Lush (14 page)
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did. And I never really stopped.”
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“I like that story. When I was growing up—Oh my god, what
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is that?”
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“Abalone.”
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“Wow. Love it.” He fi nished chewing and went in for a few
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more bites. She loved to watch people eat. Especially Damien.
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He had started off wary but had taken up the challenge.
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He sipped his wine. “This is also awesome. Anyway, we
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rarely went out to dinner when I was growing up. We didn’t
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often have much extra money. My mom’s a great cook, but we’re
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a meat- and- potatoes family. I never really went to fancy places, 28S
not until we hit it big and label people started to take us to
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lunch.”
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“I love meat and potatoes. My favorite meal of my mom’s is
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meatloaf. Also, small hole-in- the- wall places can really be great 02
fi nds. Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten has been from some
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three- table place in a strip mall.”
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Another course arrived and she had to clasp her hands on
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her lap to keep from rubbing them together with glee.
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“You’re really happy right now, aren’t you?”
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“I am. This is . . . it’s special. I’m blown away. Taste this.”
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She held her fork out and he leaned in to take a bite. “I hope
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you’re not weirded out that I like to share.” She really did hope
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not, because she wanted to grab some of what was on his plate.
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“Hell no. I like it.” He indicated his plate and she hoped she
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didn’t look like a hungry animal when she forked up some of
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his food.
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It was hours later when they walked outside. He hailed a cab
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and she leaned into his side, despite the August heat.
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“It’s a beautiful thing to watch you around food.”
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She tipped her head back. “Yeah?”
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He nodded. “Oh yeah. You enjoy it like nothing I’ve ever seen.
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You get this light in your eyes. Pure joy. Sensual. Really, really
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hot. Thanks for sharing this with me.”
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“Thank you for coming with me. And for not complaining
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when I ate off your plate.”
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He kissed the top of her head. “Anytime.”
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Two women approached. “Oh my god, you’re Damien Hur-
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ley!” They giggled and he smiled at them.
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“I am. How are you two ladies this fi ne evening?”
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“You’re so hot. Would you sign an autograph?” She started
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digging in her purse, unsteady on her feet.
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“So are you staying in town? We have tickets to see you
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tomorrow night. Can we come backstage? We’d totally make it
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worth your while, if you know what I mean.”
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He chuckled.
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They ignored Mary totally. One of them even sort of edged
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in front of her. She stepped back, shocked at the behavior.
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He looked back to her. “Hey, don’t go anywhere.”
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Damien saw the look on her face, knew she was pissed. He
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felt bad— it had been a pretty fucking stellar night up until that 10
point.
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A cab rolled up and the doorman opened the door. She shot
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him a look over her shoulder and got in. “Looks like you’re busy.
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I can go back on my own if you’d like.”
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“Gotta run. Have a good night, ladies, and enjoy the show.”
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He hurried, disentangling himself from their grabbing hands
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and slid into the cab.
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Mary stared straight ahead as they pulled away from the curb.
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“I’m sorry about that.”
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“Yeah, I could tell.” There was enough ice in her voice to
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make him shiver.
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“Look, it happens. What am I supposed to do? Be rude?”
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“Um, in case it’s escaped your notice, you
were
rude. To me.
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I don’t give one tiny drop of fuck about two drunken skanks
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offering you a three- way for a backstage pass. You gotta do
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what you gotta do, but don’t cry to me about being rude when
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you were to me.”
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The cabbie met his eyes in the rearview for a moment, shar-
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ing one of those sympathetic guy glances.
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Damien had considered her pretty easygoing, but Mary
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Whaley had a temper on her. He should have guessed given the
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way she was in bed, but wow, she was pissed and he was prob-
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ably going to hell because it made him hot for her to see it.
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He took a deep breath. “You’re right. It happens so often I
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guess I just sort of get immune to how it affects everyone around
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me. Don’t let this ruin what has been one of the best nights of
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the entire year. Please?”
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He took her hand and she gave him one slowly raised brow.
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“How do you do that? I can manage a single brow raise, but
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the slow draw up, I can’t do it.” He managed to give her his
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most charming smile.
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“It
was
a lovely evening. Until that. Look, I get it. We aren’t 13
married or anything, but we were on a date. I don’t own you. I
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just expect to not have some fl oozy push me out of the way while
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she offers up her sexual services.”
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He nodded. “You’re totally right. Can I tell you that the over-
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whelming majority of my fans are awesome and respectful? And
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I was raised right, I’ll have you know. We’re on a date and you
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deserve respect.”
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“Hm.”
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He knew she’d forgiven him, thank goodness. But the way
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she’d so casually tossed out that they were just on a date and
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nothing more rattled around at the back of his mind. She was
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so much more than just some woman he had fun with.
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“How about we go up on the roof and look at the stars?
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There’s a pretty garden and places to lounge around.”
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She fi nally smiled. “All right then.”
S28
N29
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• • •
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On the roof it was quieter, but the sounds of the city still rose to 04
greet them. The air was warm, the sky was clear and even the
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lights from all around them couldn’t totally kill the stars high
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above.
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He got them both drinks and steered her to a padded chaise
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he’d sighted as they got outside. It was in a quiet little corner so 09
he could have her all to himself.
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She sat, taking her shoes off and tucking her legs up under
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her body.
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“What is this again?” he asked her. She’d been the one to tell
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him what to order back at the bar.
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“They call it the Skyline. When I make them I just call them
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ginger lime fi zzes. It’s fi zzy water with ginger and lime juice. I 16
steep my ginger in the fi zzy water in a little muslin bag. Don’t
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know how they do it here. But it’s quite tasty.”
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He clinked his glass to hers and they settled back.
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“I’m so full. Like to- the- brim, I-need-to-unbutton-my- jeans-
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and- take-a-nap full.”
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He laughed. “Exactly. Or as my dad calls it, Thanksgiving
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full.” He put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned in to
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his body.
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“Are you ready for tomorrow’s show?”
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“I am. This is a special venue for us. We played here the fi rst
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time our CD hit Billboard at number one. The crowds are always
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good to us, always rambunctious and noisy. It feeds your
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energy.”
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“Is it as amazing as it seems to have them sing the words to
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the song? I go to see Pearl Jam at least twice every tour and from
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the audience perspective, it gives me chills to be singing along
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and have Ed get quiet and let the crowd fi nish the words.”
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“I don’t even know if I could do justice to what it’s like.
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You’re fl attered that they like you enough to pay to come to a
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show. They gotta deal with traffi c and parking and then every-
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thing costs so much. But they come. They spend their hard-
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earned money and time and they come to the show. And then
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they sing along. It’s . . . I don’t even know. Astonishing. Hum-
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bling. Our fans kick ass. They’ve been so loyal from day one.
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We meet our fan club folks in every city when we roll through
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and love ’em.”
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He liked that her questions showed how much she really
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thought about things. She was insightful as well as beautiful.
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“It’s a slog sometimes. The road I mean. You’re in a different
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hotel every night, or the bus. And the toilet is always breaking
16
down and you don’t have much privacy. You get sick of every-
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one. The food is utter shit most of the time. So you roll into the
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next town and you set up and then you walk out on that stage
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and it all comes back to me. When I sit behind my kit and I look
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out over that audience and they’re cheering and they’ve made
21
signs and they throw stuff on stage and yell out their favorites
22
and yeah, sing along and it’s the most powerful reminder of just
23
how lucky I am. The exhaustion fades and the joy of making
24
music with my brothers comes back and I remember I’m so for-
25
tunate to have this life.”
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“That’s lovely. I’m so glad you have that. I can’t imagine the
27
pressure you must be under sometimes. I know some of it through
S28
Gillian about Adrian and this chance he took making this double
N29
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album and all that. But it’s got to be so much more than what
02
she can tell me. I admire that you do what you do.”
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“Thank you. Thank you for coming out here. And for dinner
04
and for being you. I’m really glad to be here with you right now.”
05
In fact, he couldn’t think of a single place he’d rather be than
06
right there with her at his side as they stared up at the stars.
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He was, indeed, a really lucky man.
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he had her special access badge on and stood just left of
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the stage, watching Damien play drums. The crowd
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screamed so loud she wasn’t sure how Adrian avoided
19
losing his hearing.
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Sweet Hollow Ranch was up fi rst, opening for Adrian. They
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were pretty damned successful in their own right, so she knew
22
this mini tour was more because they all liked each other and
23
had fun playing together.
