P L A Y L I S T

RISE - KATY PERRY

Zari's heart hammered so hard she risked cracking a rib. What was she going to do? She'd killed Gabriel's pet. She was a horrible person who couldn't be trusted to take care of one tiny fish. This was bad. So bad. Caring for the little swimmer had been the first thing on Gabriel's to-do list. All she'd had to do was feed it, and she'd failed. No, she'd done her job. Made sure he had flakes every day. This wasn't her fault. More than likely, he'd croaked of natural causes.

She palmed her phone and pulled up the top reasons goldfish die. Number one, dirty tanks. That couldn't be it. Gabriel cleaned it right before he left, and the filter kept the water fresh for at least two weeks. Second, constipation, due to overfeeding. Her stomach turned. Oh, no. She'd fed him too much and plugged him up! She scrolled to number three. Shock from a change in water temperature. Couldn't be. The tank was in the same location.

Not giving up, she slid the screen to all the other reasons which listed toxins pointing right back to a dirty environment. Nope. She was the culprit. Zari Davis. Amnesiac. Murderer.

Massaging her temples, she tried to think of what to do. No confession over the phone for sure. Maybe there shouldn't be an admission. Ever. Still had time to fix this before Gabriel got home and then he'd never know. All she had to do was replace Alpheus. Leaning low again to bring the deceased to eye level, she tapped at the glass. Still dead. This might be the worst thing she'd ever done. Or maybe not. Without her memory, for all she knew, she could be a serial fish killer.

She plopped onto the bar stool, rested chin in hand, and stared at the lifeless floater. "I'm so sorry, Alpheus. I never meant to kill you." She straightened, sniffed, and wiped her face. Taking a deep breath, she removed the tank cover and lifted the golden goner from the water. Grabbed a paper towel, wrapped him, then slid him into a plastic baggie.

To be successful with the cover up, she'd have to match size and color, or Gabriel might notice. Not that she planned to keep her crime a secret, just didn't want it to be the first bit of news shared.

With the evidence in her purse, she headed to Grapevine.

Two hours later, with the rug purchase made, and some last-minute shopping, she strolled into PetSmart and went directly to the fish area. As she gazed into the tank, an employee approached her. The name on his vest read Thomas. Something in her brain sparked. Did she know him? Probably not. That was a common name.

"Can I help you with some fish?"

"A fish. I just need one." She dug into her purse. "And it needs to look like this." Pulling out the baggie, she opened it and unwrapped Alpheus. Seeing his little dead body brought tears again. She wiped at her face, and her voice quivered. "This is Alpheus. And I killed him." Unable to stop, she broke into sobs and leaned her head on the man's chest. "It was an accident. I swear."

The clerk patted her shoulder. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Fish are fragile. Temperature, container size, how you clean their bowl, even sprays you use in your house. Mist can travel and settle into the water. Any number of things can cause death."

She lifted her head to look up at the man and launched into babble. "No. It was me. I fed him too much, and he couldn't poop. That's what the internet said. I considered all the reasons. But how much is a few?" She waved a hand and shook her head. "That's what the bottle said. Drop a few flakes into the bowl. Well, how am I supposed to know the definition of few? It could be three or six or even ten. I mean, one is one. Two is a couple, three or more is a few. Manufacturers shouldn't leave that decision up to me. Honestly, what do I know about fish?"

The man opened his mouth to speak, but Zari didn't let up. "I'll tell you what. Nothing. Nada. Well, I mean I know they live in water, but beyond that, I don't have a clue. But here's what I do know. Gabriel is going to be so upset. I mean he leaves me in charge of one measly little fish and what do I do? I kill it!"

Thomas slid his arms around her shoulders. "It's going to be okay. We'll find one that looks just like..."

"Alpheus. His name was Alpheus." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed harder.

"Please ma'am. Don't cry. I know it's an emotional roller coaster when you lose a pet, but keep in mind, Alpheus is a fish. Typically, people don't bond with them the same as with dogs or cats. I doubt your son will be that upset with you. Once you replace Alpheus, there'll be no need to even tell him. Parents do it all the time."

She sniffed, then wiped at her nose. "Gabriel isn't my son. He's my boyfriend. Soon to be fiancée. He doesn't know that I've figured out he plans to propose, but I found the ring. By accident. I wasn't snooping. I'm not a snooper. Really, I'm not."

She stopped. Stared into space. Then looked back at Thomas. "Oh, God. Maybe I am a snooper. I keep saying everything happened by accident, but what if it didn't? What if I'm a habitual snooper-fish-killer? I could be because I don't remember my former life. All my memories have been wiped clean. So, I could be any number of psycho combinations."

Thomas stepped back. "Ma'am. Do I need to call someone?"

Her eyes widened. "You mean like the police?"

"No. No. Like a family member. Or friend."

Clearly the man thought she was crazy, and maybe she was—a little. But unless she wanted someone from the nearest loony bin to come pick her up, she needed to pull herself together. "I'm okay. I apologize. It's just everything has been going really great, and then discovering Alpheus—well, that upset me. But, I'm all right now. I have it out of my system. You're right. People replace fish all the time. Let's just find one to match, and I'll be on my way."

When Zari got back home, she put Alpheus #2 in the tank and followed Thomas's instructions about the number of flakes to feed. She'd learned her lesson. Next time someone left her in charge of what seemed to be a simple task, she'd research it. No need to take chances.

Standard procedure of fish disposal was to flush them, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. Instead, she took Alpheus to the backyard, gave him a sweet ceremony with an original song and buried him beneath the biggest oak.

Still thinking about the meltdown she'd had in the pet store, Zari hiked a hip onto a bar stool and gazed into the fish tank at the replacement. She'd never been that emotional before. At least not in the short lifetime she remembered. She should ask someone about her mental state. Perhaps some deep-seated memory from her past sub consciously triggered the collapse.

Before she had time to consider the possibilities, her phone chimed with a text message from Gabriel's mom. Elena was in delivery. Zari grabbed her purse and rushed to the car. This day was just full of surprises.

Within a few minutes, she arrived at the hospital, parked in the lot and sprinted into the building. She'd spent enough time here, and the place was so small, she knew the maternity ward location. But with only three floors, anyone could find it quickly. On one end of the wing, they delivered babies, on the other, they cared for sick children. That gave her an idea. Didn't know why she'd not thought of it before. Maybe she could arrange to entertain some of the young patients. Tomorrow would be the first of December and kids would begin to think of Santa. Volunteer work might ease the guilt of murdering the fish.

When she got to the waiting room, Gabriel's mom, Silbie, Lina, and a pregnant woman she didn't recognize, waited. The beautiful stranger stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Stormie Vakasa-O'Sulivan, a family friend."

Zari accepted the greeting. "Zari Davis. Nice to meet you. When are you due?"

"The official date, two weeks, but really, anytime."

Stormie returned to her seat, and Zari sat next to Dawn. "I never asked if Reid and Elena have picked out a name."

Silbie answered. "Charles Reid King. The Charles is after Elena's grandfather. They plan to call him Charlie."

"Charlie King has a nice ring."

"We're using the same formula for our baby, too," Stormie said. "Our first son has my husband's middle name." She rubbed her belly. "We're naming this one Oliver, after my dad, and John after my husband again. He insisted. And I thought women were supposed to be vain!"

Reid appeared, face beaming as he swept his hair off his shoulders into a man bun. "He's here! Seven pounds, ten ounces. Elena is doing great. In about an hour, they'll move her to a room. Charlie's on the way to the nursery. You can see him in a few minutes."

Down the hall, Zari hung back and let Silbie, Stormie, and Mrs. Luna get the first view of Charlie. But once they made space for her, she studied everything about him. His little fingers, the way his nose wrinkled, how big his mouth opened when he yawned. Watching the tiny newborn caused her stomach to flutter. She couldn't wait to hold him. But that wouldn't happen today, she realized after checking her phone. She needed to go back home and get ready for her first performance. Maybe the butterflies weren't from seeing the sweet bundle of joy, but rather, her debut at Grillenium Falcon. She didn't remember the last time she'd sang in front of anyone. Maybe never. Matthew had not mentioned that she had.

The more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. What if the crowd hated her music? Worse, what if they hated her? Other than Gabriel's family, she didn't remember anyone in Parkers Prairie, and since she wasn't a hometown girl, locals might find her songs stupid or offensive and run her out of town.

If that happened, at least she'd look good. The new outfits she'd bought earlier made her feel—pretty. Sexy even. Tonight, she'd top her black leather pants with a cold shoulder zip front red sweater. How far she zipped it, depended on how much attitude she wanted to project.

On top of the guilt she had over the fish incident, leaving Rebel alone for most of the day made it even worse. That's why she'd ask Silbie to take him home with her to spend the night. Even though Zari only planned an hour set, it could run longer. This way, she wouldn't worry about the dog being closed up in the laundry room for so long.

By the time Zari bathed, dressed, and sent Rebel on his way for a sleepover, the weather had taken a turn. The temperature plummeted fifteen degrees, and dark clouds covered the sky. She stared into the backyard where wind stripped the few remaining leaves from the trees. Her stomach twisted and turned just like the currents. Self-doubt niggled at her neck, but she drew a deep breath and willed it away. She could do this. Had to. Regardless of her memory loss, she couldn't put her life on hold waiting for it to return. That might never happen. No. This was the right thing to do—even if she failed.

The good thing about being a one-woman show, it didn't involve big production. Stool, a microphone, and a tip jar. When she arrived, Dale had all that set up. Apparently, the posters had done their job because Grillenium Falcon had a full house. Probably townsfolk curious about what kind of music the "new girl" had to offer.

Zari glanced around the room checking statistics. Mostly couples ranging from college age to senior citizens, with the younger crowd being larger. That helped ease her nerves. She wasn't sure how older folks would take to her crazy lyrics.

Dale stepped to the microphone, gave her a short introduction, then turned it over to her. She slid onto the stool, rested her guitar on her thigh, and took a deep breath.

"Good evening, folks. As Dale said, all my songs are original. But what he didn't tell you is most are about bad breakups. When it comes to love, I've had a few bad experiences. You know, cheating."

A few patrons groaned.

"But I'm sure none of you have ever cheated, so these songs aren't about you. This first one is called "Bad Birthday," and it goes like this." Zari strummed a few chords, then launched into song.

When you dumped me on my birthday

I thought my heart would break

But I pulled myself together

And licked the icing off my cake

Then I gathered all your pictures

to stack them in a pile

and used the pretty candles to

set them all on fire

I yanked down the streamers

and popped the colored balloons

Made a point to delete our song

from my account on iTunes

By the time she finished the third verse, whistles, hoots, and laughter filled the room, and her nerves disappeared. The evening couldn't have gone better and when she sang "There Was Nothing Between Us but Your Penis," women gave her a standing ovation.

Seemed like every female had the same story and appreciated Zari had put it to music. As planned, she ended the performance with audience participation singing, "I'd Rather." This was where members shouted what they'd rather do than end up with a loser. Once Zari had their suggestion, she worked it into the song.

Biggest hit of the night.

Good thing she'd made arrangements for Rebel because she ended up doing a double set. At this rate, she'd have to add to her playlist. Even though the bar stayed open until two, by eleven, the crowd thinned due to the weather. Worse now, with freezing rain coating the streets with a slick layer of ice.

"You probably shouldn't try to drive in this mess," Dale said. "You mentioned you're living with Gabriel, and he's out of town, so why don't you stay here tonight. I have a room with a private bath." He pointed to the wall of mirrors behind the bar. "It's back there, and you're welcome to it."

"You mean, sleep in the bar?"

He chuckled. "I can tell by your expression you think that sounds creepy, but if it makes you feel any better, my husband and I live upstairs, and it isn't so bad."

"Oh." He was right, now it didn't sound weird. Plus, she hated the thought of driving on icy roads and going home alone. Since Rebel was taken care of, it wasn't important to get there. Still, it was sleeping in a bar. "Why do you have a bedroom here?"

"Back in my younger single days, it came in handy, if you know what I mean. By the songs you sang, I know you do."

She giggled. "You weren't one of those guys, were you?"

"Sad to admit, I was—for a while. You know. Got out of the air force, came home, worked here with my dad. I had a few wild oats to sow, but once I met Jerry, those days were over."

"You bet they were," Jerry slid up from behind him and tossed a arm over Dale' shoulder. "Zari, I loved your show. You're so different from the twangy cowboys we usually have. Not that there's anything wrong with them. But you're a breath of fresh air. You need a bigger tip jar. I had to empty it twice." He held up an envelope. "Want to guess how much you made?"

"I hope about—two hundred?"

Jerry handed the money to Zari. "Over twice that."

Zari squealed. "Are you kidding?"

"Nope. I'm telling you. You're a huge hit. How about coming back tomorrow night?"

Fanning the bills, Zari stared at the money. That much calculated to two hundred dollars an hour! This was better than anything she had imagined. "I'm not sure it will do any good. We didn't announce it."

"No need. I'll put it on all my social media. I made videos, so I'll post those, as well. I guarantee, we'll have as many people as we did tonight. Whattaya say?"

"Okay! Thank you."

"No, sweetie, thank you. The bar had one of our best nights ever. So, it's a win-win."

Dale slipped his arm around his husband's shoulders. "I offered to let Zari stay in the spare room."

"That's a great idea. If the roads aren't clear by noon, Dale can drive you home in the jeep for a change of clothes. You can even use it as your dressing room. Take your breaks there. Only one drawback. The bathroom backs up to the bar restrooms, and the walls are so thin, you can hear what's going on in them."

Dale laughed. "Not bad if you want to find out everybody's secrets. You can hear some pretty raunchy conversations. On the bright side, you might get material for new songs."

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How do we feel about Zari being sneaky and trying to replace Alf with an identical fish?

I hope these chapters aren't too boring without Gabe around. He'll be back soon!

What do you think is going on here?