The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (36 page)

  
He felt a twitch as he thought about her then immediately felt guilty.
She was beautiful and he ached to hold her and take her to bed. He shouldn’t be
having such thoughts about his sister, even though they only shared the same
dad. It’s not right, he told himself, but the feelings had started soon after
she began dating his mate Nick Cantello, and he couldn’t seem to stop them.
Nick was a lucky bastard and nowhere near good enough for his little sis.

  
He grimaced at his reflection and ran his hands through his thick, dark
curls. In the mirror he didn’t see his own green eyes, but the alluring blue of
Jess’s. Eyes you could fall into; eyes that you could fall in love with. ‘Get
over it, Jon,’ he muttered. ‘It ain’t gonna happen.’

***

  
Jane called her mother to enquire after her and Eddie’s younger children,
Katie and Dominic, and Lennon the dog.

  
‘
They’re fine, Jane,’
her mum
reassured her, after making small talk
.
‘We’re enjoying having them to stay. Have a nice holiday. See you soon.’

  
‘Hardly a holiday, Mum,’ Jane muttered as she wandered from room to
room. ‘There’s so much to do.’ Aunt Celia’s Victorian home was packed with
stuff. She looked at the array of ornaments, wondering why anyone could
possibly want so many glass brandy balloons. They were on every surface, in
every colour imaginable.

  
Apart from the glass collection there were many family photographs.
Eddie’s late parents, Dad, smart in military dress, and Mum, smiling up at him
with large dewy eyes, a little fox-fur round her neck.
   

  
Photos of a very young Eddie, neat in his school uniform with no hint of
the leather-jacketed rebel to come. Jane ran her fingers over his face, and
lovingly traced the dimple in his chin, leaving a trail through the dust on the
glass.

  
She flopped down on the sofa next to the old radiogram and smiled as
memories of her 1964 Bank Holiday trip to Brighton
flooded back. It was the same sofa she’d sat on with Eddie, Roy and Sammy,
smoking her first joint, whilst the Mods and Rockers riots raged on outside.
She shook her head, thinking how her trusting mother would have had a holy fit
if she’d known half of what her daughter got up to once she became involved
with
The Raiders
.
  

***

  
Jess leapt out of the car and rang the bell. ‘Hi, Mum,’ she greeted as
Jane threw open the door.
 

  
‘Hello, darling.’ Jane hugged her daughter. ‘It’s good to see you all.
You did well for time.’

  
‘We did,’ Jess said as Jane stepped aside to let them in.

  
Roy and the boys carried the bags. They dumped them in the hall and
followed Jane into the lounge where Eddie was sitting on the sofa. He jumped up
to greet them.

  
‘Blimey, it’s exactly the same.’ Sammy’s gaze swept the room. Celia’s
house was a time warp, decorated in shades of orange, purple and brown. ‘God,
this takes me back a few years.’

  
‘Twenty to be precise.’ Roy
stood behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. ‘It’s a shame to sell
it, Ed. It’s like a sixties museum.’

  
‘It’s in need of a major refurb,’ Eddie said. ‘I haven’t the time to be
dealing with it. Right, grab some wineglasses, Jane.’ He uncorked a bottle of
red. ‘Let’s have a drink before dinner. It’s nice to be here again, even though
we’ve got the kids under our feet this time.’

  
‘Cramping your style, are we?’ Jon walked into the room and gave Jess a
hug.

  
‘Son, believe me, you always did.’

  
‘We’ll leave you in peace after dinner,’ Jess said as Jon winked at her.
‘I fancy a dance.’ She wiggled her slender hips at the boys. ‘There’ll be good
clubs in town.’

***

  
‘Bring another bottle of wine through, Jane,’ Eddie called as he and Roy
tuned up the guitars in the lounge.

  
‘Yes, your Lordship.’ Jane laughed and topped up the glasses. She sat
down on the sofa next to Sammy.

  
Jess sauntered into the room, her black leather jeans and white cropped
top, fitting where they touched.

  
‘For God’s sake, Jess,’ Jane began. ‘That top leaves nothing to the
imagination and those jeans look as though they’re cutting you in two.’

  
‘Mum, quit criticising. Bet Gran never gave you a hard time about what
you
wore when you went out. Anyway, Nick
likes my tight pants.’

  
‘Bet he bloody does,’ Jane said. ‘And believe me, your Gran always gave
me a hard time about my short skirts, you ask your dad.’

  
Eddie caught his breath as Jess flicked her long, dark hair over her
shoulders and planted herself in front of him. She was the image of Jane at
eighteen, except for her eyes. Jess’s were blue as forget-me-nots and Jane’s
brown and soulful.

  
‘Yes, Jess, what can I do for you?’

  
‘Daddy,’ she wheedled, dropping a kiss on his cheek.

  
‘Can I borrow some money?’ he finished.

  
‘How did you know I was gonna ask that?’

  
‘Because you usually kiss me when you want something: and it’s either my
money or my car keys. Am I right, or am I right?’

  
‘You’re right. You usually are.’

  
He fished a ten-pound note from his pocket. ‘Buy the boys a drink, and,
Jess, when we get home, maybe you could start looking for a part-time job.’

  
‘Yeah, I will, but
The Zoo
will be making enough money to keep me soon.’ She left the room as the boys
clattered down the stairs.

  
Jane shook her head and took a sip of wine.

  
Roy grinned. ‘Big ideas.’

  
‘That’s my girl,’ Eddie said. ‘We need to sort things out with the band
when we get back. I keep telling her they’ll do better with Livvy on board.’

  
‘I agree,’ Roy said. ‘The
lads want her in and so do I. Band meeting, Livvy included, as soon as we get
home.’

  
‘God help you,’ Jane said. ‘But you’re right. Livvy’s a fabulous singer,
and if she doesn’t join them soon, someone else will snap her up.’

  
Eddie nodded. Livvy’s powerful vocal chords could be the making of
The Zoo
and was the perfect compliment
to Jess’s soft and soulful voice.

***

CHAPTER
TWO

  
‘Let’s have a drink on the pier before we find a club,’ Jon said as he,
Nick and Jason strode in the direction of The Palace Pier.

  
Nick slipped his arm around Jess’s waist and pulled her close.

  
‘Has your dad told you how much Celia’s left you yet?’

  
‘No, and there’s not been the right time to ask. He’s still really
upset.’

  
‘I know how much you’re getting,’ Jon said. ‘I found out this morning.’

  
‘Is it enough for me and Nick to find somewhere to live?’

  
‘Plenty.’ Jon wished it wasn’t. The thought of Jess living with Nick was
almost too much to bear. ‘You’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Dad wants to tell
you himself.’

  
‘Tell me now.’ Jess slipped out of Nick’s arms and grabbed Jon’s hand.
‘Please, Jon.’

  
‘No.’ He looked into her eyes and felt his stomach lurch. He reached out
and brushed her hair from her face and was conscious of Nick giving him a strange
look. He pulled his hand away and carried on walking ahead. They made their way
to the white painted tables and chairs outside a bar and sat down. Jon went
inside and came back with four pints of lager.

  
The bar was quiet. It was still early in the season and dusk was setting
in as the bright neon lights of the fairground rides danced in their eyes.
Relax
, by
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
blasted from the overhead speakers. Nick
sang along, smiling at Jess. She giggled as he leant across and whispered in
her ear.
 

  
‘Better not, Nick. We need to keep the parents sweet for when we tell
them we’re moving in together.’

  
‘They wouldn’t know. You’re in the attic; they’re on the floor below.
C’mon. Jess, for me,’ he whispered, giving her his special bone-melting smile.

  
‘What are you two on about?’ Jon said as Nick looked into Jess’s eyes.

  
‘Nick wants to share my room,’ she said.

  
Jason raised an eyebrow. 'You’ll have to be back in ours before Mum
wakes up. Remember her speech last night about no hanky-panky between you and
Jess?’ He stood up; hands on his hips in a camp fashion and did a perfect
imitation of his mother as the others laughed.

Jess rolled her eyes. ‘It’s
ridiculous. We’d be living together already if we had a place. Why shouldn’t we
share a room?’

‘You can, as long as Nick’s back
in ours before they get up,’ Jon said. ‘Try and keep the peace for once,
please, Jess. You’d better borrow my travel alarm. Now stop sulking and drink
up.’ He downed his pint. ‘C’mon, Jase, let’s find a woman.’

Jason smiled shyly and followed
the others.

Jess linked her arm through his.
‘You okay, Jase?’

‘Yeah. Would have been nice if
Jules could have come with us though.’

Nick turned round. ‘Don’t you see
enough of gay-boy at college? Bloody Hell, Jase, you’ll never get a woman with
him hanging around. People think you’re a couple.’

  
‘Leave it, Nick,’ Jon said as Jason’s brown eyes clouded. Nick was
always goading him about his mate and it really annoyed Jon. He and Jules were
close, maybe a bit too close, but that was Jason’s business and Nick should
keep his bloody thoughts to himself.

***

  
Jon paused for a moment outside the pier entrance. ‘So, this is where
the infamous Mods and Rockers riots began?’

  
‘Yeah,’ Jess nodded. ‘According to Sammy, this area was awash with
Rockers and then The Mods rode up on their scooters, chanting and shouting.
God, I bet it was such a thrill, just like a scene from Quadrophenia.’

  
‘I wouldn’t have fancied being stuck in the middle of it all,’ Jon said.
‘Quadrophenia was bad enough and that was just the film. Mind you,’ he smirked,
‘I’d play the part of Jimmy any day, getting to shag Lesley Ash in that
backyard!’

  
‘Trust you.’ Jess laughed. ‘Those riots happened before we were born,
but Dad often talks about ’em as though it was yesterday.’
  

  
‘I was born, but I lived with Angie then,’ Jon said.

  
‘Do you ever wonder what she was like?’ Jason asked as they set off for
the town centre.

  
‘Sometimes. It didn’t bother me when I was younger. I mean, she died
when I was three so I hardly remember her. But now, well – I’d like to know
more. I’m told I look like her, green eyes and curls and all that. I was twelve
when Dad told me Jane wasn’t my mum and that my real mother had died in an
accident. I thought they were joking at first.’

  
Jon smiled as Jess squeezed his arm. One of his earliest memories was of
Dad telling him he always had to take great care of her. She’d been upset when
they’d told him about Angie, she’d cried with him, but not really understanding
what it was all about. He’d soon got over the shock and carried on as normal,
putting it to the back of his mind until recently, when curiosity had started
to surface.

  
As far as he was concerned, Jane had always been Mum. But as time passed
the need to find out more about Angie grew stronger. For years, birthday and
Christmas cards from his grandparents and aunt had been the only communication
he’d had with her family. Apart from making him write thank-you letters for
money received in his cards, Dad, for whatever reasons, didn’t encourage
contact.

  
‘Listen.’ Nick’s eyes lit up as they turned into a side road. ‘That’s
our kind of sound. C’mon, let’s go in there.’

  
Music, blasting through open doors further along the road, reached their
ears. They paid their entrance fee and walked past two burly, black-suited
bouncers into a crowded, smoky room. The brick walls of the building, which had
begun life as a warehouse, were painted a myriad of bright colours. Garish
flashing lights assaulted their eyes even further and the music was so loud it
seemed to bounce off the walls.
   

  
‘Get us a drink, Jon, I’ll pay,’ Nick shouted above the noise as they
weaved their way through the sweating, gyrating dancers.

  
‘Here, take this.’ Jess fished in her bag and handed Dad’s tenner to
Jon. ‘Lager for me please and whatever you lot wants.’ She made her way to a
vacant table, followed by Nick and Jason.

  
As Jon lounged against the bar he spotted a couple of girls standing to
his left. They were looking across to where Jess and the boys were seated. One
of them, a willowy blond, made eye contact with Nick and smiled. Nick smiled
back and winked. Jess won’t like that, Jon thought, as Jess pulled Nick to his
feet and onto the dance floor.

  
She wound her arms around his neck. Nick smiled. He held her, lips
seeking hers. Then Jon saw his sister grinning in the blonde’s direction. She
got the message that Nick was not available and turned her attention to Jon as
he carried the drinks over.

  
She smiled, revealing even white teeth, and tossed back her long, blonde
hair. ‘Hi, I’m Helen.’

  
‘I’m Jon, that’s Jason.’ He gestured to an empty chair. Helen sat down
and crossed her long legs, revealing lightly tanned thighs as her skirt rode
up. Jon caught a glimpse of white lace, felt a definite twitch and thought,
this could be his lucky night.

  
Jason nodded, looking intimidated by Helen who was eyeing Jon as though
he were a stud bull at a cattle market. She beckoned to a small, dark-haired
girl who smiled shyly as she joined them.

  
‘This is Ronnie, my mate. Meet Jon and Jason.’

  
‘Ronnie?’ Jon said. ‘Short for Veronica?’

  
‘It’s really Rhonda,’ Ronnie said and rolled her eyes. ‘Mum was a
Beach Boys
fan. You know,
Help Me Rhonda
. But I prefer Ronnie.’

  
‘I’m not surprised.’ Jon held out his hand. ‘Nice to meet you, really
Rhonda.’

  
‘You on holiday, Jon?’ Helen asked.

  
‘Not really.’ Jon detected a northern accent. ‘Are you?’

  
‘Yeah, we’re staying in Rottingdean with my aunt. We’re from Pickford in
Cheshire.’

  
‘Bloody hell, there’s a coincidence. We’re from Ashlea
Village,’ Jon said. The DJ changed
tempo and Lionel Ritchie sang
Hello.
‘That’s better, I can hear myself speak. Fancy a dance?’ Helen nodded. He led
her onto the floor, leaving Jason and Ronnie staring after them.

  
Jon slipped his arms around her trim waist and she put hers around his
neck.

  
‘Who’s the couple you’re with?’ She nodded in Nick and Jess’s direction.

  
‘My half-sister Jess and Jason’s brother Nick.’

  
‘They’re very into one another.’ She looked at the pair who were
swaying, eyes closed in ecstasy. ‘How old are they?’

  
‘Jess is eighteen and Nick’s eighteen next month.’ Jon glanced at Nick
and Jess and felt the familiar surge of jealousy.

  
‘Have they been together long?’

  
‘All their lives. They were born a year apart. Both families lived
together at our home, Hanover’s
Lodge,’ he explained.

  
‘Hanover’s Lodge? I’ve
heard all about that place. Mum and her mates hung around outside the gates
after school.
The Raiders
used to
live there.’

  
Jon nodded. ‘Our dad Ed was their drummer. Jason and Nick’s dad is Roy,
their lead singer. The group's disbanded now but Dad and Roy
are still songwriters and they manage our band
The Zoo.
’

  
‘Your band? You mean the four of you?’

  
‘Yeah,’ Jon said. ‘I’m the drummer, Jess plays bass and sings, Jason
plays keyboards and Nick’s on lead and sings backing vocals.’

  
‘Wow! I’ll have to come to a gig. Do you have a home down here, too?’

  
‘Dad’s aunt died and left her house to him. We’re clearing it before he
sells it. Right, now you know my life history, let’s hear yours.’

  
‘There’s nothing to tell really. Mum’ll be gobsmacked when I tell her
who I’ve met. She was crazy about your dad. Bought all
The Raiders
records and has scrapbooks full of cuttings and
autographs. She used to say Eddie Mellor had the most gorgeous blue eyes she’d
ever seen.’

  
‘He still has,’ Jon said. ‘So has Jess. They look right into your soul.
C’mon, I’ll get you a drink.’

  
‘I’ll have a Coke please,’ she said and went back to her seat. Jon
frowned as he waited at the bar. With her tall, model girl figure, sexily clad
in a short white rah-rah skirt and skimpy black cutaway top, he thought Helen
looked about eighteen. He ordered a round of drinks and carried the tray to the
table.

  
‘How come you don’t want alcohol?’ He sat next to Helen, bumping thighs.
‘How old are you?’

  
She leant forward and whispered, ‘Sixteen – next month. How old are
you
?’

  
Jon nodded, thinking shit, jailbait, just my luck. ‘I’m twenty-two. Is
that too old for you, or what?’

  
She shook her head as Nick and Jess returned to the table. ‘Lads my age
are childish.’

  
‘Do you think they’ll have gone to bed yet?’ Nick interrupted, looking
at his watch.

  
‘It’s only just gone eleven,’ Jon said. ‘Give them a bit longer. Don’t
be so bloody impatient, Nick.’

  
‘You don’t have to go yet, do you?’ Helen touched Jon’s arm.

  
‘No, these two have got the hots for one another.’

  
Jess stared at Helen, eyebrows raised questioningly.

  
‘This is Helen,’ Jon introduced her. ‘And that’s Rhonda, or Ronnie, as
she prefers. They live in Pickford, believe it or not. Helen’s mum was a
Raiders fan in the sixties. She was into Dad and his blue eyes.’

  
‘So was half the town, apparently,’ Jess said. ‘You should come to the house
and meet him. Roy’s down here, too.
You’d better bring your camera though, or your mum might not believe you.’

  
Helen looked at Jon. ‘Would that be okay?’

  
‘Yeah. Come tomorrow. They won’t bite. They’re just dead ordinary
parents, no different to anyone else’s.’

  
‘Then I’d love to. How about you, Ronnie?’

  
Ronnie nodded and smiled at Jason who smiled back.

  
‘We’ll have one more dance, Jess and then chance going,’ Nick said.
‘Give me the key, Jon. I’ll leave the catch on the door for you and Jase.
Where’s your alarm clock.’

  
‘On the bedside table.’ Jon handed the key to Nick. ‘Knowing your luck I
bet they’re still up singing.’ He took a swig of lager and hoped that they
were.

  
‘Better not be.’ Nick rolled his eyes. ‘I’m going for a pee. Back in a
minute.’

  
Jon followed Nick into the gents. ‘Listen, mate, on second thoughts, I
wouldn’t risk staying in Jess’s room all night. Dad’ll kill you if he catches
you.’

  
‘Well he won’t catch me, will he?’ Nick swayed slightly as he zipped
himself up. ‘Nobody’s gonna stop me being with my girl, besides, they’ll never
know. I’ll be tucked up with you and Jason long before that lot surfaces.’

  
Jon stared after him as he swaggered away. It took all his self control
to stop him grabbing Nick and punching his lights out.