Haunted (13 page)

I reached out and touched his shoulder.

“I’m glad you got some help. Was drinking always an issue for you?”

“I guess. My dad was an alcoholic and I was always around him and my uncles. My parents fought all the time. I had plenty of reasons to drink before this. It was never this bad though. I was a functioning alcoholic for years, since I was about 15. I’ve been clean and sober for two months now and I feel pretty good. Just gotta stay busy.”

“I’m proud of you, Star. I know how difficult it is to find a healthy way to cope with your stuff.”

He smiled and blushed. He was so like a young man still. I loved the innocence about him. I was glad I was getting the opportunity to know him.

“Thanks for telling me, guys. I know this isn’t easy on any of you. You have your own grief to deal with it. I understand you were all close to her.”

“She was a natural mom type, a nurturer,” Jade said with a humorless laugh. “She was the Sharon to our Ozzy. She believed in us and pushed us to keep coming up with better stuff, to become better musicians.”

Star nodded in agreement. “She was just like the sun, man. You felt warm in her presence. She would laugh at us being stupid, liked to play pranks on us, dress us up. She tried to knock the small-town mindset outta all of us.”

Jade laughed. “She did! She showed us all around L.A., and wherever we traveled, she always took us around to museums, historical places, shit like that. And she knew the business. She may have been young, but she was smart like that. Marcus really tried to learn from her, he lives for that stuff. He’s really taken over the business side of the band since she’s been gone. Sherry might be our manager now, but he’s kept us moving forward, kept us together. He’s a pain in the ass, but if it wasn’t for him, we’d be in deep shit right now.”

“Who’s a pain in the ass,” cried out Marcus as they came in the back door.

Mage was right behind him carrying bags from Frenchman Deli. Devon brought up the rear, his aviator shades back on.

“You are, my brother,” Jade said. “What’d ya get for chow?”  

They all hovered around the bags and it took Marcus slapping hands away to get them to snap out of their hunger-induced frenzy.

“Go wash your hands, you heathens! No one eats until you’ve washed your hands.” So Marcus was a lothario AND a mother hen? He was a man of many contradictions.

I went upstairs and washed up, leaving my unused sketchbook upstairs. I had a lot to process and really wanted some time alone. I was afraid I’d offend them if I didn’t have lunch with them. But when I came back down, they’d all grabbed lunches and were going over the new songs, discussing the parts. I quietly grabbed a small container with salad and a roll and tried to slip upstairs unnoticed.

“Jay? You ok?”  It was Star at the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m fine, I’m just going to eat a quick bite and then work on some drawings. I’ll be down a little later.”

He nodded, looking unsure but letting me be.

I plopped down on my floor, turned some music on my iPod and put in my ear buds. I ate a few bites of my salad while the sounds of Tab Benoit helped me relax. Blues seemed appropriate for my mood at the time. So many thoughts were running through my head, it was kind of exhausting. I didn’t know how I was going to make it for two more weeks! Not only was their grief so heavy, their problems so massive, but their energy was exhausting. One minute they were playing around and acting like the teenage boys, I suspected they still were at heart, the next minute they were brooding, arguing, and on the verge of tears. They could get so angry at each other. It was like an emotional roller coaster that I had just exited and I couldn’t get my legs to work.

I picked at the salad but couldn’t make myself eat much. After I’d stared at my sketchbook and then back at the salad for about an hour, I got up and threw the box in the trash. I sat back on the bed, looking for inspiration to draw some more. The next thing I knew, I was being gently shaken and my face was smashed against the paper.

“Jaylene, wake up chère! You alright?”  

I looked up and could barely make out anything in the dark room. I squinted and realized it was Daryl.

“Hey! What are you doing here? What time is it?”  

He looked at his watch. “It’s 4:00, dahlin'. You been sleeping for hours now! Dem boys was afraid to come wake ya. You feelin’ alright?”  

I tried to sit up and wiped the drool off my chin. Attractive. “I’m ok. I don’t know what happened. I was going to draw and I guess I just crashed. But you still didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”  

He chuckled. “I’ll tell you after you go clean up. We got more company downstairs so hurry your pretty little self.”

He stood from his crouch and headed for the door. “And wear something nice, you.”

I threw a shoe at him that hit the door as he was closing it. “Smart ass!” I kind of felt hung over. I never did well when I napped in the afternoon. Especially when I got half a night’s sleep!

I stumbled into the bathroom and noticed the door on the other side was closed. I could hear muffled voices from downstairs and wondered who the hell could be here.

I took a moderately long shower. I needed to clear my head and it was a great shower after you got over the initial blast. When I turned the water off, I heard music being played downstairs. It wasn’t rock. It was some sort of bluesy Zydeco mix that sounded fun. I’d taken a liking to Zydeco since coming to New Orleans. There were some fun bands that played around the Quarter. I tried to catch a show occasionally when I wasn’t working.

I dried my hair, left it down and went back to my room to search the wardrobe. Did I dare wear the halter? Yes, I did. It was black and I had some white capris with black skulls on them that I loved to save for special occasions. A pair of black sandals rounded out the outfit and a dash of eyeliner and gloss made me feel like a new person.

When I opened the door, I was assaulted by a savory scent...Someone had fried chicken down there! I slowly descended the staircase and recognized the band playing on the stage as Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers! They were one of my favorites! But what the hell were they doing here?

“Jay!”  

I turned to see Mackenzie racing across the floor to me in a polka dot pencil skirt and cami with stilettos on.

“Whoa, Kenz, slow down before you hurt yourself!”  

She pulled me into a rib-crushing hug before kissing me on the cheek. “You look fucking hot, baby girl,” she whispered in my ear.

I stared up at her. “What are you doing here?”

“Surprise! Daryl and Katie came and picked me up from the shop this afternoon and said we got to come visit! How exciting!”  

She was bouncing on the balls of her feet and looking around in wonder. I knew she’d love this old building as much as I did. It had character. I felt like if I could stand still and quiet, I could almost hear the voices of those who’d been here before.

Daryl and Katie came over and both hugged me. I elbowed him for not giving me any warning about the event.

“For some guys who are trying to have a covert operation going on, they sure have a hard time staying hidden!”  Katie rolled her eyes and Daryl laughed. “Since when do boys have any idea how to be subtle? These guys have been trying to be slick since they were teenagers and they still haven’t learned a thing!”  

Katie had me cracking up. I’d forgotten she said she was friends with one of the guys' sister. Maybe I could get some more info from her about what they were all like growing up. For some reason, I really wanted to know what Devon was like as a teenager. Was he the cool cat he acts like now? Was he goofy like the other guys? It was apparent to me that this Devon I was getting to know was a small part of the overall Devon package. Hmmmm...And a package he was. Sigh. Too bad he was so unavailable.

When I came back from my mental wonderland, Daryl was arguing with Katie about his ninja-level skills and I couldn’t help but snort. “Ain’t you never heard that hiding in plain sight is sometimes the best option?”  

I raised my eyebrow at him. “Maybe in some bad spoof on spy movies. Seriously, what is all this?”

“This,” said that deep voice that curled my toes, “is a birthday party for a special lady.”

I spun around and there was Devon smiling down at me, dressed in jeans and a white button down shirt with his hair brushed back. He pulled me into him and gave me a hug, kissing me on the cheek. He whispered in my ear, “You look beautiful, chère.”

I was dumbfounded. “But what is all this?”  

He looked around and dropped his hand to my lower back. A sharp intake of his breath let me know he appreciated my wardrobe choice. Score one for the formerly fashion challenged!

“This is us needing to blow off some steam Cajun-style and us wanting to celebrate you.”

I still couldn’t understand why they would care about my birthday. Who was I to warrant such a celebration? I told him as much and he looked stunned.

“Birthdays are sacred around here, Jaylene. We have to celebrate them. It’s in our blood. Now come dance with me.”

I looked at Mackenzie in panic and she just gave me an evil grin while biting one long hot pink nail.

“But Devon, I don’t know how to dance like this!”  

He took me by the hand and pulled me out on the dance floor where Marcus was already dancing with a woman I hadn’t met and Jade was dancing with Mrs. Boudreaux. Daryl and Katie came out, too, followed by Star with Mackenzie in tow.

Devon leaned down to whisper in my ear, “You’ll be fine. Just follow my lead.”

He slid his right hand around my lower back, his fingers skimming my skin where there was a gap between the top of my pants and the bottom of my top.

I shivered and he pulled me closer. He took my right hand in his and started to rock us back and forth gently to the beat. I must have still looked petrified because he threw his head back and laughed.

“Jaylene, relax! I’m not going to let you fall. Trust me?”  

I nodded at him, wide eyed, and I prayed silently to the gods of grace that I not make a fool of myself.

He kept his blue eyes trained on me the whole time as we moved together. The beat was a slower one, but when that song finished and a faster one started he sped us up, never breaking eye contact with me. Then he was grasping my hands, pushing me out and pulling me back in to him. He lifted me up and spun me around like I was nothing but a waif! I was in shock! All I could do was go along with it. Pretty soon I found myself laughing, too.

For a tall guy he was a helluva dancer. I wasn’t surprised he had good rhythm, but the fact that he was very coordinated as well.? Amazing. I was the one trying not to step on his feet. I could move alright by myself. I just didn’t have much experience partner dancing. I kept my eyes on him and held on tight. He was very moved by the music. He closed his eyes sometimes and a small smile would play on his lips. The rest of the time his gaze shone down on me with happiness. He was truly happy. It was the first time I’d seen him so relaxed and it was heartwarming.

One song ended and another one started up, this one just as fast. Dwayne Dopsie, the leader of this band, was wailing away on his accordion and singing his heart out. The man on the washboards was hopping around the room, letting some of the other folks play his spoons.

Mage cut in and had his fun spinning me around. Then Jade stepped up and Marcus even took a turn spinning me around the floor. I was dizzy and laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I ended up back in Devon’s arms just in time for a slow number. He held me so close to him that I was forced to rest my head on his chest. He stroked my back with his thumbs while we swayed along to the music. I closed my eyes and just let it all in. It felt so good to be in his arms, with his cheek resting against my head. I could feel his breath on my neck and goose bumps started to rise on my moist skin. So much for my rules!

“Thank you for agreeing to come here, Jaylene. After our talk this morning, I feel like I can almost breathe again.”

I looked up at him, startled. His lids were low on his eyes and he was smiling that half smile. “I’m glad we talked, too. That song you wrote was beautiful, Devon. It really moved me.”

He closed his eyes and pulled me tight against him. I felt him sigh and I couldn’t help but snuggle in closer to him.

Daryl cut in then and Devon took up dancing with Katie, giving me a devastating smile as he moved her away. Daryl watched them go, shaking his head.

“I don’t know what you done to that boy, but there’s new life in him. I tole you you’d be good for them.”

I groaned. “I’ve been here less than 36 hours! All I’ve done is draw some pictures, do one tattoo on the fly last night, and watch them play. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

Daryl gave me a stern look that meant I was in for it. I couldn’t help cowering a little. I knew he’d never hurt me, but he was an intimidating man.

“Now you listen to me, Jaylene Renee Charles! Devon has been inconsolable since Maggie died. He and my Marcus haven’t been able to be in the same room without bickering and arguing. All these boys had long faces since the accident, and today? They’re laughing, dancing. They say they even got a couple of songs going. Dat’s something, chère. Dat’s some magic whether you want to believe it or not.”

I blew my bangs out of my face and tried to look away. I hated all this pressure. I just knew I was going to disappoint someone. I spoke in a quiet voice, “Daryl, I’m just a tattoo artist. Maybe they’re just ready to be opening up to each other. It’s got nothing to do with me being here.”

“Jaylene, I have known you for a year and a half now and I ain’t seen nothing but beauty come outta your hands. You’ve softened up some of the meanest motherfuckers I ever knew. What you done for Ted and Bobby, tattooing them when they came back from Iraq...Dey was in bad shape. I thought we was going to have to put Bobby in rehab. But after he talked to you and got that tattoo, he’s talking through shit, and he stopped drinking. He swears it was just being able to talk about their fellow soldiers with you that helped them. And most importantly, Katie and the girls adore you. You know we all love you, but if you keep talking like this, I’m going to put you over my knee, little girl.”