Everything (12 page)
Jody
I was woken by the sound of a blender. I jerked up and then flopped back down with a groan, clutching my head and cursing myself. What the heck had I done the night before, and why did I feel like Satan was having a party in my head?
I sat up, taking in my red dress and half-exposed boob. I heard laughter from the kitchen and quickly adjusted myself, wondering who the hell was in my house.
“Angel,” I murmured, lurching to my feet and wanting to pass out from the swift movement.
I stumbled into the kitchen, nearly tripping over my feet. A strong arm caught me, guiding me to one of the bar stools.
“You right?”
Aussie accent.
Leo.
Everything was okay.
I squinted, grinning sheepishly as the guy beside me chuckled.
“Well, you know for a sheila who came in completely trashed last night, I’d say you’re not looking too bad.”
Angel squealed in her high chair, obviously excited to see me. I winced at the loud sound but tipped forward and kissed her head, tasting banana and applesauce. Yep, it was feeding time at the zoo. “Hey, cupcake,” I croaked.
She whacked her spoon against the plastic tray and kicked her legs, making a funny buzzing noise with her tongue.
Leo chuckled. “You’re getting pretty good at that, aren’t you, sloppy.” He dashed a face cloth under her chin and placed her plastic sippy cup of water on the tray. She snatched it up and started guzzling.
As my eyes adjusted to the seriously strong light in the room, I started noticing how tidy my house was.
“Wow, I actually folded my laundry,” I muttered. “I don’t remember doing that.”
I glanced at Leo who was fighting a grin for some reason.
“Do you remember much about last night?” He took the lid off the blender and poured some thick, green goop into a glass.
I shook my head, instantly regretting the move. Nursing my temple, I groaned. “No. Fuzzy. Everything’s fuzzy.” I licked my parched lips, my tongue feeling fat and gummy in my arid mouth.
Leo smiled, setting the glass down in front of me and leaning back against the other counter. He crossed his arms, accentuating those luscious muscles of his. I tried not to notice.
“What’s this?” I frowned at the concoction.
“It’s called Kev and Leo’s hangover cure.” He laughed at my doubtful frown. “Trust me, it works every time.”
My lips curled with disgust as I lifted the glass to my nose and gave it a sniff. I glanced up at him again. He gave me an encouraging nod, looking far too sexy in his fitted jeans and wrinkled T-shirt. I liked him standing in my kitchen, feeding my daughter and looking after me way too much for my own good.
I drew in a breath and pressed the glass to my mouth, slugging it back. It tasted foul, and I gagged twice trying to finish it. Leo passed me a glass of water, and I chugged that back, as well.
“Thatta girl.” He clapped his hands. “I know it’s pretty gross, but you’ll be feeling better soon.” He winked at me, taking the glass away and rinsing it in the sink.
Placing the glass upside down in the rack, he turned to me, wiping his hands on his jeans before heading to Angel’s high chair and cleaning her up. Once she was applesauce and banana free, he popped her down on the floor. She immediately dropped to her haunches and crawled over to the toy box, pulling out the bright pink doll and shoving the foot in her mouth.
I smiled softly, my head starting to clear just a little.
“She’s like a cherub, isn’t she?” Leo watched her, a slight look of awe enhancing his already gorgeous face.
“Yeah.” I nodded, turning to him and losing myself in his tender expression.
He caught my gaze and cleared his throat, stepping back into the kitchen and wiping down Angel’s messy tray. I couldn’t speak while he worked; my eyes kept darting from my baby on the floor to the sex god in the kitchen.
My cheeks flushed pink as my mind began to wander to a place with no clothes and two hot bodies intertwined on a bed. Heat rushed through my core, and I jerked out of my stool, throwing him a shaky smile when he spun to face me.
Forget it, Jody. It’s not going to happen!
No, my feelings for Leo had to remain a secret. He didn’t need to know how gone I was for him. He had more important things to do with his life than stick around looking after me and a baby that wasn’t even his.
“Listen, you should get going.” I flicked my hand before pointing into the living room. “I’m just going to have a quiet day here, you should go...work...or whatever it is you do on a...ah...”
“Sunday.”
“Sunday.” I clicked my fingers and pointed at him.
“Okay.” He nodded, pushing off the counter and heading to the door.
“Hey, Leo.” I turned, my head still feeling sloshy, but better than when I first woke. “Thank you for sticking around this morning and helping me out.”
“Of course. All part of the babysitting service.” He winked.
“Oh, yeah.” I flushed. “Here, I should pay you.” I searched the counter for my wallet.
“Don’t be insane.” He waved his hand at me. “I was just helping out a neighbor last night. It was really no big deal.”
He held the door in his hand, looking at me with a sweet sparkle in his eyes.
Holy hot lips, I wanted to kiss him so bad right now.
I pressed my lips together and forced a tight smile. “Well, thank you.”
The door clicked shut behind him, and my day went downhill from there.
*****
Watching my “good neighbor” leave my apartment had sucked. About two minutes after he left, Angel started crying. I winced at the piercing sound, picking her up and trying to entertain her while I got rid of last night’s stench. In the end I popped her in the shower with me, which was fine but hardly relaxing, especially when I accidentally got soap in her eye. Note to self, don’t be scrubbing your body with a soapy loofah when your baby is sitting on the shower floor.
It took her way too long to get over that incident, and she ended up screaming her bloodshot eyes to sleep. I felt so terrible. Guilt played with me for the rest of the day, tormenting me in my sleep as I tried to recover from the previous night.
Ella woke me from a fitful nap to check up on me, and then Morgan called about a half hour later to tell me off for drinking too much. Her phone call woke Angel, so she didn’t have long to chew my ear out. She did at least apologize for waking my baby and turning my afternoon into the longest one ever.
By the time I crawled to my bed, I felt like total shit but of course couldn’t find the comfort of sleep.
I wanted Leo back in the house again. I wanted him in my bed, holding me as I slept. I wanted him to wake up beside me and suggest the perfect song to start the day with.
But he wasn’t beside me. In fact that next day he wasn’t even home, and the Cray-Cray was all up my ass with complaints about his kitchen faucet. He was forced to deal with me because Leo wasn’t around, and after a day of insults, I needed Leo’s song list more than anything.
I was tempted to pop over the next day and ask for a bunch of suggestions to get me through the crap-fest of a week I was having, but I forced myself not to. He wasn’t my boyfriend. He was my boss, my neighbor, and that was it. I just had to accept it!
Angel kicked her legs and squealed. It wasn’t the delightful one I enjoyed; it was the impatient, ‘get me out of this high-chair’ one.
“In a minute, baby. Just let me get these dishes done.”
She started to cry, slamming her sippy cup on the plastic tray before throwing it on the floor.
“Angel!” I spun around with a scowl. “I’m asking for five minutes. Give me a break!” I wiped my forehead with my arm, managing to smear my cheek with dish suds. I groaned, snatching the towel off the counter.
Angel continued to cry.
“Not long,” I sing-songed, putting on the sweetest voice I could muster.
She’d been clingy all day, and I knew the second I let her out of that high-chair, she’d want me to hold her. The dishes had been piling up all day, and I was running out of clean cutlery and plates. This was my only chance.
I scrubbed ferociously at a plate that had last night’s food stuck to it. Lifting it out of the sudsy water, I checked it was clean before rinsing it quickly and smashing it into the rack. Angel’s cries were increasing in volume, my nerves becoming a tattered mess with each new wail. Snatching up Angel’s half-eaten plate of food, I spun to tell her I’d be done in a minute when it slipped from my fingers, landing on the floor with a smack and plastering my kitchen cupboards with spaghetti sauce.
“Shit!” I screeched, making Angel wail even louder. I rolled my eyes. “I’m sorry,” I whined. “Just give me a sec to clean this up or you’re going to crawl meat sauce all through this place.”
She kicked her legs and slapped her hands on the tray in frustration. Closing my eyes, I kneaded my temples and dropped to my knees, snatching the cloth as I went. I didn’t even know where to start. It looked like lasagna had puked all over my kitchen.
The day couldn’t end fast enough!
A loud thumping noise from the outside corridor distracted me. I recognized the song immediately—the beat-clap, beat-clap of the opening rift always brought a smile to my face. “Dance With Me Tonight” by Olly Murs. I loved that song! My head popped up with a confused frown as the door clicked open and Leo slid into the room, a fedora tilted on his head. He did a spin as the announcer introduced Olly Murs, and then he started mouthing the words, walking toward Angel with a little skip.
Laughter rumbled in my tummy when Leo started doing a twist and shimmy as he sang a little Olly to my baby girl. Angel stopped crying immediately, enthralled by the performance. As the chorus kicked in, Leo reached down and unbuckled her, lifting her out of the chair and twirling her around. Her delighted giggles and squeals added to the music, and the smile on my face stretched so wide, my cheeks started hurting.
I watched Angel and Leo bop around the space between the door and the couch, Angel giggling so hard, her face was bright red. Leo caught my eye as the song kicked into the second chorus. He pointed his finger at me then twisted his hand, beckoning me over as he mouthed the words.
The cloth in my hand slapped onto the floor, spaghetti sauce be damned. I danced towards them, my hips twisting with the energetic beat. Laughter bubbled out of me as Leo caught me with his spare hand, spinning me around and bringing me back to his side. We bopped around as a little threesome, all three of us laughing and grinning like idiots.
It was the perfect song, turning my day completely on its head and making me fall just a little bit more in love.
Leo
I sat at my piano, tinkering with an upbeat melody. I could picture a scene in a bland grey hall, no color, no joy, no light, and then the protagonist bursts onto the stage, a rainbow of sound and emotion, bringing the place to life with her jubilant energy.
I paused, grinning as I recaptured the moment in Jody’s place a couple of hours earlier. When I’d first got out of the lift and heard Angel wailing, I’d cringed. I figured it was a bad moment. Jody was yelling something about being done in a minute and I took a risk.
A risk that had paid off. The look of light radiating from Jody, the sounds of Angel’s laughter, combined into a perfect moment that had me falling further than I ever thought possible.
As soon as the song was done, Jody took Angel for a bath, and I cleaned up the kitchen for her. She didn’t ask me to, but I figured it was the last thing she’d probably feel like after putting Angel to bed. I snuck out while she was still bathing her girl.
Part of me had wanted to stay, but it really wasn’t my place.
Jody had told me she loved me, but she’d been drunk and thought she was talking to Cole. I couldn’t make a move on her in good conscience. Besides, she’d been right. I did want New York, Broadway, my dream. The musical was nearing completion. I’d given the outlined proposal to Bobby a few weeks ago and was working my way through the orchestral arrangements. Bobby had started giving me recording time in one of the studios he part-owned, so I could get the tracks down on the piano and make them sound really good. One of the tech guys was giving me a hand with the digital stuff, teaching me things along the way. Because of him, I could turn my piano solo into a full-blown orchestral piece. I’d spent an entire day there during the week, preparing the backing track for the song I’d want to pitch if the proposal garnered a bit of interest. It sounded pretty damn good, and I was looking forward to doing more. I just needed to find the right singer to complete the track.
The phone in my pocket buzzed, and I answered it on the third ring.
“Hey, Bobby, how’s it going?”
“Yeah, good, thanks, kid. Listen, I just wanted to let you know that I finally pinned down my guy in New York. He’s taken your proposal, and he’ll look it over this weekend.”
“Awesome!” I shuffled in my seat, excitement skittering through me.
“He’s not promising anything, but he’ll look.”
“No, that’s fine, mate. I’ll take whatever I can get.”
“Good. There are a couple of hours free in the studio tomorrow if you want to do another recording session. Last-minute cancellation.”
“Okay, put me down. I’ll be there.” My head bobbed like I was a cartoon character. “Thank you so much for this, Bobby.”
“Not a problem, kid. Have a good night.”
I hung up and pumped my fist in the air. “Yes!”
Mate, that felt good! I knew it could lead to nothing, but it could also lead to everything I wanted. I was tempted to jump up and do a happy dance.
A knock at the door made me pause. I knew who it was; I could tell by the way my heart jackknifed and skidded down to my stomach. With my already giddy excitement, the feeling was intensified. My palms were sweating as I rested my fingers on the ivory keys.
“Come in!”
The door popped open and Jody’s head appeared.
“Hi.” She smiled.
“Hey, Jo. Come on in.”
I knew I shouldn’t have been beckoning her into my apartment. I’d just had the call I’d been waiting for, the chance at a shot in NYC, but my impulse had a bloody mind of its own.
She was too beautiful not to welcome in. Her curious gaze shot around the room as she padded across the floor in her pink socks. Yoga pants were never supposed to look that good on a woman. I shifted in my seat, thankful the piano was there to hide my lap from view.
Jody rested her forearms on the closed piano lid, placing the baby monitor beside her and smiling down at me.
I wanted to tell her. I wanted to let her know about the call, but I knew the second I opened my mouth, she’d scurry out of the room, scared off by the idea of holding me back.
Maybe she didn’t have to.
Maybe she could actually be part of it.
The idea blossomed inside me, rising like helium until it filtered through every part of my brain with a jubilant shout.
“So, um.” Jody tucked a curl behind her ear. “I wanted to come over and thank you for what you did this afternoon.”
I shrugged, brushing my finger over middle C. “I heard her crying and I just wanted to help you out.”
“You did. I’ve had a really shitty week and she was tired and I thought my brain was going to implode.”
I chuckled with her.
“You just cut all the tension like that.” She clicked her fingers. “You made everything better.”
“Nah-uh.” I shook my head. “Olly did.”
Her smile was sunshine. “Well, next time you see him, can you thank him for me?”
“It was just the right song for that moment,” I murmured.
My heart was still nestled in my stomach; its pounding sent vibrations though my limbs. Jody could be my songbird. She was my muse. Why not get her to sing for me, as well? We could make this work, couldn’t we?
“Have you always been like that? With a song for everything?”
“Yeah, yeah, I think I have.” I nodded, scratching the stubble on my chin. “I remember, actually, as a kid I’d be walking along with my mum, and I’d see someone and they’d make me think of a song. She’d laugh at me and say, ‘You don’t just have a song for every moment, you’ve got a song for every
one
, as well.’ And she was right, I can’t meet people now without a song coming to mind.”
“Oh, yeah?” Jody’s head tipped, her long hair splashing over her shoulder as her eyes danced with mischief. “What song do you think about when you’re dealing with Ms. Thornby?”
I grinned, pounding the keys and singing the first line of “Yakety Yak” by the Coasters.
A burst of musical laughter came out of her. “That’s perfect! What about the Cray-Cray?”
“That’s easy.” My fingers sank into the keys and I belted out, “You drive me cra-zy!”
Jody’s giggling increased, her shoulders shaking. “I’m sure your interpretation of that song is a little different to what Britney had in mind,” she teased.
I laughed with her. “Yeah, well it’s just that one line, repeated over and over in my head, so my version has a very different connotation than hers.”
“I’m totally going to sing that now, every time I have to deal with him.”
We grinned at each other, the electricity flowing between our locked gazes sparked with intensity. Jody broke first, looking down at the piano top and bobbing her shoulders.
“This is fun, tell me another one.” She leaned forward, her perfect breasts squishing against her forearms; the milky white curve showing over the edge of her tank top made my mouth water.
“Um.” I forced my eyes back to her face, although that didn’t feel much safer. I cleared the tickle from my throat and clicked my fingers. “Oh, your sister, she always makes me hum “Titanium” by David Guetta for some reason.”
Jody’s lips rose with an awestruck smile. There was a look in her eyes I didn’t quite understand, but I couldn’t help thinking that I’d totally nailed that one.
“What about Angel?” she whispered.
My fingers hit the keys straight away, and I played the opening baseline of “My Girl” by the Temptations, clicking my fingers and then singing, “I’ve got sunshine...” She quickly joined me and we sang through to the end of the first chorus.
Her voice was like honey, its sweet nectar intoxicating my senses.
“My dad used to sing that to me when I was little.” Jody’s smile was sad for a moment, but she shook the emotion off and grinned. “That’s perfect for Angel.”
“Yeah, it is.”
She nipped the edge of her lip with her teeth, her cheeks flushing pink as she glanced back down at the piano top. “What about me?”
She was nervous asking.
Heck, I felt nervous responding. Should I tell her?
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling gun-shy and a little awkward when I tried to smile at her.
“You don’t have a song for me?” Her nose wrinkled, her smile growing tight.
Oh, what the hell, she’d told me.
“Of course I do.” I winked, my fingers hovering over the keys for just a second before I launched into Michael Buble’s “Everything.”
I sang to the end of the first chorus. I couldn’t meet her gaze, but her eyes were on me the whole time. I could feel it. My voice petered out, my fingers coming to rest on the keys. My heart was back in my ribcage, thumping like a strobe light. Bloody hell, she needed to say something!
I drew in a quick breath and glanced her way, ready to face whatever expression she might be wearing.
My chest restricted, my Adam’s apple feeling huge in my throat when I tried to swallow.
Jody’s eyes were glassy, a soft smile curving the edge of her lips. Pushing off the piano, she stepped over to me. I swiveled to face her, perching on the edge of the stool. She came to stand between my legs. I could sense her hesitancy, but that didn’t stop her teeth from brushing over her lower lip and her fingers from gliding through my shaggy hair.
There weren’t any words left. I sang her my heart...all I could do now was kiss her.
Stretching up, I lightly placed my fingers on her neck, running my thumb over her chin before pulling her toward me.
Our lips brushed, sparks flashing between our soft skin. She sighed against my mouth, her hands trailing down my head and coming to rest on my shoulders. I cupped her face, delicately holding her against me, and applied more pressure, my hungry tongue wanting to dive in without caution.
It took every ounce of restraint to hold back, let her make the next move. Her kiss seemed tentative for some reason, and I couldn’t quite figure out why.
I held my ground, enjoying the sheer pressure of our mouths pressing together and forcing myself not to dream of more. Jody’s taut muscles began to relax against me, her hesitation shifting. I felt the edge of her tongue skim my bottom lip.
My blood ignited, my limbs surging back into vibration mode...and then the baby monitor squawked.
We jerked away from each other, the unexpected sound jolting us both.
I pressed my lips together, giving her an understanding smile.
Her lips parted as if to say something, but no words came out. Instead, she grabbed the monitor and headed back out the door, her fingers running lines over her lips as she went.
I stayed in my seat, unable to move until the door clicked shut behind her.
The first thing to twitch were my lips; they curved into a slow smile as my body dropped down to a simmer that felt warm and lush. Spinning back on the stool, my fingers quickly found the keys, and I picked up Jody’s song where I’d left off, because she was all those things, and if I got to be her man, I’d sing this to her every day if she wanted me to.