“Then play your ass off. That’s all I need from you, Jonah.”
I slipped out of the chair and slammed out of the room while I still could.
I avoided Jonah for the rest of the afternoon. It was easy to do, considering Gay was shoving him so far up Jasper’s and Ariel’s ass I was surprised if he made it back out in time to perform. He showed up a little before six o’clock in the evening. I was in the dressing room, listening to music when he arrived. He motioned for me to remove the headphones. I momentarily considered ignoring the request, but ended up complying anyway. “I’m hungry,” he declared. “Let’s grab something.”
Immediately I shook my head. “Have you seen what she has me wearing tonight? I’m not eating anything.”
He opened the garment bag, revealing the black bodysuit. It zipped almost to the crotch, and there was a neon red bra hanging around the hanger, which was the only piece of underwear that could be worn with the skintight outfit, provided it was unzipped to the abdomen.
“You can’t wear this,” he said.
“Tell that to the boss,” I suggested, before going back to my music. He left the dressing room, which was fine by me. I needed to be alone.
Ten minutes later, however, he was back. He pulled off my earphones. “What are you doing?”
“Kidnapping you,” he said as he grabbed my wrist.
“What?”
“We need to eat. And you need to go shopping.”
We were at the mall within minutes. “She really gave you money to shop for me?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m spending this myself.”
I tried to pull back, but his fingers circled my wrist. “I can’t let you do that, Jonah.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “You can go back to the club and slip into that cat suit and walk out onto that stage looking for your stripper pole.” Our eyes met. “It’s all up to you.”
I took a deep breath. “Fine. But I pick the store.”
He grinned. “By all means,” he said, handing over the lead with the wave of his hand.
After stops in three of my favorite stores, I ended up with a pair of black leggings with lace, a red, cropped sweater that bared the skin on my stomach, but nothing else. I topped it off with a leather cadet cap, which I modeled it in front of the mirror. “Makes me want to cut all my hair off,” I remarked.
“Don’t you dare,” he murmured as he curled my hair around one strong finger. Our eyes met and held before I had to turn away.
We stopped for an early supper in the food court. He insisted on paying, which I immediately protested. “You really spent too much, Jonah.”
He just shrugged. “It’s only money.”
I laughed. “I’ll pay you back. I promise. But next time, let’s go to a flea market or a thrift store. They have the coolest stuff at half the price.”
“You need something to wear tomorrow,” he pointed out.
I gulped back a sip of water. “Yeah.”
“So meet me at the club at three o’clock. We’ll go to your thrift stores and then eat some crazy vegan food. It’ll be a hipster Sunday.”
“Jonah,” I began, but he wasn’t having it.
“I’m sorry about what happened with Jacinda,” he said at last. I couldn’t even look into his face. “I thought you had someone. You led me to believe you were taken.”
“I am,” I insisted.
“By a man,” he corrected softly. “And it was stupid. It was a pathetic substitute. I’d rather sing on that stage with you for five minutes than spend a thousand evenings with a thousand Jacindas.”
My stomach fluttered. I wanted to hear those words so badly, but it was stupid to get involved now. “Don’t say things like that, Jonah. Please. It doesn’t help anything. I’m no freer now than I was yesterday. My son is my priority. It goes Cody, then career. There’s no room for anything else.”
“I get that,” he said as he leaned toward me. “I’m not here to complicate things for you, Lacy. I just want to know you. You can drive the car. Just stop long enough to let me in.”
I simply shook my head. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
He offered me a shit-eating grin. “I never do. Otherwise I wouldn’t be performing in front of a major music producer in,” he glanced at his watch, “two hours.”
As strong as he was, I could see the trepidation. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” he admitted. “Are you?”
I thought about how much rode on this performance, and how many things complicated it. “A lot.” We laughed. I wanted to talk to him about it, to share with him the struggle, but it seemed counter-productive. He didn’t need to know the drama, he was nervous enough as it was. “I don’t know. It’s like… I waited all this time and jumped through all these hoops. It’s hard to believe that ‘the’ moment is actually here. You know?”
He nodded. “You’re going to blow everyone away.”
My body warmed to his words. “Thanks. For everything.”
He bestowed that winning smile. “Anytime.”
Our nerves got even worse as we headed back to the club. Even Gay was out of sorts as we all headed to the stage. We finally sent the cue to the booth. Jacinda’s voice boomed through the club. “Welcome to Southern Nights, y’all! Give a rowdy welcome to our very own Blaze, featuring Jonah ‘Magic Fingers’ Riley on lead guitar!”
I gulped hard. I knew that barb was meant for me. I knew that she was trying to get me to blow the best chance I had ever had to win over Jasper Carrington.
I was going to show her. I was going to show all of them.
The lights hit us and we smiled and waved toward the crowd. Then I glanced at Jonah, counting down so we could start the show. The band filled in softly behind us, as I sang the familiar tune, building slowly to a crescendo with just my voice alone.
The crowd loved it, especially their beloved Gay, who tore up that honky tonk piano until every person in the joint was on their feet. The festive atmosphere invigorated me. I hopped off my stool and danced for the crowd, which drove the fans crazy. Jonah did his part to charm the ladies down front, including the two groupies he had spoken to the night before. Everyone was on their feet, crushing toward the stage, as we finished the first song.
“That’s our very own Gay Hollis on the piano, y’all,” I told the crowd. Gay waved and blew kisses to the rowdy crowd.
“We’re going to slow it down a bit,” I said as Jonah and I sat back on our stools. “We’re going to talk about love.”
A guy in the back screamed, “We love you, Lacy!” It made me chuckle softly.
“So you know what I’m talking about. And I know you know what I’m talking about when I tell you sometimes love is hard. Sometimes it hurts so bad all you want to do is reach out and hold someone. Touch someone.”
I watched the men in the audience nod their approval. They liked the sound of that.
“This song is about that,” I said, nodding towards Gay, who played the piano intro. The bassist joined her, and Jonah added his guitar after that. I sang the lyrics that had come to mean so much in such a short period of time. Every time I glanced at Jonah, I felt every single word down to my very soul. He sang back with feeling. God, I wanted to believe him.
It only added to the angst of the song.
Gay played us out. The crowd hollered their praise. “Thank you!” I called out. I stood, as did Jonah, as crew members raced the stools off stage. “It is my honor to welcome a new addition to our band.” I glanced at Jonah with a teasing, furrowed brow. “What was it, ‘magic fingers’?” I asked and he shrugged. “Please give a warm welcome to Jonah Riley everybody.”
The girls screamed loud as he took center stage. I knew he was nervous but he hid it well. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the song. When he opened his eyes again, he was rewarded by a receptive audience hanging on his every word. He zoned in on a woman old enough to be his mother. He sang directly to her until she blush
ed and looked away.
I knew that he had just made her night. In a crowd full of young girls clamoring for his attention, certain they would get it, he made her feel special.
It only made me love him more. I hardly minded at all singing backup for him the way I had sung for Tony Paul all those years ago.
Jonah gave me a victorious smile as he finished the song. “Magic fingers, indeed,” I told the crowd. “Lucky guitar,” I said with a wink.
Finally, it was time to end our set. “All right, y’all. You know what time it is,” I said. “It’s time to join together with the band.”
We ended our set with a rocking anthem that had everyone singing along. They screamed loud for an encore minutes after we left the stage. Jonah picked me up and spun me around. I was breathless and elated as he set me back on my feet. Gaynell was just as pleased as she joined us. “Now that’s a show!” she declared.
She didn’t have anything at all to say about my outfit.
Instead she sent bottles of champagne backstage to celebrate our triumph. Jonah toasted me and I returned it. I took a few sips before I took my leave. He caught up with me after I changed. “Leaving so soon?”
“I have to,” I said and he nodded.
“See you tomorrow?” he asked.
I took a deep breath as I stared into those bright, hopeful eyes. “See you at three,” I promised.
I was confident about my decision until I told my mother that I had to be at the club a little earlier the next day. She wouldn’t have questioned it. I was working ten-hour days as it was. But it still felt dishonest. I wasn’t really working the next afternoon. It was the closest thing I’d had to a date in years.
I was so nervous that I got up early, changed my outfit six times and even applied makeup.
It was the makeup that was the dead giveaway.
“Where are you going all dressed up?”
I turned to face her. “Just having lunch with a friend.”
Her eyebrow arched. “Another friend, huh?”
“Same friend,” I admitted.
“I see,” she said as she lifted Cody up into his high chair. She didn’t say anything for a long time, which was even worse than the lecture I was expecting.
“So let me have it,” I finally said when I could stand it no longer.
Mama opened the refrigerator to pull out some juice for Cody. “What’s there to say? You’re going to do what you want to do. You’re a grown woman now, it’s not like I can stop you.”
“That’s never stopped you before,” I pointed out.
She sighed as she filled the sippy cup. “All the lectures in the world never stopped you, either. Just like it never stopped me. Just like it never stopped your grandma.” She smiled at Cody as she handed him his drink, along with some graham crackers she had smeared with peanut butter. Finally she turned to face me. “I had hoped that becoming a parent would have changed some things for you.”
“That’s not fair,” I said softly. “I’ve devoted my life to Cody. Everything I do is for Cody. Even singing at Southern Nights.”
She sat at the table. “So you’ve said.”
I joined her. “Mama, you weren’t there last night. You don’t know how close we are. Things are happening. Big things. Wonderful things. I just wish you would trust me.”
She took my hands in hers. “And I wish you’d see why I can’t. I’ve heard all this before.”
I gulped hard. “I know. But I’m not daddy.”
She looked away, tears bright in her eyes. “Enjoy your date,” she said softly as she turned back to Cody. I kissed my son’s head before I headed out the door.
Chapter Eighteen
I arrived after Jonah, so I parked my car next to his truck. I joined him at his window, where he immediately offered to drive.
I laughed. “You’d better. I’m on fumes as it is.”
I directed him to SoCo, the hipster district located on South Congress Avenue. We parked and walked most of the way down the eclectic neighborhood. He slid me a teasing glance. “I thought you were some kind of emo skater girl. Turns out you’re a hippie.”
I held up the peace sign with two fingers. “Groovy, man. Far out.”
He laughed. “Now this feels like Austin,” he said when we passed a funky little shop.
“Keepin’ it weird,” I agreed as we entered the shop and browsed through the merchandise. Live music played from the street.
“You ever played down here?” he asked.
I chuckled. “Briefly.”
“What does that mean?”
“Let’s just say I have a bit of a reputation and leave it at that.”
“I’m afraid I can’t leave it at that,” he said in a horrible French accent. “In order to know how to dress you, I need to know who you are.”
I giggled. “Well, according to rumors, let’s see.” I kept track on my fingers as I ticked off all my labels. “I’m a whore. I’m a bitch. I’m hard to work with. I’m an opportunist. Oh, and the best one, I’m a baby mama looking for a rich sugar daddy. That one is my fave.”
God bless him, he did his best to keep the mood light. In the same accent, he said, “I’m not sure I know what kind of outfit that would demand.”
I gave him a pointed look. “Apparently it’s a black bodysuit and a red bra.”
“Come on, now,” he drawled softly. “If Gay didn’t think you had star potential, why would she have hired you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I dismissed at once, turning my focus to a sleeveless short dress in navy blue. “What about this one?”
“Try it on,” he said, so I escaped into the dressing room. I slipped into the dress and then walked out into the store to model it for him. The shop girl completed the outfit with funky, colorful accessories. “Bag it up,” he told her.
“No, Jonah,” I protested at once. “That’s almost a hundred dollars.”
“So? We get paid tonight. It’s all good.”
The shop girl took the purchases to the register. I touched his arm with my hand and spoke softly, “I don’t want to owe you.”
He leaned against the counter. “The way I see it, I wouldn’t be able to buy these things if it weren’t for you. I owe you.”
We ended up at a cantina for a late lunch/early dinner. He suggested margaritas but I shook my head. “Just water for me, thanks. Gotta protect the vocal chords. Something you have to consider now,” I pointed out.
He shrugged. “I’m no singer.”
“Tell that to our near sold-out crowd last night,” I chuckled.
“Please,” he dismissed. “You’re the star. Not me. I’m just collecting a check, that’s all.”
It was more than that and we both knew it. “But you love it,” I said. “And you’re good at it. You could have a career if you really wanted it.”
His mood inexplicably darkened so I changed the subject. “When did you start singing?”
“I was playing before I could say complete sentences,” he said. “Daddy never shooed me away from his shiny guitar, so I grabbed it every chance I got. According to my parents, anyway,” he added with a smile. “He loved music and he played, so I guess I just wanted to be like him. I don’t think that ever changed, even when he died a few months ago. I still want to be my father’s son.”
So that was why his mood took a nosedive. He had suffered a major loss recently. How the hell had he managed to rebound with this surprising new career so well? “I’m sorry, Jonah.”
He shrugged. “We had to move from the farm to the city just to make ends meet. I met you that same week.”
My eyes opened wide. “So you’re, like, literally right off the farm?”
“Right down to my dirty boots,” he replied, showing me the scuffed shit-kickers in question.
I grabbed the shopping bag and started to rise from the table, but he pulled me back. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get a refund and give you your money back.”
H
e pulled me back to the chair. “Lacy, sit.” The look in his eyes held no room for argument. Finally I sighed and sat back down. “We have the same goal here. We both want to do right by our families. The way to do that? Kick ass during our performances. We’ve got at least six weeks to make an impression on that Jasper Carrington character. If we can do that, you can pay me back with interest if you want. Until then, consider it a gift, one band mate to another.”
I eyed him carefully. “If you’re sure.”
“Don’t you know about us country boys? We never say anything unless we’re sure.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Let’s just say I’m not used to men in general shooting me straight.”
He nodded. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”
I offered another shrug. “We all have our sob stories to tell.”
“So tell me a good story,” he said as our tacos were delivered to the table.
I thought about it for a moment. “Cody learned how to sing his first song,” I admitted with a proud smile.
“’Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’?” he asked with a grin of his own.
“’Free Bird’,” I corrected, flashing the horns with my fingers like a true rocker chick. He laughed. “So what’s yours? Tell me one of your good stories.”
Without any hesitation he said, “I’m at lunch with the prettiest girl in Austin.” He toasted me with his glass of water. Off my look, he added, “Shooting you straight, darlin’. One-hundred percent.”
We arrived at the club a little before six, having spent much of the afternoon prowling SoCo. He didn’t buy anything else, but I spent my last five dollars on a stuffed frog for my son’s collection. “Cody likes frogs,” I confessed in a sheepish grin. He responded by giving me a friendly side hug.
I changed into my new outfit, finishing the look with pigtails and bright makeup. I saw a little bit of the eighteen-year-old I used to be staring back at me in the mirror. “Gay is going to hate it,” I promised.
He put my hands on my shoulders. “Just play the crowd. Show it doesn’t matter if you show skin.”
Southern Rocker Chick Page 24
