CupidRocks (10 page)

“Right. My car wouldn’t start so I called Jake to pick me
up.”

“And your response, Jacob?”

“After I picked up Jules we got caught in traffic. A car
accident out on I-25.”

“I see. Next time, I suggest you leave early enough that a
traffic issue doesn’t prevent your timely appearance.”

“Yes, Father,” both of Joe’s brothers responded in unison,
as if the phrase was well rehearsed and long used.

Are they males or trained seals?

It’s easier to just say “Yes, Father.” Trust me.

Are you like that too?

Yeah.

“Your brother and his new mate are here. Please come with us
to be introduced.”

Leopold and Maria led Joe’s brothers into the room. Joe
stood, so Mandy followed suit. She didn’t understand all this formality. When
she grew up, people sprawled in chairs or lay on the floor. If someone new
showed up, everyone would wave and continue their conversation or jam session
or whatever.

“Amanda, I would like you to meet my two younger sons.
Jacob.”

Jake stepped forward and took her hand. He bent over it and
dropped a kiss onto her knuckles, giving her a flirtatious wink his father
didn’t see. Mandy fought a grin.

“Nice to meet you, Jacob.” Jake stepped back. He was his
mother’s son in looks, definitely. His hair was a medium brown and he had her
pleasing features but his eyes were all his father—bright blue. However, she’d
never believe Jake had an ounce of Austrian winter in him, which was all too
easy to imagine with Leopold.

“And this is our youngest, Julian.”

“I’m pleased to meet you too, Julian.”

If Jake was good-looking, Julian was drop-dead gorgeous.
Dark eyes, dark hair and the finest features of both parents. He also had his
father’s breadth of shoulders and height. If Mandy wasn’t already with Joe,
she’d jump this guy in a heartbeat. Julian took her hand as his brother had and
dropped a kiss on her knuckles. Damn, his full lips were soft. She could just
imagine what he could do to a female’s body with those killer lips.

Please remember I can hear what you’re thinking, angel,
and I am not amused.

Mandy glanced up at Joe, blushing.
Sorry, but I’m mated,
not dead.

You wanna be?

Mandy laughed.
No, I could live without being dead.

Then quit drooling on my brothers.

Yes, dear. You know how much you sounded like your father
just then?
He growled. Julian flicked a glance at Joe, pulling quickly away
and taking a step back.
Spoil sport.

Don’t go there, angel. It’s just not good.

Mandy took his arm and curled into him, smiling when he
relaxed. She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He turned his head and gave
her a kiss in return, deepening it and sliding his arm around her. Mandy
sighed, setting her arms along his shoulders relaxing her mouth to let him in.
Someone cleared their throat. Then again.

“I said,
ahem
. It is time for luncheon, not passion.
Kiss when you have some privacy.”

Reluctantly, Joe released her. She met his dark gaze,
enjoying the way his eyes traveled her body possessively. He licked his lips
and cleared his throat.

“Yes, Father. I’ll definitely plan on attending to that
later.” Mandy winked at him, chuckling wickedly. Joe grinned back.

“Joseph, really.” Leopold waved them all toward an arch at
the back of the room. “Let us repair to the dining room so we can enjoy your
mother’s excellent cooking.”

Repair? Is he for real?
She asked. Joe shrugged and
Mandy smiled, shaking her head.

Chapter Ten

The meal progressed in a
semi
-normal way. The food
was excellent, but the conversation was stilted and regimented. Evidently, this
was normal to them but it felt strange to Mandy. Leopold directed all the
dialogue by introducing a topic upon which everyone indulged in spirited
debate. After a set period of time, a new topic was introduced and the previous
topic was entirely abandoned. Not once did Joe or his brothers return to a
subject that had been dropped even though some of those issues drew some heated
discussion. Her family didn’t operate like this—ever. Anything was open to
discussion at any time and digressing was a virtue.

Joe was quiet during the meal. He only jumped in if he had
really strong feelings about something but otherwise, he was a clam. Oh he
smiled as his brothers argued while their father mediated the dispute, but he
kept his mouth closed except to eat. It seemed so unlike him. Mandy couldn’t
figure it.

Joe is everything okay?

Yeah, angel.

Then why aren’t you joining in?

My brothers tend to debate for the fun of it. Haven’t you
noticed how midway into the argument they change sides? If I weigh in on a
topic, there’s a majority opinion so the topic is changed even though they
aren’t done.

But I can sense you tense up every so often like you want
to say something but then you take another forkful of food and shove it in your
mouth.

Father notices too. He’s waiting for it so he can pounce.

Pounce?

Yeah. He and I don’t argue nice—so I don’t argue with
him.

Mandy glanced at Joe and their eyes met. He reached over and
brushed a finger along her jawline before dropping his hand and returning to
his food. Maria stood up and went out to the kitchen. Mandy frowned wondering
what was going on until the older female came through the door carrying a cake
with lit candles glowing on the top. Maria began to sing happy birthday and
everyone joined in. Joe colored but smiled slightly when his mother set the
cake down in front of him.

“Well, Joseph. Blow out your candles and make a wish,” his
father urged.

Joe stood and his gaze caught and held hers. “My wish
already came true.” Then he leaned down, closed his eyes and blew out the
candles. He got them all in one breath and everyone clapped.

“Wonderful, son. Let me cut you a slice of cake.” Maria cut
him a piece of cake then provided slices for everyone else too. Mandy took a
bite and her eyes widened. Fabulous butter cream frosting covered a
melt-in-your-mouth apple cinnamon spice cake.

“This cake is amazing, Maria,” Mandy enthused.

“It’s Joe’s favorite cake. I’ll give you the recipe.”

“I’d love that. Thank you.”

When they finished dessert, she sighed. Maria was an
excellent cook and she hoped she could get
all
of those recipes to take
home. As one, the males pushed their chairs back and stood. Mandy watched them
walk away from the table. Maria stood too and began to clear.

“Hold it!” Mandy rose with her hands on her hips after Maria
entered the kitchen. “Where are you males going?”

Leopold came to an abrupt halt at the archway and all three
sons ran into him. He glared at them and they backed off. Leo turned.

“We are going to the music room. What concerns you?”

“Maria cooked you a sumptuous meal and you are going to
leave her here to clean up?”

“You may help.”

“I fully intend to but my parents raised me to believe the
cook shouldn’t clean up. So those of you with full bellies who had no hand in
the cooking of this meal can come to help me.”

Joe, Jake and Jules turned around and walked toward the
kitchen, with surprisingly little protest. Joe winked at her as he passed. She
met Leo’s glare and held it.

“So what did you cook, Leopold?”

Maria came out of the kitchen with eyebrows raised.
Evidently her sons had informed her of the change of circumstances.

“I did not cook.”

“I guess that puts you on the cleanup crew. You might want
to lose the suit jacket so it doesn’t get wet or dirty. I’d suggest you roll up
your sleeves too.”

Mandy waved him toward the kitchen. She wasn’t sure he was
going to go down without a fight until he huffed and walked purposefully into
the kitchen. Mandy turned to Maria, worried the other female might be upset.
Maria’s eyes were dancing with delight.

“I’ve been trying to get them to do that for years. Thank
you, my dear.”

“No problem. Have a seat. We’ll take care of the cleanup.”

“I think perhaps I’ll join all of you in the kitchen.”

Mandy smiled. “Bring in a chair and get comfortable,” she
paused and whispered, “Where should I assign Leopold?”

“Have him load the dishwasher. It will be completed with
military precision.”

Mandy nodded, stiffening her spine to marshal her forces.
She followed Leopold into the kitchen, surprised to see Joe snapping Jules with
a towel until he heard a deep growl. As he watched his father removing his
jacket and rolling up his sleeves, his mouth clacked shut and Mandy heard his
teeth come together. His eyes widened and he exchanged glances with his
brothers before returning his gaze to hers.

The old wolf is actually going to help? I can’t fucking
believe it.
Joe grinned at her.
How the hell did you manage it?

I have no idea, but I’m going to go with the flow.
Mandy straightened and out loud she said, “All right, gentlemen, here are your
assignments. Leopold, you will man the dishwasher. Joe, no water for you—”

“Hey how come he gets out of getting his hands wet?” Jules
grumbled.

“Joe will be playing guitar later, will he not, Leopold?”

“Yes, most definitely.”

“Water softens calluses—no soaking in dishwater for Joe’s
hands.”

“I’ll be playing later too, you know.”

“Shall we keep the water away from your lips, Jules, or do
trumpeters have calluses I don’t know about?”

He growled, but shrugged. “However, due to your delicate
sensibilities I will put you on clearing detail with Joe. Jake, you scrape
plates and put away any leftover food. Check with Maria for where things go.
She will supervise us all…sitting.”

“And what will you be doing, young lady.”

“I don’t have issues with water, Leopold. I will rinse the
dishes and hand them to you for placement in the dishwasher. Maria, are there
any items that should not go in the dishwasher?”

“The stemware.”

“Very good. Gentlemen, let’s begin.”

Mandy found an apron to cover her dress then got down to the
business of rinsing dishes and handing them to Leo. With the entire family
focused on clearing, it took very little time to get the dishes rinsed and into
the dishwasher. The leftovers were swiftly put away. When the only dishes left
were the glasses, Mandy nodded approvingly at her cleaning crew.

“Gentlemen. I release you from your service and thank you
for your help.”

Leo inspected her from under his bushy white brows. “You are
very brave, young lady.”

“I love to live dangerously.” She waved her hand at him.
“Off you go then. Once I have the stemware washed, Maria can show me where the
music room is located.”

Leo humphed. “My sons, let us retreat before we are called
back to duty.” He led the way out of the room. Mandy grabbed Joe’s hand before
he left and pulled him close for a hug.

You’ll play flawlessly. I heard you play last night, you
know. You’re incredible.

That was rock guitar, this isn’t.

Doesn’t matter. You’re a talented musician and you can do
it.

Thanks, angel. I need to hear that.
He bent down and
kissed her gently, then left the room.

Mandy turned back to the sink and began to wash the glasses.
Maria joined her with a soft towel in her hand.

“I’ll dry.”

“Okay.” She wanted to ask her mother-in-law questions about
Joe and his relationship with his father, but she didn’t know where to start.

“I can see you thinking, Mandy. Leo loves his sons very
much.”

She turned. “Then why does he rule them with an iron fist?
When he says jump, they ask how high, instead of why should I.”

“Leopold was the gentlest, most patient father when they
were young. As Joe grew into a teen he became rebellious. I think Leo grew
tough because he worried that if he didn’t, the boys—and Joe in
particular—might get soft.”

“What’s wrong with soft?”

“Perhaps soft is the wrong word. All three are very bright
and talented. Things come easily to them. Leo felt they needed to work for
their success. To strive. Otherwise, they might settle for what was easiest.”

Mandy handed Maria a goblet and went back to washing as she
processed what she’d been told.

“Joe would never have settled and rock music is a harsh
business. Crowds love you or hate you. It’s easy for people to cheat you unless
you’re careful. Joe didn’t choose the easy road and I don’t think he would
have, even if Leopold would have been more supportive of his choice.”

“Perhaps not, but Leo worried.” Maria put a goblet in the
cupboard and reached for the next to dry. “My mate had a difficult youth.
Living in Nazi-occupied Austria took its toll on him. He saw horrible things
and I believe he wanted to raise his sons to be strong and capable.”

“I don’t doubt that he did what he thought was best for
them, but doesn’t he also have a certain snobbish view against rock music?”

Maria laughed. “Oh, certainly. He has always felt classical
music is superior to popular music. Classical music challenges the performer
and the listener and other music doesn’t, or so Leo believes.”

Mandy shook her head. “What about the blues and jazz music?
It speaks to its listeners about their lives. And sixties protest music? It
changed the world.”

“I agree, my dear. I’m merely explaining Leo to you as best
as I can. He feels that rock and roll did little but introduce sex and drugs to
music.”

“I think sex and drugs were always part of music,” Mandy
responded dryly.

“Perhaps so. Leo did his best for Joe when he bought him the
vintage Les Paul.”

“The Gibson guitar he has?”

“Yes. Leo gave it to him when Joe went out with his first
band to tour.”

“Wow. Those are top of the line.”

“Yes, I know.” Maria patted her shoulder. “Come, let’s join
the males in the music room. They should have had time to tune by now.”

Mandy grabbed her camera case then followed Maria back to
the entry then down a hallway to the back of the house. The hallway opened into
a large arched room with southern-facing windows and warmth. The room housed
both a grand piano and a harpsichord.

In the area near the piano Joseph sat with his guitar in his
lap, his brothers and father seated like an audience before him.

“Maria, my dear. Please join me. Joseph has volunteered to
begin. Amanda, you may be seated to our right.”

Jeez, he really did sound like a king commanding his
subjects. Mandy sat down where indicated. An empty chair was to her right where
she assumed Joe would sit when he completed his solos.

“So what’s the program?” Mandy queried her father-in-law.

“Joseph will play three pieces, then Jacob, then Julian.
Finally, I shall play. Maria shall accompany Jacob and Julian and myself. Then
my lovely bride shall grace us with her exceptional voice.”

“Oh no, Leo. I’ll not follow you, my heart. I shall sing
before you play.”

Leo chuckled. “Very well,
liebling
. It shall be as
you wish.”

Mandy looked at Joe, trying to catch his gaze to give him a
wink, but he focused solely on his guitar. She longed to give him some mental
encouragement, but stayed out of his mind because he didn’t look as if her
thoughts would be welcome right then. Mandy licked her lips in sympathy. Joe’s
mouth was tight, and if she didn’t know better, she’d think he was in pain.

Joe looked up briefly, but met only his father’s gaze. “I’ll
begin with
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
by Johann Sebastian Bach.”

He lowered his head and his hands settled on his guitar and
at the first notes, Mandy held her breath. If she walked up to the Pearly
Gates, this is what she’d expect to hear. Not only this song, but she’d expect
to hear it played just like this. Delicate, melodic…simply beautiful. Slowly
she released her breath in relief. Joe didn’t miss a note. Not a single
fingering, despite his earlier worries. Mandy felt her throat tighten with
emotion and awe. She blinked her eyes to keep her tears from leaking out. God,
he was so gifted.

As the last note echoed, Mandy stayed silent for just a
moment then she started to clap. No one else did, so her applause died. She
glanced over at her father-in-law. He looked annoyed, but then Joe lifted his
gaze from his guitar and smiled at her. A beautiful performance should be
acknowledged.

“Please continue, Joseph.”

“Next, I’ll play
Canon in D
by Johann Pachelbel. For
Mother.”

“Thank you, son,” Maria murmured.

Joe began to play and it sounded like angels singing again.
Mandy held her breath for a moment, overwhelmed by his playing. In the back of
her mind, she could imagine him playing this song while she rocked their pup to
sleep. She swallowed hard, blinking her eyes. Joe’s hands were sure on the
instrument, and his eyes closed as he became one with the guitar. He cocked his
head listening to the purity of the tones as he played. Mandy surreptitiously wiped
a tear away.

As he finished, there was silence, but again Mandy broke it
with her applause. She wasn’t going to stay quiet just to please Leo. She was
happy when Maria, Jake and Julian joined in. Joe met her gaze again—his relief
palpable. He looked so much more relaxed now than he had when she’d walked into
the music room.