“I normally have drinks with Jason on Christmas,” he explained. “It’s not really plans, but…he kind of makes me do it.”
“Oh, well, okay.” I shrugged. “I just thought I’d ask.”
“Okay. Thanks?” he said it in the form of a question, and my heart flipped upside down.
“Yup. Thanks again for the coffee. I hope you have a great day.” I opened the front door.
“Maybe he and his fiancée, Kelly, can come too?”
When I turned around, Elliott’s eyes were still on me, and in those eyes, I saw something I hadn’t seen from him since I’d been back in town—hope. “Of course. The more the merrier.”
“My mom will want to help cook,” he told me.
I smirked. “Good, because I’ll need all the help I can get.”
“What time?”
“Um, how about noon?” I asked.
Was he actually agreeing to come?
“Sounds good. I’ll spread the word, and we’ll be there.”
“Thanks, Eli.” I gave him a smile, and I wasn’t certain if he realized his slip-up, but he one hundred percent gave me a smile back.
“Snow, breathe.” Ray laughed as I moved through the apartment like a mad woman on Christmas Day. I kept setting and re-setting the dining room table—the napkins needed to be folded perfectly, and the silverware needed to shine.
“I just want everything to be perfect,” I told him, double-checking that all the food was in the right place for Laura to help me prepare the meal.
“It will be perfect,” he told me, standing on a small step ladder to re-hang the mistletoe that kept falling every other day. “It’s already perfect. Just breathe.”
I complied, and when I released the breath, it caught in my throat as the doorbell rang. “Ohmygosh, they’re early! They weren’t supposed to be here until twelve!” I exclaimed, racing my hands through my hair.
Ray snickered and put the ladder away. “It’s eleven-fifty-three.” He walked over to me as I hurriedly removed my apron, revealing my black Christmas dress. His hands slammed against my shoulders, and he shook me gently. “Breathe.”
I let out a breath then rushed to the front door. As I opened it, I saw a smiling Laura pushing TJ in a wheelchair. “Merry Christmas!” She smiled brightly, wheeling TJ inside. Jason and Kelly followed right behind them, holding Tupperware containers in their hands. “Sorry we’re early.”
“What? Are you? I didn’t even notice,” I replied, shrugging nonchalantly as Ray chuckled in the background.
“I brought spiked eggnog!” Jason exclaimed, his voice dripping with pride.
“Don’t drink that, unless you want to die a slow death,” Kelly joked.
“Duly noted.” I smiled, glancing out the door. “Where’s Elliott?”
“He’s just parking the car. The main road was pretty packed, so he drove around,” Laura explained.
When I turned to Jason and Kelly, they were frozen solid, staring at Ray with their jaws on the floor. I snickered seeing their reaction. “Everyone, this is my dad, Ray Gable. Ray, this is everyone.” I went around introducing them all, and Ray shook each of their hands.
“It’s so nice to meet you all.” Ray smiled warmly. “I can take all your coats and put them in the guest room.”
“Holy shit!” Jason shouted, still stunned.
“Holy shit!” Kelly echoed, her mouth still open. “Your dad is Ray Gable?”
I smiled, seeing the small wave of pride that hit Ray. Being recognized by fans was the best Christmas gift he could ever receive. “Yeah, he is.”
“No need to make such a big deal about it.” Ray smirked, standing a bit taller than before. “I’m just a normal everyday person, like you. I use the bathroom and pump my own gas. Here, let me take your coats.”
Kelly giggled and started twirling her hair. “Oh, Ray.” She blushed, nudging him in the arm playfully.
Jason chuckled and twirled his short hair too, still starstruck. “Oh, Ray.” He blushed, also nudging him in the arm.
I hadn’t known Kelly for more than two seconds, but it was completely obvious that she and Jason were two peas in a pod. It was cute to see how alike the two were. “Does Elliott know your dad is Ray Gable? He’s your biggest fan,” Jason said, handing his jacket to Ray. “After me, of course.”
Kelly nodded rapidly. “Yeah, he’s totally your biggest fan,” she said, slipping out of her coat and handing it to Ray. “After me, of course.”
I could see it happening all too clearly: Ray’s ego expanding.
He turned to Laura for her jacket, and she smiled wide. “I’m sorry, I have no clue who you are,” she said sweetly, and that ego balloon of his? It popped even quicker than it had inflated.
“It’s okay,” Ray said, silently licking his wound. “I’m more of a midlister. I’m not Adam Levine.”
Laura’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I love Maroon 5! Do you know them?”
That made me giggle.
Laura and Kelly headed to the kitchen to set up and start preparing the meal while Ray tossed the coats into a room, and Jason pushed TJ into the living room.
“Merry Christmas.”
I turned to the door to see Elliott standing there with a bottle of champagne in his hand, wrapped in a bow.
My emotions began to swirl. “Merry Christmas.”
He took off his gray newsboy hat, followed by his black pea coat and scarf. He looked so handsome—handsome beyond words—and my heartbeat noticed. Elliott wore black slacks and a burgundy button-down dress shirt with black suspenders attached. The way the shirt hugged his muscular arms was enough to get any woman pregnant on sight.
“You look…” I started, but my words faded away. I blinked once and tried my best to move my stare away from his body, but it was harder than it seemed.
“You look…” he started, but his words trailed away, too, then he smiled. I smiled back. I was so happy we were to the place where we equally smiled at one another.
“Who do we have here?” Ray said, walking back over to the front door as I closed it behind Elliott.
“Ray Gable.” Elliott nodded, holding his hand out toward him. “There’s no way I’d forget you. Nice to see you again.”
“See me again?” Ray asked, confused.
“Yeah, um, we met him when we were kids. Remember the boy I used to play music with on the corner?” I asked.
Ray nodded, cocking an eyebrow. “Yeah, uh, did this guy…eat him or something?” he joked, referencing Elliott’s improved build.
We all laughed and laughed then Elliott and I just stood there staring at one another. I wondered if his heartbeats were as wild as mine.
“Okay, um, let me…” Ray squeezed into the space between Elliott and me. “I’ll take your coat, Elliott.”
We both broke our stare and cleared our throats.
“I’m gonna go help the girls in the kitchen,” I said, pulling myself away from the butterflies Elliott Adams always provoked in me.
“Yeah, uh, I’ll be in the living room,” Elliott said quickly, handing me the bottle of champagne.
The afternoon slowly came together. After an amazing meal, the guys all hung out around the television, but instead of football, the musicians were wrapped up in watching their favorite music concerts of all time on YouTube. The same way the average man discussed the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, those guys discussed Prince and Michael Jackson.
“They’re such nerds.” Laura laughed, tossing plates into the dishwasher. Just then TJ’s laughter filled the space, and it sent chills down our spines. “It’s good to see him smiling.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “I’m glad he’s enjoying himself.”
“Both of them,” she said, nodding toward Elliott, who wasn’t smiling as big as TJ, but still, the small smirk was visible.
“He looks a little happy, doesn’t he?” I asked.
She teared up and nodded. “Happier than I’ve seen him in a long time…because of you.”
She shook her head back and forth and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I wish you could see the way he looks at you when you’re not paying attention.”
“What?” I asked, baffled.
Kelly nodded. “I’ve known the guy for four years now, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen him look…I don’t know…” She shrugged. “Hopeful?”
“Even the fact that he’s in there talking about music… Years went by where he wouldn’t even mention it. He locked it away because it made him feel good, and Elliott didn’t think he deserved anything that made him feel good.”
I smiled as the three of us continued to clean up.
“Jasmine,” Elliott called me, nodding me over.
“Hey, is it time?” I whispered.
He nodded, glancing at his watch. “I think we should head over there so we aren’t late.”
“Sounds good.”
He cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention. “Excuse me, everyone, but I, um, Jasmine and I prepared a Christmas gift for TJ, and we’d like to present it now.”
TJ raised an eyebrow. “A gift? For me?”
“Yes. It’s just, it’s not here. We have to go to it. If everyone could meet us at Frenchmen Street in fifteen minutes, that would be perfect.”
Jason’s eyes bugged out and he walked over to me, lightly tugging on my arm. “Did he just say Frenchmen Street?”
“Yes. Why?”
He shook his head back and forth. “He hasn’t been to Frenchmen Street since Katie…” He dragged his hands over his face, shocked. “What kind of magical unicorn are you, woman?”
I laughed. “You know the corner TJ plays on?”
“Yes.”
“Can you make sure he’s sitting right there for us?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you, Jason.” I smiled.
“No,” he murmured in disbelief. “Thank you.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jasmine
I glanced around a building on Frenchmen Street, toward the corner where TJ normally performed, and I saw everyone was in place. As I turned back around, Elliott was right next to me.
“All set?” he asked.
“All set.”
He nodded then turned around to everyone else standing behind him. There were hundreds of people there, all holding instruments, ready to perform. In true New Orleans fashion, the second Elliott waved his hand, everyone began to play and march.
The street filled with celebration as we proceeded together, dancing in the streets, waving ribbons, and singing loud and proud in the name of one person: Theodore James. As we marched in his direction, chills raced up and down my spine. The energy of the night, of such a wonderful city was surreal.
The moment we reached TJ, he had tears in his eyes as he scanned the crowd. The hundreds of individuals were his students. He’d touched each and every one of their lives with music, had taught them how to play, how to express, how to soar. He’d helped every single one of them tap into their magic. He’d helped each person find their truth.
As the music went on, each person danced up to TJ and placed a key in his lap. Tears spilled down his cheeks as all his students gifted him with a key out of love, respect, and honor. He grew more and more overwhelmed as the keys began to pile up. They were a reminder to him that even through the hard times, he was never alone. Even through the darkness, he always had a home.
Whenever I thought of home, I didn’t think of a place; I thought of people, the ones who shaped us into the people we were meant to become, the ones who loved us with our scars and told us those scars were beautiful, the ones who allowed us to make mistakes and still loved us fully.
TJ’s home was large and filled with light, and that night, he felt it fully.
When the music slowed down, everyone cheered his name. Just as TJ was about to speak, Frenchmen Street was filled with a sound that sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Elliott and his saxophone.
My stare moved to him, stunned as he began to play.
His sounds were so painfully raw, so real. The way his fingers danced across the instrument and summoned the notes made me want to break down into tears. I kneeled next to TJ, giving him comfort as he grew overwhelmed listening to Elliott play. Ray embraced Laura as she, too, fell apart to her son’s music.
I was overtaken by memories of Elliott as he played. He was a million times better than I remembered, and I remembered his music with each note…his music that healed me when I was young and taught me what it meant to be beautifully sad…his music that had shown me my way six years before when I was lost.
His music made the world soar.
“It’s our song…” TJ whispered, squeezing my hand. “Etta James, ‘At Last’…it was our wedding song,” he cried. “Did you know he was going to play it?”
“No,” I told him. “I didn’t even know he planned to perform tonight.”
Oh, Elliott…
I stood up slowly and cleared my throat, walking over to stand beside him. I closed my eyes and began to sing along. My words fell into harmony with the notes and bars that danced from his saxophone. I became wrapped up in his sounds as my voice sang the breathtaking lyrics.
I let go fully, giving myself to the music, giving myself to Elliott Adams and his soul.
Once we finished, the streets filled with silence, and Elliott’s hazel eyes locked with mine. My heart was beating at unknown speeds, and I wondered if his was doing the same. He walked over to me, took my hand in his, and lightly squeezed it.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“Always,” I replied.
He then walked over to TJ, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a key. As he handed it to the closest man he had to a father, he smiled. “I know you think you lost your music after the stroke, TJ. I know you’re lost, but look around. Look at all these people here, all the lives you’ve changed, all the lives you’ve saved.” He took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes, they were filled with emotion. “You saved us all. You didn’t lose your music, Uncle TJ. Don’t you see?” Elliott explained, gesturing toward the crowd. “You are the music.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Elliott
“That was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” Kelly exclaimed as she, Jason, Jasmine, and I sat in the back booth of Daze. After celebrating TJ in the streets with everyone, the four of us were still wide awake and had headed over to the lounge to have drinks.
“I’ve never swooned so hard in my life,” Jason agreed, wrapping his arm around Kelly. “And, Jesus! Elliott, your music. It’s been too long since I’ve heard it.”
“And your voice, Jasmine!” Kelly squealed, sighing in pleasure as she poured more of Jason’s spiked eggnog into four shot glasses.
“Yeah, yeah! That voice,” Jason agreed. He lifted his shot in the air. “To Jasmine and Elliott!” he cheered.
We all lifted our glasses in the air.
Jasmine smiled my way and gently nudged me in the shoulder. “To your music.”
I tilted my head toward her. “To your voice.”
We took the shot down and before we knew it, we were having drink after drink, shot after shot, celebrating Christmas.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d celebrated anything.
Every now and then, Jasmine would check her cell phone. I’d noticed her checking it religiously all evening. Whenever she looked away, a flash of sadness would hit her, but she’d shake it off fast. Only I noticed, really, because I’d been spending the past weeks noticing her all the time.
I wondered what she was searching for on that phone.
Jason and Kelly did most of the talking. I’d never taken the time to really get to know Kelly, but the more I learned, the more I saw how the two were a perfect match. They thought the same way, laughed the same way, and loved each other out loud. They were the definition of
a public display of affection, and they displayed it nonstop.
“If you guys were wondering,” Kelly said, pouring herself and Jasmine red wine, taking a break from the eggnog. “Planning a wedding is the most stressful thing in the world.”
“Do you know how many different types of vanilla frosting there are at Cake & Pie Bakery?” Jason asked.
“Oh, oh!” Kelly laughed, tossing her hands up in the air. “You have no clue how many different types of vanilla frosting there are at Cake & Pie Bakery! Should we tell them how many?”
“Let’s tell them how many.”
“Thirty-four different types of vanilla frosting,” they said in unison.
“And we tried every single one,” Jason said.
“Even though we knew we were getting chocolate, but free frosting samples aren’t something anyone should pass up,” Kelly explained.
Jasmine laughed, and I loved the sound. “I’ve always wanted to pretend I was getting married so I could go eat cake.”
“Ohhh, do it! You have not lived until you’ve tried thirty-four different types of vanilla frosting,” Kelly replied. “But you know the worst part about planning a wedding?”
“The seating chart!” they said, again speaking in unison.
“Betty can’t sit next to Nancy because they both dated Eddie, and Eddie can’t be at a table that has seafood. Jackie can’t be near her sister, Sarah, because she got the house after their mom died, even though Sarah took care of the mom. Mark fucking hates Eva, and Eva’s awkwardly in love with Mark. Jane wants nothing to do with Rob because he voted for Trump, and Rob wants nothing to do with Harley because she’s still ‘feeling the Bern’ and has Vermont bumper stickers on her car. Don’t even think about putting the twins at the same table, because they are their own people and don’t want to be paired together for the rest of their lives.” Kelly talked and talked, and it was possible that she spoke even more than Jason did, which was shocking.
“It’s pretty exhausting, and not cheap at all,” Jason said, pulling her closer to him. “Let’s just elope.”
Behind the Bars Page 21
