Harry (Southern Sands Book 2)

by A. M. Williams

  She fought the urge to walk over there and investigate, so curious about their conversation. But she didn’t want to impose and potentially make things awkward. Though Harry assured her things were over between the two of them, she hadn’t asked for details of the break. She couldn’t help but worry.

  Karlie shifted in her seat, making the legs screech. Bailey looked at her and paused because Karlie looked a little uncomfortable and Bailey wasn’t sure why. “What’s up?” she asked as she sipped her drink.

  Karlie shrugged and rolled the bottom of her glass through the condensation gathered on the table.

  Bailey cocked a brow. “That was the most noncommittal response ever.” She glanced back toward the stage and nothing had changed there.

  “Nothing is up.” Though Karlie’s words were meant to soothe, her tone of voice did nothing. There was obviously something on her mind.

  “Right…” Bailey paused before continuing. “I think I know you better than that. I can tell that something is on your mind, so out with it!”

  Karlie rolled her bottom lip into her mouth as she stared at Bailey. The longer Karlie was silent, the more worried Bailey became. What did she have to tell her? Did she really want to know?

  Karlie released her lip and finally spoke. “It’s just…well.” She paused and sighed, looking down at the table. “Jax told me something about Harry and Emily.”

  “O-kay…” Bailey wasn’t sure where Karlie was going with this. She knew they saw each other casually. What else was there to know?

  “I kinda want to tell you…but at the same time, I’m not sure I should.”

  Bailey snorted. “I think the fact that you’re even hinting at it to me kinda negates that, don’t you? If you don’t tell me, I’ll go ask Jax or worse, I’ll go to Harry about it.”

  Karlie winced and looked away. “That is true I guess…”

  She tapered off again and Bailey barely suppressed a groan of frustration. At this point, Karlie’s nonsensical talk in conjunction with the pair talking by the stage meant she was at the end of her leash. Something had to give and soon.

  “Harry slept with Emily,” Karlie blurted out.

  Bailey’s head jerked back like she’d been slapped. Of all the things she thought Karlie might say, that wasn’t one of them.

  “They—”

  “Slept together. Yes.” Karlie nodded.

  Words escaped Bailey as she turned the new information over in her mind. It was certainly unexpected, that was for sure. Her eyes darted around the room, landing on anything that wasn’t Harry. She wasn’t sure she could look at him just yet. She needed to work out how she felt about it.

  “Are you okay?” Karlie placed a hand on her arm, but Bailey just shook her head and stood abruptly.

  “I need some air.”

  She turned and pushed her way through the crowd, not paying attention to the grumbles in her wake. She needed to be outside and it needed to be five minutes ago.

  Finally, she pushed through the front door, startling the bouncer. She didn’t pay him any mind as she stepped onto the cracked pavement of the parking lot and made a sharp right. She walked to the edge of the building and turned the corner, leaning against the brick wall just out of sight.

  She took a deep breath, trying to calm the fast beating of her heart. She focused on her breathing, knowing that if she dwelled on this new information before getting control of herself, she would freak out even further.

  Her heart eventually slowed and she finally felt like she could think about and process what Karlie told her. She knew that she shouldn’t be upset about Harry sleeping with someone else. She all but forced him to with her freak out. Then why was she so bothered by this?

  She tipped her head back, not caring that the harsh corners of the brick were digging into her scalp. She gazed at the stars, not really seeing them as her thoughts turned inward.

  Bailey had no idea what to think about anything. Should she really be all that surprised that Harry would move on and be with someone else? Did she think that she had the monopoly on him and his body and that he would never have sex with anyone else?

  Obviously, she didn’t think that. He was his own person. But she couldn’t help the jealousy that bubbled inside her at the thought of Emily with him. Harry was hers, she admitted that now, so she couldn’t stand the thought that he shared himself with Emily in any capacity.

  But there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She’d have to suck it up and just deal with it. She couldn’t undo her choices from before and she needed to look to the future. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t be keeping her eyes peeled for Emily though. If tonight’s events were any indication, she might not go quietly into that good night.

  With one last fortifying breath, she made her way back inside, giving a wan smile to the bouncer as she pushed her way through the door. She could hear live music, which indicated the band was playing their second set.

  She walked through the crowd at a slower pace this time, taking care not to bump into people again.

  Karlie was still sitting at their table, watching the stage, and tapping her foot to the beat of “Paradise City.”

  Bailey slipped into her chair, causing Karlie to jump and turn to face her. “Feel better?” she asked. Bailey shrugged as she sipped her drink. Karlie turned to face her fully. “You missed it.”

  “Oh, really?”

  Karlie nodded, widening her eyes. “Right after you went outside, Emily started yelling. I couldn’t make out what she was saying. I should have gone over there…” Karlie said the last part to herself, but Bailey still heard it.

  Karlie shook herself and continued. “She started yelling and Jax went over and said something, which made her get even louder. Let me tell you, you think that the music is loud when it’s playing. I really think she could have rivaled it. Anyways, she eventually turned and stormed off. By this point, you could have heard a pin drop in the place. Everyone was watching.”

  Bailey didn’t want to admit it, but she was intrigued. She wondered what it was they were talking about that made Emily get so upset. She idly thought about bringing it up to Harry, sure he’d tell her. But then she doubted herself again, unsure if she should bring it up or wait for him to.

  “I’m definitely asking Jax about it when they finish playing.” Karlie nodded to herself, sucking on the straw sticking out of her drink. “We need to know what was said.”

  It seemed Karlie was tipping the point of sobriety. She only got this chatty about stuff if she was really upset—which didn’t seem like a possibility—or buzzed.

  Bailey nodded along and sipped her own drink.

  “Alright guys,” Harry crooned into the microphone, “it’s that time of the night. We’re winding down and playing that old standby. We know you know it, so make sure to sing along.”

  They launched into “Wagon Wheel” and the majority of the patrons in the bar sang along. Though she didn’t sing, Bailey tapped her foot and bobbed her head.

  Once the last note rang through the building, canned music came on and the band started packing their gear. Bailey briefly considered going to the stage to chat with Harry but decided she’d rather wait till he wasn’t distracted with the packing process. Besides, it allowed her more time to formulate what she wanted to talk about and if she wanted to bring up the scene with Emily.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Harry

  Emily's spectacle during the break messed Harry up. He tried to concentrate on what she was saying and not on Bailey, but that was really hard when he worried Bailey would read something into the situation that wasn’t there. This fear was made worse when she abruptly stood and pushed her way through the crowd.

  He wanted to follow her so badly, but Emily in front of him made that impossible. He fought the urge to jump down and push past Emily and tried to concentrate on what she was saying.

  “Are you even listening to me?” Emily asked, her face turning red.

  “Yeah.”r />
  “You don’t look like you are. Are you staring at some floozy?” Emily turned to look over her shoulder and scanned the room. Harry rolled his eyes, wanting to just end this conversation. He was also thankful Bailey wasn’t in the room anymore.

  Emily turned back to face him. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  Harry sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyes. Tonight was supposed to be an easy, fun night for him and Bailey to continue to reconnect with each other and rediscover how great they were together. With Emily here, he wasn’t sure that would be possible.

  “What was it again?”

  “Really? You don’t remember?” Emily snarked.

  He paused to stop himself from snapping before he replied. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t.”

  Emily gave a loud, dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes. “I asked why you haven’t been calling me or talking to me lately. It’s like you dropped off the face of the Earth.”

  Well, this was awkward. He should have just done a clean break and this wouldn’t be a problem. He berated himself as he considered how to handle this. If he’d manned up before now, this wouldn’t be happening.

  He rubbed a hand over his face and pushed his hair back. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear with you.”

  With those words, Emily’s face immediately darkened, which made him pause, but he kept pushing on with what he needed to say. “I enjoyed meeting you and hanging out with you, but I just don’t see us going anywhere.”

  Emily scoffed. “Please. You didn’t even give us a chance!”

  By the end of her statement, she was yelling, drawing the attention of several patrons close by and Jax, who slowly walked over.

  “Everything cool?”

  Harry nodded while Emily just glared at him. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

  “You sure?” Jax’s voice indicated that he certainly wasn’t sure everything was okay.

  “Everything is not fine. This…this…asshole just broke up with me! In front of everyone!”

  She was even louder this time, causing most of the crowd to quiet and turn their way. Before, he could hear the murmuring of the clustered people. Now all eyes were on them with only the canned music playing in the background. This really wasn’t the PR they needed right now. He needed to shut this down.

  “Emily, this really isn’t the time or place to do this,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his cool. Going off on someone at a show certainly wouldn’t help them any.

  “Pfft. You could have called or texted and you didn’t. So you’re going to live with me doing this right now.” He was surprised she didn’t stamp her foot after that statement considering the attitude that accompanied it.

  His brows rose. Before he could respond, Jax leaned down and said, “Look, I get that you’re upset or whatever. But he’s told you how he feels. This isn’t the time or place to hash this out. This is a business and we’re trying to play some songs for people. You want to talk about it, talk about it on your own time, not ours.”

  Emily’s mouth dropped open at Jax’s words. “I can’t believe you just talked to me that way!”

  “Believe it, honey.”

  She snapped her mouth shut and shot them both a withering stare. “You both are assholes.”

  She spun on her heel and stormed off toward the bar. Harry and Jax watched her go.

  “Dude, you dodged a fucking bullet.”

  Harry nodded and stood back up, grimacing as his aching knees straightened. Though, what Jax said was technically true, Harry couldn’t help thinking that it wasn’t over yet. He was almost certain that Emily wouldn’t just disappear. She’d most likely show up later.

  “Dude, come on. We’re going back on.”

  Harry glanced at Greyson and nodded before turning to step back to the microphone.

  “Alright, everybody! You ready for some more music?”

  While he listened to the crowd respond, he endeavored to push the encounter with Emily from his mind. He couldn’t afford to be off his game. “I’m happy to hear that since we have another set filled with fan favorites.”

  With that, they launched into “Light my Fire,” and Jax sang along with him. As they moved into the next song, Harry saw Bailey walk back in. He watched her walk to her table and sit down before he had to look away to keep up with the chord progression.

  For the rest of the set, he couldn’t keep his eyes off Bailey, watching her closely for any indication of what she was thinking about. There was nothing to make him suspect she was upset, but Bailey had always been good about hiding her real emotions behind a blank façade.

  Once their set finished, he set about packing up his gear, stealing constant glances at Bailey. The quicker he finished, the quicker he could get to Bailey and talk to her. He wanted to make sure she understood everything about Emily. He wanted no issues between the two of them.

  Gear packed, he helped Jax finish up with his stuff before he jumped down from the edge of the stage and made his way toward Bailey and Karlie. He heard a thud behind him and turned to see Jax walking quickly to catch up to him.

  They reached the girls' table at the same time. He slid an arm along the back of Bailey’s chair before he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Hey, you.”

  “Hey, yourself. Great show.” She smiled briefly as she spoke, which eased some of the worry he felt.

  “Thanks.” He grabbed a chair and pulled it to the table, settling in next to her.

  Jax flagged a passing waitress and ordered two beers before turning to all of them. “Quite the night, huh?”

  Bailey and Karlie nodded while Harry just shook his head. From the corner of his eye, he saw Karlie sway in her seat and he chuckled at the realization that she was tipsy. Jax would certainly have fun with that later.

  “What was up with Emily?” Bailey asked, drawing Harry’s attention.

  He sighed. “I don’t even know. She asked why we hadn’t been talking and I made sure she understood we were going nowhere.”

  “Hmmm…” Bailey didn’t sound like she fully believed him. “So, you hadn’t broken up then?”

  He winced. “I mean…yes?”

  She raised a brow and he grimaced. “I had blown her off, but I guess I hadn’t quite said the words…” he finally admitted.

  Bailey snorted and shook her head. “Wow, that makes me feel like shit then.”

  He furrowed his brow. “Why?”

  “Ha! Really? You were essentially seeing another girl and didn’t even bother to tell me! You said you were done.” She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “We were done!” He didn’t understand why she was so worked up about this.

  “Harry. I get that you think that, but she’s here tonight, so obviously she doesn’t think that.” Bailey spoke quickly, not giving him a chance to interrupt or stop her words.

  He opened his mouth to respond and realized she was right. He winced at how it must have looked. “Seriously, we were over in my mind. I just hadn’t said it, I guess. I don’t know why she showed tonight.”

  Bailey shook her head. “She showed because she thought you were together, that’s obvious for anyone with eyes!”

  Shame covered Harry at her words. He had been an ass in this, hadn’t he? Before he could say anything in return, the three people with him at the table turned to look at something. He turned as well and his heart sank. Emily was standing there glaring at him.

  “Wow, so I guess you were two-timing me with someone else. That why you broke up with me? Did she make you?” Emily snarked, glaring at each person at the table but saving her longest glare for Harry last.

  “What? No! I wasn’t seeing anyone else when we were together.” Harry wished the floor would open and swallow him whole.

  “Oh, please. You expect me to believe that? You ignored me for days. Before that? You were already pulling away. I knew you were having doubts, but I thought you would get over them. Instead, I come here tonight and you’re with her.”


  Emily looked at Bailey with such disgust. “How does it feel? Bein’ a home wrecker?” She directed this question to Bailey, sneering at her.

  Harry glanced at Bailey, who just sat there gobsmacked, mouth hanging open. He turned back to Emily just in time to see her face darken before she threw her drink on Bailey.

  Bailey sputtered while Emily slammed her glass on the table and looked at Harry. “You’re an asshole. Eat shit.”

  She spun on her heel and pushed her way through the crowd that had gathered. People gaped, their heads swiveling between their table and the girl who had just stomped off. Harry didn’t know what to think or say or do.

  He turned to see Karlie handing Bailey napkins so she could clean herself up. He grabbed a few and helped her mop up the table and handed her the rest.

  He opened his mouth, but Bailey just held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t. Just don’t.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Harry

  Harry watched, bewildered, as Bailey slid out of her seat and walked toward the bathrooms. A path cleared for her and people watched as she passed. He heard a snort and turned to see Karlie shaking her head as she vacated her own chair and followed Bailey, shooting Harry a disgusted look as she walked by.

  He watched the pair until they turned the corner to go down the small hallway that led the bathrooms.

  Now that the drama was over, the crowd dispersed and conversation started up again, though Harry noticed quite a few glances were still thrown their way.

  He sighed and turned back to the table, chugging the last of his beer and flagging the waitress down for another. He hung his head as he thought back over the events of a few minutes before. He’d never experienced anything like that confrontation before, most likely because he'd always been so caught up in Bailey. If he was honest, once was enough for him.

  He rubbed his forehead, hoping to ward off the headache he could feel forming. This so wasn’t what he needed.