Back in college, Larry Carson played drums in a friend’s band and fell in love with the lead singer, Geoffrey Mason. But all that’s in the past. Larry’s now thirty-five, divorced, and father to a precocious thirteen-year-old daughter. One day, when Larry picks Crystal up from school, a song comes on the radio by a new rockstar climbing the charts. Larry recognizes Geoff’s voice immediately, though Crystal calls him Geo and claims he’s the hottest new singer on the scene. Just hearing him brings back a flood of memories, reopening wounds Larry thought long healed. The more he listens to Geo’s music, the more Larry falls in love with his former boyfriend all over again. Partly to prove to his daughter that he used to know Geo back in the day, and partly to reconnect with his old friend, Larry buys tickets to an upcoming concert and manages to score backstage passes. But there was a reason Larry and Geoff lost touch -- and stayed out of touch for so long. Will Geo even want to see Larry again after all this time? Or will the magic of their old familiar song bring about a harmonious duet?

Old Familiar Song

“Bullshit.” Larry almost laughed—he didn’t sing half the time. Hell, he didn’t even knowmost of the songs, and once he really got into the drums, he let the music take him away and forgot all about the singing entirely.


But Doug was being a little bitch, still pissy about Geoff showing him up by singing better than he did, as if it were all that hard to do, and as much as he wanted someone new in the band, he wasn’t about to make it easy. Or enjoyable.


“Fine,” Larry said, tapping out a quick beat on the snare drum to start warming up. “Give him your mic.”


NowDoug looked at him, and Larry fought to keep from smirking. All Doug’s anger blazed in those eyes, directed his way, but Larry shrugged it off. No, he accentuated it, striking the hi-hat cymbal like a challenge. You invited him to join before you even heard him sing,Larry thought, refusing to look away from Doug, refusing to give his friend that pleasure. Turns out he’s better than you, and now you have to suck it up.


Chapter 18