Arizona Skies: The Muse (18 page)

“Bailey, my God, you look hot tonight,” he said, walking around me. “That color looks fantastic on you.” He kissed my cheek.

“See, Bails, I know what I’m talking about,” Shelly said reminding me how she practically begged me to spend the money to buy this dress. Scott swooped in and picked her up to carry her across the room. She giggled as everyone looked at them, but those two didn’t seem to mind being the center of attention. Liza wandered in behind us dressed in black, looking beautiful. She found us immediately, probably because Scott had Shelly squealing as he nibbled her neck, pretending to be a vampire. She was giggling and kicking her feet as he held her up in the air. They really were cute together, loud but cute. She smiled at me, her eyes sparkling blue in the lights of the restaurant. She was happy, and that made me happy too.

Keith got up to pull out Liza’s chair for her.
Such a gentleman
, I thought. Of course, Jesse was a gentleman too, making sure I was comfortable before claiming his seat next to me.

“Did you have fun today?” Jesse asked me.

“I had so much fun, thank you,” I said, drinking my water.

The guys were all pumped up about tonight’s performance. Jesse told me they always got that way before they hit the stage. It was clear that they all enjoyed playing their music and performing. I didn’t see any signs of stage fright at all.

“You said that you’ve been together since high school; did you all graduate the same year?” I asked.

“No, John and Keith were two years ahead of us. The lead guitar and singer of their band left to go to college. Scott and I were recruited in our sophomore year after John discovered us in our high-school talent contest. Our parents weren’t too enthused when
John booked us in some bars after he graduated; we were only seventeen. But he promised our parents he’d personally keep an eye on us, so they reluctantly agreed. We were allowed to perform with their permission, with strict orders—no alcohol,” he said.

“When did you start writing songs?”

“In my junior year, I started writing after this girl I’d dated dumped me for a football jock. I was devastated and had to do something constructive, so I wrote my feelings down on paper, and the rest is history,” he smiled.

“I thought you had a graphic-arts degree.”

“I do. I went to college and got my degree to make my father happy, playing with the band on weekends, holidays, and over summer vacation. My dad made me work for him to help pay for college, he thought my music was a waste of time and that I needed to do something where I could make a living. Scott and I went to the same college, only his degree is in music,” he said.

“Oh, your father owns a business?”

“Yes, Greene Graphics and Design. Only now that my father has passed away, it’s Greene and Stoller Graphics and Design,” he explained. “I was supposed to take over the helm someday, but my brother-in-law, Matt Stoller, took over after he married my sister, which I was very thankful for.

“Jesse I’m sorry to hear about your father.”

“Yeah me too, I loved him. He was hard on me, but I needed it. We all miss him. He just couldn’t understand why my music career always came first. My father finally gave up trying to convince me that I’d never make a living singing in a band. So I share the vice presidency with my sister, Jennifer; she’s worked there since high school and knows the business from the ground up. She runs the advertising department. She and Matt have successfully kept the business booming; he’s a very smart man. That’s how he met my sister, working for my dad. My father was impressed with him and was thrilled when they got engaged. He started mentoring him right
away. I was relieved, because he took to the helm like he was born to it.

I still went to college to get my degree to make my father happy, just in case my singing didn’t work out. Matt and Jen keep me in the loop with what’s going on with the business, but after my dad passed, my sister and mother decided I should follow my dreams. You’ll love my sister and her family,” he said, kissing my hand.

“I can’t wait to meet them,” I said, so happy he was sharing his life story with me.

“And my mother is going to love you, after she gets over the shock. I’ve never brought a girl home before,” he laughed.

“We’ve got to get going and get tuned up; it’s seven fifteen,” John said.

“Can we go?” I asked John.

“Sure,” John said, giving the signal for everyone to follow him.

“Did I tell you that you look spectacular tonight?” Jesse said, kissing my hand.

“Yes, about a dozen times,” I said, following him out on the deck. It wasn’t sunset yet, but the sun was low in the sky, just starting to turn bright orange and red; it was beautiful. As we walked I breathed in the sea air, feeling more alive than I had for most of my twenty-two years on this planet.

A smile crossed my face as I remembered our day swimming with the dolphins.
Life doesn’t get much better than this
, I thought, hoping I had a lot more adventures to come. I had to say that life in Jesse’s world was not boring! I embraced the change and looked forward to every day I had with this man, hoping there were to be many more ahead.

The waitress came with our drinks and passed them out. I saw her brush suggestively up against Jesse. I couldn’t hear what she said to him when she handed him his beer. He had a forced smile on his face and looked at me. Her body was against him; then she reached around and grabbed his ass as she left to go back to the bar. I couldn’t
believe it. I was sure my mouth was open as I looked up at Jesse’s stunned face. He didn’t look like he enjoyed it, and he immediately came to me.
Is this what I’m in for? Do I have to fight every woman for him?
So many questions floated around my mind. Could I even put up with this shit?

This was exactly the lifestyle I wanted to avoid. I bristled when he touched me, a knee-jerk reaction I couldn’t help. I questioned Jesse, but he looked innocent. God, I wanted to believe him so badly. He said she’d been flirting with him since the beginning of the cruise, but he wasn’t interested. I had to believe him and knew this was going to be a problem if we wound up together.
He’s handsome and talented and women are drawn to him; accept it Bailey
, I thought to myself. My life could wind up being very complicated some day and I’d have to learn how to deal with it if I wanted to be with him.

Jesse

W
e tuned up, did a sound check, and went over tonight’s playlist. The cruise coordinator came in with the programs they had printed up for tonight. We looked them over and read the write-ups on each of us. They’d done a good job; they were accurate, and we approved it. The program told about our pending record deal and named some of our original songs that would be on the record. There were a couple good shots of us performing in Phoenix at this bar, our regular spot. Scott was jumping in the air with his hair flying all over. I was on the stool with my eyes closed singing “Broken.” It was all good. We were psyched and ready to have our fans have a little piece of our story to remember us by.

While I was in the shower, I did a mental recap of today’s activities. Bailey was incredible. Seeing her in the water with those dolphins swimming around her was so beautiful. Her big, brown eyes
were full of wonder as she touched them. I couldn’t wait to see the pictures. She captivated my heart every minute I was with her. I remembered the story of the Grinch when his heart grew three times larger—that was what I felt like when I was with her. The old, fucked-up Jesse just melted away, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a new and improved Jesse emerged. I felt like I was reborn; I had a second chance.

I got ready for tonight’s dinner, anxious to see my girl. My God, I’d never said that before,
my girl
! I tried not to think about letting her go in a few days; when I did, I got this tightness in my chest, and panic set in. It was like she was my life’s blood, and I needed her to survive. How could I go into the recording studio and sing love songs without her beautiful face to look at? The words I sang had so much more meaning now. I truly understood what love was, and I couldn’t let it go and leave me feeling empty again. That was what I was, empty and uncaring. I hated that guy!

Bailey walked into the dining room, and her beauty immediately lit up the room. This exotic beauty walked right up to me. She was oblivious to the reaction of the male population around her. She turned heads wherever she went, but she never noticed. I held out my arms, and she walked right into them.
She’s mine!

I protectively held her as we walked to our table. John, of course, was watching me the whole time; he knew I’d fallen in love with this beautiful girl. He didn’t gloat, but he kept his eye on me. He’d been like my surrogate father since I was seventeen. We had this bond, and I trusted him, even though most of the time I was a pain in his ass. He understood and gave me my space. He nodded with a smirk as I pulled out Bailey’s chair for her. I’d never done that with any other woman before. I figured you want women’s rights, pull out your own damn chair, open your own damn door—well, you get the idea. I was a prick.

“Looking lovely tonight, Bailey,” John smiled at her. He’d taken an instant liking to her. I wasn’t sure if it was because she inspired me, or the fact that I was cleaning up my act because of her. Whatever the
reason, they were becoming close, and I wasn’t too sure I was comfortable with that. What if he started telling stories about my sordid past? I didn’t want her to know about my lost years, not yet anyway. Full disclosure was something for when I was sure she wouldn’t run away. Some secrets are better left secrets.

“Thanks, John,” Bailey blushed. God, I loved it when she blushed.

“Can we come with you when you go to get ready for tonight’s performance?” she asked him.

“Absolutely, you’re part of our group now,” he said, winking at me.

“Me too?” Shelly asked.

“Of course,” John said, smiling at her.

“So are we like roadies or something?” Shelly asked.

“No, roadies carry the equipment and set it up and tear it down,” John laughed.

“Oh, so am I Scott’s old lady; isn’t that what you guys say?” she asked so innocently. The whole table burst out in laughter at her question.

“No, nothing old about you, sweetheart,” John chuckled.

“You’re my girl,” Scott said, kissing her cheek.

“I like that,” she said, smiling up at him.

“OK, so now we know who we all are; can we get out of here and get ready for tonight?” John said as he got out of his chair.

“Come on, old lady; follow your man,” Scott chuckled.

“Now I’m sorry I said that,” Shelly said, taking his hand while we all laughed.

“Everyone meet my old lady,” Scott announced, holding up Shelly’s hand. She actually blushed, something I didn’t think she was capable of doing. Yep, Scotty was a perfect match for her blondness; his sharp wit matched her own. This certainly was going to be an interesting matchup. We followed behind them, laughing as Scott escorted her out of the dining hall.

“I can’t believe those two,” Bailey chuckled.

“Well, don’t laugh too hard, honey, because you’re my old lady too,” I said with a smirk.

“Jesse, stop it,” she said, swatting my shoulder. I faked pain and laughed at her embarrassed look. “Damn Shelly and her big mouth!”

“She is something else, that friend of yours,” I chuckled.

“You should talk; look at your best friend the clown.” She nodded at Scott as he put his hands in the air and yelled.

“See you all tonight in the Green Room, woo…hoo…” and out the door he burst, dragging Shelly behind him. Keith laughed and John just shook his head as the rest of us followed up the floor show.

How could anyone get mad at such a comedian like Scott? Sometimes he exasperated me to no end, but then he’d do something incredibly sweet or simply ingenious, and I’d forget about his antics. The man was a genius, creative and smart and so full of life. Life was never dull around him.

I handed each of the girls a program when we got to the Green Room, something for them to read while we tuned up. Our background story was all laid out there for them to read. That flirty waitress brought us all drinks, brushing up against me as she served everyone. Bailey was watching as I tried to duck her advances. I didn’t need her getting upset over something that was never going to happen.

“Here you go, handsome,” the waitress said, handing me a beer.

“Thanks,” I said, giving her a forced smile.

I kept my eyes on Bailey as she chewed her lip. I knew what she was thinking and had to diffuse the situation before it got out of control.

Too late, that waitress grabbed my ass as she walked away.

Bailey sucked in her breath when she saw that.
Fuck, now what do I do?
“What the hell was that?” she asked, trying not to make a scene.

“I don’t know; she’s been flirting with me ever since the cruise started. Honey, I swear I haven’t returned any of her advances,” I said, putting my arm around her. I was afraid that she was going to shut
down on me. She had told me how she felt about the rock-band scene. I didn’t need her to cut and run now—Christ, I’d just found her.