After their swim, Scott and Tori headed to the hospital. The antiseptic scent stung Tori’s nostrils and filled her stomach with dread. Too many unsettling memories were had between walls like these. She dug her fingers hard into Scott’s bicep as he tapped on the door.
They went in. The room was silent other than their footsteps shuffling. As they entered, she tried to imagine Dawn lying on the bed holding the sleeping baby while Robert, her husband, was curled around her. But all the details her mind added to the scene led to one image—her and Scott holding the baby she lost.
“We just got him to sleep,” Dawn whispered as they approached. She had a slight country drawl to her tone, but nothing like her mother.
Tori listened as Scott leaned down and kissed his sister. “Yup, that’s a baby alright. Looks like a wrinkly old man. Kinda like dad in miniature form.” Tori grinned at their banter as a smack sound came, she assumed Dawn was playfully slapping him on the arm. “He’s gorgeous, sis. Good job, you two.”
“Thanks, man. Good to see you,” a male voice chimed in, Robert, Tori assumed. A smack of the hand and a hearty pat on the back followed as she listened to the men exchange a bro-hug.
“Robert, Dawn, this is my girlfriend, Tori.” Scott snaked his arm around Tori and squeezed her tight, kissing her on the cheek.
They all exchanged pleasantries before the room grew quiet again.
It was silent for a moment as Tori assumed Scott’s sister sized her up. Finally, she spoke again. “Well, aren’t you gorgeous? Nice score, little brother, you did good.”
Tori tilted her head and blushed. “Thank you.”
“I’m damn lucky.” Scott slid his hand down her back and gave her a sly grab on the butt. “Any name yet for that little man?” Scott moved his hand back to Tori’s waistline.
“Not yet. We still can’t agree on anything.” Robert sounded annoyed with that. “I still like Zane.”
“No,” Dawn made a tsk noise, “He doesn’t seem like a Zane.” Tori tried to get a mental picture of his sister. Scott had told her in the car that Dawn had long, dark hair and looked a lot like him.
“Lord, you two are gonna name him some weird hippie Austin name, aren’t you?” Scott groaned.
Robert released a hearty chuckle.
“What about Dylan, ya know like Bob Dylan?” Dawn suggested.
Tori understood why Dawn suggested that name. According to Scott’s intel on the drive there, Robert was in a band that played a lot down on sixth street, and him and Dawn were both immersed in the local music scene.
“Nah, that’s overdone,” Robert said.
“Well you all better name him soon, Mom’s about to have an aneurysm if you don’t,” Scott joked. “You could always name him Scott, just saying…”
“Here, Uncle Scott.” Tori assumed that Dawn motioned for Scott to take the baby, “You hold him and tell me what you think.”
Tori’s heart squeezed. She could still remember the faint beating of the heart on her ultrasound. The moment she’d heard that thumping she’d envisioned Scott holding their baby. That was the moment she knew she wanted it. Then moments later her world had crashed in. Tori choked down the lump forming in her throat and plastered on a grin.
Scott released his hold on Tori as he took the baby from his sister. The child let out a slight whimper, but thankfully didn’t start crying. In her mind, she could imagine him there, looking down at the cute, tiny, little thing with the scrunched-up face. Probably had thick, dark hair like Dawn and Scott.
Her mind wandered. Would theirs have been a boy or a girl? Would their baby have had her blonde waves or his chocolate locks? Tori always imagined their child with his dark hair, and the blue eyes that run rampant through her family. Her soul ached, and acid churned in the pit of her stomach. It took every ounce of self-control to keep the tears at bay.
“Well, Scott, what do you feel?” Dawn asked, snapping Tori from her trance. “What does his soul speak to you?”
“Freaking hippie.” Scott chuckled. “He feels like a tiny baby.” Scott sighed, “Ask this hippie here.” He nudged Tori, “She’s the one that runs on feelings and artistic inspiration.”
“Me?” Tori put her hand to her chest. “Well… I mean I don’t know…” she stammered, tucking her hair behind her ear, fidgeting with her earring.
“Here, feel.” Scott pulled Tori’s hand over to the covered blanket and placed it on the baby’s side.
“Wanna hold him, Tori?” Robert asked.
“I… I… I don’t know if I should…” Tori protested. She did, but she didn’t at the same time.
“You could be his aunt someday, so you need to be introduced properly.” Dawn insisted. “Of course you should hold him.”
“Well, if you insist.” Tori grinned, forcing enthusiasm she didn’t have, trying to hide her wavering smile.
“Here,” Scott took Tori’s cane and it clanked against the railing of the bed. As he placed the baby into Tori’s arms, the child fussed a bit. She swayed him back and forth and he calmed.
“Ten pounds—really? He seems so small,” Tori remarked for lack of anything better to say.
Dawn laughed. “He didn’t feel that small coming out,” she groaned. “Harris babies are huge,” she warned.
Tori cringed. Scott, obviously catching her expression, released a chuckle.
“How long was the labor?” Tori asked.
“Twelve hours,” Dawn groaned. “I hoped that since this was my second that it would go a little faster but no luck there.” She let out a huge yawn. “It was rough, but worth every single minute of pain.” Her smile rang through the exhaustion in her tone. “He’s so perfect.”
“She did good. She’s a rock star,” Robert said. “I’m proud of you, baby.” Tori heard him kiss her. “Did it all natural.”
“Not even an epidural?” Scott said with a laugh. Scott had told Tori in the car that his sister was a “crunchy granola hippie, like you” now that she had let go of her wild ways. “She doesn’t even drink anymore,” he’d said.
Tori had laughed at that. “I’m not sure I’d ever give up my booze.”
But for this I would, Tori now thought as she held the tiny baby in her arms.
“No freaking way. I didn’t want anything unnatural in his system,” Dawn proclaimed.
Tori lifted her hand to the baby’s head, feeling that thick head of black hair. She stroked a hand across it. “His hair is so soft.” She ran her knuckle over his smooth cheek. “Velvety.”
“Oooh, I like that.” Dawn sounded excited.
“I swear I’ll disown you as my sister if you name that boy Velvet.” Scott chuckled.
Dawn made a hmmph sound. “Fine.”
Scott put his arm around Tori’s shoulder. His breath heated her cheek as he leaned in closer. Her holding a baby with him peering over her shoulder made her chest ache—thinking of what could have been.
A tiny finger wrapped around hers. Her heart squeezed so hard she feared it would implode. Tori cleared her throat. “He’s perfect Dawn. He makes me feel warm all over. Like a little ray of sunshine.”
“How about Ray?” Robert seemed to like that. “It almost fits with your name; Dawn and her son Ray.”
“Oh, I really like that idea!” Dawn exclaimed. “Ray it is.”
“He smells like a baby, all powdery and clean,” Tori grinned.
Tori leaned her head in close to take a larger whiff of the baby smell, but her face turned down into a frown. “Um, I think he went to the bathroom.” Tori scrunched her nose and smirked.
Scott took the boy out of her arms and handed him back to his mother. “He’s all yours, Dawn.”
Scott pulled into the underground lot downtown. The drive from the hospital had been eerily quiet. Tori seemed to do great. She was her normal witty self, charming the pants off Dawn and Robert. After what he thought was a pretty successful trip to see his nephew, he hadn’t expected for her mood to shift like it had. He figured an evening out would lift her spirits. So he’d texted Blaze and Presley, asking them to meet up for Sunday happy hour.
“A karaoke bar almost seems clichéd for Austin. I figured it would be way too mainstream for all the hipsters here,” Tori teased.
He raised his brow, killed the engine and glanced over at her. These were the first real words she’d uttered to him since they left the hospital.
“This is one of those old school places you have to know about to find it,” he replied, glad that she was speaking full sentences to him again.
“You know, we aren’t broke college kids anymore. We can afford an upscale establishment.” She sighed. “Yet you keep dragging me to these disease-ridden dives.” She grimaced.
“Don’t act like you don’t love it,” Scott teased, hoping to ease the looming tension. “I promise we won’t have to get tested for syphilis after leaving this place.” Yeah, that old dive in DC didn’t even have a sign over the door. Just a blue metal door in an alleyway in Georgetown. Even then, Scott suspected it was so the health inspectors couldn’t find the place. Then there was Mac’s in Florida. It was even worse. Tori wasn’t snooty, but she would’ve died if she saw the place.
“You don’t seem like the karaoke bar type of guy,” Tori remarked as they got out of the car, looping her arm with his. “In fact, I’m shocked you were ever in a band. You’ve always been a sit-in-the-shadows type man. There’s this entirely mysterious side to Scott Harris, I’m learning.”
He chuckled. “I don’t typically perform. Unless I’m super fucked up.”
“I’ve embarrassed myself on one too many occasions.” Their footsteps echoed across the concrete walls as they walked. “The last time was years ago, and I vowed never again.”
“Ok, spill it,” he ordered as he punched the elevator button.
She winced. “I don’t want to say,” she mumbled.
He pulled her into the elevator and hit the button for the basement. “Oh no, you have to tell me now.”
“This is like the top five most embarrassing moments of my life.” Tori’s lips tightened. “I was trying to impress a guy with my womanly ways.” She grimaced. “It backfired. Probably the song choice.”
“What song?”
My lord, her cheeks were blazing. It was adorable. He didn’t think it was possible to embarrass Tori.
“I Touch Myself, by the Divynils.” She cringed. “Let’s just say I really, really got into the song. It felt like, at the end, the record came to a screeching halt and there was silence in the club. It was almost theatrical.”
Scott doubled over laughing, clutching his belly, as they stumbled out of the elevator into the bar. “How drunk were you?”
“I was stone cold sober when I did it, which makes it that much worse.”
He couldn’t stop laughing.
Still chuckling to himself, he found them a table for four and got Tori settled. “I need to piss. I’ll be right back, ok?”
“Not like I’m gonna run off anywhere.” She let out a nervous chuckle as she folded her cane and placed it on the table.
“I don’t see Scott.” Presley said to Blaze as they walked into the crowded bar. “Did we actually beat him here?” She scanned the room for a table. Every last one of them was occupied. Surprising, for a Sunday afternoon at four.
“No fuckin way we beat Mr. Punctuality here.”
“What does Tori look like?” Presley had only seen one photo of her taken from a distance with her hair covering most of her face.
“Blonde. Hot. Blind. Dresses like Stevie Nicks.” He chuckled. “She’s hard to miss.” Blaze crossed his arms over his chest and scanned the bar. “Over there.” He pointed and nodded to the corner.
Tori sat with her chin resting lazily on one hand, fingernails strumming the table in boredom. Presley snickered. Yeah, she did look like a bit of a hippie, wearing a crop top with a flowing, paisley kimono.
Presley raised her brow. “Damn. Harris sure knows how to pick them.” Presley eyed the beautiful, little thing that was Tori. “She’s hot.”
“Told ya.”
Presley’s eagle-eyes homed in on her and she noted two black eyes as they moved closer.
Hmmm. That’s interesting.
“Check out those two shiners she’s got.” Presley lowered her voice as they weaved through the tables.
“Damn.” He whistled. “Bets on if it was rough sex between the two of them, if she got into a brawl, or if she smacked into something?” Blaze snorted. “I’ll put twenty on she smacked into something.”
Presley shot him a glare. So crass.
“Oh, come on, she’s blind. It’s a no-brainer.” He shrugged unapologetically.
“I’ve slept in the hotel room next to Scott. I’ll take that bet and raise you twenty. I’m going with rough sex.” Presley flashed a wicked grin, playing his game. She cracked her knuckles and twisted her neck. “Ok, get us some whiskey.” She nodded to the bar. “Time to see what this girl is made of. I’m going in.”
Blaze patted her on the back. “Good luck with that.” He headed to the bar while Presley sauntered over to Tori. “Hey, gorgeous,” she purred. “Quite a big table for a party of one.”
“Just waiting on some friends.” Tori crossed her arms over her chest.
“Mind if I keep you company till they arrive?” Presley cooed.
“Knock yourself out.” Tori carelessly waved her hand to the vacant spot.
Presley pulled the chair out, slumping into the seat next to Tori.
“I take it you aren’t from around here.” Tori asked.
“What makes you think that?” Presley raised a brow.
“Your accent. It’s not Texan. It’s Midwestern mixed with a hint of Baltimore.” Tori fiddled with her earring.
“Nice guess.” Presley’s eyes narrowed. “What’s your name?”
Tori cocked her head to the side, a smug grin tugging at her lips. Tori rested her chin on her hand and leaned in closer to Presley. “I’ll tell you, but only if you buy me a drink first.”
Presley caught Blaze’s eye as he finished weaving his way through the crowded tables with two drinks in hand. Presley placed her finger to her lips motioning for him to stay silent. “Actually, I’ve got two drinks in hand.” Presley took the drinks from Blaze, took a sip of one, and pushed the other to Tori.
Blaze gave her a fuck-you glare for stealing his drink, but stood next to the table and stifled a laugh, watching their exchange.
Tori slid her hand across the table until it met the glass, picked it up, and took a sip. “Whiskey and Coke.” Her brow went up almost to her forehead. “Interesting choice.”
“So, you come here often?” Presley asked.
Tori laughed. “Come here often? That’s the best you’ve got?” Her giggles grew so loud she snorted. Tori had a loud, contagious laugh, borderline obnoxious. She drew a few stares from the table nearby. “Oh, come on, Presley, you gotta do better than that if you’re gonna pick up a chick.”
Presley practically spewed out her drink as her jaw dropped.
Tori lifted her chin in pride. “Blaze, you may want to go grab another drink.” She took another sip. “You aren’t getting this one back.”
“Damn you, Blondie. Nothing gets past you.” He bent down, threw his arm around her shoulder, and ruffled her hair.
“Nice to see you again, Blaze.” She patted him on the right cheek and planted a friendly kiss on his left. “Now be a good boy and run off and get us some more drinks.” She shooed him away with a wave of the hand then took another swig from the glass before setting it down on the table. “Nice to meet you, Presley. I’m Tori.” Tori extended her hand and Presley shook it with a grin.
“And I’m impressed.”
“I’m blind, not stupid.” Tori wagged a finger in her direction. “I’ve heard that throaty, little purr of yours on speaker phone with Scott like ten times this past week.” Tori lazily leaned back in the chair.
Scott came waltzing over to the table and sat in the empty chair next to Tori. “I see you two have met.” He slung his arm around her.
“Presley thought she could fool me enough to hit on me,” Tori informed him.
Scott’s laugh rivaled the music that played in the background as someone took the stage. “Yeah? How’d that work out for ya, Shey?”
“She figured me out in like ten seconds flat.” Presley rolled her eyes.
“That’s my girl.” Scott grinned.
“Now, tell me this, Presley.” Tori grabbed the glass and took another sip. “Are you as hot as you sound?”
“Uh… ” Presley wasn’t sure how to answer that question. She’d never been asked to describe herself before.
“Short hair?” Tori asked.
“Yes.”
“Brown?”
“Currently.” Presley nodded. She liked to switch it up.
“I’ve always had a thing for brunettes.” Tori leaned her chin on her hand and puckered her lips. “Interesting.” Tori seemed to chew on that for a moment.
“You aren’t gonna want to do that whole feel my face thing to figure it out, are you?” Presley teased, hoping she didn’t offend Tori. She didn’t know what blind-joke etiquette was appropriate. They teased Scott for his nub constantly and he seemed fine with it.
Tori slapped the table, laughing, and Presley exhaled.
Good. The girl had a sense of humor.
Tori caught her breath. “Gotta love movies for making people think that’s something blind people go around doing to everyone they meet.”
Presley grinned. She was beginning to like Tori. She was full of spunk and had this contagious laugh and a great crooked smile. “Ok, good, because that would weird me out.”
“I’d at least buy you a drink first before I tried to feel you up.” Tori slid her hand across the table and trailed her finger up Presley’s arm.
Presley’s eyes bulged for a moment and she looked at Scott who was grinning like a madman. “Oh, my lord, Shey. Are you blushing? Did my girl get to you?” Scott roared.
“What’d I miss?” Blaze asked as he sat down at the table and doled out more drinks.
“Tori’s trying to figure out what Pres looks like,” Scott answered.
“Just tell her you look and dress like Justin Bieber.” Blaze took a swig of his drink and ran his fingers through his disheveled, long, blonde mane.
“Oh my god, she does.” Scott couldn’t contain his laughter.
“Fuck you.” Presley flipped him the finger. “Jesus Christ, Blaze. I don’t look like fucking Justin Bieber.”
Tori snorted. “Don’t let these assholes get to you.” Tori patted Scott on the chest. “Scott makes fun of how I dress. Always has, even though I know he loves it. Calls me a hippie.”
Scott grinned sheepishly and nodded in agreement.
“Because you’re a freaking hippie, Blondie,” Blaze chimed.
“You’re one to talk, Blaze. I can smell the weed on you from a mile away. I smelled you two when you waltzed in—long before Presley even started her pathetic attempt at flirting.”
“Well, just for that, I’m never sharing with you again, Blondie.”
Presley laughed. Tori was adorable. Her blonde hair was carelessly pulled back into a low ponytail with a few curls trimming her heart-shaped face. Her eyes may not have stared straight on, but they were a spectacular shade of blue. Other than that, and a faint scar across the right side of her cheek, her features were flawless. Well, except for the two mysterious black eyes she was currently sporting. That was still eating Presley up, and she had a wager going on it. "Nice shiners you got there.”
“Yeah. I should stay out of fistfights. I never win. My aim is shit.” Tori smirked behind her glass, causing a few creases to appear at the corners of her blue eyes.
“A fistfight?” That couldn’t possibly be true. “What asshole got into a fistfight with you?”
Tori chuckled. “An asshole named Scott.” She nudged Scott in the side.
“Scott?" Presley practically choked on her drink. Scott would never hit a woman.
Rough sex; totally called it.
“It was totally an accident,” Scott defended. “Well, that and the suitcase that you refused to check.”
“At least my luggage didn’t get lost.” Tori shrugged, offering a faint smile. “Bumps and bruises are kinda a package deal with the blindness.”
“God that must have hurt like hell.” Presley cringed thinking about the force of Scott’s massive arm landing square in the face.
“I think it hurt my ego more than anything.” Tori curled her lips into a sour face.
Blaze held out his hand. “Pay up, Shey. Told ya it wasn’t rough sex.”
“Dammit.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a twenty, slapping it into his hand.
“You guys had a wager on me?” Tori pressed her hand to her chest. “You all really are deplorable, you know that?”
They all laughed.
“Did you guys know that Scott can sing?” Tori flashed a wicked grin.
“Yeah, yeah, they know…” Scott groaned. “Nice try, babe. I’m not getting up there.”
“We’ll see about that,” Tori said smugly and tuned back in on whoever was singing a damn good rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. The dude finished up and Tori let out an appreciative whistle.
“Next up is Scott Harris and…” the announcer paused for a minute, “just says Blaze.”
Tori shrugged and drunkenly giggled. “I didn’t know Blaze’s name.”
“Jesus, Tori, when did you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” She feigned innocence. She’d totally dropped their names in while Scott left her alone before the others got there. All she had to do was lean over and kindly ask the table next to her for a little assistance. “Well, better get up there. Crowd’s waiting.”
The chair scraped next to her as Scott stood. His hands dug into her shoulders. “Enjoy this, because payback is a bitch,” Scott whispered in her ear.
She wasn’t worried. There was no way Scott would make her stumble up to the stage and sing. He was sure to pay her back in some other way in the future though.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Harris embarrassed in my life,” Presley leaned into her. “He’s gonna kill you.”
“Worth it.” Tori grinned smugly. Yeah, it was fun to push Scott out of his comfort zone, but selfishly she wanted to hear his voice. “You know I had no idea that he could sing until yesterday? I mean, I’d heard him in the shower and whatnot, but I didn't know that he could play the guitar and like, really sing.”
“Really?” Presley seemed shocked at that. “He played all the time overseas. I mean, nothing special. He’d pluck on his guitar in the evenings when we were just sitting around chilling.”
Tori tugged at her bottom lip. She’d known Scott for ten years, and yet he’d never shared this part of himself. Not like she expected him to divulge all his secrets, but as much as she loved music she couldn’t help but be a little hurt he shared this part of himself with them and not her.
“You ok?” Presley asked as the beginning to Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory” poured through the speakers.
Tori cleared her throat. “Yeah, fine. Totally.” It wasn’t a big deal. Definitely the booze getting to her stupid emotions. She focused her attention toward the stage and listened. Blaze wasn’t near the singer that Scott was. In fact, he was pretty terrible in comparison. Still, Blaze didn’t seem to give a shit. He still gave it all he had. Tori suspected, like her, Blaze wasn’t the type to easily embarrass.
The guys finished to thunderous applause and came back to the table. Scott slung his arm around Tori and kissed her on the cheek.
Tori pulled away from him. “How come you never sang for me before?” Tori blurted out. “How come everyone else knew that you sang, and I never did? I mean we lived together for months when you got out of the Naval hospital. You knew how much I loved the arts and yet you never sang for me?”
Scott snorted. “What, would you have hopelessly fallen in love with me? Is that what I would’ve had to do to catch your full attention back then?” He let out a dry laugh.
The surrounding air almost seemed to stand still. Suddenly the bar felt silent.
Good job in letting it go, crazy. She hated herself at the moment.
“Next up is Victoria Johnson…”
Tori snapped her head toward Scott. “You didn’t.” Her heart pounded out of her chest. “The wait list is eons long…”
“Slipping them a fifty helps.” Scott laughed. She didn’t think it was nearly as funny. Her cheeks burned. “Told you, payback is a bitch. Oh, come on, you never gave two shits before what people thought of you. I was way more out of my comfort zone than you’ll ever be. You’re my little attention whore. Come on, babe.”
Yeah, before.
Before she was blind, she’d eat up a crowd. Now she wanted to do nothing more than blend. She wasn’t the same girl she used to be. Sure, she tried to pretend but now that was biting her in the ass.
“Scott, I can’t even read the fucking words on the screen,” she hissed. “Did you ever stop to think about that?”
“You know this song, I’m pretty certain.” He chuckled.
“Victoria?” The announcer asked again. “You in here?”
She swallowed every ounce of pride she had, stood, and flipped open her cane, drawing a few whispers from the crowd. “Well, you gonna at least help me to the stage?”
“Of course.” Scott’s chair scraped across the floor and he looped his arm with hers, weaving her in and out of the tables. He plopped her butt on the stool and handed her the mic as she rested her cane over her shoulder.
Scott released her hold just as the announcer whispered in her ear, “I Touch Myself by the Divinyls?” The man’s inflection showcased surprised amusement.
Of course. Snarky, fucking bastard.
She was gonna kill Scott for this.
She dug her nails into Scott’s arm, pulling him back. “Oh no, my muse for this song is staying up here,” she bedroom-whispered into the mic. That one earned a few chuckles from the crowd, which was a nice icebreaker.
She cleared her throat and began singing the first line of the song after the boom-boom-boom of the electric guitar opening riff played. “I love myself… I want you to love me…”
Finally, as the crowd realized what song it was, she got some cheers, whistles and hollers. She smirked. Ok, maybe she could do this. She was pissed as hell at Scott, but she was going to own every lyric of this fucking song.
There were a few times she got stuck and Scott whispered the lyrics in her ear. She couldn’t help the heat flushing her cheeks when that happened. It was positively humiliating, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind one bit. They especially loved it when she reached over and grabbed his junk, giving it a tug. He jolted next to her.
Soon, she was at the bridge. She just wanted this over with.
“I want you,” she sang, and Scott leaned in and echoed her after each portion of the bridge. “I don’t want anyone else…” they continued on and when she got to the sultry moan she gave that OOOOH everything she had in her, grabbing herself to boot. Why the fuck not? She was all in at this juncture and the crowd was going wild at this point. If she wasn’t so damn nervous she may have actually enjoyed it. Instead, she teetered somewhere between pride and complete humiliation.
She finished and dropped the mic with a thud and it reverberated and screeched through the entire bar as the crowd cheered. Immediately, she snagged Scott’s arm and he pulled her off the stage.
“That was great, baby.” He laughed as he weaved her back to their seats.
Her cheeks were blazing as she sat down. “I want to leave,” she spat. “Now!”
“Why are you so pissed, Blondie? Hell, that was hot as fuck!” Blaze patted her on the back. “The crowd loved you!”
“I just…” tears stung her eyes. She didn’t know why she was so upset. Blaze was right; the crowd enjoyed it. So why couldn’t she? “I just want to go.”
Scott cleared his throat next to her. “Ok, fine. I need to pay our tab and take a piss.”
“Go piss. I’ll handle the fucking tab.” She turned to Presley. “Presley, can you flag down the waitress?”
“Sure.”
The server came up and asked Presley if they wanted another round, not her.
“No, we’re good.”
“Ok, well here is your check.” He’d obviously handed it to Presley, since it wasn’t in her palms.
“Every damn time.” Tori cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. “How much?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it, Tori.”
“How much, I said!”
“Sorry… I…” Presley stammered and rattled off the amount.
Tori pulled the cash out of her wallet, held it out to Presley, then rubbed her throbbing temples. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I get so frustrated with how people treat me, either like I’m too inept to handle something as simple as paying the tab, or they go out of their way and bend over backwards because they feel sorry for me. When I want to do something, I’ll do it. When I need help, I’ll swallow my damn pride and ask. I only want to be treated like everyone else.” Tori sighed. “Which is exactly why I didn’t want to get my ass up there.”
“Seems like a double standard to me. You threw his hat in the ring,” Presley pointed out. “You say that you want people to treat you normal; that’s exactly what Scott’s trying to do.”
Tori huffed like a bull through her nose. Presley had a valid point. As much as she longed for normalcy, it wasn’t ever going to be in the cards for her.
Getting up there and trying to sing when she couldn’t remember all the lyrics, nor read them, was yet another reminder of something she could no longer do. She couldn’t read, she couldn’t have babies, and she couldn’t leave this bar to be alone for a moment without clinging to Scott’s side.
Maybe she wasn’t upset with how everyone viewed her, but more upset at how she viewed herself.
“You ready?” Scott’s voice boomed from behind her.
“Yeah. Let’s go.” She stood, grabbing her cane.