“So you stick to the blues lounge primarily?” Linc asked.
She nodded. “I haven’t done much exploring yet.”
“Yet?” Linc repeated.
“Well, I’ve only been in Miami for a few weeks,” she explained. “Ricky brought me down here to perform, and I’ve spent pretty much all my time onstage or at my apartment.”
“How well do you know Ricky?” Seth asked.
Gentry paused. “We’re not super close or anything, but we’ve been running in the same circle for a while. He scouted me back when I was still performing in Nashville.”
“Nashville? That’s the big league for blues singers, right?” Seth prompted.
She shrugged. “It was alright. Not my style, a little too cutthroat for me. In fact, I was kind of getting a little disillusioned with the whole industry when Ricky reached out to me with this new gig. I packed my suitcase, took a one-way flight, and I’ve been singing here ever since.”
“Ricky is a good manager, then?” asked Linc.
Gentry bit her lip. “Well… yeah. I think so. I mean, he seems to really care about my career. He’s always saying stuff like ‘your success is my success’ and he’s pretty supportive. Definitely enthusiastic. I don’t have any complaints, really.”
“He treats you right,” Linc assumed.
Gentry smiled. “Yeah. Ricky’s alright. Anything else I can help you boys with?”
“Yeah,” Seth said, popping the champagne bottle open.
Gentry let out a little squeal of surprise and instinctively wiggled back into Linc’s arms at the loud sound. When his fingertips lightly brushed down her shoulder, she thought she might just melt. Seth handed the bottle to her.
“I have a few more questions, but since we’re off the clock, we might as well make things more interesting,” Seth said slyly.
“What are you doing?” Linc asked.
“Truth or drink,” said the blond cop.
“Ooh! I haven’t played that since high school,” Gentry said excitedly. Then she went pink. “Not that I drank alcohol underage or anything.”
“Relax, baby. I think the statute of limitations may have run out on that crime,” Seth laughed. “We’re not booking you in for that.”
He’d called herbaby. Gentry’s heart skipped.
“Okay, so who’s going first?” she suggested. She could only imagine where this flirty banter might lead, especially now that there was a drinking game involved. She was excited, looking forward to a night of building tension and desire on the tip of her tongue.
Suddenly, Linc stood up and walked away, facing the wall as he pulled his phone out and held it to his ear. Gentry couldn’t hear what he was saying, but when he turned back around, he looked solemn again.
“Who’s that?” Seth asked, his arm still draped around Gentry.
“My apologies. I have to leave,” Linc said. There was something about the way he wouldn’t look Gentry in the eye that made her heart sink.
“Now?” Gentry asked.
“Already?” Seth agreed.
Lincoln nodded stiffly. “Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll be in touch.”
“Oh. Okay,” Gentry replied, deflated.
Seth seemed to go a little rigid at Linc’s change in demeanor, like there was something else going on only he understood. Before Linc could even fully disappear through the door, Seth was on his feet, too. Gentry watched in confusion.
“But we have this whole bottle of champagne,” she called after them.