“Let’s go make love,” she said.
“But I don’t want to hurt the baby.”
“You won’t hurt the baby.”
“Are you sure?”
“Dr. Oz said it was okay.”
“Didn’t he also say to rub coffee grounds and coconut oil all over yourself?”
Jane laughed. She kissed him again just for being cute. “Just take me into the bedroom and make love to me.”
Caleb smiled and rose from the couch, then bent and picked her up in his arms and carried her off toward the bedroom.
“Am I heavy?” she asked.
He grinned down at her in his arms. “You might want to lay off the popcorn.”
“I hope you’re joking.”
“I’m joking.”
“Good,” she said as he laid her gently down on the bed. “Because I’m only getting heavier from here on out.”
Caleb peeled off his shirt and straddled her. “That’s okay,” he answered. “I like my ladies thick.”
“Ladies?” she asked. But before he could answer, she reached behind her and grabbed a pillow and hit him so hard he fell off the bed.
“You better watch it,” he said, getting up and crawling back on top of her. “I’m not above handcuffing a pregnant woman to the headboard.”
Even though the idea kind of turned her on, she thought better of hitting him with the pillow again. Instead she reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling his lips down to hers.
Jane stopped at the red light and watched as a troop of small angels and demons and one tiny little pink fairy princess trotted across the street. They all had smiles on their painted faces and orange plastic pumpkins filled with candy swinging from their little hands.
“They’re cute, aren’t they?”
“We always waited until dark to go trick-or-treating,” Caleb said. “Not broad daylight in downtown. And I used to bring a pillowcase, not a pumpkin. You can’t fit enough candy in those things. What’s happening to this world?”
Jane looked over at him and laughed. “You might think differently about trick-or-treating when you have a daughter.”
“You mean, when I have a son.”
“Would you be disappointed with a daughter?”
“Of course not,” he said. “I just have a feeling it’s a boy.”
“Well, we’ll keep it a surprise then.”
The light turned green and Jane drove on.
“Won’t you tell me where you’re taking me, baby?” Caleb asked. “I don’t understand why I had to leave early from work or why the need for all this secrecy.”
“Just sit back and relax, my little goblin. You’ll see.”
Ten minutes later, Jane pulled up in front of a house just a few blocks south of Sixth Street. She noticed Caleb looking out the car window at the property, desperate to find out what all of this was about. But other than the white van in the driveway and the black metal fence, there was nothing unusual about the outside of the house.
“I hope this isn’t a costume party,” Caleb said, “because neither of us is dressed up.”
“Sure we are,” Jane replied, joking. “I’m Snow White and you’re Grumpy from the Seven Dwarfs. Now, stop being such a brat and try to enjoy the surprise.”
Caleb reluctantly got out of the car, following Jane as she led him up to the door. She knocked and almost immediately a man opened it. She stepped inside and when Caleb followed, she turned to watch his expression as he took in the space they had entered.
“Jane, this is a recording studio.”
“I know,” she said. “And not just any recording studio either, but the best one in all of Austin. Isn’t that right, Dave?”
Dave had just closed the door, and he dropped his head and blushed as he responded, “We were voted the best, yes. But that was last year.” Then he reached out his hand to Caleb. “Nice to meet you, Caleb. I’m Dave. Or sometimes people call me Davie or David or even dickhead, depending on how late we’ve been recording. I’ll be your producer.”
“My producer?”
“That’s right,” he said, sweeping his hand out to take in the studio. “This place is all yours for the next two weeks to lay down your album. Jane here tells me most of the songs are already written. She showed me clips from the show, and I gotta say that I’m already a fan, man.”
“Album?” Caleb asked, looking at Jane. “My album?”
Jane smiled. “Your album, honey.”
“That’s right,” Dave said. “And we’ve got a great lineup of contract musicians to back you up too. Some of the best in Texas. The studio has guitars, basses, pedals, amps, pianos, drums, and lots of vintage synths. I record digital and analog. Then I’ll be working with Sammy on your postproduction. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, Jane, but Rebecca said she’d love to shoot Caleb for the album cover and Julia will design it.”
Caleb looked around the studio again.
“I don’t understand what’s going on here, Jane.”
“You heard Dave,” she said. “You’ve got everything you need to record your album.”
“But who am I recording it for?”
“For your fans, silly. Don’t you know that since the show ended you’ve got over fifty thousand fans on Facebook and half that many already on Twitter? We don’t need that show’s contract to release an album. Do we, Dave?”
“No way,” he said, shaking his shaggy head. “In fact, a lot of traditionally signed artists I work with are dumping their labels and distributing straight through iTunes and Amazon. Shit, you’re both from Seattle, right? Well, then, you’ve heard of Macklemore, I’m sure. He’s not signed. And I hear rumors him and Ryan Lewis might be nominated for a Grammy this year.”
Caleb walked to the control room and looked through the big window into the live recording room. Jane stepped up beside him. She saw his eyes settle on his guitar case, already there waiting for him beside a microphone and a stool.
“This is great, Jane,” he said. “It really is. But I can’t do it. I have to work.”
Instead of answering him, Jane stepped aside.
“No, you don’t.”
Caleb spun around when he heard Mr. Zigler’s voice. “What are you doing here, boss?”
“I’m not your boss anymore,” he said.
“You’re not?”
“No, I’m your partner. Jane and I believe in you. And so do a lot of other people. And when you believe in someone, you invest in them. So we’re investing in you. Now all you have to do is put in the time and the talent, and make an album you’re proud of. We’ll take care of the rest.”
Caleb started to say something, but Mr. Zigler held up a hand and cut him off.
“Jane told me how you feel about receiving charity, so I’m here to tell you that we intend to get every penny back plus interest. Now, trust this old man when he tells you not to say another word and to just nod that you’ll do it, and grab that young lady there and hug her.”
Caleb nodded and Jane could see he had tears in his eyes. Then he grabbed her and wrapped her in his arms. He was still hugging her when he spoke softly in her ear.
“Thank you, Jane. I love you so much.”
Then he turned to shake Mr. Zigler’s hand, but Mr. Zigler ignored the offer and hugged Caleb himself instead.
“Whoa,” Caleb said with a smile when Mr. Zigler finally let him go. “Do you hug all your business partners like that?”
“Only the cute ones,” Mr. Zigler said with a wink. “In fact, getting to hug Jane there was half the reason I went along with this deal. Now, I’ve got to get back to the warehouse and hire two men to replace you, so you had better get busy recording.”
“I better get going, myself,” Jane said, joining Mr. Zigler as he walked toward the door.
“You’re leaving me too
?” Caleb asked.
“I sure am,” she said. “I’ve got an appointment to keep.”
“An appointment with who?”
“With a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and Dancing with the Stars on the DVR,” she answered, leaning in and pecking him on the cheek. Then she said, “See, sometimes it’s nice to be the boss. You just call me when you’re done, baby.”
The last thing Jane saw before she turned to follow Mr. Zigler out the door was Caleb smiling at Dave and shaking his hand. With just that little glimpse of a grin, she knew that everything would work out just as it should.
The album dropped eight weeks later on the Friday after Christmas. They threw a huge party at Sherman’s to celebrate. Mr. Zigler had the booths closest to the stage reserved for friends of Caleb and for his employees, and true to his word, he served a custom brew of bottled beer bearing Caleb’s likeness on the label, offering up all the proceeds to a youth alcoholism charity. He had even had T-shirts printed up to match the album cover, and his wife was selling them at a table along with actual CDs. Jane couldn’t remember a time when she had felt so excited and so happy.
The drummer hit the cymbals to get everyone’s attention and the room fell silent. Jane watched the stage as Caleb came out to join the band. He scanned the crowd with a huge and happy grin on his face. Then his eyes settled on Jane. The way he looked at her, it was as if she were the only person in the place. Then he leaned in to the microphone and spoke.
“I’d like to dedicate my first song, in fact the entire night, to the woman who made all of this possible. The woman I love more than anything else in this world. To my future wife, to the mother-to-be of my child, I dedicate this to you, Jane. Thanks for always believing in me. I call this one ‘Jane’s Harmony.’ ”
Then he lifted his Jane guitar into place and played a sweet melody. When he sang out the first line, his voice seemed to come from every direction in the room, as if he were singing from somewhere already deep inside Jane’s heart.
A lonely melody
Sung out in the cold
A broken plea
To heal a tortured soul
I came to her grave
Thought I was alone
I prayed anyway
I sang my heart’s only song—
That song, that song, that song
That brought you to me
Oh, that lonely melody.
I stood in the rain
I made my final vow
Then an angel came
And took me home
Fear chased me away
But love’s never wrong
You found me that day
Singing your song—
Your song, your song, your song
That brought you back to me
Oh, your lovely melody.
Now from Austin’s sunny days
To Seattle’s rainy scene
Across all the long-lost ages
And the valleys in between
Through all the coming years
Our love goes on and on
Through a thousand happy tears
I’ll be singing our song—
Our song, our song, our song
That set our hearts free
Oh, our sweet harmony.
Because, baby, you see
You just have to believe
That from sunlight and still waters
To hailstorms and high seas
I’ll love you when it matters, baby
The way I pray that you love me
If I live a thousand years
Or even a thousand lives to be
I’ll spend them all with you, baby
Singing Jane’s harmony.
I’ll spend them all with you, baby
Singing our sweet, sweet harmony
That sweet harmony.
Chapter 24
It was late on a Friday night at the end of January, and a dusting of snow lay on Austin’s deserted streets. It seemed the unusual freeze had chased even the most ardent inebriates in for the night. But despite the lack of takers, Caleb pedaled on into the cold, looking for a fare. He liked the quiet and the way the yellow streetlights dulled the colors from his sight, and he liked the feeling of an honest day’s work in his tired legs.
He heard music spill out of a bar, and then it went quiet again as the door closed. A moment later someone shouted, “Hey, rickshaw boy, over here!”
He circled back and pulled alongside the curb.
“Colder than a well digger’s ass out here,” the man said, climbing into the pedicab seat. “Thanks for picking me up.”
“You bet,” Caleb said. “Where you heading?”
“Littlefield Quarters, on Sixth and Brazos.”
Caleb nodded and pedaled off up the street. He could hear the man humming a tune behind him and it was nice to have some company, even if only for a few blocks.
“How about this snow?” the man asked after a while.
“I’m from Washington, so it doesn’t bother me much.”
“Well, it seems old Mother Nature sends us just enough every few years to let people know who’s in charge. I’ll bet you’re not setting any tip records tonight.”
Caleb turned and looked at him and shook his head. “No, I’m sure not.”
“Hey,” the man said, “aren’t you that guy who was on the TV show? The singer-songwriter contest deal.”
“Yep, I’m that guy,” Caleb replied, not entirely happy to have been recognized.
The man scooted forward in his seat, lowering his voice as if to avoid being overheard, although there was no one about. “I thought you released an album, dude. There were flyers all over town.”
“I did,” Caleb answered. “About a month ago now.”
“And you’re riding around in a rickshaw?”
Caleb turned and looked at him and shrugged. “I’ve got a baby on the way to support. Whatever it takes.”
“Shit,” the man said, sitting back again. “That’s rough.”
Caleb pulled up to Littlefield Quarters, and his fare stepped out of the pedicab and took out his wallet.
“What do I owe you?”
Caleb waved it off. “Ride’s on me.”
“You sure? I gotta pay you something.”
“It’s fine. Really. I was heading this way. Besides, night like tonight, I’m just happy to have some company.”
Caleb nodded good-bye and pulled the pedicab away from the curb to pedal off toward home. He was a half a block away when he heard the man shout after him.
“Thanks, dude! I’ll download your album.”
Caleb smiled and thought to himself, Sweet. Now I only need to give away another hundred thousand or so free rides and I might have myself a music career.
He stopped at the all-night convenience store on their block and purchased a pint of Chunky Monkey for Jane, her Ben & Jerry’s flavor of the week, and a pint of Chubby Hubby for himself. Then he rode the rest of the way home, chained the pedicab to the apartment fence, and went inside to the one thing in this life he loved even more than music.
Jane was on the sofa, dividing her attention between her laptop and the Super Bowl pregame show on TV, when her shriek brought Caleb running in from the kitchen in a panic. He looked at her, then at the TV.
“What are you screaming about? The game hasn’t even started yet, babe, and you just made me dump your guiltless guacamole dip all over the kitchen floor.”
“Not the game,” she said, ignoring the TV and waving him frantically toward the computer on her lap. “You won’t believe this, honey. Come and look.”
Caleb flopped down on the couch next to her and followed Jane’s finger pointing at the screen.
“No way,” he said, taking the laptop. “Let me s
ee this.”
Caleb refreshed the browser and looked again. “How is this even possible?” he asked. “Was it Jordyn’s tweet about my album to her fans?”
“That,” Jane said, “or it could have been her Facebook post. Or her YouTube video. Or Panda’s blog about you.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Or maybe it’s just a really great album, baby, and it took a while to catch on.”
“But I’m up next to Lorde on the chart. I don’t believe it.”
“I didn’t either,” she said, “but look here.” She reached and clicked on the other browser, then pulled up the iTunes sales report.
“Holy sh—” Caleb glanced over at Jane’s belly, remembering that little ears were just beneath the bump there, and caught his comment short. “I mean, holy guacamole. Almost seven thousand downloads just today.”
Jane hit the refresh button. “Almost eight thousand now.”
Caleb refreshed the browser again and more downloads appeared. He had a huge smile on his face even as he shook his head in disbelief, and he was so completely absorbed in the good news on that little screen that he didn’t even appear to hear the knock on the apartment door.
Jane rose from the couch and went to answer it. Buttercup rushed inside between Jane’s feet, and Marj and Bill stood in the doorway, holding an enormous party sandwich and a plate of homemade cookies.
“Come on in,” Jane said. “The game’s about to start.”
“We thought maybe it already had,” Marj said, stepping inside, “what with all the screaming we heard over here just a minute ago. What did we miss?”
Jane nodded toward Caleb on the couch. “Caleb’s album is halfway up the iTunes Top One Hundred chart.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Marj said, hugging Jane. “You two deserve this so much.”
“Congratulations, Caleb,” Bill called into the living room.
Caleb looked up from the laptop. “Oh, thanks, Bill. I still can’t believe it.”
“Well, it’s a great album, so I’m not surprised.” Then Bill took Marj’s hand in his and looked at Jane. “We have some good news of our own. Tell them, honey.”
Jane's Harmony (Jane's Melody #2) Page 30
