Southern Rocker Boy (Southern Rockers Book 1) (13 page)

My heart stopped when she covered my hand with hers. “It’s easier with you there,” she said.

I rested my chin on her head. “Ditto.”

We prepared a toned-down set, including Poco and the Eagles. The crowd wasn’t as rowdy as the night before, but it was still bigger audience than we had pulled in the week before. Gay was closed-mouthed with any opinion as we collected our checks. She had nothing to say when we left together that night. I gave Lacy a hug before she got into her car. I slipped a ten in her hand for gas to get home.

“Jonah, no,” she said but I wouldn’t take it back.

“You need to get home,” I said as I handed her the frog. “You can pay me back with lunch sometime.”

“I will,” she promised.

I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to pull her into the truck, onto my lap and hold her until the sun came up. But I let her go with nary a kiss.

That night she was all I could think about as I drifted to sleep. It felt like something important was happening. I had never felt that way before, with anyone.

I managed to hold off texting her until the following day. “
I’m hungry. Pay up
,” I sent, hoping she’d get the joke.

She sent back, “
LOL
,” which made me smile. It was nice to know she had a sense of humor. I was worried there for a while.

I wasn’t expecting her to add, “
Where would you like to eat
?”

I sat straight up on the bed. I wasn’t expecting her to accept my playful invitation. I had Leah to consider, I couldn’t just leave the house.

I called her and she answered on the first ring. “Hey, I was kind of kidding, actually. I am taking care of my sister. I can’t get away.”

Her, “Oh,” was so disappointed that I tried to find a compromise. She wanted to see me. I wanted to see her. We’d wasted enough time already. “Picnic?” I said. “I’ll bring Leah. You bring Cody. It’d be perfect.”

“I don’t know,” she stalled.

“We’re band mates,” I insisted. “Family for the next six weeks. I doubt it’ll traumatize them terribly if we meet for a picnic in the park once.”

She finally relented, and we split the food duty between us. She’d bring the entrees and I’d bring drinks and desserts. Leah was absolutely beside herself when I told her my plans. She loved meeting new people, and she couldn’t wait to meet someone from my brand new profession. She picked out our portion of the picnic goodies at the store before we headed to the park. I found Lacy’s car with ease, parking next to it in the lot.

“Where is she?” Leah asked. “Do you see her?”

I scanned the horizon, spotting the tattooed beauty fending off the humidity with a tank top and a pair of shorts. She pushed a little boy on the swings. They were both laughing.

I pointed her out to Leah. “Oh, she’s pretty,” Leah said.

“The prettiest,” I agreed. Then I turned to my sister. “Next to you anyway.”

She smiled big and reached for the basket. “Hold it, Rambo,” I told her as I took the heavy baskets away from her. “Don’t tire yourself out. We just got here.”

“I’m
fine
,” she insisted. She took my hand and dragged me down the green slope to the playground. “Lacy!” she called.

Lacy turned around. She wore a big smile for my sister, which endeared her to me even more. “Leah, right?” she said and Leah gave her a big nod before throwing her arms around her waist for a hug.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Leah said. “Thank you so much for letting my big brother play with you in your band.”

Lacy laughed. “I don’t know if I had a choice in the matter,” she said as she winked at me. She lifted the boy with brown hair and brown eyes up from the swings. “This is Cody,” she said.

Leah loved kids, so she reached out to hold him immediately. “Oh, he’s so cute!” she said as she cuddled him like a teddy bear. “Hi, Cody. I’m Leah. This is Jonah,” she said as she referred to me.

“Hey, little man,” I greeted, shaking his tiny hand in mine. His eyes were wide as he stared up at me. Finally he giggled and smiled and then turned into Leah’s neck.

“He’s kind of shy,” Lacy said.

“So were you, but you got over it,” I teased with a grin. She nudged me in the side as we walked over to a nice, grassy patch where a blanket was already laid out. We all sat and Lacy distributed the goodies.

I took a bite of fried chicken that was every bit as good as my Mama’s. “You made this?” I asked.

She shrugged with a bashful smile I wouldn’t have imagine she’d be capable of. “It’s like you and the music,” she dismissed. “I tinker.”

I watched as she hovered over Cody. This was a different girl than the hell-raiser I came to know on the stage. She was soft and loving and gentle. Every time she hugged Cody close and kissed him, crooning to “Mister Man,” it warmed my heart.

I don’t know who Gaynell and Jacinda thought they knew, but this girl was as deeply faceted as I had always believed her to be.

I couldn’t wait for the rose to bloom so I could get to know her even more.

“I heard you know a new song,” I told Cody, who shook his head shyly and cuddled close to his mama.

“Oh, yes!” Leah said with an enthusiastic clap of her hands. “I want to hear y’all sing.” She hopped up and ran to the truck before I could stop her. She was breathing hard as she lugged my guitar back with her.

“Girl!” I admonished, but Leah was just as stubborn as I was. When you’re born with a condition that shortens your life by half, you learn to make the most of every moment. “Sing,” she instructed in a breathless command.

How could I refuse her now?

So I played “
Free Bird
,” which seemed to please the young Abernathy. Lacy joined in and finally we heard Cody sing softly. This tickled Leah, who encouraged him until he was singing loudly and off key.

Everyone around us laughed and clapped when we were done, so Lacy taught Cody how to bow properly for his audience. Leah escorted him to the swings, allowing Lacy and I time alone.

“He’s a great kid,” I said. “You should be proud.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. “Same could be said for your sister.”

I glanced at her where she stood at the swings, pushing the toddler lightly. “She’s always had this beautiful spirit, right from the time she was born. No matter how sick she got, how many times she’s been in the hospital, there’s something about her ready to snatch joy out of the air whenever it passes by.”

“What’s wrong with her?” she asked me softly.

“Cystic fibrosis,” I answered. It was just a fact of life now. “She’s a fighter, though. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if she proved all the doctors wrong and lived to be a hundred.”

She touched my arm and I looked down into her beautiful face. Wordlessly I brushed a stray hair from her cheek. Her eyes fell to my lips. It was the only real invitation I needed. I leaned forward and placed a warm kiss upon her mouth. When I pulled away, I said, “Thanks for lunch.”

She took her hand in mine. “Thanks for everything.”

She leaned on my shoulder as we watched the kids play.

“So tell me about Tony,” I said as I stretched out on my bed, wearing only some pajama bottoms, cradling my cell phone to my ear.

Lacy made an obnoxious buzzer sound. “I’m sorry. That topic is not up for discussion.”

“Fine,” I relented easily. She’d tell me about that when she was ready, and I was a patient man. “Tell me about the last guy you dated.”

She chuckled. “Afraid that leaves you the same answer, Ace. There hasn’t been anyone since Tony.”

I was incredulous. “In three years?”

“Almost four if you count the pregnancy,” she quipped, but there was an edge in her voice, sharpened by her pain. “How about you?” she asked instead.

I thought about Jacinda with a pull in my gut. I didn’t want to get into that considering there seemed to be some bad blood there. “Date-dated?” I asked as I thought back. “About a couple of years.”

“What was her name?” she asked. Her voice was light and curious, but I knew what kind of mine field I was navigating.

“Courtney,” I answered honestly.

“Tell me about Courtney.”

I shrugged, though she couldn’t see it. “Not much to tell. We grew up together. Her family had a neighboring farm. Went to the same church. Went to the same school. I guess you could say we were high school sweethearts for a time. I wasn’t much for settling down back then.”

“Typical,” she chuckled. “Is that why you’re not together anymore?”

“Yes,” I answered.
That and I’d much rather be with you
. “She was ready for the white picket fence.”

“And you’re not?”

KAPLOW. Walk carefully, Riley
. “It’s been a rough couple of months, Lacy,” I said. “I’ve got enough on my plate dealing with the present, much less worrying about the future. I’m just trying to keep my head above water.”

I could practically feel her nod on the other end of the call.

“What about you?” I asked softly.

“Same, I guess,” she answered just as soft. My eyes fluttered closed as I listened to her, like she was cuddled right next to me on the bed. “Despite what you hear, I was never fast-tracking my happily ever after when I had Cody. I was using birth control. It failed. I had to deal with it. Tony didn’t want to, and that was that.”

I could tell by her tone that it was a hell of a lot more than that. But I didn’t pry. “Sounds like a real prince,” I sneered.

She laughed. “In the end, I would rather have Cody than a hundred Tonys. And because of Cody, I would have to be even more careful who I expose him to and what I put him through. Dating seems pointless.”

I thought about how she kissed me, like she had been starved for love for a long, long time. This woman had a fire in her soul. She was born to love and love passionately. “So I guess asking you to come over is out of the question.”

Her breath caught and my whole body responded. “Jonah,” she said in that way of hers that was supposed to warn me off, but only made her more inviting.

“You’re a stronger person than me,” I murmured as my hand drifted across my overwrought body. “I can’t imagine a life where I couldn’t touch someone… or kiss someone… or hold someone.” She said nothing, but her breathing got a little heavier as she listened. I smiled. “If you told me I could never make love to anyone again, I don’t know what I would do.”

She chuckled softly. “That’s because you’re a man. You think with your penis.”

“Uh uh, baby girl,” I drawled just as soft. “Some men think with their hearts.”

I let it linger as she scrambled for a comeback. Apparently she came up dry. “I should probably go,” she said.

“Okay,” I agreed without argument, even though I could have stayed on the phone with her all night. “Same time tomorrow?”

She hesitated only the briefest moment. “Sure,” she said. “You can pick the songs.”

I laughed. “You know which one I’m going to pick.”

“And you know which one I’m not going to sing,” she shot back, but I could hear her smile.

“Get some sleep, darlin’,” I told her.

“You too,” she said, before adding, “Jonah,” so softly it set my entire body aflame. I growled at her and she chuckled, then we disconnected the call.

My battery was at three percent and I had missed four calls, but our marathon “rehearsal” phone call was the closest I had gotten to Lacy since we met. There was no way I was going to hang up. I plugged in the phone so that I could take a long, frigid shower.

My brow creased as I scanned through the missed calls. Courtney had called me. And Gaynell – at least three times.

I called Gay first. I heard the club in the background when she answered. “Bout damn time, boy,” she chirped. “Turn a man into a celebrity and suddenly he won’t take your calls,” she teased.

“What are you talking about?”

“Get your fanny to the club. We need to talk.”

She disconnected the call before I could ask her anything else. With a sigh I grabbed a pair of jeans.

It was after eleven by the time I got to the club, which was jumping for a Monday night. A couple of girls saw me walk in and promptly squealed as they rushed me, but two big bouncers flanked me and immediately escorted me upstairs to Gay’s office. She was busy on her computer, but she wore a triumphant smile.

“Ah, there he is. Our man of the hour.”

She only confused me more. “What are you talking about?”

She waved me closer to her computer screen. I walked around to stand behind her chair. She opened to a notorious gossip website run by noted celebrity watcher
,
Miles O’Rourke. Tagged to the top of his newest blog was that selfie that Ariel took of the both of us in her limo.

“
Who is the hunky mystery man in Ariel Acardi’s life
?” it posed in big white letters right across the top of the frame.

I leaned closer to read.

“
Looks like Ms. Acardi picked up more than a gig during a recent trip to the Lone Star state. Sources tell your favorite confidante that the pint-sized diva has her eye on a new man now. And what a man, indeed! This mysterious “feller” is slated to play her boyfriend in an upcoming video they’re going back to Texas to shoot. Better head on down to Southern Nights in Austin, y’all. Get a chance to taste this yummy treat before Ariel takes him straight off the market. Justin, who?
”

“What the fuck is this?” I asked her. Normally I wouldn’t use that kind of language in front of an elder, much less a lady, but this was some serious horse shit. “She didn’t even acknowledge my existence the entire ride to the hotel.”

Gay chuckled. “What the public doesn’t know won’t hurt them,” she said before she grabbed the local paper, which ran the same story. “As long as they’re talking, it’s free publicity.” She hopped out of her chair and waved me around to the window overlooking the club. “Record Monday night,” she said with a grin. “I could add another night with you performing and I’d sell the place out. On a
weekday
,” she added with a happy squeal.

I shook my head. “Lacy can’t play the weeknights.”

She looked at me oddly. “Who said anything about Lacy?” She pulled me back over to her desk and planted me in the seat. When she walked around, she scribbled something on a piece of paper and then slid it across the desk.

It was double the amount she had offered before.

“During the weekday, you’re the only act. That means you’re the headliner.” She motioned to the noisy crowd below. “You get a take of the door. And right now? That would be huge.”

“But I’m not a singer,” I reminded her again.

She stared at me, flabbergasted. “How can you still say that after this weekend? You have
it
, honey. Take it from me.” She leaned back in her chair. “But if you need further convincing, just strap on a guitar and head downstairs. This crowd would eat you up.”

My mouth thinned out into a line. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“What’s that? Fame? Success? More money than you’ve ever made in your life?” She let me chew on that a minute. “Where’s the down side?”

I thought about Lacy, and how mad she had been when she thought I was trying to muscle in on her gig. “It’s just not right,” I said at last.

“Because of Lacy?” she countered, before chuckling humorlessly.

“Yeah,” I said. “She’s never going to understand.”

Gay rolled her eyes. “Look, Jonah. This is a business. It’s all supply and demand. If she can’t understand that, then she’s never going to make it. That’s a dead weight you don’t need. Letting her drag you down with her is foolish, especially when she’ll never give you what you really want from her. She’s incapable of it, hon.”

I exploded out of the chair. “This is fucking ridiculous. Just say what you want to say, Gaynell.”

She pursed her lips before she stood from her chair. She grabbed a photo off of the wall and walked over to where I stood, perching one generous hip on the desk. She thrust the frame into my hands. It was a picture of Ty and Gay, with a young dark-headed man who had his arm around a much younger, and less alternative, Lacy. Her hair was brown, likely her natural color, and she had no tattoos or piercings. The man in the photo had his arms around her and she looked happy… and in love.

“That’s Tony Paul. Ever hear of him?” I shook my head. “That’s because his career crashed and burned before it even got off the runway. He started here, like so many do. I knew he had it the minute I heard him sing so he headlined here and gained quite the local crowd. But we all knew he was destined to be bigger than some club act. So I got on the horn to Jasper Carrington, to let him know what kind of Texas treasure we had. He came down here and he saw the act, which at that time had Tony Paul singing lead, his brothers playing the instruments, with his sister and Lacy singing backup.” She made a face. “I never agreed with his choice to include Lacy in the band. The way I saw it, it was bad enough he was dating her. There was just something off about her and I didn’t think she’d fit in with the band’s family unit, solid and strong and loyal. Sadly I was right. She was an outsider from the beginning. She had no real desire to fit in. She relished when she alone was in the spotlight, sometimes overshadowing Tony’s sister just so she could wrestle a solo.”

I tried to reconcile the girl she was describing to the girl I thought I knew.

“Personally I think she was getting back at Tony Paul for his reputation with the ladies. Groupies loved him. And he loved them. He grew up fat with braces, so the minute these girls paid him attention, he was all over it. He was no saint,” she added begrudgingly. “But it wasn’t like they were married. They weren’t even exclusive. He told her from the beginning there could be no commitment. He wanted one thing and one thing only, and that was a music career. He did everything he could to make that happen. He heeded every single piece of advice I had to give him. Finally I got Jasper to Austin and he saw what I saw. He knew that Tony Paul was destined to be a teen idol and he told us that he could make that happen, but Tony Paul had to do two things. He had to become a solo act. And he had to project an image of being single.” She shook her head. “Two weeks after he got a record contract with Jasper Carrington, Lacy came up pregnant.”

She let me study the photo while she walked back around to her desk. “Jasper wanted Tony to go to New York to cut the first record, and then wanted him on a nation-wide tour to support it immediately following. He had already started a social media campaign to gain interest. Needless to say, a baby was not part of the plan.” She sighed and sat back in her chair. “I think Tony Paul believed she’d take care of it. She was just as single-minded as he was about music. But she decided to have the baby and the minute he was born, the paperwork arrived for Tony Paul to support a child she wouldn’t even let him see. She never even gave that baby Tony Paul’s last name. He was hers from the start, probably to get back at Tony Paul for how many ‘promises’ he allegedly broke. She never got over the fact he was willing to accept that contract and have a career without taking her along.”

I handed her the framed photo. “So if you feel this way about her, why did you hire her back?”

She sighed as she studied the photo in her hand. “Like I said, I take care of my own. She needed the job. I wasn’t going to turn her out on the street. Not when she has that baby to take care of. Plus I see what you see. Hell, I even see what Tony Paul saw. But she’s got a lot of growing up to do, Jonah. She’s not ready for the big time. And after the last few weeks I have to wonder if she ever will be.”

Her eyes met mine. “I just can’t watch her drag anyone else down with her, especially when I know down deep in my heart she’d never hold her own career back for anyone else. If she was sitting in that chair in front of me right now, she’d have already signed on the dotted line. She’d leave Southern Nights, and you, in a heartbeat if she could. If you really want to put her above your own self-interests, maybe it’s best you head on down to the factory and beg Mr. Bivens to get your job back.” The minute she said the words my stomach dropped. I couldn’t imagine a more depressing fate. “You still won’t get any closer to her than the stage downstairs, you on one side and her on another, but at least you won’t be torpedoing my reputation in the process.”