Jane's Harmony (Jane's Melody #2) (28 page)

“I have some sad news to share with you all tonight,” he said as if delivering a eulogy. “One of our favorite contestants has had a family emergency and had to leave the show early to return home. We’d like you to join us as we say good-bye to Caleb Cummings with this farewell montage.”

The TV cut to a montage of Caleb’s time on the show, beginning with his audition and leading up to their rehearsal just the day before. But even though the montage was set to Caleb’s music, there was no clip of him and Jordyn rehearsing “Jane’s Harmony.” Probably because of his threats, he thought, but for whatever reason he was grateful.

Interestingly, the only nostalgia he really felt as he watched his experience in L.A. flash on the screen was for the time he had spent with Sean. Caleb laughed when he saw a clip of the two of them singing, both wearing eyeliner. The editors had gone light on his and Jordyn’s fake relationship, probably to soften the blow of his leaving for whatever fans the two of them had, and Caleb figured she’d be okay without him just the same.

The call came again for his plane to board, and Caleb was turning away when the montage ended and the camera showed Jordyn sitting on a stool in the spotlight with her guitar.

“Here to help us say farewell to Caleb,” the announcer crooned, “is his own partner, Jordyn, who has requested to sing a very special song.”

Caleb stepped closer to the screen.

The camera zoomed in on Jordyn’s face, and she seemed to Caleb not to be on the TV at all, but rather she seemed to be staring through a window into the airport with her eyes focused on him. Then her expression seemed to soften, and she smiled into the camera and spoke.

“I need to set the record straight. I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to get to know Caleb and to write music with him for the few weeks that we had together on the show. But you all deserve to know the truth. Caleb and I were never a couple. Caleb is engaged to be married to a woman in Austin who he is madly in love with. I’ve met her and I can see why. And tonight, I’m here to tell the world that so am I. So this song is dedicated to my friend Caleb, and to the love of my life, who’s backstage listening right now. This is for you, Paige.”

She took her guitar pick from the strings and began to play and sing a gorgeous love song that Caleb had never heard before but that she had obviously written for Paige. Caleb would have liked to listen to the entire thing, but the final boarding call came over the speakers and he turned and walked away, leaving her singing on the TV.

He smiled all the way down the ramp and all the way onto the plane. And he was still smiling when the wheels left the runway. He smiled for Jordyn and for himself and for Jane. He smiled because he knew all three of them were finally free.

Caleb swung into the first row of empty seats he came to. He put his guitar in the seat next to him and his duffel on the floor
between his feet. Then he pulled out his phone and dialed Jane for the fifth time since he’d landed—straight to voice mail, again. He was worried how she might take his leaving the show, especially after she’d gone to all the trouble she had to support him while he was there.

He leaned his head against the cool window and watched the headlights pass by outside. The bus rocked back and forth and so did his estimation of himself—one moment a quitter, the next a hero. He was excited and nervous at the same time. So much so that he missed pulling the cord for his stop.

He got off the bus four blocks away and jogged with his bag and his guitar back toward the apartment. The night air felt cool against his face, and his mood was lighter with each step he took closer to home, closer to Jane. As he approached the building, he noticed that the apartment lights were off and the curtains drawn. There was a faint light on in Marj’s bedroom, but otherwise her windows were dark too.

By force of habit, he stuck his hand into his jeans pocket for his keys, forgetting he’d been so long away from home. It took him a few minutes to fish them from the bottom of his duffel, and then he unlocked the door and climbed the stairs two at a time.

The apartment was dark when he entered. Not one light on anywhere. He set his guitar and his duffel on the floor, quietly closed the door, and stood for a moment just listening. He wondered if he should be worried. Then his ears adjusted, tuning out the street, and he heard the ocean waves from the bedroom sound machine and he figured Jane must already be asleep.

Caleb walked to the bedroom and pushed open the door. He could see her face in the green glow of the bedside alarm clock. She looked like a little girl. He feared if he woke her in the dark she might be frightened, so he reached and switched on
the light. She stirred, but she didn’t open her eyes. He stood for minute and watched her sleeping. Her hair was tied up and she had one arm bent and resting on the mattress beside her pillow. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever set eyes upon.

Jane’s lids flickered, then opened, her eyes slowly coming to focus on him standing in the doorway. He had expected to see surprise, but he almost thought he saw sadness wash over her face.

“Caleb—?” she said, his name almost a whisper. Then she pushed herself up until she was leaning on her elbow. “What are you doing here? Did Marj call you?”

“No, baby. Why would Marj have called me?”

She didn’t respond right away, so he stepped into the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

He gently touched her cheek. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“I’m okay,” she said. “Why are you home?”

“Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Yes, I’m happy. I’m just a little confused.”

“You must not have watched the show.” When she shook her head, he continued. “I had a fight with the producer and walked off. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed in me.”

“Oh, honey,” she said, pulling his hand to her lips and kissing it, “I could never be disappointed in you. I’m sure you had good reason to leave.”

“Thanks, baby. But what’s going on with you? You said you thought that Marj might have called me. Why?”

“There’s something I need to tell you, Caleb.”

When she said it, she looked away from him, almost as if she were ashamed.

“What is it, babe? You know you can tell me anything.”

“I meant to call you, but I took the wrong charger home.”

“I know. Mine was dead for a while too. It’s okay. Everything’s okay. What do you need to tell me, Jane?”

She sat up a little more and looked at him. Then she looked down and picked idly at a loose string in the comforter.

“It’s just that I’ve been overwhelmed and terrified and dealing with things all alone here. Then when I was in Seattle, I visited the cemetery . . . and . . . and . . . well, you know what happened to Melody as well as I do. So when I got home I went . . . I mean, today I had Marj bring me . . . well, it doesn’t matter anymore, I guess . . . because . . . well . . .”

“What is it, baby? Just tell me.”

She stopped picking at the blanket and looked up at him. “Caleb, I’m pregnant.”

The worried look on her face seemed so removed from the news and how it made him feel that he was sure he hadn’t heard her right.

“Did you just say you’re pregnant?”

She bit her lower lip and nodded.

Caleb didn’t know whether to cry or hug her or scream. He stood from the bed and ran from the room. He threw back the curtains and opened the living room slider, then stepped out onto the balcony and screamed at the top of his lungs for all of Austin to hear.

“We’re having a baaaaaaaaaaaaby!”

Then he ran back into the room, caught Jane getting out of bed, picked her up, and spun her around. He got ahold of himself after three or four revolutions, then he set her down carefully and crouched and placed his hands on her belly, before looking up at her.

“I shouldn’t spin you like that,” he said. “It isn’t good for the baby.”

“It’s not made of glass, you dork,” Jane said, smiling down at
him and caressing his hair. “Now stand up here and let me give you a proper kiss to welcome you home.”

He stood and wrapped his arms around her, and said the first thing that came into his mind. “I’m going to be the best father in the world.”

Jane looked into his eyes, and he could tell by her smile that she believed him.

“I love you, Caleb Cummings.”

“I love you too, Jane McKinney,” he replied. “Which reminds me, we had better hurry up and get married or our kid’s gonna have two last names. And we need to start making a list of first names too. I like Hunter, or even Tristan. You should like Tristan because of your Tristan-and-Isolde thing with the dresses.”

“Tristan? What makes you think it’s going to be a boy?”

“Of course it’s going to be a boy,” he answered. “I can just feel it. But I’m not stuck on Tristan. I’ve always liked Trevor and Tyler too. I don’t know why they all start with
T
.”

“Oh, shut up already and kiss me,” Jane said.

And not wanting to upset her in her condition, Caleb stopped talking, brought his lips to hers, and did just that.

Chapter 23

J
ane sat on the apartment couch with a blanket and a bowl of buttered popcorn on her lap, idly popping kernels into her mouth while she watched the commercials.

“Hey,” she called, “the show’s coming on again.”

She heard the microwave chime, and Caleb came over and refilled her bowl with a bag of freshly popped corn. Then he sat down beside her to watch.

“If you want me to gain any sympathy pounds,” he said, “you’re gonna have to share this batch.”

Jane brought the bowl of popcorn between them, and they each took turns grabbing handfuls while their eyes were glued to the screen. The show’s host called Panda and Carrie Ann out onto the stage with him. Carrie Ann looked extra coiffed and confident; Panda looked slightly disheveled and shy.

“Do you think Jordyn’s upset that she didn’t make it through to the finale?” Jane asked.

“I doubt it,” Caleb said. “She never wanted the recording contract anyway. I think she was in it for the free publicity.”

“Well, she sure got that.”

A man walked out and handed the host an envelope. Then there was a drumroll and the stage lights dimmed, the two remaining girls now standing in the wash of a spotlight.

“America has voted,” the host said, “and I’m proud to announce the winner of the first national
Singer-Songwriter Superstar
competition, and the recipient of a half-million-dollar recording contract. And our lucky winner is . . .” He paused to tear open the envelope, then looked straight into the camera and said, “The winner is Amanda Wyatt.”

Panda appeared to nearly collapse onto the stage, she was so shocked to hear her name. Then she turned to hug Carrie Ann, but Carrie Ann was busy looking around in disbelief.

The announcer pulled Panda over into his spotlight and held the microphone in her face. “How does it feel to be the Singer-Songwriter Superstar?”

She blinked her wide eyes into the camera and smiled her charming, girlish smile. Then, without warning, she snatched the microphone, rose onto her toes, spun around once, smiled into the camera, and simply said, “It feels fantastic!”

Jane reached for the remote and clicked off the TV. When she looked over, Caleb was smiling as if he had just won.

“I’m glad it was her,” he said.

“You’re not sad it wasn’t you?”

He shook his head. “I like seeing people who are really good at what they do get rewarded for their talent. Especially if they’re also humble.”

Jane could tell he was genuinely happy for Panda, but she couldn’t help but notice a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

“What about you now, honey?” she asked.

“What about me?”

“I haven’t seen you even open your guitar case once since you’ve been home. You know, just because we’re having a baby is no reason to give up on your dream.”

“I’m not giving up on my dream,” he said, smiling. “I’m just trading it in for a better one.”

“But you don’t have to trade, Caleb. I’ve done this before. You always find ways to get by. I’ve got a few leads for work, although they might want me to wait until after the baby’s born to start. But I have savings left from selling my house.”

“No way,” he said. “You’re saving that money. Mr. Zigler’s giving me overtime at the warehouse, and he said I could maybe
move up in a few months to delivering. That pays more. And Jeremy’s got a line on a cheap pedicab for sale that we might go partners on.”

“A pedicab? Are you kidding?”

“No. I’m serious, Jane. We’ll fix it up and take turns working nights when I’m not at the warehouse. It’ll be good exercise and we can make great money.”

“Caleb, you don’t have to work pedaling a bike cab.”

“I plan to support this family doing whatever I have to do.”

“Well, when will you have time for me and the baby?”

“There’ll be plenty of time as long as I’m not wasting it on music. Now you see? I’m trading a dream for a better reality.”

He looked so adamant that Jane knew arguing further would be of no use at all. Instead, she set the popcorn bowl aside, opened the blanket on her lap, and motioned for him to join her.

“Come here, lover, and let me put my arms around you.”

He scooted up next to her, leaned his head against her side, and placed his hand on her belly. Jane played with his hair. After a while, he looked up at her and smiled.

“I can feel it,” he said. “I can feel the baby move.”

“That’s just the three bags of popcorn I ate settling,” Jane replied, smiling down on him. “You won’t feel the baby until the second trimester, honey.”

Caleb looked so cute with his hair tousled and that crooked smile on his face that she cupped his chin in her hand and leaned down and kissed him. His lips parted for her, and he reached up and put his hand on her cheek. When they finally pulled away long enough for her to speak, Jane looked into his eyes and did her best to smile flirtatiously.

“Let’s go make love,” she said.

“But I don’t want to hurt the baby.”

“You won’t hurt the baby.”

“Are you sure?”

“Dr. Oz said it was okay.”

“Didn’t he also say to rub coffee grounds and coconut oil all over yourself?”

Jane laughed. She kissed him again just for being cute. “Just take me into the bedroom and make love to me.”

Caleb smiled and rose from the couch, then bent and picked her up in his arms and carried her off toward the bedroom.

“Am I heavy?” she asked.

He grinned down at her in his arms. “You might want to lay off the popcorn.”

“I hope you’re joking.”

“I’m joking.”

“Good,” she said as he laid her gently down on the bed. “Because I’m only getting heavier from here on out.”

Caleb peeled off his shirt and straddled her. “That’s okay,” he answered. “I like my ladies thick.”

“Ladies?” she asked. But before he could answer, she reached behind her and grabbed a pillow and hit him so hard he fell off the bed.

“You better watch it,” he said, getting up and crawling back on top of her. “I’m not above handcuffing a pregnant woman to the headboard.”

Even though the idea kind of turned her on, she thought better of hitting him with the pillow again. Instead she reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling his lips down to hers.

Jane stopped at the red light and watched as a troop of small angels and demons and one tiny little pink fairy princess trotted
across the street. They all had smiles on their painted faces and orange plastic pumpkins filled with candy swinging from their little hands.

“They’re cute, aren’t they?”

“We always waited until dark to go trick-or-treating,” Caleb said. “Not broad daylight in downtown. And I used to bring a pillowcase, not a pumpkin. You can’t fit enough candy in those things. What’s happening to this world?”

Jane looked over at him and laughed. “You might think differently about trick-or-treating when you have a daughter.”

“You mean, when I have a son.”

“Would you be disappointed with a daughter?”

“Of course not,” he said. “I just have a feeling it’s a boy.”

“Well, we’ll keep it a surprise then.”

The light turned green and Jane drove on.

“Won’t you tell me where you’re taking me, baby?” Caleb asked. “I don’t understand why I had to leave early from work or why the need for all this secrecy.”

“Just sit back and relax, my little goblin. You’ll see.”

Ten minutes later, Jane pulled up in front of a house just a few blocks south of Sixth Street. She noticed Caleb looking out the car window at the property, desperate to find out what all of this was about. But other than the white van in the driveway and the black metal fence, there was nothing unusual about the outside of the house.

“I hope this isn’t a costume party,” Caleb said, “because neither of us is dressed up.”

“Sure we are,” Jane replied, joking. “I’m Snow White and you’re Grumpy from the Seven Dwarfs. Now, stop being such a brat and try to enjoy the surprise.”

Caleb reluctantly got out of the car, following Jane as she led him up to the door. She knocked and almost immediately
a man opened it. She stepped inside and when Caleb followed, she turned to watch his expression as he took in the space they had entered.

“Jane, this is a recording studio.”

“I know,” she said. “And not just any recording studio either, but the best one in all of Austin. Isn’t that right, Dave?”

Dave had just closed the door, and he dropped his head and blushed as he responded, “We were voted the best, yes. But that was last year.” Then he reached out his hand to Caleb. “Nice to meet you, Caleb. I’m Dave. Or sometimes people call me Davie or David or even dickhead, depending on how late we’ve been recording. I’ll be your producer.”

“My producer?”

“That’s right,” he said, sweeping his hand out to take in the studio. “This place is all yours for the next two weeks to lay down your album. Jane here tells me most of the songs are already written. She showed me clips from the show, and I gotta say that I’m already a fan, man.”

“Album?” Caleb asked, looking at Jane. “My album?”

Jane smiled. “Your album, honey.”

“That’s right,” Dave said. “And we’ve got a great lineup of contract musicians to back you up too. Some of the best in Texas. The studio has guitars, basses, pedals, amps, pianos, drums, and lots of vintage synths. I record digital and analog. Then I’ll be working with Sammy on your postproduction. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, Jane, but Rebecca said she’d love to shoot Caleb for the album cover and Julia will design it.”

Caleb looked around the studio again.

“I don’t understand what’s going on here, Jane.”

“You heard Dave,” she said. “You’ve got everything you need to record your album.”

“But who am I recording it for?”

“For your fans, silly. Don’t you know that since the show ended you’ve got over fifty thousand fans on Facebook and half that many already on Twitter? We don’t need that show’s contract to release an album. Do we, Dave?”

“No way,” he said, shaking his shaggy head. “In fact, a lot of traditionally signed artists I work with are dumping their labels and distributing straight through iTunes and Amazon. Shit, you’re both from Seattle, right? Well, then, you’ve heard of Macklemore, I’m sure. He’s not signed. And I hear rumors him and Ryan Lewis might be nominated for a Grammy this year.”

Caleb walked to the control room and looked through the big window into the live recording room. Jane stepped up beside him. She saw his eyes settle on his guitar case, already there waiting for him beside a microphone and a stool.

“This is great, Jane,” he said. “It really is. But I can’t do it. I have to work.”

Instead of answering him, Jane stepped aside.

“No, you don’t.”

Caleb spun around when he heard Mr. Zigler’s voice. “What are you doing here, boss?”

“I’m not your boss anymore,” he said.

“You’re not?”

“No, I’m your partner. Jane and I believe in you. And so do a lot of other people. And when you believe in someone, you invest in them. So we’re investing in you. Now all you have to do is put in the time and the talent, and make an album you’re proud of. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Caleb started to say something, but Mr. Zigler held up a hand and cut him off.

“Jane told me how you feel about receiving charity, so I’m here to tell you that we intend to get every penny back plus interest. Now, trust this old man when he tells you not to say
another word and to just nod that you’ll do it, and grab that young lady there and hug her.”

Caleb nodded and Jane could see he had tears in his eyes. Then he grabbed her and wrapped her in his arms. He was still hugging her when he spoke softly in her ear.

“Thank you, Jane. I love you so much.”

Then he turned to shake Mr. Zigler’s hand, but Mr. Zigler ignored the offer and hugged Caleb himself instead.

“Whoa,” Caleb said with a smile when Mr. Zigler finally let him go. “Do you hug all your business partners like that?”

“Only the cute ones,” Mr. Zigler said with a wink. “In fact, getting to hug Jane there was half the reason I went along with this deal. Now, I’ve got to get back to the warehouse and hire two men to replace you, so you had better get busy recording.”

“I better get going, myself,” Jane said, joining Mr. Zigler as he walked toward the door.

“You’re leaving me too?” Caleb asked.

“I sure am,” she said. “I’ve got an appointment to keep.”

“An appointment with who?”

“With a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and
Dancing with the Stars
on the DVR,” she answered, leaning in and pecking him on the cheek. Then she said, “See, sometimes it’s nice to be the boss. You just call me when you’re done, baby.”

The last thing Jane saw before she turned to follow Mr.  Zigler out the door was Caleb smiling at Dave and shaking his hand. With just that little glimpse of a grin, she knew that everything would work out just as it should.