Love Evolution (8 page)

Marcus
’
gaze traveled slowly over Avery
’
s body.
“
I
’
m guessing those
‘
gourmet
’
meals were few and far between, huh?
”
Despite the layers of loose clothing he seemed to favor, Marcus could still tell the guy was thin. 

Aware of his perusal, she blushed.
“
Yeah, we saved a lot of money by eating free club food after our shows. When we first moved to New York, I took a job working for a baker,
Sangeeta
, the
Kenyan friend I told you about. I ate a lot of my meals at her restaurant. She
’
s a wonderful cook.
”

“
Well kid, you
’
re in the big leagues, now. You need to broaden your culinary horizons. No more club food, unless you just want it. Anyway, tonight
’
s my treat,
”
he said, watching Avery pull back on the boots she had shed at some point during the evening.
“
If you
’
re game, we
’
ll try my favorite sushi restaurant.
”

“
Ok, sure.
”
 

Marcus took out his cell and called Ray,
“
Hey, man. Could you take us to
Tojo
’
s
? Sure, we
’
ll be down in ten minutes.
”
Standing up, he groaned. His muscles were stiff from sitting for so long.
“
Hey, I
’
m going to hit the john before we go,
”
he informed Avery before exiting the studio.

Avery took the opportunity to use the guest bathroom, thinking she
’
d better be more careful about her fluid intake in the future. This bathroom stuff could be tricky business. She definitely wanted to avoid the men
’
s public restroom if at all possible. Urinals
…
disgusting!

She couldn
’
t believe they had been working for the past eight hours. She was tired, but in a good way, and felt really psyched after coming up with such a great song. Everything just seemed to click. Musically, they were a natural fit. Waiting for Marcus to return, she stretched and stared out the windows, seeing the lights of West Vancouver twinkling in the distance.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
, indeed.

Hearing his footsteps, she turned around. He had on a ball cap, pulled down low over his forehead, and round wire rimmed glasses like Trevor
’
s. His street disguise, apparently.
“
Oh, no way anyone will recognize you now.
Very incognito, dude.
”
She rolled her eyes.

“
Don
’
t be an ass, Avery. Come on, let
’
s go.
”

CHAPTER 8 

When they arrived at
Tojo
’
s
, Ray escorted them to a private table up a staircase in the back of the restaurant. As they took off their coats, a waitress greeted Marcus warmly. She gave Avery a funny look, but took their drink order and left.

Marcus began to fill out their sushi order.
“
Do you like spicy?
”
he asked Avery.

“
Sure. Listen, I
’
m going out on a limb here already, so I
’
m going to trust you. Go ahead and order whatever you think I
’
ll like.
”

As Marcus concentrated on ordering, Avery tried to wrap her mind around her circumstances.  Just a few days ago she had been barely scraping by. Now here she was gainfully employed, soon to have enough money to pay Campanella and then some. To top it all off, she was eating sushi with a celebrity so famous that he had to wear a disguise to go to dinner. But after spending the whole day with him, she didn
’
t feel uncomfortable around him anymore. Vancouver was beginning to grow on her as well. It was like New York only less hectic and more scenic.

The waitress returned with their green tea. Marcus asked Avery a couple of questions and made some changes to their order based on her answers. He handed the completed menu to the waitress and she went back downstairs leaving them alone.

“
Do you come here often?
”
Avery asked.

“
At least once a week.
When you try it, you
’
ll understand.
”

“
Does Dwight like sushi, too?
”

“
Hell, no.
He
’
s a very picky eater.
Meat and potatoes kind of guy.
I usually come alone.
”

‘
No wonder the waitress seemed surprised to see me,
’
Avery thought.
“
You can
’
t find any other takers?
”

Marcus
’
brow furrowed, and he raked a hand through his hair.
“
I don
’
t have all that many friends left besides my brother, really. The fame is bullshit, you know, but it seems to keep normal folks away and attracts lots of the wrong kind of people. Most of the guys I used to hang out with were just drinking buddies. Not a single one stuck around after rehab.
”

“
I
’
m sorry, Marcus. I didn
’
t mean to pry.
”

“
It
’
s ok. It is what it is.
”
He leaned forward.
“
How about you?
Do you have a lot of friends back in New York?
”
 

“
Not all that many. The weird hours we kept when we performed weren
’
t conducive to it. My brother is
…
was my best friend.
”
She absently twisted Justin
’
s black wristband. Closing her eyes momentarily, she willed the tears back. When she opened them, she found Marcus'
gaze on her.
“
Guess it
’
s the same for you and Dwight, huh?
”

He
nodded,
eyes soft.
“
Sounds like we have that in common.
”

To Avery
’
s surprise and Marcus'
delight, she loved the meal. In fact, she ate so much that Marcus dubbed her
“
Sushi Pig.
”

“
Yeah, right.
Takes one to know one,
”
she told him.

After Marcus had paid the check, they started down the stairs together side by side. Halfway down, Avery tripped and pitched forward. She would have tumbled headfirst down the stairs, but Marcus reached out with both hands and yanked her back. Her back collided hard with his chest, and he held onto her for a moment, steadying them both.  

Avery
’
s breath caught. She wanted to stay like that, wrapped in his strong warm arms forever, but instead she pulled away, squared her shoulders and mumbled breathlessly,
“
Thanks. I
’
m such an idiot.
”

Neither one of them noticed a restaurant customer discreetly snapping pictures on a cell phone.

On the ride back downtown, Marcus received a text message.
“
It
’
s Dwight.
I texted him earlier about the track that we laid down.
He wants to meet up at Black Cat tomorrow at ten with JR and Dalton.
”

After Marcus dropped her off at her hotel, Avery was too keyed up to sleep. She went out onto her balcony and leaned against the railing, watching people rushing back and forth down Burrard Street. Craning her neck left, she could see a slice of the water front and the lights of West Vancouver. Not quite as swanky a view as the one from Marcus
’
apartment but still beautiful nonetheless.

The scenery didn
’
t hold her attention for long tonight, though. Visions of Marcus danced around in her head. Her thoughts unwaveringly returned to the man who was way more handsome than any guy had a right to be and who definitely had that rock star charisma thing going on. 

Having had a front row seat to watch her father unravel after her mom died, she had always shied away from emotional involvement with men.
Had never even been slightly tempted to waver from that stance until now.
With Marcus, she was already in way over her head. No matter how much she wanted to lock up her heart, she knew it wasn
’
t going to be possible.

Not anymore.

Avery walked back inside and picked up her jump rope. Maybe she could burn off some energy and extinguish her impermissible desire for a certain gorgeous sapphire- eyed heartthrob. Who was she kidding? At least if she wore herself out, she might be able to sleep. If she dreamed of him, well then she really couldn
’
t be held responsible for her subconscious, now could she?

*****

Back at his apartment, Marcus exited the elevator deep in thought. It had just felt right when he and Avery worked together today, everything clicking into place without any effort. Musically, they seemed to know without speaking where the other wanted to go. Usually after he put down a track, he had doubts. Not tonight. He knew what they had done was perfect. The song had integrity, something he could take pride in, hit or not, the label be damned.

Marcus was a loner by nature. His mom would say antisocial, that he preferred the company of his guitars over people from an early age. That
’
s why he was so surprised by how much he enjoyed being around Avery. Sure, there was a part of him that felt sorry for him, what with all the dude had been through. But mostly he admired Avery
’
s resilience. Somehow, instead of becoming bitter, Avery had developed into an enthusiastic, encouraging individual. In just a brief period of time, he
’
d inexplicably managed to tunnel under the impregnable wall Marcus had erected around himself.

CHAPTER 9 

Marcus arrived at the studio the next morning late and in a cranky mood. Awful traffic on the drive over had set him on edge. All that tension dissolved the minute he saw Avery, smiling at him like he was the world
’
s most important person. But instead of saying hello, Avery walked right past him on her way over to Ray.

“
Hey Ray, how are you today?
”
Avery asked, eyes filled with concern.

Ray set down the gear he had carried in and looked up.
“
Fine,
and you?
”
 

“
Good, good. How
’
s your mom? Have they let her out of the hospital yet?
”
 

Marcus watched them, perplexed. Why hadn
’
t he known Ray
’
s mom was in the hospital? 

“
Not yet. But they think she might get to go home tomorrow if she keeps improving.
”
 

“
Great! I
’
m so glad. Pneumonia is serious business.
”
 

“
Also,
”
Ray
smiled,
“
I followed your advice.
”

Avery beamed.
“
You
’
re a good guy, Ray. Your mom
’
s lucky to have you.
”
Avery turned back to Marcus and motioned him over.
“
Dwight and I were working a little bit with
‘
Brothers
’
while we waited for you.
”

“
Dude, I love this song!
”
Dwight told his brother, pulling him in for a hug and whispering in his ear,
“
I
’
ve missed seeing this side of you bro. Love you.
”

Marcus cleared his throat, touched and a little choked up by his brother
’
s approval.
“
Where
’
s the Stepchild?
”
 

JR came swaggering in the door as if on cue.
“
Here, man.
”

“
Let
’
s get started then,
”
Marcus said. They spent a couple of hours layering in some additional background vocals, drum and bass tracks.

Finally, Dalton announced over the mic,
“
That
’
s it guys. We
’
ve got it.
”
He gave them
a thumbs
up from the booth.
“
Mary
’
s going to freak. I think this one
’
s ready to release as a single!
”
After a brief round of congratulations, the session broke up.

Avery was just putting up her guitar when she sensed Marcus behind her. Her nostrils filled with the piney scent of his cologne. His body was so close, she could feel the heat radiating off it. She wanted to lean back and melt into him.

“
Hey-
wanna
go get something to eat, before that monster living in your stomach wakes up and gets hungry again?
”

“
Sure.
”
Avery grinned.
“
Sounds like a plan.
”
She called over to Dwight, who was talking with Stephen,
“
Hey man,
wanna
go get something to eat with us?
”

“
No, thanks.
Lisa and I have plans to eat and see a movie this afternoon. Another time though.
”

“
They
’
re practically newlyweds,
”
Marcus confided.
“
Joined at the hip.
”

“
My turn to pick,
”
Avery told him.
“
I
’
m buying this time.
”
 

“
Sure, kid, but it can
’
t take too long. Stephen
’
s got me in a meeting with a promoter at two.
”

“
I know the perfect place.
It
’
s
real close by
…
You ok to walk, Mr. Rock Star?
”
 

In answer Marcus pulled his cap and glasses out of his jacket pocket and put them on.
“
Lead the way.
”
He followed Avery out of Black Cat
’
s building onto West Fourth Avenue.

A cold breeze hit them as they walked down the street filled with funky shops and a scattering of restaurants. Avery buttoned up her black wool jacket and pulled on her gloves. Passing under the awning of a trendy retail shop, she noticed Marcus
’
shoulders were hunched and that he kept his head down. He was also avoiding making eye contact with the people they passed.
“
Have you thought of what you
’
d like to do for our next song?
”
Avery asked, trying to get his mind off whatever was stressing him out.

“
No, not really,
”
he mumbled.

“
Well, I have actually.
”

Marcus looked over at her, chuckling.
“
I wish Dwight were around to hear you say that.
”

“
Why
’
s that?
”

“
He
’
s always haranguing me for being too single minded. He says I am obsessed.
”

“
Yeah, I
’
ve noticed.
”
Avery paused.
“
Are there really other things in life besides music?
”
He smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling. She felt warmth spread throughout her chest, pleased that she
’
d been able to break through his sudden funk.
“
I wondered if you
’
d be interested in hearing a song I wrote about my mom.
”
Avery found herself holding her breath, waiting for his response.

Marcus took her totally by surprise when he crooked one arm around her shoulder and scrubbed the top of her head with the knuckle of the other. The contact was brief but caused her pulse to quicken.

“
Absolutely!
I wish I didn
’
t have this stupid meeting so I could listen to it now.
”

Avery tried regulating her breathing to slow down the hammering of her heart.

Marcus gave her a perplexed look.
“
You ok? You sound like you
’
re out of breath.
”

She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
If he only knew.
“
I
’
m fine,
”
she assured him.

“
If you say so.
Why don
’
t I send Ray to come get you after my meeting?
”

“
Sure. Sure. Hey, here we are. Japa Dog, cuisine of the common man,
”
she gestured with a flourish to a street cart belonging to one of Vancouver most famous vendors.

As they waited to get their hot dogs, Marcus admitted that he
’
d always been a little reluctant to try one.
“
You mean to tell me, you grew up in Vancouver, you
’
re adventurous enough to eat raw fish, yet you
’
ve been afraid to eat a hot dog from a street vendor? There
’
s a technical term for that. It
’
s called
…”
she paused dramatically, making a circular motion with her fingers near her temple,
“
crazy.
”
 

He playfully reached for her arm, gripping the exact spot where Campanella had burned her. She winced and let out a gasp of pain. Her eyes filled with tears and when she tugged her arm loose from his grasp, her sleeve rolled back exposing the healing wound.

“
What the hell?
”
Marcus exclaimed, his voice full of concern.
“
Crap, Avery. What happened to your arm? It looks like someone burned you with a cigarette or something.
”
He raised questioning eyes to hers.

“
What? Oh no,
”
she rolled back down her sleeve,
“
I was just taking something hot out of the oven and burned myself.
”
Looking down, she didn
’
t notice his eyes narrow.

Marcus didn
’
t buy it. The burn was too symmetrical. He wondered, not for the first time, just what Avery
’
s life had been like back in New York. Marcus opened his mouth to demand the truth, but when he noticed Avery
’
s guarded look, decided not to force the issue.