Hotbox

by Delia Delaney

  Shawn made his way over, his face questioning why she’d pulled him away from the two girls he was with. Then he saw Nick and laughed. “Oh, no way! What are you doing here?” he asked as he slapped his hand and gave him a hug.

  “I was invited,” he replied, smiling at Jayden. “At least someone keeps in contact,” he scowled at Shawn. “Why won’t you send me your stuff?”

  Shawn paused for a second, and then looked at Jayden suspiciously. I was worried that he was going to make a scene, but instead, he just shrugged it off. “Maybe when I’m completely done. Or…completely happy with it.”

  “We’re here until tomorrow night if you want to jam,” Nick told him. “Apparently someone else is busy tomorrow,” he accused Jayden with a smile.

  “Hey, priorities,” she shrugged, sliding her arm around me.

  It helped build my confidence a bit.

  Shawn and Nick talked for a few more minutes until one of Shawn’s techies came to him with a problem. He agreed to a time that Nick could meet up with him the next day, and then made his way toward the stage.

  Nick turned to Jayden and shook his head. “ ‘Crazy Train’? That was…crazy,” he laughed. “I am blown away! That was insane!”

  “I simplify some of it,” she smiled with a shrug.

  Nick made a noise of disbelief. “Yeah, right. I couldn’t even tell. Why can’t you take that talent on the road?”

  “I don’t want to,” she said, like she’d said it a million times.

  “I know, I know. But I wish you’d reconsider. Uh, Rod was just as impressed with you as he was Shawn,” he told her, lowering his voice. “You would be so successful, Jay, I swear…”

  With a smile she said, “If it didn’t consist of touring and being on stage…”

  “Then just record the album,” he replied, but he was smiling, like he already knew one couldn’t come without the other. “Well, we’re about to start working on our next album in October. Please tell me you’ll lay some tracks for me?” He gave her an expectant face.

  She laughed but shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ll let you know when the time comes, I guess.”

  “Fair enough,” he nodded. “Oh by the way, the wife says hi.”

  He was married? It didn’t really occur to me but…yeah, I guess he had a ring on his finger. My body seemed to relax a little. I didn’t know why I felt so insecure.

  “Tell her hi from me, as well,” Jayden replied. “How’s she feeling?”

  “A lot better this time,” he nodded.

  “They’re about to have their second baby in a few months,” Jayden informed me.

  “Oh, congratulations,” I offered. “What do you have already? A boy? Girl?”

  “A boy. He’s one-and-a-half.”

  “His name is Sam,” Jayden told me. “And you believe you’re having a girl next, right?” she asked him.

  “That’s what I’m told.”

  Shawn rejoined us and told Jayden it was time to go, so Nick said that they’d be watching the show nearby and that he’d catch up with them afterward.

  When it was time for them to go back on stage, Jayden’s nerves returned.

  “How come?” I asked her. “You were just up there for over an hour and you were amazing.”

  “I don’t know,” she moaned, almost sounding embarrassed.

  “Hey, it’s okay.”

  “Isn’t there something I can take to get rid of my nerves?”

  “Yeah,” I chuckled, “but I don’t think we need you to be stoned on stage.”

  She laughed and lightly shoved me.

  When the last show began, I realized it was a much different crowd than before. Shawn came to life even more, interacting with the audience and joking with his band. He dealt with whistles and comments that were directed toward Jayden like it was nothing new. I was actually a little shocked by how bold some people were. When I’d heard her perform with Shawn for the first time at Zero, I guess it was a little similar. But I think I was so mesmerized by her talent, it didn’t really register at the time. Right then Shawn was talking to some guy about the proper way to tell a girl she was “hot.” The crowd was really entertained by his conversation with this guy.

  “And how old are you?” Shawn was asking him. He listened for a second and then repeated into the mic, “Nineteen. Well, we shouldn’t even be having this conversation, bro. You’re too young for Jayden.” It was quiet for a second. “How old is she?” Shawn repeated. With a laugh he turned to Jayden and asked, “Are you telling people your age this week, or not?” She only smiled at him. “Well buddy, I’ll help you out. I’m twenty-three and Jay’s just younger than I am.” He waited again. “That’s okay with you?” Shawn laughed, turning back to Jayden. “He’s fine with the age difference,” he informed her.

  This time she shrugged. “Sorry, but I’m not,” she smiled. “Besides, you’re forgetting one important detail,” she said to Shawn.

  “What’s that?” he asked. Then it must have “dawned on him” because he replied, “Ah, that’s right. She’s taken.” There were boos in the crowd and Shawn leaned his ear to listen to someone again. “No, she’s not married,” he replied. It was quiet for a moment and Shawn chuckled, turning to Jayden. “Then you’re not taken,” he relayed. The crowd laughed.

  I was worried that Jayden would be bothered with the comment, but she only smiled and replied, “Yes, I very much am. Anyways, let’s play some more.” She played a few notes on the guitar that gave away the next song, and the crowd redirected their interest back to the music.

  The rest of the show continued on somewhat the same way. Shawn had fun sharing a couple of stories in between songs. One was about his brother, and the other was about how he came up with the song they were about to play. The audience seemed to enjoy both. It was fun to hear them play more songs that everyone knew, ones that were more current and well known to the younger crowd, but I also enjoyed the original music that the band had created.

  I didn’t think the show could get any better than the last one, and I’m not sure if it actually was, but it was a completely different feel than the first one. Once again the music was incredible, but the energy in the crowd was a lot different. I couldn’t attribute it to any one thing; only that different music plus a different generation equaled an entirely new show.

  It was over after Shawn took another poll with the crowd to play one final song, and it was almost ten-thirty when Jayden found us. There was a crew packing up the stage for them and she was really relieved.

  “I’m so tired,” she said, leaning against me as we sat in the grass.

  I offered to take her home but she declined, stating that she was now very comfortable. After she spoke with her father one more time, we spent almost an hour with friends, just hanging out and talking. Nick—and Rhys, his drummer—joined us as well, but with his hood drawn and just a few lights that barely lit the park, no one even recognized him. Dozens of people had come by to talk to Jayden and her band mates. Shawn loved the attention, but Jayden seemed more intent on just being with her friends. She was very kind to everyone, but I could tell she liked getting to know people, not talking about herself or her talent.

  I took her home around midnight. I stood with her on the porch for a minute, told her how much I loved her, and then kissed her goodnight. I was looking forward to what she had planned for the next day. Whatever it was, she seemed pretty excited about it.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I got up around seven the next morning. Jayden told me to dress like I normally would, so I put on some baggy shorts and a t-shirt and topped it off with my baseball hat. I was tying my shoes when she came through the front door with a bright, vibrant smile.

  “Are you ready?” she almost sang.

  “Yes,” I laughed. “Sounds like you are.”

  “Definitely.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to hang out with Nick today?” I asked her for the third time.

  She eyed me carefull
y. “No,” she replied slowly. “Why, do you?”

  I shook my head. “No. But he came all this way to see you. Maybe you’d rather postpone our trip for today. I understand if you do.”

  “He came because of Shawn,” she told me again.

  “He came because you asked him to. I think he’s more interested in working with you.”

  She set her purse on the table and walked toward me. “Clue me in if you’re being jealous because I’m not quite sure.” Her little smile told me she wasn’t upset with me, but I could tell she was concerned.

  “I was jealous,” I admitted, “until I learned he was married.” She didn’t respond and waited for me to go on. “He just seemed…pretty fond of you.”

  “We’re friends,” she replied evenly.

  I let that knowledge sink in for a moment. “Okay,” I shrugged. “I’m just a jealous fool. But I guess if there’s been nothing between you…”

  “I didn’t say that,” she smiled. At first I thought she was kidding, just trying to get me going for being so worried about it. But she sat down on the couch, instructing me to sit with her. “I had a working relationship with Nick three years ago. We became good friends, and after the songs were done…I guess we went out a few times. But nothing came of it,” she shrugged. “His life was in L.A. or on the road, and I really liked him as a friend instead, so we just kept in touch for a while. He got married and had Sam… And that’s that.”

  “By ‘nothing came of it’ you mean…”

  “I mean we gave up the whole ‘friends with benefits’ idea.” This time I knew she was joking because of her smile.

  I rolled my eyes at her and she laughed.

  “Okay, so there was no relationship like that between the two of you because of…well, because of what I know about you, but…did he kiss you?”

  After a brief pause she answered, “Yes, we’ve had that kind of relationship.”

  “And you guys still talk? What about his wife? She doesn’t care? I think I’d be pretty worried if he had a friend that looked like you.”

  “What would she have to worry about? She’s a model—for real—and she’s drop dead gorgeous. Besides,” she added, changing her tone, “I don’t like that you think I would ever come between them—”

  “I don’t think that,” I said, completely apologetic. “I’m really sorry. I guess the whole situation just kind of…surprised me. I think you underplayed how well you know him, so it just threw me off a little to see how comfortable he was around you.”

  She actually seemed guilty about it. “I’m sorry, Ty. I do underplay it, I’ll admit that, but it wasn’t to keep anything from you. I just…keep indifferent about it because I don’t even want people to know. I guess I was just in that cautious mode—out of habit. When Nick came to town a few times to see me, it was already rumored that we were dating. Some of the people around here got…a little carried away. Then of course everyone claimed that he dumped me for a supermodel,” she laughed. With a shrug she added, “Oh, well.”

  “So how is it that Shawn knows him so well, yet you were the one that had to get Nick here with his manager?”

  “Oh, that’s kind of a long story,” she smiled. “Can we go, though? I’ll tell you about it, but we can’t be late.”

  I agreed and she began telling me about it as we got in the car.

  I still had no clue where we were going. Even with all the prodding and prying I’d done, she still wouldn’t divulge anything. We had breakfast at her favorite diner, and then we ended up somewhere I was least expecting.

  “The train station?” I glanced around while she continued to smile. “So we really are going out of town, huh?”

  “Yep. But not too far,” she shrugged.

  We left her car in the parking lot and boarded the Amtrak. She was always holding my hand, no matter where we were. I absolutely loved it. As we were waiting in the aisle to find our seats, she stood very closely in front of me while she held both of my hands. The back of her head was at my chin, but I couldn’t resist finding the side of her face to kiss her cheek. It made her smile and she squeezed my hands tightly.

  It didn’t take long to find out we were heading to Seattle. I read it on the board outside, but I wasn’t really sure until the destination and duration of the trip were announced soon after we sat down.

  “We’re going to Seattle for the day?”

  “Yes,” she smiled.

  “Cool. That sounds fun. I like it.”

  “Good.”

  The ride was new to me. I admitted that I’d never been on a train before and she was shocked. She said that she and Cali do this at least once a year, usually to go shopping. But she assured me she wasn’t going to drag me around town on a shopping trip.

  “I’d let you drag me anywhere,” I told her. “If you want to shop, shop away.”

  “Nah, not this time. But I might take you up on that some other time.”

  The time easily passed, and before I knew it, the train came to a stop for us to unload. I looked at my watch and it was almost eleven. When I glanced out the window I realized where we actually were. Jayden was watching me as we stepped off the train and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “You’re taking me to a Mariners game, aren’t you,” I stated, nodding my head. “Very cool.”

  “Please tell me you’ve been to a Mariners game before,” she smiled. “I don’t want to have to explain it to you.”

  With a laugh I said, “Yes, I’ve been here a few times.”

  “With your dad?” she tried as we were walking toward Safeco Field.

  “Oh, hell no. My dad never took me anywhere. I came with baseball teams a few different times, and with a few buddies here and there.”

  She nodded as we walked the distance from the train station to the ballpark. She informed me that we were an hour early so we could take our time and walk around for a little bit. Thirty minutes before the game, we sat down. Our seats were above first base, three rows up.

  “Okay, I’ve never been this close to the field,” I had to admit.

  “Oh? I’ve never even been here, so I just got the best tickets I could find.”

  I was a little surprised. “Never?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I’ve been to a few games in Portland with Matt to watch the Beavers, and to Tacoma to watch the Rainiers, but I’ve never actually been to a major league game. Matt was a little jealous when I told him where we were going. I figure if we go again, maybe we can invite him and Stacie.”

  For the next few hours we watched the Mariners play the Angels. Baseball had been my life as of two months ago. Since then I had watched a few games on TV, but now I was really missing it. I wondered if Jayden knew that. We had still been discussing the possibility of a career in baseball, but it had sort of been pushed to the back burner. I think I was too content with how my life currently was. If I could rid myself of Olevsky’s influence, marry Jayden and have a family, I knew I would be a very happy man. I didn’t feel like I needed baseball anymore, but it was still hard to stop thinking about.

  Being at a game that day brought up the subject all over again. Jayden was never pushy, but she insisted that I try if it was something I really wanted. We discussed it again, but she could sense that my interest had dwindled. She left it alone and didn’t say anything further, but I decided I should share how I really felt.

  “I’m really happy with how things are right now,” I told her. “I guess my priorities have changed, and although you’ve always been number one, now you’ve become one, two, and three.”

  With that she laughed. “Well, I support you in anything you do—”

  “I know, and that’s what makes it hard.”

  “So you just need to do what feels right for you.”

  What was right for me was to marry her. I felt very strongly about that. I wished I could know if that was going to happen. Right now it was the only thing I knew I wanted to happen.

  When the game was over we wa
lked a mile-and-a-half to Pike Place Market. We had four hours before we needed to catch the train going back home. It was routine for Jayden to buy a few things from the market each time she came, so we strolled along slowly and she shared different experiences that she’d had in the city before. She told me some funny stories about her friends, one being how they’d all taken Shawn to the Children’s Museum for the day.

  “He loved it,” she laughed. “It was right up his alley.”

  I’d grown up living closer to Seattle than she had, but she had definitely experienced the city way more than I had. She also seemed to know all the music spots, including the one we were now passing. She’d been there several times for different concerts.

  We spent some time at Waterfront Park and Pioneer Square, and it was turning dusk when we boarded the train. Jayden laid her head against me and actually fell asleep for the last forty minutes of the ride. She woke up as the train was slowing into the station, feeling guilty that she had neglected me.

  “Nah, when everyone told me how cute you looked sleeping, I proudly told them you were my wife and we were expecting twins.”

  She laughed as I took her keys to drive us home.

  Monday I got the call I had been waiting for. I was surprised it came so soon, but I was very grateful. Kristof wanted to meet with me when I got off of work, so I left before five that day because I was anxious to hear whatever it was he had to say. I was hoping for the best, but if he told me that my request was going to be denied, I had no idea how I was going to take it.

  I met him at Perdita’s again while he was eating dinner. He asked how my weekend was, so I explained the music festival at the lake and our trip to Seattle. He smiled the entire time, seeming to enjoy my report. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to have to wait for his decision, but I decided to indulge him in whatever he wanted to know.

  “Jayden seems to take very good care of you,” he noted.

  “She does,” I agreed.

  He took a bite of food and silently chewed. After he swallowed he said, “She’s a very talented musician as well.”