Cajun Two-Step- The Complete Series

by Leigh Landry

  “Oh really.” Natalie’s glare shifted to Robin. “Let me guess, she put you up to this.”

  “Nope. This is me. All me. She just gave me a kick in the ass. One I sorely needed.”

  Natalie turned her glare back to him, but it was a little softer now. “Well, we agree on one thing.”

  “And I’m sorry I was an ass today. I’d had a bad meeting with my brother, and he was still in my head. I let him and all of this year’s shit with him get to me, and I acted like a jerk.”

  Natalie took a few breaths, then crossed her arms. “Yeah. You did.”

  At least she was speaking to him.

  “The truth is, I was scared. Scared you weren’t really available, and I didn’t want to put myself out there for nothing.” He took a step closer to her. “But I want to take that risk. I want to take a chance on us. I’m so glad you shared that with me, and I still want to know more. I want to know everything about you. I want to talk more about books and go bowling again and hear you laugh again. If you’ll let me.”

  That fire fizzled out a little, and her expression relaxed. She was still on edge, but it was at least an improvement.

  He’d take anything she gave him.

  After an agonizingly long pause, Natalie said, “You really were an ass.”

  “I was.”

  “A gigantic ass.”

  “The giganticest,” he said. “So can you give this ass another shot?”

  Her mouth crinkled as she fought a smile. She straightened her back and looked down her nose at him. “On one condition.”

  He nodded. “Ok. Shoot.”

  She left him hanging in anticipation with the longest pause known to man, then said, “I want to meet your cat.”

  He grinned. “His name is Nacho.” He took another step and put his hands on the sides of her arms. When she didn’t pull away, he slid them up and took her face in his hands. Then he leaned in and kissed her, and it was unlike any kiss he’d ever had, with Natalie or anyone else. It was warm and soft, and he felt more vulnerable than he’d ever been in his life, yet completely safe as Natalie wrapped her hands around his waist.

  “All right, all right,” Robin called out behind them. “Let’s get out of here and let the next band have the stage.”

  Natalie broke away. “I’ve got to help Kelsey load up. She’s my ride.”

  “I’m here a little while longer. If you want to hang out with me, I can give you a ride home later.”

  “Sounds great.”

  Her smile was brighter than all the stage lights shining down on them, and he kissed her again before tearing himself away. She squeezed his hand, then returned to helping the drummer. Shane lingered for a second, but reminded himself that he could see her again—and again, and again, and again—and walked off the stage.

  - Epilogue -

  Shane flew to the front door when the doorbell rang. He barely glanced in the peephole before flinging the door open.

  “Hey.” He could hear the slight shake in his voice. He’d been pacing since he woke, waiting for them to get there.

  Natalie entered his apartment with a little blonde girl clinging to her hand. She pulled off her scarf and helped the girl out of her coat. Natalie had suggested they meet him at his place before the parades, rather than bringing him into their home for a first meeting. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but seeing how nervous Cadence was now, he was beginning to wonder if this was all too soon. He gave a questioning look to Natalie, and she nodded in approval.

  “Cadence, this is Mommy’s friend, Shane,” Natalie said, with the girl gripping her hand again. “Shane, this is my daughter, Cadence.”

  He crouched down to meet her at eye level and extended his hand. “Hi, Cadence. Nice to meet you.”

  Cadence looked at his hand, then hesitantly let go of her mother’s to shake it.

  Shane wasn’t sure what else to say. He didn’t have much experience with kids, and he didn’t have any nieces or nephews. But he had an idea of one thing that might be a hit with a kid.

  He nodded toward the living room. “Want to come inside? I have someone else I think you might want to meet.”

  Cadence looked to her mother for reassurance, and Natalie guided her inside while Shane hurried off to his bedroom. A second later, he came out with the kitten in his hands, and Cadence’s face lit up with joy.

  “His name is Nacho.”

  Shane handed the kitten to Cadence, who held it closely and nuzzled her face against its head. The whole room was filled with the tiny creature’s monstrous purrs and Cadence’s soft giggles.

  Within moments, Cadence and Nacho were running all around the living room and kitchen, chasing each other while Cadence waved around the cat toy, a stick with a strip of brightly colored fleece dangling from the end of it. Natalie and Shane sat on the couch and watched the two of them play. It was killing him to keep his hands to himself, even just to take her hand in his, but he kept his distance. He wanted to take things slow with Cadence around. He didn’t want to do anything that might spook the kid or her mom.

  “This is almost making me reconsider my no pets rule.”

  “Well,” Shane said. “I was looking for a home for him.”

  “I said almost.”

  Shane laughed. “Oh, hey, are you free next weekend?”

  “I have Cadence until Saturday. Working that day, but no gigs over the weekend. Finally, a break.”

  “Good.” He cleared his throat and shifted on the couch. “How’d you like to come to a barbecue on Sunday?”

  “Your friend’s back from his tour?”

  “No. My family. Well, some of them. At a cousin’s house. Probably with my aunt and uncle.”

  “Oh.” Natalie tensed and her eyes darted to follow Cadence and the kitten around the room. “I thought you weren’t speaking with your family.”

  He wasn’t. But after reconsidering his situation all week and realizing how much he didn’t want to let Randy dictate his life and his relationships with the rest of his family, Shane had reached out to his cousin. They’d been close in the past, and he missed hanging out with the guy this past year, since Shane had been avoiding all the holiday family gatherings.

  “My parents won’t be there.” That was a step he wasn’t quite ready for. One day though. Maybe. “My cousin’s more like a buddy than family. I think you’ll like him and his wife. No pressure though. Only if you want to.”

  She glanced over at Cadence and the kitten as they disappeared into the kitchen, then she put her hand on his and squeezed it. “I’d like that.”

  Cadence ran back into the living room, the kitten trailing much more slowly behind her now. She stopped and pointed at his guitar hanging on the wall. “Do you play guitar? Like Mommy?”

  Shane looked at Natalie, then smiled and nodded at Cadence. “Sure do.”

  “I play the ukulele!” she said.

  He smiled at her. “Well, maybe you and Mommy can bring your instruments next time you visit, so we can all play some songs together.”

  * * * * *

  “Look.” Natalie leaned and pointed down the road over the metal barricade, toward the distant sound of punctuated police sirens. “They’re coming.”

  Cadence hopped onto the bottom bar and leaned over the barricade for a better view, her string of plastic purple beads clanging against the metal. “I see them! I see them!”

  A minute later, once the flashing lights were in front of them, Shane said, “Do you hear that?”

  Cadence tilted her head and listened. Her face lit up a moment later as she squealed, “Drums! Like Ms. Kelsey!”

  “Yup,” said Shane.

  Natalie wanted to eat him up, right there on that parade route. He was so patient with Cadence, interacting with her but not pandering or trying to be her best friend. He was warm and natural and relaxed. Perfect.

  Somehow, over the last two weeks, Natalie had fallen head over heels for this man. And she had every intention of making sure he knew t
hat the next second she got him alone.

  Right after she told him about her call with Camille.

  She’d called Natalie the day before. She sounded good. Healthy, if not quite happy yet. It was a short call—touching base and testing the waters. Natalie was grateful to hear her friend’s voice again. They both apologized and Camille promised to stay in touch. But the most important thing about that call was that distance and time had been a gift to them both.

  While she would always love Camille, Camille would never feel the same way about her, and that was okay. She just wanted her best friend in her life. Whatever shape that took.

  Natalie only hoped Shane would be okay with that, too. She needed to make sure he understood that he wasn’t a backup plan for her. That their relationship was its own thing, something she wanted more than anything now to build on with him.

  Shane started tapping out the drum cadence on the top of the barricade. Cadence watched with interest and joined in a few seconds later. The two of them were so adorable, drumming on the metal bar together. Natalie was sure her heart was going to burst with fullness at any moment.

  The band marched by, blaring "Mardi Gras Mambo" while Cadence clapped and waved at them. A parent walking alongside the band paused to hand Cadence a string of gold beads, which she promptly slipped over her head.

  Natalie’s phone dinged in her coat pocket. She pulled it out to find a text from Kelsey, asking Natalie to call her as soon as she could. It sounded important, but with the band and kids screaming all around them, that would have to wait until after the parade. She sent a quick text promising to call in about half an hour.

  Shane wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his side. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She put the phone back in her coat pocket. “More than okay.”

  She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek that promised to show him just how okay later.

  RIM SHOT REBOUND

  RIM SHOT REBOUND by Leigh Landry

  Published by Leigh Landry

  Lafayette, LA, USA

  © 2018 Leigh Landry

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Edited by Mackenzie Walton

  Cover photography from Depositphotos.com

  Chapter 1

  Don’t puke.

  Kelsey had been giving her body that one little command ever since she drove onto Robin’s property. Unfortunately, her stomach was completely ignoring her and currently staging a mutiny.

  She wasn’t usually sick this late in the day, especially if she’d eaten a decent dinner. Her little pep talk had been working all through the long drive down country roads to Robin’s adorable house out in the middle of Nowhere, Louisiana. Kelsey shouldn’t have had any problem keeping her stomach in check through their weekly rehearsal.

  But then she’d heard that familiar knock—their old college drum cadence—on Robin’s kitchen door.

  “Eric!” Robin, their accordion player and band ring leader, pulled his tall, lanky-but-solid frame in for a hug. She was a full head and a half shorter than him, but she made up for her lack of height in enthusiasm and heart.

  Kelsey kept her eyes glued to the floor in front of her. If she didn’t see him, maybe she could squash this nausea.

  “Sorry. Had to wait with a kid. Parent was running late after their lesson.” That smooth, baritone voice drew Kelsey’s eyes up to the apologetic smile stretching through the short boxed beard on his dark face, and she felt that familiar heat wash over her. He wore nearly black jeans with a light gray dress shirt unbuttoned at the top and a light gray newsboy cap, Kelsey’s favorite from his hat collection. He had this jazzy cool vibe, no matter what he wore, like he was the walking personification of an old blues bar. An incredibly sexy old blues bar.

  She dug inside her purse for her little bag of magic and poured a few yellow lifelines onto her hand. As soon as she popped one in her mouth, the tart zing instantly settled her stomach.

  “You all set?” Robin asked Eric.

  “Yup. Bass is in the studio.”

  “Good.” Robin sniffed and gave a double take at Kelsey. “What’s that?”

  “Lemon drops?” Kelsey held out the rest in her hand to show Robin. She willed her hand not to shake and mentally begged Robin not to ask any more questions about her snack choices. Kelsey didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, and they all knew it. If there was an opportunity for dessert, she’d rather have more fries or chips and dip.

  Robin examined Kelsey for another moment. “Well, let’s get this thing rolling. I’ve got fun stuff to discuss before we break tonight.”

  “Fun stuff?” Eric’s dark eyes sparkled at the word and possibilities. He looked at Kelsey with a raised eyebrow, as if she might know what fun stuff Robin was referring to.

  Kelsey leaned against the counter beside her as her body began to sway under that curious stare of his. The one that made her want to tell him all her secrets and anything else he wanted to know.

  She gave a small shrug. Truthfully, she had no idea what Robin was hinting at, which meant it probably wasn’t going to be as fun as Robin was hyping it to be. But there was no point asking more questions at this point. Robin would tell them all when she was good and ready. No sooner.

  “I’m always down for fun.” Eric made an exaggerated flourish with his long, muscular arm to gesture for Kelsey to go ahead of him through the back door. Ever the gentleman. Except when he wasn’t.

  She started to walk through the door, but realized that would put her walking beside him across the yard to Robin’s rehearsal studio out back. The awkward silence and Eric’s strained small talk would make that walk of a few yards feel like five thousand miles. She used to feel so comfortable beside him, but now she spent most of her time avoiding him, resisting that constant, undeniable pull she felt towards him.

  “I’m gonna grab Nat and Lauren. Be there in a sec.”

  Eric tilted his head and gave the same concerned look Robin had given her earlier. “Everything okay, Kel?”

  “Great!” Her voice was an octave higher than normal and downright perky. For Christ’s sake. She was wearing a black T-shirt with a cymbal dripping blood. She wasn’t perky.

  Get it together.

  Eric frowned, clearly not buying her act, but he followed Robin outside anyway. A few months ago, he would have cracked a joke and called her on it. But things had been weird between them ever since the last time they were together—one of their many “this doesn’t mean anything” hookups—right before Bria, an old high school girlfriend Eric had recently gotten back together with.

  Maybe things were getting serious with Eric and Bria.

  Her breath and pulse sped up as her stomach did flips, and she fought not to think about Eric or his girlfriend or any of that. Not now. She had to keep it together now. At least through this rehearsal.

  Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut behind Eric and Robin. She went to the living room to tell the other two band members that they were heading out back for rehearsal, but Natalie and Lauren were already walking together toward the kitchen. Kelsey still wasn’t used to seeing them getting along. Heck, she’d even heard they went on a double date together a couple weeks ago.

  Natalie, their guitar player and Kelsey’s closest friend in the group, narrowed her eyes when she saw Kelsey sucking on a candy and shaking a handful more in her fist. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a loose braid, and she put her hands on the plaid shirt tied at her waist. “Tell Robin we’ll be there in a minute.”

  Lauren, their fiddler and newest member, looked back a
nd forth between Kelsey and Natalie. She tucked her long, reddish-brown hair behind her ears, then nodded and left them alone. Kelsey really liked her. Losing their friend and original fiddle player, Camille, during her stint in rehab had been quite a blow, but Lauren was fitting in pretty well with the group so far. Both on fiddle and as part of their little found family.

  “So what gives?” Natalie nodded at the candy in Kelsey’s hand.

  Kelsey shrugged. “Sweet tooth.”

  “Bullshit. Twice this past month you’ve mentioned not feeling well. And lately I haven’t seen you without a mint or a sucker or some sour candy in your mouth.” Natalie raised her eyebrows. “Got something you want to tell me?”

  Kelsey’s brain flashed back to the damn plastic stick with the pink line on it. She’d called Nat as soon as she saw the results, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell Nat the truth. Instead, she’d made up some reason for calling, then hung up and cried on her bathroom floor.

  “Not yet.”

  Natalie frowned. “Well, you know where to find me when you do, right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They left the rest unsaid. One of the many reasons Kelsey loved Natalie like the sister she’d never had.

  They left the house together and crossed Robin’s property to the little workshop that was several yards behind the main house. The mixture of warm-up notes from the bass, fiddle, and accordion danced on the spring breeze. Natalie opened the door and a cacophony of sounds flooded out from the studio.

  Kelsey squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and walked inside to the drum set in the back. Right beside Eric.

  His head was down, bobbing along with the rhythm as the long, dark fingers of one hand danced along the neck of his upright bass, and the other hand plucked furiously at the strings farther down. He cradled the wood so soulfully it made Kelsey jealous of the instrument every time she watched him lost in the music that way.