“They are sweet, though. Very down to earth.”
“Yeah, just wish they could stay longer.”
Patty smiled in sympathy at her. “I know Sweet Pea. Be strong.”
“Excuse me, Miss Patty. Could we borrow you?” Sawyer called from their little huddle. He had laid on the country swagger pretty thick. Usually he kept that smile and drawl for the stage.
Aveline watched with interest as they made room for her boss to join them and then explained whatever shenanigans they had been coming up with. Probably something to do with getting her out of there for a few hours. Whatever the idea was, Greer had agreed wholeheartedly. He kept smiling at her but now he was on his phone talking and nodding. Continuing the plans. Patty would never go along with it. There was too much work to do and that swag didn’t work on her. Patty could see through bullshit. It’s why she made an excellent boss.
“What the…”
Sawyer and Patty shook hands.
Now Aveline frowned. What exactly was going on over there?
Patty pointed to different areas around the store and then the guys split. Sawyer and Rory went to the front and started to put together boxes while Jason headed to the storage room. “We just got a few more helping hands,” Patty said proudly as she came back to Aveline.
“What?”
“These fine gentlemen have offered to help pack and move everything.”
Aveline narrowed her eyes. “In exchange for what?”
Patty laughed. “You know them well. They will help us as long as you get the next two days off. Since we are closed anyway, I figured it was a good deal.”
“But what about tomorrow?” They were going to work on the new floor plan while the carpeting was being replaced.
Patty waved away her concern. “It’s not important. We’ll put it back the way it is now and we’ll change things up another time.”
“But who will you get to put everything back?”
“Jerry. That’s what husbands are for. Plus, I have Kylie scheduled to help on Sunday.”
Greer had walked over, his phone call over, and pulled her into his chest. “It’s all settled. You are coming to Atlanta with us.”
“Excuse me?” Hold up. Did he not remember all of her obligations? Sure they fixed the whole work thing— without asking her—but she had her mom to figure out and Rob to talk to. Aveline also had an interview for a waitressing position on Sunday at a diner.
“I’ve got a nurse set up for your mom. Rob is fixing it up and I’m paying for it. Don’t fuss. I’m stealing you away so I pay.” Greer smirked. “Rob also says that you don’t want to work at that diner because you can do better and they sell crack in the back alley.”
Aveline bit her tongue. She didn’t like being handled. “Don’t you think you should have asked me before going ahead with everything?”
Patty took a few steps back and then walked off to give them some privacy. Greer watched her go and then put a hand on Aveline’s arm and pulled her back toward the dressing rooms. “See, if I asked you about the plan then you would have found even more reasons not to do it. Spontaneity is not your strong suit. But that’s why you have me.” He grinned that devilish smile that could get him off of murder. “I keep you on your toes and make life interesting.”
He may have a point but that didn’t mean she had to like it. “Greer, I can’t just up and leave.”
“Yes, Baby,” he said, his eyes softening with understanding. “You can.”
Every time she did this. Every damn time she was left debating on whether she should go or stay. Live life or handle her responsibilities. When would she find that balance? Was there even a balance to be found?
“Ava, you can say no if you want to. But you want to come, I can see it all over your face. It’s ok to get out and be free every now and then. You don’t have to do it all alone, not anymore. Let me pay for a nurse and come with us to Atlanta. Please?”
She pursed her lips but nodded. “Yeah, ok. But no more going around me to get your way.”
Greer ignored that last part and kissed her. Soon she was smiling. Once she accepted that she had no control in this situation and that she just had to go with the flow, things got a lot easier. The guys kept them laughing for hours. Never had she had so much fun at work before. It didn’t take long for Rory and Sawyer to go from dutiful workers to runway models. As Sawyer, Greer, Aveline and Patty worked on packing and dismantling, they were given a drag show to remember.
“I really think you missed your calling,” she told Rory after Sawyer told them all to get back to work. He still had on an emerald green dress and white sunglasses so it was hard to take him seriously.
“You may be right. If this band thing doesn’t work out I’ll come here and steal your job.”
“How about you open a men’s version of this and I can come work for you?” Aveline handed him a loaded box and got to work on the empty one at her feet.
“Hmmmm,” he said as he thought it over. “Maybe. Not sure it’d be worth it. This librarian book worm thing you have going on is adorable and all, but I don’t need Greer punching me every time one of my customers hits on you.”
She nodded. He had a point.
They were three hours into it when Sawyer’s phone started to ring. All of the merchandise was packed away and they were working on the last of the fixtures. Greer told him to ignore it, which he did, but by the third call they were all getting annoyed.
“What?” he barked after caving and answering it. Jason let out a groan.
“We need another hour. No. Well, I don’t care. Tell them to go ahead. Yeah. Fine, ok, but we’ve got a bit more work here. None of your business. Uh huh. Right, well we’ll see you in Atlanta.” He hung up and set his phone on silent. “We have to get moving here. Aveline do you need to go home before we leave?”
“Yes, I-”
“No she doesn’t,” Patty interrupted. Aveline frowned at her. “Grab what you need from here. Lord knows you have enough comp money racked up that you never use.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Go scavenge while we finish up.”
Greer helped her from the floor where she had been sorting through wall brackets. Together they went to the back and began hunting down clothing in all the boxes they had just packed.
“Probably should have done this as we put all this away.”
“Probably,” she agreed.
Greer seemed to know what he was looking for. He would open a box, sift through it a bit then grunt and move on. Aveline would follow and pull a few items out before taping the box back together.
“Ah hah! Here it is.” Greer pulled a navy hi-lo dress from the box and held it triumphantly. It was one she had admired when it came in but she had no need for something so dressy. “My sweet Aveline, would you care to accompany me on a date when we get to Atlanta?”
She smiled. They had never gone on an official date before. “Really?”
He tossed the dress in her pile. “Yeah, I want to dress you up and show you off.” He tugged her in for a kiss and then spun her around and dipped her. “And I want to dance.”
She laughed, feeling way out of her league. The most experience she had with dancing with another person was swaying back and forth at the prom to the one slow song they played. All of her dancing experience was of the line variety.
Seeing the apprehension her face, Greer added, “Don’t worry, I’ll lead,” and spun her around again.
Chapter Seventeen
Being on the road with Rusted and Reckless was becoming one of her favorite things. Not just because of the Greer factor but because she really did love the rest of them. Jason was the best friend. His loyalty was to Greer but he went out of his way to make her feel included. Rory was the one with all the inappropriate jokes and had no filter once he got started. Sawyer was the old soul who watched everything with a smirk on his face but always ready to jump in if things got out of hand. He participated in their shenanigans but to Aveline
, it looked like he held back. On their drive to Atlanta she had heard him on the phone calling hospitals and rehabs. It always went back to Nix with him and her heart broke watching him fight for his lost brother.
There were two shows in Atlanta, neither of them were that night, though. After checking into the hotel, Greer had handed her the garment bag with her dress and told her to be ready by seven. Aveline had laughed in his face. He seriously thought she needed three hours to get ready? HAH! Shower, hair and makeup would take her an hour, tops.
Still, he left her to primp. So after doing all of those things she still had enough time to sit down and watch the majority of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on TV. As much as she was looking forward to their date, Aveline would have been quiet content to sit and watch the HP marathon too.
“You ready?” Greer asked knocking on the door and swiping his keycard with at beep.
“I am,” she replied from her spot on the bed. She turned off the TV, scooted from the bed and adjusted her dress. When she looked up it was to Greer smiling at her, taking every inch of her in.
“You look beautiful.” When he said it, so full of sincerity and awe, she felt beautiful.
“Thank you. You clean up well.” He did. He really did. Greer wore a charcoal suit with a black shirt, no tie and black boots that clicked on the tile of the foyer. It was simple, understated and very much Greer. He was a no fuss guy when it came to clothes.
“Ready?” he asked, his smile brilliant and beautiful.
She nodded and grabbed her bag.
She had expected fancy considering how they were dressed and all but what she got was a dive bar. Greer assured her that he meant to come here and pulled her inside. It was a full on country bar. There were people dancing to a live band, a big wooden bar that took up the length of the place, open rafters and a floor worn with age and dancing. The bartender whistled at them and pointed to a small grouping of tables. One of them had a reserved sign on it.
“That’s us,” he said and steered her in that direction.
“Are we overdressed?” she asked in a low voice.
He laughed. “Here? Not at all. As long as your money’s good, Molly will let anyone through the doors. The food is excellent, the drinks are cold and the music is the best in town. We got started in places just like this back home and even played here a time or two.”
“Really?” Aveline now looked around with more interest.
He nodded. “Yep. I always stop in when I’m in town.”
“You two need some time?” a waitress asked. Aveline hadn’t seen her come up. She opened her menu but Greer spoke before she could get past the appetizers.
“Two specials. I’ll have a lager and she’ll have a cider. Tell Molly it’s for Greer.”
The waitress nodded. “She already knows you’re here. I’ll be back with the beer.”
Aveline wanted to know what the specials were, she hadn’t seen a board when they came in but Greer was standing and pulling her to her feet. “Let’s dance,” he said excitedly. She had no other choice but to follow as her tugged her through the crowd to the dance floor.
True to his promise, Greer did lead. He pulled her right in close and snagged a few kisses as well. As his hand slid to her waist, he gathered her right hand in his. Aveline looked around to all the other people dancing who looked like they knew what they were doing. Her eyes met Greer’s. Hesitation meeting eagerness. “You ready?” he asked swaying them back and forth.
Aveline nodded and at once, they were in the swing of things. In middle school, they did a whole dance segment in gym class. She had to learn to waltz, swing dance, line dance and two step. It had been ten years since she last did anything more than a sway or grind. Greer pulled her along adding little encouragements as they went. Once she stopped looking at her feet and found the courage to look up, he wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a spin. When she faced him again, her smile ignited with pleasure.
“Fun, ain’t it?”
Oh, it was. Aveline laughed as much as she smiled. They spun around, dipped, two stepped and just had fun without caring who watched. Greer spun her a little too enthusiastically one time and her skirt flared up to the point where she felt a breeze. Aveline’s face turned red when they came together again. Greer held her close, his mouth right beside her ear and said, “I’m having a problem. See on one hand I hope that you are wearing some big white panties that cover and hide what is mine, but on the other, I hope it’s something skimpy, like a lacy little thong, so I can show off what a sexy girlfriend I have.”
His words changed the red of her cheeks from embarrassment to lust. “Such a conundrum you face.”
“Such is life,” he said with a sigh and spun her again. This time they came together back to front. He kissed her neck as her arms crossed her body in a hug.
“Would you like to know?” Aveline asked, their bodies swaying in sync with one another.
His hands traveled down to her ass. “No, I’ll find out sooner or later.”
It would be later. Much later as they found out. Greer’s phone rang. He pulled back, keeping one hand linked with hers, and found his phone in his pocket.
He grunted at the screen and then answered the call. “What’s up, man?”
There was an immediate change in him. The easy sway of his hips and confident steps faltered. Greer’s face lost that euphoric smile it had worn all night. He looked at her and blinked a few times as if trying to digest what the caller was saying.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as they stopped moving all together on the floor.
“Yeah, no. I’m closest. We’ll go. Don’t. It’s fine. I want to, ok? Yeah. Bye.”
As he hung up, Greer just stared at her. Even as she asked him what happened and who had called, he stayed there, frozen with a frown. Aveline was the one to pull him from the dancing and back to their table where their beers waited. His sudden change in demeanor worried her. She pushed him down in his seat intent on getting answers. “Who was that?”
*****
“It was Sawyer,” he said. Greer wasn’t sure how much to tell Aveline. They had all kept the Nix issue away from her because it was their burden to bare. But the more she was around, the more she saw, the more she knew.
“He thinks he has a lead on Nix.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Really? That’s great!”
What she didn’t know was that all of their leads fell flat. They came from fans, media, calling around to his old contacts and hangouts, calling hospitals and rehabs. Even though they never panned out, the guys still followed through with them. Since they were in the city he was spotted in, they would check it out themselves. Those times when they were hundreds of miles away they had to send friends, family or hired help to track him down.
“It was on the fanboards. The picture is shit but they’re right, it looks like him. Shorter hair but it could be Nix. It’s a long shot but I gotta know. And I know this is your date night with Ava but you’re closest. He could leave any minute…”
Sawyer had sounded desperate. The man always did when a case like this came along. When they were in the same city as the sighting, Sawyer was convinced it was him. He wanted so bad to be the one to find Nix, to bring his brother home.
Greer would do it, of course he would. Date night would come again. Aveline would understand.
He still felt like an asshole, though.
“Do you mind if we…”
The waitress appeared and placed two plates in front of them. Aveline looked at them with longing but asked for her to box them up.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said grabbing his hand.
There was no doubt about it, she was the best woman on the planet.
The club Nix was spotted at was ten minutes from them. It was completely an outside place with a big deck and a twenty something crowd. A beer pong tournament was going on so there were a lot of people to sift through. Greer led Aveline around, their hands linked. Each bartender
and waitress they came across, Greer showed Nix’s picture. One squinted like she thought she might have seen him but no one could give a definite answer.
Even after combing the place twice, Greer didn’t want to give up. They would stay for a while longer and keep an eye out for Nix. This place was as good as any to finish their date. He ordered them some drinks and found a small high top table to sit at and people watch. Aveline, the angel of patience, just went with the flow. She didn’t ask too many questions or hold him back when he wanted to make another round. Even with his attention split between her and the crowd, she didn’t complain.
“Sawyer’s here,” she said looking to the bar entrance.
The guitarist was looking a bit frazzled as he always did when something like this came up. Greer waved him down but let him know with a small shake of his head that Nix wasn’t there.
“Long shot, right?” he said in greeting when he got to the table. “Sorry to barge in on your date. You look beautiful, Aveline.” Sawyer kissed her cheek.
“Thank you and it was no bother.” Aveline hadn’t had a chance to touch her beer so she slid it over to Sawyer. “I think you need this more than me.”
He looked down at the bottle with a mix of gratitude and hatred. He wanted the numbness but knew this was one of the reasons his brother was gone. Greer knew what was going through his mind. They had talked about it late one night a few months ago, right after he left. He hated the substance for what it had done but also knew it was the man, not the drink that was mostly to blame. Nix had an addictive personality. He latched on to things and ran them dry. Video games, when he was younger. Then music, girls, alcohol and drugs. Getting into the music business had set Nix up for the perfect storm. Sawyer blamed himself for not doing more to discourage these addictions.
“Thanks,” he said letting numbness win out.
Chance (Rusted and Reckless Book 1) Page 16
