Dissonance Read Online Free

my cousin. It’s what Radcliffe men do.” He took a swallow of beer. “Except me. I decided to be different. I’ve always liked music. I enjoy writing lyrics. Singing and playing the guitar relax me. So I decided to put together a band with my best friend and a couple of other guys. At first, it was only supposed to be a hobby. We’d play gigs in the bars near campus. I never expected it to turn into much of anything, and certainly not a career, then one day Carey was in the audience at one of our shows. He approached us after the set, told us he liked our sound and wanted to see what he could for us.”
    “And the rest is history?”
    “Something like that, yeah.” Chase gave her a half-smile. “It turns out what he could do for us was quite a lot. I didn’t anticipate the kind of success we’ve had, at least not so fast. Sometimes I worry that we hit lightning in a bottle and it’s not going to be sustainable.”
    “I know that feeling.” All too well. It had been so long since Kenzie’s last hit that she knew the rumbling and speculation had started around town. Did she truly have any talent of her own, or was she simply the product of Jesse’s magic? He’d messed with her head enough that Kenzie was no longer sure herself, but she was determined to prove she did have talent and she was a singer to be reckoned with. She could find success without Jesse. What Kenzie didn’t want, though, was to be accused of riding on Chase’s coattails, or anyone else’s. Sometimes she hated this business. “Carey is a great manager, though.”
    “Yeah, he is,” Chase agreed. “You said you worked with someone else before?”
    “For a few years. It was time for a change, though.” Kenzie hoped he’d leave things at that, and was happy when their number was called for the food order. “I guess that’s us.”
    “Yeah. Hold the thought,” Chase said before heading to the counter to retrieve their order.
    Damn it. She didn’t want to hold the thought. In fact, she wanted to forget all about it and she hoped Chase would get so caught up in the chicken that he forgot, too. He was back in a minute with a heaping tray of hot food, which he set on the table.
    “This looks great,” he said.
    “It tastes great, too. Just make sure you’ve got your beer handy to wash down some of the heat.”
    “Oh, you think I’m a lightweight, huh?” His eyes danced with amusement. “We’ll see about that.”
    Kenzie chuckled. “Yeah, we will.” She picked up one of her chicken tenders and took a bite. It stung, for sure, but she didn’t flinch. She was a Hattie B’s veteran, and she sure wasn’t about to risk Chase thinking she couldn’t handle her heat. She took a swallow of beer and waited for his reaction.
    “Shit. Oh, shit.” His eyes grew wide and he grabbed his beer gulping it fast. “Holy crap, this is only the third heat level? And yours is hotter?”
    Kenzie stifled laughter. It wouldn’t be proper to tease him. After all, he wasn’t from the South. And his eyes were watering, poor guy. “Yep. Would you like to try it?”
    “Hell, no. I don’t want to feel the burn when I take a piss.”
    “Okay, just checking.” She smiled. “I tried to warn you.”
    Chase nodded. “Yes, you did. Anyway, I’m fine now.” As if to prove it, he took another, much smaller bite. “We were talking about you having another manager before Carey,” he said. “So come on, tell me your story. How’d you get your start?”
    Damn it. He hadn’t forgotten. “There’s not much to tell. I was a cheerleader at Vanderbilt, and I waited tables in a bar not far from campus on the weekends,” Kenzie said.
    “A cheerleader, huh?” Chase’s lips turned up in a smile.
    “Yes. Does that bother you?” She wondered if he thought she was dumb. After all, he was an Ivy Leaguer and supposed to be a doctor.
    “No way. I like cheerleaders,” was all he said. “Go on.”
    Do I have to? “One night, they had an open mic night