Love Evolution (17 page)

“
Night, Marcus.
”
Avery stood up.

“
Night Avery,
”
Marcus responded.
“
We sound like a freaking episode of the Walton
’
s. See you in the morning, Ace.
”

CHAPTER 18

A commotion outside startled Avery awake early the next morning. She sat up and looked around the room, remembering where she was. Pulling back the gingham curtain, she peeked out to see what was going on. The water buffalo herd rumbled noisily up the front driveway with Sam yipping at their heels. After they passed, she closed the curtain, walked over to make sure the bedroom door was still locked, and reluctantly began her morning ritual for one last time.

Avery planned to tell Marcus the truth tomorrow, feeling certain that when she did, she would no longer be welcome. Since she knew John was leaving after breakfast tomorrow, she hoped to get a ride into town from him. From there, she should be able to find her own way back to Vancouver.  

Avery wound the now familiar ace bandage around her chest and put on a Henley shirt over a thermal layer. She slipped on her jeans and pulled on her boots. Looking in the mirror, she ran a brush quickly through her shortened tresses.

How she had pulled this off for so long, she didn
’
t know.

Rolling her shoulders back and mentally bracing herself for the day, she headed down to the kitchen where she found Lisa and Rheta in their robes making breakfast. They both looked up and smiled at her.

“
Good morning, lazy bones. Coffee
’
s on the counter,
”
Rheta told her. Avery smiled gratefully at her, heading straight to the coffee pot.
“
Marcus warned me not to expect coherent conversation from you until you
’
ve had at least one cup.
”
Rheta cracked another egg into a bowl.
“
The guys are out at the barn, getting everything ready for later. Feel free to take the cup with you.
”

Avery nodded, taking her first sip of blessed caffeine.

“
Could you tell them breakfast will be ready in an hour?
”
 

“
Sure, Mrs. Anthony,
”
Avery responded politely, heading out the door. She leisurely strolled up the path, sipping her coffee. Once there, she found father and sons dressed in overalls, hard at work clearing out the barn.  Smiling, she put down her empty mug. This was just too priceless.

Marcus glanced up just as she snapped a picture with her cell phone.
“
Perfect,
”
she laughed.
“
Rock
‘
n Roll legend Marcus
Anthony doing
manual labor.
”
She slipped her phone back into her pocket, but waved her arms in front of herself in a deflective maneuver when she saw Marcus menacingly advancing toward her.
“
Hey, don
’
t come any closer, Farmer Marcus. You
’
re filthy,
and I look good.
”
 
Holding up one hand like she was taking an oath, she swore,
“
I promise this picture will only be used for my personal amusement.
”
Avery burst out laughing, while backpedaling for the shelter of the house.

Marcus caught her by the arm. He rubbed the back of his grimy hand across her cheek and forehead. Laughing, Marcus pulled out his own cell and snapped a picture.
“
Ha, Avery Jones, former chick magnet, now chimney sweep,
”
he taunted.

“
Great,
”
Avery whined.
“
Now I
’
ve
gotta
take another shower.
”
From inside the barn, Marcus
’
dad watched them with mounting concern. He had seen Besille
’
s interview. Normally skeptical about media rumors, he wondered whether there might possibly be some truth to this latest one. He made it a priority to talk to Dwight as soon as possible.

*****

Avery pigged out on the huge country breakfast Rheta and Lisa had prepared.  Pancakes, biscuits and gravy, fried eggs, and bacon, she sampled them all.  As she pushed back from the table, Rheta recruited her to help with the dishes.
“
Sure, Mrs. Anthony.
I
’
d be glad to. If I sit down, I
’
ll probably pass out from food coma.
”
Everyone chipped in to help clear the dishes from the table. Rheta had them all well trained. She was a woman very much in charge of her domain. 

“
Why don
’
t you wash, and I
’
ll dry, since I know where to put away the dishes.
”

“
Absolutely, Mrs. Anthony.
”
 

“
Call me Mom, Avery. They all do.
”
She put her hand gently on Avery
’
s shoulder.
“
Marcus told me about your mom and your brother.
”

Avery
’
s eyes flashed up to hers.

“
I
’
m so sorry. I hope you come to think of us as your family.
”
 

Overwhelmed by the offer for something she had always dreamed of, Avery was silent as her throat tightened with emotion.

“
Here, put these gloves on. I can
’
t have Marcus fussing at me that his guitarist can
’
t play today because he has waterlogged hands.
”

Clearing her throat, Avery said,
“
Good plan. He can be a little bossy, can
’
t he?
”
Her green eyes sparkled with humor as she looked pointedly at Rheta.

“
Yes, he can,
”
she said with a deadpan expression,
“
I have no idea from whom he gets that.
”

CHAPTER 19 

By midmorning, the peace and quiet at the Anthony farm had succumbed to a growing cacophony of sound and activity. JR arrived shortly after breakfast, pulling up in a flashy black corvette. Dwight escorted him into the kitchen to heat him some pancakes. Mary and the film crew arrived next and immediately began setting up equipment in the barn. A bus carrying Beth, her entourage, and about two dozen excited fans rolled in around noon. Beth relegated them to a cordoned off area in the back, manned with security personnel and set up with tents so they could congregate in comfort. Rheta moved expertly through the crowd, making everyone felt welcome.

Beth had meticulously scripted the entire event. A barbeque picnic lunch and an informal meet and greet with the band would be followed by a live performance in the barn. Everything would be filmed. She
’
d ordered the band inside the house, along with the stylists, to get ready. Circulating with the fans and crew, she crossed her fingers that all would go well. 

Inside the house, the stylist finished with Avery
’
s hair, and left. For obvious reasons, she had rejected outside help with wardrobe, insisting upon wearing her own clothes. Glancing in the mirror, she smiled. Benito would be proud. She looked every inch the preppy teen idol clothed in black jeans, a light grey button down shirt, a dark grey vest, and with a thin black tie loosely wrapped around her neck. Avery glanced out the window at the crowd and let out a shaky sigh.

Silently, Marcus came up behind her.
“
What
’
s wrong, Ace?
”

“
Oh, nothing,
”
she lied, turning around, and then gasped. Where- the -heck- was- his- shirt? The sight of his bare chest riveted her booted feet to the floor. She stared. His muscles were incredibly well defined, Coleman
’
s relentless work-outs readily apparent. He also had a large, black scrolling cursive BS tattooed on his right shoulder.
Sexy, sexy man.
  No wonder practically every woman in North America was crushing on him, including his male slash female guitarist, cue the background music for
“
Take a Walk on the Wild Side,
”
already. 

Of course, her feelings had gone way beyond the superficial for quite some time now.  She
’
d fallen in love with the man himself- corny sense of humor, gentle kindness, poetic soul- all of it.

Avery forced herself to look away from him, glancing back out the window. When she turned back around, he
’
d put on a t-shirt he must have been carrying. He looked great. Just not quite as drool worthy as he was shirtless. The stylist had chosen well, picking a shirt in a shade of blue that perfectly matched his eyes.

His eyes narrowed.
“
You
’
re not nervous, are you?
”

She shook her head. Not anymore.
“
OK.  Maybe, just a little. Those are all
your
fans out there.  What if they don
’
t like me?
”

“
What
’
s not to like? You
’
re
gonna
be a big hit. Come on, this was your idea.
”
He nudged her shoulder.
“
Hey, let
’
s get some food. We need to lay low before Beth or mom find us and start bossing us around.
”

*****

Once Avery got over her initial bout of nervousness, her effervescent personality quickly won over the fans.  Marcus seemed to always be nearby during the mingling with the fans, and somehow, the film crew videoed the
event without being obtrusive, using professional equipment as well as flip cameras for a more intimate feel
.

Looking over the video feed, Mary could not have been more pleased with how things were going. It was easy to see that the choice of venue had a positive effect on her lead singer.  Marcus
’
usual surly demeanor had been replaced by a much more relaxed version of himself.  After every fan had a chance to chat and get a picture with each of the band members, Mary called a halt to the proceedings in preparation for the
concert.

The band headed to the barn to get warmed up. When they were ready, Marcus said,
“
Ok.
Time for a group huddle.
”
He crooked an arm around Avery, pulling her towards Dwight and JR who were already assembled. His breath stirring the hair near her ear, he whispered,
“
It
’
s our ritual.
”

Avery scrambled to recover her equilibrium. His warm breath had sent a delicious chill running down her spine, and she suddenly felt lightheaded.

They all swayed back and forth together in a close-knit circle, glancing around at one another from underneath the shelter of their clasped arms. Then Marcus pronounced solemnly like a benediction,
“
Keep it real, guys.
”
The huddle ended when each band member gave the other a reassuring squeeze. Breaking apart, they headed to their places on the barn
’
s makeshift stage. 

Beth led the fans around to the front and brought up on stage the one who had won the privilege of introducing the band. Baseball cap around backward, he announced,
“
Ladies and Gentlemen!   From the comfort of the very barn where they first played together as teenagers, I give you the best rock band in all of North America, Brutal Strength!
”

The crowd cheered enthusiastically.

Marcus smiled at Avery, giving a brief nod to signal her to lead them out. Avery strutted forward with her electric guitar on its strap and her fingers flying over the strings as she began playing the opening chords of
“
Anthem.
”
 

Only a few short weeks ago she had played this song for Marcus when she auditioned. She felt like she had lived a lifetime since then. Her smile was bittersweet when she glanced over at Marcus. The corners of his lips curved up in response. He stepped up, put his lips to the microphone and began singing the first verse.

Avery had never seen him perform live before an audience. Watching the way he connected with them was like witnessing a seduction. His eyes were at half mast, his smile subtle, and his voice breathy. Leaning over the mic, he tossed his long hair back and forth in time to the beat like it was some kind of frenetic stage prop. She wished, like probably every other female in the audience, that he would direct those breathtaking masculine charms solely at her. 

At the chorus, he inclined his head in her direction. Their gazes locked and held. She took her cue and melded her voice with his. A hush came over the mesmerized crowd. John crashed in next, like a mad man, with an avalanche of drum beats, and then the entire group ended the song on a triple down beat. When the last note died out, the audience roared their approval. 

After they quieted down, Marcus
steepled
his hands together, half bowed, and addressed the crowd,
“
We are so grateful for you guys. You, this
…
”
 
he
flashed his bright smile and extended both arms out to the crowd,
“
is what it
’
s all about.
”
He glanced over his shoulder at Avery and Dwight, who were huddled together behind him.

Avery nodded, adjusting her wireless hookup on her guitar.

“
Let me hear it for our new lead guitarist, Avery Jones!
”
The crowd erupted again. Over the din, he shouted,
“
Avery and I wrote this next song,
‘
Brothers,
’
together. We hope you like it.
”
 

Dwight and Avery faced each other on opposite sides of the stage. Avery started the song, playing the opening riff on her black Ibanez. Dwight smiled at her, and they played the same riff again, this time echoed by Dwight
’
s bass line. While she reveled in the pounding rhythm reverberating through her body, Marcus began the opening lyrics
…
 

Oh
lil
’
bro, why did you come along?

My life was as perfect as a song

You drive me crazy day and night

Oh tell me now, will our parents be right

Will I ever be precious in your sight?                                                                                                                                                              

When he finished, Avery in character as the pesky younger brother, made a face at him, kicked Marcus
’
foot, and began to sing the response
…
  

Big brother you are always playing it cool

Great one who always makes every rule

Deep down I want to be just like you

But can
’
t express this in things I do

Life
’
s not ready for there to be two

Marcus circled her while she sang, even shaking his finger in her face like he was bossing her.  They came together on the same microphone at each chorus, staring into each other
’
s eyes, moving their heads in time with the rhythm. The fans fed on their obvious chemistry. Avery ended the song with a trilling, high pitched solo which she played with incredible speed.