by Rose Pressey
“Yeah, he is good-looking, but can he play?”
“Who cares? Just put him on stage and let everyone look at him.”
The rhythm started, smooth and not missing a beat. He’d just answered my question. He was good, all right. Maybe the best I’d ever heard, almost as if magic moved his fingers. Looks and talent. But why hadn’t someone else snapped him up? Where had this stranger come from?
Frank and Craig exchanged glances, then looked at me. Both stood with their mouths wide. I couldn’t help but grin. The music stopped and silence once again filled the air.
Frank stammered, “Well, what do you think?”
I nodded. “Sounds good.” I didn’t want to swoon over his ability. Could he tell how I’d drooled over his looks? He probably knew how good he was. “Do you live around here?” I asked.
“Yeah, I live over on Becker Road.” He set his bass down.
I nodded again. That was close to my place. Wonder why I hadn’t seen him at any of the clubs and bars before.
“Do you have a problem with travel? I mean, are you working? Do you have a wife and children or girlfriend?” Kitty nudged me in the ribs. “What?” I whispered, “It’s a legitimate question. Those things stand in the way of travel, that’s all I’m saying.”
“Nope, not married. No children and no girlfriend, either.” His lips curled into a smile.
A low groan escaped from Kitty. She was practically swooning again. Of course, I was calm and collected. No matter that my heart went pitter-pat. And so what if he was a dead ringer for pre-jelly-doughnuts Elvis and I happened to think Elvis was the best looking man who ever walked the face of the earth. That was a moot point.
“Just hire hunk of burnin’ love for heaven’s sake. You know you want to. Quit fighting it,” Kitty whispered.
I didn’t respond. “What about a job?” I asked.
“I teach music on the side, so I can easily step away from that. I’m also an artist, so no, I don’t have a nine-to-five job, if that’s what you’re wondering.” An artist. Hmm, even more talent.
“Yeah, that’s what I was wondering.” It wasn’t all I was wondering, either. Boxers or briefs? Hmm. Maybe neither. “We may have some gigs lined up that require traveling. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No problem. No problem, at all.”
Frank snorted. I guess he wasn’t the center of attention and needed the focus shifted back to him.
“So do I get the gig?”
“Easy there, dude. We need a chance to think things over.” Frank snapped. “Tell him, Veronica. We can’t just make a snap decision.”
I looked from Frank to Craig and then to Kitty. She wiggled her eyebrows. I had a feeling I knew which one she’d choose. I focused my attention on Buzz. His dark, dangerous eyes looked even more gorgeous under the stage lighting. His dimpled smile revealed a bright white set of teeth. He had a quality I couldn’t place. He seemed different, but I didn’t know how.
“You got it.” I blurted out. “When can you start?” I asked.
Chapter 12
“Veronica, I need to speak with you privately, please.”
I didn’t look at Frank, but his request didn’t surprise me in the least. He obviously had a problem with the guy from the moment he walked in. Why I wasn’t sure. Maybe he was too good-looking for his taste. Maybe he felt the competition. Maybe he didn’t like his cologne or jeans. Heck, it didn’t take much for Frank not to like someone.
“Will you excuse me for just a second?” I held up my index finger, stood, and followed Frank to the back of the room.
“What are you doing, Veronica?” His voice raised a level. “You know what?”
“No, what?” I smirked.
“Don’t blame me when you’re eating an entire chocolate cake in your dark lonesome apartment and even the VFW Post won’t let you step one foot on their stage. You don’t even know this guy.”
“One time I ate the entire chocolate cake and you won’t let me live it down. Listen, I don’t know any of them, Frank. What’s your point?” Not sure I liked standing in a dark corner with a vampire exposing his sharp fangs and yelling at me. Too bad I didn’t have a scarf or something to cover my exposed neck.
“I know the other two. I can vouch for them.”
“That doesn’t help me at all, Frank. Sorry. And don’t you bare those pearly white fangs at me. I’ll slip into that dark cave you call a bedroom and file those suckers down with my emery board while you sleep.” I wiggled my finger in the direction of his mouth. Keep up the tough girl façade. Don’t show fear in front of the vamps, I reminded myself.
“I’m shaking in my loafers. Listen, this guy swaggers in here off the street and just expects us to hire him?”
“Listen, Frank, let me stop you right there. He’s good, you can’t deny that. You heard him, and no offense to the guys you know, but he’s just better. A lot better and I need the best.”
“How do we even know if we can trust the guy?” Frank crossed his arms in front of his chest, covering up the Rockabilly Rules writing on his shirt.
“I didn’t know you when I hired you for the band and everything has turned out fine, right?” Well, not fine, but it was what it was. What made me hire him in the first place? “Remember we need the best, not the safest player.” He still didn’t speak. “Do you want me to get the record deal? It’ll mean more money for you, remember? You can buy the finest blood. None of that cheap crap anymore.”
“Of course, you know I do.” He ran his hand through his spiked hair. The set of his jaw lost some of its defiance.
“Then trust me on this.”
He shifted from one foot to the other. “I think you’re swayed by his looks.”
“I’m offended that you’d think such a thing. You think I’m that shallow?” Okay, if Buzz had been awful, I still would have hired him based on looks, but Frank didn’t need to know that. Buzz broke the hotness scale.
“No, Veronica, come on. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“There wasn’t any other way to mean it, Frank.” I stared at my wedge heels. There was a heavy silence hanging in the air and I wasn’t going to be the first one to break it.
“Look, I’m sorry. If you want to give the guy a chance, then fine with me.”
Craig stood beside us. I hadn’t heard him approach. I hated when people creeped around. Vampires were too good at that sneaking around crap.
I let out a deep breath. “What about you, Craig?”
“You know I don’t care.” He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets.
“So we’re okay, Frank?” I asked.
“Yeah, I said okay.” He sulked worse than a two-year old.
“Don’t give the guy a hard way to go.” I warned as he walked away. “We got a lot of practicing to do between now and Saturday and we don’t need that macho high school drama crap.” I trailed behind him. “You’re thirty, at least act as if you’re sixteen instead of six for heaven’s sake.” He turned and I stopped in my tracks. I could have sworn he let out a low hiss as he exposed his fangs. It looked as if I’d pushed his button. Touchy, touchy.
“I’m going to take that as a joke,” he snapped.
“Whatever makes you happy,” I said. “Now let’s get back to work.” I walked past Frank, but I sensed his steps close behind me. The urge to cover my neck grew stronger.
As I made my way across the floor back toward the stage, the feeling of someone staring washed over me. When I turned, I noticed the man in the corner. He didn’t take his gaze off me. What the hell was with all the strangers today?
Chapter 13
The dark corner concealed some of his features, but I made out the short dark hair and strong jaw. He wore a dark suit and white shirt. His index finger caressed the rim of a glass as he studied me. When I neared the stage, I stopped in my tracks and Frank smacked into the back of me.
“Don’t follow so close. You scared the hell out of me.” I righted myself.
“Sorry
,” he mumbled.
Buzz stood near us, but he busied himself fiddling with his bass. He didn’t seem to notice me, Frank, or the stranger in the corner.
Frank spoke in a hushed tone. “You didn’t tell the detective about your vision, did you? Or whatever the hell you want to call it.”
“Are you crazy? No. I don’t want to end up modeling a little white coat to an audience of one in a padded cell, nor do I want to eat prison food for the rest of my life. I hate bologna.” I glanced over my shoulder. The man’s gaze was still fixed on me. Frank didn’t appear to notice him and I wasn’t about to point him out. The last thing we needed was to be kicked out of the club before our gig Saturday night. “So, you believe me then. You believe I had some sort of vision? Why?” I wasn’t sure I believed it myself.
“Hell, you crazy-ass witches, I never know what you’re up to. But if you have a vision of me being staked, just let me know before, not after, it happens.” Frank walked away.
“How could I let you know after? You’d be dead,” I called after him.
Frank glanced over his shoulder, rolled his eyes, and didn’t appease me with a comment in return.
I glanced up to catch Buzz watching. He quickly turned his head. Had he heard what Frank said about the vision? He’d think I was a real nut-job. This day was downright weird and didn’t look as if it would become un-weird anytime soon. Across the room, the stranger still watched me. I needed to walk right over there and ask him what his problem was. He waved and gave a half-grin/half-smirk. I didn’t return the greeting. What a creep.
When I looked in Kitty’s direction, she was watching me, too. If I knew her, and I thought I did, then she wanted to know what was going on so badly she’d give up her best razor and wax treatments for a month to find out. It wasn’t enough for her to know I’d tell her later. Her gaze had probably been fixed on us the whole time. I felt her eyes on my back with every move I made. But maybe it had been the stranger’s stare and not hers. Why didn’t anyone else seem to notice him?
I made my way over to Kitty. Danny was whispering in her ear, but she shushed him as soon as I approached. Before she could open her mouth, Buzz was standing next to me.
“Is everything good?” Buzz asked.
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that. We’re good. So can you practice today? We have a gig on Saturday.” I hoped I could trust this guy to show up on Saturday.
“I can practice now. No problem. But first, I’d like to introduce you to my friend, if that’s okay? He’s been dying to meet you.” Buzz pointed toward the corner of the room and my stomach flipped. The weirdo. “Do you mind saying hi?” Buzz flashed his delicious smile and how could I say no?
Kitty motioned for me to go. I swallowed the lump in my throat and walked with Buzz to the corner where the stranger sat. My hands felt clammy and my throat tight. Rarely did I have this type of reaction to meeting someone. But this guy had a sensation vibrating off him that seemed not quite right.
“Hey, Pierce, this is Veronica.” Pierce stretched his hand toward me. “Veronica, I’d like you to meet my friend Pierce Tyler. He’s an under—. He’s an undertaker.”
My eyes widened and I released Pierce’s grip as if he had cooties. “He’s a what?”
Ew, ew, ew. This day was straight out of the Twilight Zone.
Chapter 14
“He’s a mortician. He doesn’t play music or anything, but he’s a big rockabilly fan and has seen a lot of your shows. I told him he could swing by and say hi. I hope you don’t mind?”
“No…No.” I swallowed hard. “I don’t mind.” I gave a half-hearted smile. “Well, um, we’d better get to it. Nice meeting you, Pierce.” I wished I had a trap-door underneath me to escape this awkward situation. And maybe some hand sanitizer.
“Nice meeting you, Veronica. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
Not if I could help it.
Pierce took a swig of his drink, placed the glass back onto the table, then curved his thin lips into a closed-mouth grin. Apparently he loved his profession.
“Nice meeting you, too.” I hurried away as if he had the bubonic plague.
“Isn’t it too early to be drinking?” I asked Buzz as we walked away. Of course, Frank had been drinking early, too. “Then again, I’d probably drink around the clock if I had his profession.”
Buzz laughed. The sound was kind and genuine. “You’re spunky. I like that. So, I was wondering… Would you like to go out for some lunch? I’m assuming you’ll take a break? Or should I not assume anything? I thought you could get to know me better since I just walked in off the street. I’m sure you have questions.” He brushed a black lock from his forehead.
What would it feel like to run my fingers through his thick hair? He could be dangerous for my career. Too much distraction.
He was right though, I had questions. Too many questions. “Lunch? Well, I do allow you guys to eat and I occasionally grab a burger.” I chuckled.
Was he asking me on a date? No. I vowed never again to date band members when Rick took off with his now wife. He’d married Betsy in an intimate drunken setting in a little chapel in Vegas. Classy guy all around, that Rick. But Buzz was being friendly and nothing more, right? Those dimples were so hard to resist. Any sane woman would say yes to almost anything he asked. Almost.
“What time would you like to go?” he asked.
I glanced at my watch. “Well, it’s eleven now. I suppose we won’t practice well without food.”
“No. We definitely need our energy. We should grab a bite now.” He motioned toward the door.
Frank’s voice boomed in my ear. “What? What the hell? Now we’re not going to practice?”
I closed my eyes to give myself a second to choose the right words. “Frank, the auditions took longer than we expected, plus the detective showed up.” I hadn’t meant to say detective. That’s what happens when I speak without thinking. Buzz watched us, but he didn’t ask about why the police would be here. I was sure he would during lunch. I’d have to tell the truth. But I supposed he knew what had happened already. He knew we needed a bass player, so I was kidding myself thinking he didn’t know why we needed one.
“Veronica, can I speak to you?” Kitty motioned with her head.
Bless her for saving me. “Excuse me,” I said.
When I reached the table, I pulled out a chair and sat. Danny stood, then ambled toward the restrooms when Kitty gave him the look.
“That’s it. He’s gay. I should have known,” Kitty whisper-yelled.
“What? Danny’s gay?” My eyes widened.
“No, silly. Buzz. Buzz is gay.” She pointed with her fire engine red tipped finger.
“What makes you say that?”
“Why else would he bring his friend?” she pointed to Pierce, who, by the way, still watched us from the corner. I’d have to ask Buzz about him. What was with the stare? I had wondered how long it would take Kitty to notice the guy.
“He brought his friend because they are friends. Besides, he just asked me to go to lunch with him,” I whispered.
“Buzz asked you out? Oh, maybe he isn’t gay. So you’re going on a date with him?” Her brow puckered and she gave a half-grin.
“I most certainly am not going on a date with him. Again, I don’t date band members. Not since Rick, and never again.” Nothing good comes from it. Nothing but heartache and love spells gone awry.
“Okay, okay, you don’t date band members. I get it. Sure.”
“Besides.” I lowered my voice. “What if he’s a vampire? Vampires don’t really like witches, right?”
“He’s not a vampire.” Kitty glanced over her shoulder at Buzz.
“How do you know? Because he’s not pale enough to be a vampire?”
“Nope, that’s not the reason I know.”
“Maybe he gets a spray-on tan?” I asked.
“Nah. He doesn’t look like a carrot. That’s a natural tan.”
“I think the spray-on h
as improved. It’s not as orangey as it used to be.”
“No, it’s still orangey. Besides, just because someone is pale doesn’t mean they’re a vampire. He could have a contagious disease. Or he could just be insane.”
“Oh, yeah, great. That’s much better than a vampire.”
“Enough about that. Who’s the guy in the corner?” Kitty asked.
“I don’t know. He said he’s a friend. A mortician named Pierce who likes rockabilly music.”
“Come again? He’s a what?” She leaned closer.
“You heard me. A mortician.”
“Ew.” Kitty gazed in Pierce’s direction, but he’d disappeared. “Now I know why you hurried away from him. I haven’t seen you walk that fast since that creepy guy followed you at the mall in Nashville.”
“Yeah, he gives me the heebie-jeebies. I haven’t been that freaked out since Frank showed me his Olan Mills portrait from 1987.” I shivered, remembering the parachute pants. “You know, sometimes this all seems too difficult. Maybe I should give all this up. Go out on the weekends, suck down Slippery Nipples, and listen to pick-up lines such as, ‘Baby, I’m no Fred Flintstone, but I can make your Bedrock!’ Oh, and the scariest one, ‘Hi, the voices in my head told me to come over and talk to you.’”
“Yes, that’s exactly what you need to do. Why wait until the weekends to suck down the Slippery Nipples, though? You can do that during the week, too.” She rolled her eyes.
“Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll call you later.” I started to walk away.
“Wait. You’re not inviting me to lunch with you?” She placed a hand on her hip. “I figured since it isn’t a date you wouldn’t mind.”
Chapter 15
“Forgive me. It isn’t a date.” I stuck out my tongue. “Would you and Danny care to join me and my new bass player for lunch? My non-date bass player.”
“Can’t. Sorry. I have to visit my grandmother. I promised her we’d go shopping for new underwear. For her, not me.” She smiled. “She said she wants basic and trusted underwear.”
