Stars Dancing [Dreams-To-Lovers Romance]

"Mmmmmm. How is a sandwich this good?" I moaned.

"It's the bread," HC grinned.

"The pickles," Rhoda declared.

"The Swiss cheese," Paddy pronounced.

Yes, they all spoke at once, and why not? They were all spot on. My Cubano was layers of sliced pork amidst smoky ham with dill pickles and melty cheese smashed on a thick bun over a griddle until it was flattened and crisp outside. That flaky exterior led to a chewy middle, and the menu had explained to me that the bread was difficult to find outside of Miami since the local water was part of what gave it an authentic texture.

If you've never had a Cubano, well, get yourself to Miami and bite into something spectacular! I promise you will re-define "sandwich" and all things hand-held edible.

"Now that we're all in agreement that there's only one way to eat lunch in Miami, are we also of one mind about the rest of the day as planned?"

HC was referencing our upcoming airship flight out of state. Rhoda and I had been in Miami only handful of days, which wasn't nearly long enough, by my estimation. We'd had a wonderful time shopping, going for walks on the beach, eating the best food I could imagine, and lounging by the pool. But even better, I'd been writing.

No, not my typical romance fiction, my autobiography which detailed exactly what'd happened to me when I joined Discord a couple of weeks ago and had nearly gone insane. My book Discordant was already twenty chapters long, was hilarious, was touching, and DAMMIT!

It was so exposing. It felt like every other chapter was an exercise in baring my soul to the entire Known Cosmos, but I was committed.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Someone was fucking with people on Discord, and the public needed to know about it. Investigations were ongoing, but slow, so I was using the wait time to write. Meanwhile, HC and company had been continuing to dig into the Discord kerfuffle trying to get as much shit on them as possible. Thus far, everything they'd found was similar to what we already knew, and none of it told us exactly WHAT the people behind that mess had to gain.

Rhoda was adamant that it had to do with keeping our attention on Discord and away from something else, but that was such a vague accusation that I wanted there to be more to it. Surely someone was making money from the convoluted deception schemes— right? But how?

"I'm with you, HC. It's a solid plan," Rhoda agreed as Paddy and I nodded alongside her. Rhoda and HC seemed to have a natural kinship for researching the details of a problem, and both of them were pissed off enough by what'd been happening to want to see it through to whatever end.

I also had a sneaking suspicion that the two of them had plans for me that I wasn't exactly opposed to.

Yes, romantic notions.

About me.

And a certain pianist in Nashville, TN.

You remember Cora, right? Well, guess what? While we were throwing down Cubanos in Miami, Cora was rehearsing for her show tonight at the Ryman Auditorium— a prominent stage in the Nashville music scene. And she wouldn't be performing without us in the audience.

HC smirked at me, "You up for this plan, Sam?"

"The ''plan' that you two keep referencing is us flying to Nashville, as I understand it. Unless I missed something during my recent writing storm?" I asked lightly and innocently.

"Riiiiight. We're just gonna hop on an airship and go to Nashville to do nothing other than see a show," Paddy drawled, chomping a yuca fry.

"If any of you have something to say, please, go ahead. I'm all ears," I invited them, polishing off the rest of my Cubano.

HC patted his face with a napkin then rubbed his hands together. "So, the plan is set. We use our travel time wisely and keep digging into the Discord drama. Then we get Sam to Nashville and watch what happens next between her and Cora. Are we in agreement? Good! Go wash the Miami off your fingers and meet back here. We've got an airship to catch and a concert to attend tonight. Let's not be late, eh friends?"

I rolled my eyes at him, but obeyed. And I didn't admit it out loud, but I could not be happier that we were finally on our way.