the streets, so I’m not complaining.”

  “Sure, except they’ll all be hanging out here in another couple of hours.” I laugh and point to the door, indicating I need to get going. “See ya later maybe?”

  “Nope. Going home to watch the game and then hitting the hay.” He tips his hat and smiles. “You have a good night, though.”

  “Yep. See ya later, Sarge.” I pull the door open, step inside, and sigh in relief as cool air washes over me.

  “Syd, you’re early!” My best friend Kelly is standing behind the bar, loading fresh bottles of Bud into one of the coolers.

  “Hey, Kell Bell! Yeah, figured I’d help get things ready for tonight. Think we’ll be busy?” I walk straight to the end of the bar and scoot under the cut-through so I can be on the same side as her.

  “Does a bear shit in the woods? You look cute.”

  A quick glance down at my cut-off denim shorts and black tank top has me wondering what the hell she sees that I don’t. I look back at her. “I do?”

  “You’d look even cuter if you had cowboy boots on instead of those damn chucks.”

  “I like my sneakers. Do you know how freaking hot cowboy boots would be today? Are you nuts?”

  “You’d get better tips with the boots on, just saying.”

  I look over her outfit, noticing she’s also wearing denim cut-offs, but has on a cute, sleeveless, red and white gingham top, the bottom tied in a knot, revealing her toned midriff. Then, yep, her red cowboy boots finish her ensemble.

  “You look hot, and we split our tips anyway. What difference does it make?” I lean over and grab a case of Miller Lite off the floor, throw it on the bar, and start loading them into one of the other coolers.

  “The difference is that if you spiced up your look just a little bit, we’d make even more.” Kelly huffs and continues to slam bottles into the cooler.

  “Are you girls arguing again?”

  We both turn our heads as Kelly’s mom, who is also the owner of the bar, walks out of the kitchen.

  “No,” we both reply in unison and break out giggling.

  “Uh-huh.” Shaking her head, she grabs a glass off the back of the bar and pours herself a Coke from the gun. “Syd, can you move the two tables over in front of the left window into the back room? I’ve got some new entertainment coming in to play tonight, and he should be here anytime to set up.”

  “Sure, Shannon. Who’s playing?” I finish loading the case of Miller Lite I was working on and throw the empty box on the stack behind Kell.

  “Justin Jeffries. He does an acoustic guitar thing and sings. Have you heard of him?”

  I look over at Kelly to see if she has before, and we both shake our heads no.

  “Is he local?” I squat under the cut-through and walk to the front of the bar to begin moving the chairs away from the tables I need to move.

  “Next town over, over on County Road. His parents have the big cattle farm.”

  “Oh, yeah, I know that farm. I don’t know the family, though.”

  “Well, he’ll be here soon, so guess you will now.” I watch Shannon go back into the kitchen, and then I lift one of the tables and carry it through the bar and out the door to the back room. I plop it down inside the door and do the same with the second table. When I turn to walk out of the back room, Kelly runs in and waves her hands in the air, hopping in place.

  “Oh my God!” Her cheeks are flushed pink, and a crazy smile is plastered on her face.

  “Jesus, Kell, what’s up?”

  “Justin Jeffries is what’s up. He just walked in, and Lord, that man is fine.” I watch as she fans herself again and blows out a long breath.

  “You gonna make it?” Sarcasm drips from my voice but, come on; her reaction seems a bit dramatic. I mean, how hot can the guy be?

  She immediately stops jumping and looks at me seriously. “You don’t believe me?” Extending her arm, she points to the door. “Go out and see for yourself.”

  “Fine, I will!” I roll my eyes at her, push the door open, and step back into the bar. Empty. I turn back around and raise my brows. “No one’s here.”

  �
�What?” She pushes past me into the room and looks around and then at me. “Well, he was just here. I’m sure he’ll be back.”

  “Oh, Kell Bell, what am I going to do with you?” I rub her head playfully and crawl back under the bar. “Have you cut any fruit yet?”

  I turn as she follows me under the bar, her eyes still glued to the spot Justin was supposedly adorning only moments before. I snap my fingers in front of her face to break the spell she’s under and finally get a response from her. “We need lemons.”

  “Cool. I’ll go grab some out back and get started on those.” I walk to the far end of the bar and through the doors that lead to the kitchen and grab a box of lemons out of the fridge. Shannon’s there as well, cutting up vegetables and humming quietly to herself as she works. I pull a knife out of the drawer and begin slicing lemons and throw them into a bowl. When the bowl is full, I put the remaining lemons back in the fridge and head back into the bar. I swing through the doors and slam right into Kelly, lemons clattering to the floor in a heap of yellow rinds and juice.

  “Jesus Christ, Kelly!” I step back and look down at the mess on the floor. “Watch where you’re going!”

  “Sorry! Shit, look what I made you do!” We both bend down at the same time to pick up the mess and somehow manage to make things worse by banging our foreheads together, thus causing us both to fall onto our backsides. I throw a hand over the spot smarting on my forehead and can’t help the laughter that breaks out as I look over and see Kelly doing the same. Thirty seconds later, we’re both laughing so hard, with tears streaming down our faces, that we barely hear the swoosh of the front door opening.

  “Shush!” Kelly throws a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles and pops to a standing position. I watch as her eyes grow momentarily wide and her cheeks flush pink before she opens her mouth to speak. “Oh, hi again. You need anything?”

  “You okay back there?” His deep voice echoes across the empty bar and trickles down to the floor where I’m still sitting, absentmindedly picking lemons up off the floor.

  Kelly shuffles back and forth and gives a nonchalant wave of her hand. “Oh yeah, we’re fine. We spilled some lemons. Just picking them up.”

  “I’d love a glass of ice water if you don’t mind. It’s hot as Hades out there.”

  I want to stand up so badly to see the person attached to the voice that already sounds like music to my ears, but I remain frozen in place. Kelly tells him we’ll bring some right out and squats back down next to me.

  She grins like a cat that just ate the canary, grabs the bowl of lemons out of my hands, and whispers to me, “I told you he’d be back. Go get him some water so you can check him out up close.”

  “Seriously?” Hissing, I grab the bowl of lemons back out of her hands. “You do it! I’ll feel stupid after crawling around on the floor.”

  Swiping the bowl out of my hands again, this time curling it into the side of her body so I can’t take it back, she stands abruptly and looks down at me. “Better make it a whole pitcher, Syd. He’s looking pretty hot.”

  “You bitch!” I mouth silently, then rise quickly, turn, and rush back through the kitchen door to get a pitcher.

  * * *

  HERE’S the thing about me: I’m a pretty confident girl. I can strike up a conversation with just about anyone, whether it be an old friend from school, the local law enforcement, or even the tourists that come from miles away in the fall. That is, as long as I’m not attracted to the person in any way, shape, or form. If I’m attracted to someone, I become a bumbling idiot. Either nothing flows from my mouth, or, even worse, strange words come from some hidden place inside of me, spewing forth at the most unlikely of times. And, please know, this isn’t limited to just men, and no, I’m not gay, but a beautiful woman can also be very intimidating and trigger these wonderfully embarrassing traits.

  So, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that my body reacts the way it does as I make my way to the area Justin is setting up. Pitcher of ice water in one hand, an empty glass in the other, I watch his form as he spins around at the sound of my footsteps. I literally feel myself falter and my steps grow heavy as everything seems to slide into slow motion the minute my eyes lock onto his. Eyes that are as blue and calm as the lake I swim in every summer since I can remember, and possibly just as deep.

  A warm smile spreads across his face, and I’m almost certain a look of terror appears on mine. At least, it feels like it, as my eyes open wide and my mouth falls open. My heart rate accelerates to a pace that could rival a run-away train; my skin instantly grows hot and flushes to what I’m sure is a lovely shade of crimson. Beads of sweat break out on my back and neck, and I pray the deodorant I’m wearing holds up to its promise of being the most powerful sweat and odor protection available. Damn it! I hate when Kelly is right. This guy isn’t just good-looking; he’s gorgeous.

  Without even realizing it, I’ve come to a full stop in front of him, stupidly staring while I cling to the pitcher and glass in my hands, my mouth hanging just slightly ajar.

  “Is that for me?” Is it possible that his smile just got even brighter? He points toward my waist, and with my gaze following the direction of his finger, I look down at the pitcher in my hand, finally snapping back to life.

  “Oh, shit! Sorry!” I set the glass on the table and move to fill it with water, positive he can see my hand trembling as I do. His hand wraps around the glass as soon as I pull the pitcher away. Bringing it to his mouth in one smooth motion, he drinks the clear liquid in four large gulps.

  “God, that’s good. Nothing tastes better than water on a hot day.” Smiling, he holds the glass out in front of me, silently asking for a refill.

  I move to refill it, and without thinking, speak. “Even in Hell, people get an occasional sip of water, if only so they can appreciate the full horror of unrequited thirst when it sets in again.”

  I lift the pitcher away from the glass and look up to find him staring at me, his eyes wide with question. I shrug my shoulders and try to explain. “You said it was hot as Hades. You know, Hell?”

  “Yeah, I got the reference.” He brings the glass to his mouth again, his eyes staying locked on mine, as he drinks down half the glass before setting it on the table. “You a Stephen King fan?”

  “I’m Sydney.” I put the pitcher on the table, turn around, and quickly walk away before I can make a bigger fool of myself. “Just let me know if you need more water.”

  “Thanks.” His voice reaches my ears as I scurry away. “I’m Justin, by the way.”

  I toss a wave over my shoulder and practically throw myself under the cut-through, finding a snickering Kelly waiting on the other side. “Real smooth, Syd.” Shooting her a look to kill, I continue moving until I pass through the doors to the quiet safety of the kitchen.

  * * *

  CHAPTER TWO

  C huckling, I shake my head as I watch Sydney scurry away to the kitchen before I look over, eyebrows raised in question, to the bar. “She okay?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Kelly waves her hand toward the swinging kitchen door. “She gets nervous and acts a little cuckoo if she thinks someone is cute.”

  A smile breaks across my face as she slaps her hand across her mouth and scrunches up her eyes. “Shit! Forget I said that. Syd will kill me if she knows I told you that!”

  I hold my hands up in surrender and shake my head. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

  “She’s not crazy. I promise. My girl is super smart. She just graduated Cum Laude from the university and has been asked back to assist one of her professors in the fall.”

  “Hey, not judging her one bit.” I reach down and pick up the glass she left behind for me and drink some more of the water, silently wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into. My friend John got me the gig here and said the bar is usually hopping on Friday nights, but failed to mention the staff might be slightly bonkers.

  All I want is to get through the summer playing as many gigs as possible so I
can raise as much money as possible for my move to New York City in the fall. It’s the only way I’m going to be able to figure out, once and for all, if I truly can make it as a musician. It certainly isn’t going to happen playing in small town USA bars and coffee houses. Not that I don’t enjoy playing these places; I love it, actually. There’s something special about connecting with a smaller audience, and nothing, absolutely nothing, feels better than when I’m playing my guitar and everything else in the world slips away. If nothing else, both girls working the bar are pretty damn cute.

  I finish setting up my gear and, bringing my glass with me, walk over to the bar and take a seat on one of the stools. I really need to get back to the barn to bring the cattle in for the night, but it’s so God damn hot out that I’m procrastinating a bit.

  “You want something?” the perky brunette, who introduced herself earlier as Kelly, asks as she leans across the bar in front of me. I can’t really tell if she’s flirting with me, but her cleavage definitely isn’t leaving anything to the imagination.

  “I’ll just have some more water.” I point to the glass on the bar. “Still have a couple hours of work in front of me tonight.”