The Promise of Rainbows (32 page)

“Not that again,” Jake said, wincing. “You know I hate that nickname.”

Monty twirled his carry-on in a dramatic circle. “But it’s so true. Even the media calls you one of the most wholesome country singers out there.”

He narrowed his eyes at them, which didn’t dim the wattage of their teasing grins. This was the way they ragged on each other every time they were together. “And y’all are clucking like a bunch of hens. Best come on in and see the rest of the place before you lay an egg in my front yard.”

The guys started clucking like chickens, of course, and they kept doing it sporadically as he led them around the house, the clucker sending the rest into gales of laughter . He caught them blinking a few times at the sheer expanse of his house, which didn’t surprise him since they’d all come from modest upbringings. Darren had escaped one of the most dangerous Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles by enlisting, while Randy had entered the Army to go to college, not wanting to join a Detroit gang like his older brother. Monty had seen the Army as his only way out of the small-town trailer park he’d grown up in outside of Mobile, Alabama.

Jake concluded the tour by passing out beers. They hunkered down in the den, and Jake turned to one of his most bittersweet tasks as host.

“To Booker and all the rest of our friends who didn’t make it,” he said, and they all clicked their beer bottles together.

They were quiet for a minute, but Monty broke the tension by cracking a joke about them all being no better than a bunch of women sniffling after a funeral. They kept the conversation light after that, shooting the shit and catching up. But the next time there was a lull in the conversation, Jake decided it was time to speak his mind.

“Reverend Louisa—Susannah’s mama—has really been helping me deal with the stuff that’s been coming up for me lately,” he told them. “I’m…more hopeful than ever that I might be normal again.”

“You know there’s no such thing as normal, Jake,” Monty said, gesturing to his leg. “We don’t have the same experiences as most of the people around us, but that doesn’t mean we’re a lost cause. May shows me that each day.”

“I’m glad she’s making you so happy, man,” Randy said, tipping his beer in Monty’s direction. “No one deserves it more than you. Well, except for this asshole country singer over here.”

Jake shook his head, knowing it was all good fun. “Asshole country singer? I’ll have to tell my manager to use that headline for my next concert.”

“So when are we meeting Susannah?” Darren asked, kicking his feet up on the footstool in front of the loveseat. “You’ve been your usual clam of a self when it comes to telling us about your lady. How hot is she?”

“Dudley Do-Right never tells,” Monty said, chuckling. “But I’m happy to report that May is as hot as a five-alarm chili and then some.”

“Ooh,”
Darren and Randy called out.

“I can’t believe you just compared your wife to chili, Monty,” Jake said, nudging his good leg with the tip of his boot.

“Well, she’s hot…and sweet,” Monty said with a drawl. “Did I mention sweet?

After meeting May a few times, Jake had to concur. “How’s work going, Monty? Are you still using your magic to make cars run? Mine might need an oil change.”

“Shee-et, bubba. I’ll give you an oil change.” Then he shrugged. “The garage is okay, I guess. My boss is an asshole, but it keeps me busy. There’s always a car to fix. The money’s not great, but May is working at a new restaurant where the tips are better. We’re saving up to buy a house.”

When people talked about struggling over money, Jake felt guilty for all he had. “If you need anything, man…”

“We’re fine, Jake,” Monty said crisply, taking a sip of his beer.

Jake went mute. He’d offered his help before, and while he knew it was a touchy subject, he couldn’t help but offer. These guys were his friends, and he had more money than he could ever spend.

Randy shot him a glance, and he could all but hear the man telling him to back off. They were all a prideful lot when it came down to it. He had to respect that.

“Anyone up for some pool?” Jake asked, eager to get them back on easier ground. “As you might have noticed, my lovely lady found me a fabulous pool table for the game room.”

“I’m game, haha,” Darren said, cracking his enormous hands. “Can we put on some salsa music?” he asked, flawlessly executing a few dance steps.

“No!” they all immediately shouted.

“Your preoccupation with that music makes me worry about you, man,” Randy teased him. “We should listen to country—for Jake.”

He winced. “Let’s not. Rap or hip-hop is fine with me, but no salsa. Maybe Monty can do one of his Eminem imitations.”

Monty launched into “Lose Yourself,” and Jake tipped back his beer and took a sip as his friend rapped out the famous song. Before his injury, Monty used to dance like Eminem while he rapped. Now, he bobbed from side to side carefully, moving his shoulders in time with the beat. Jake started to move in time with the rhythm, and soon they were all rapping the song like in the old days.

When they finally left to go to the game room, Jake hung back to walk more slowly with Monty. Darren and Randy were jogging down the steps to the lower level, already jawing each other about who had the better pool cue. Some things never changed.

Monty put his arm around Jake’s shoulder. “How are the nightmares?”

“I haven’t had one for over a month now, thank God,” he answered, thinking back to how much his life had changed since that last dark night. “What about yours?”

Month gave a lopsided smile. “You know. They come and go. Sometimes I dream I still have my leg. That I’m dancing a two-step with May to one of your songs. Those ones are the worst.”

Jake nudged him. “But you’re happy, right? Getting married seems to have…I don’t know…balanced you out more.”

“May’s a good influence, and she makes me happy. But I can’t depend on her or anything else for that. I have to stand on my own two feet. Bad joke.”

It was, but it was one he made often—Jake figured the levity helped him deal with his loss.

“You’re standing and then some,” he said, gripping his shoulder. “I’m only glad May’s there to support you when you need it.”

“Me too,” Monty said, walking down the steps carefully. “I’m still going to one session a week. What about you?”

“I’m seeing Reverend Louisa more than that,” Jake said as they entered the game room. “I wanted to give my recovery more attention now that I’m moving forward with Susannah. And it’s easier since I’m not on tour right now.”

Randy had already racked the balls, and seconds later, he sent multi-colored pool balls spinning willy-nilly across the green felt table.

“Solids,” Randy called out as the red ball dropped into a corner pocket. He positioned his stick to shoot again. “Damn, I’m good.”

“And annoying as always,” Darren fired back, balancing his pool stick across his massive shoulders like an Aikido master.

“I guess we’re watching you two yahoos play,” Jake said, settling on the sofa with Monty.

From this vantage point, Jake had a good view of the decorations he and Susannah had chosen together—paintings of the Tennessee countryside and a display of his favorite classic country albums. This room had turned out well. Heck, all of the rooms were turning out well. The way she’d set up these rooms was further evidence that she saw him and what he needed almost better than he did himself. Susannah had even managed to find him an interior water feature for the den upstairs, and he couldn’t wait for it to arrive.

“We look good playing, don’t we?” Randy said, flexing a bicep, making Jake wish he had a pillow to toss at the man, but this was a game room. Pillow-free, he’d told Susannah.

“You look like y’all don’t know which end to sit on,” Monty called out, rubbing the line where his real leg ended and the prosthetic began. Jake studied his face. Monty’s mouth was tense, something he hadn’t noticed before.

“Is your leg bothering you from the traveling? I can grab a footstool from upstairs.” He hadn’t thought to add one to the room. Maybe he and Susannah could look for one.

“The pressure on the plane always makes the area around the prosthetic swell. It’ll be fine in a few hours.”

Jake might have his own issues, but one thing he did have was a completely healthy body. He took a moment to be grateful for it. “I’ll get that stool.”

When he returned, Monty elevated his foot and leaned back with a sigh.

“When are we meeting Susannah?” Monty asked.

“Tonight,” he answered. “She’s coming for supper.”

“After everything you’ve told me about her, she sounds too good to be true.”

Jake didn’t know about that. But as he watched his friends play pool and listened to their familiar interplay,
he realized he’d never been able to enjoy being with them this much because he felt more present and happier now than he had in the past. And Susannah was playing a big role in making him feel that way.

Chapter 24

Susannah found herself oddly nervous when she arrived at Redemption Ridge to meet Jake’s Army buddies. She’d purposely dressed casual in jeans, boots, and a blue cotton shirt. His friends would be her best window to what Jake had been like in the Army, and she wanted them to like her.

The door swung open before she could even knock, and Jake grabbed her to him and gave her a hard, urgent kiss. She put her hands on his chest and all but melted before he set her away from him.

“I had to do that quick,” he told her with a grin. “The guys are here. I ran up when I heard your car.”

She cast a look around his body, but didn’t see anyone else. “Where are they?”

“Finishing up a game of pool,” Jake told her, taking her hand. “It’s been a non-stop contest for a couple hours now. Randy and Darren have been long-time pool rivals, and Monty is egging them on. I’ve told them to watch their language around you, but I can’t guarantee they won’t slip.”

Her mouth twitched. She couldn’t help it. “I doubt I’ll faint, Jake. You don’t cuss much now. Did you when you were in the military?”

“Like a sailor,” he said, laughing. “It didn’t jive with who I became when I left the service, but I still slip up around the guys some since it’s how we used to talk. I’ll do my best not to drop the f-bomb around you.”

She couldn’t imagine Jake ever dropping the f-bomb. “That’s mighty kind of you,” she said in a teasing voice. “Let’s go meet your friends.”

The moment she and Jake entered the game room, three men whirled around to give them their attention. The one who’d been sitting on the couch quickly got up. They were a motley crew for sure, and all of them were giants. Especially the one with the diamond earring.

“Guys,” Jake said, putting his hand to her back. “This is Susannah. Honey, the tall one over there who still has a military crew cut—God help us—is Randy. He’s currently beating Darren, who mentioned showing you his salsa moves later, something I told him was
never
going to happen.”

From the charming smile he shot her way, she expected he was used to showing women his…ahem…moves frequently.

“Hey, Susannah,” Darren said, using his pool stick to make a fake lunge at Randy, who blocked it with scary efficiency. His quick response made Susannah wonder what kind of training they must have gone through in the military. Both of them set down their pool cues.

“Do we at least get to hug her?” Darren asked Jake, an eyebrow winging up.

Jake rolled his eyes. “You might ask her.”

She eyed the massive hand Darren had thrust out to her. His body seemed to fit his size. Jake towered over her, but Darren was like a tall tree.

“A hug might be nice if you promise not to crush me,” she said, stepping into his arms hesitantly.

“I won’t crush you none,” Darren said, giving her a gentle back pat. “Jake would crush my balls. Woops. Forget I said that.”

“Don’t mind him,” Randy said, pulling the man back by the arm. “Darren doesn’t know how to act around nice ladies like you.”

“Ouch,” Darren said, placing his hand on his heart dramatically.

“And you do?” she asked Randy, fighting a smile.

“Yes, ma’am, I do,” he answered, giving her a playful wink. “But not like this one over here who’s crazy about you. Did Jake tell you about our nickname for him?”

She heard a groan and looked over.

“Don’t do it, man,” Jake said, narrowing his eyes. “Payback is hell.”

“I’m shaking,” Randy said and then gave a good imitation of the motion, making all the men snicker. “We call him Dudley Do-Right.”

Putting a hand over her mouth to cover her smile, Susannah took a moment to compose herself. Jake was watching her carefully for her reaction.

“In a certain light, I can see the resemblance,” she teased, playing along.

Darren hooted, and Randy shoved Jake hard in the chest, making him fall back a few steps. The man still standing by the sofa took a few steps toward her. There was a slight hitch in his walk, which tracked with what Jake had told her. Monty wasn’t as muscular as the rest of the others, but he was tall. She imagined they must have looked like a pretty intimidating group when they were in the Army, and they’d undoubtedly turned a lot of heads in their uniforms.