Blue Christmas (The Moody Blue Trilogy | Book One) (13 page)

So it all comes
down to this,

A quiet, simple
kiss

A quiet, simple
kiss.

“Whoa, you guys
are
bad
.” Jason shook his head, lowering the guitar into its case. “I
mean, you really stink.”

“Hey!” Patty
hopped off the counter and thumped him on the back of his head. “You just get
on outta here, Max. Nobody talks to me like that. Go on—get outta here. I mean
it!”

She put her arm
around Hannah as they walked out of the kitchen. “Listen, Hannah, you come back
anytime. You and me, we’ll put together a singing act all our own. We don’t
need him,” she fussed, jabbing a thumb at Jason.

“Patty, don’t you
be filling her head with that stuff,” he warned. He whisked Hannah away from
Patty, then grabbed their coats as they passed their booth. “We’ll be back! But
Patty?”

“Yeah?”

“Stick to cooking.
You sing like a
frog
!”

Chapter 9

T
he Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough now gone, two
empty bowls coated with melted ice cream sat on the table between them. Hannah
sat across from Jason at the tiny table in her kitchen.

“You said yourself
when the ride was over, you’d know when to get off. Well, something like that.
So maybe it’s just time, Jason.”

He tapped his
spoon against the bowl with nervous agitation, his elbows resting on the table.
Hannah could feel his anxiety. She leaned back in her chair, stretching her
legs out under the table. Jason shifted his legs so they rested against hers.
Unfortunately, one of his legs was bouncing in rhythm with the spoon.

His silence made
her uncomfortable.
Extremely
uncomfortable.

Finally he dropped
the spoon. He raked his hair with both hands letting out a frustrated growl.
“No. No, it’s
not
time. That’s just it! Don’t you think I would know it
in my gut if it was? Wouldn’t I have some inkling in my soul? S
omething?
I
mean, this hit me broadside. I had no clue it was coming! And I’m not gonna
let
it happen, Hannah,” he snapped, shoving his chair back. “I’m not.”

“Jason—”

“No, listen to me,
Hannah. I told you—I stay tuned in to God. I really do. I’m not just saying it
to sound like some righteous jerk. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve known I
could never make it without God. Ask my mom. She’ll tell you. The guys will
too—it’s just part of my life. I know it doesn’t fit with the industry we’re in,
but it’s just who I am.

“And ever since
this
Blue
thing happened, I’ve had my head on my shoulders, facing it
straight out.” He was roaming the small room, idly picking up utensils, an oven
mitt, anything he came across. “I swear it, Hannah. From the beginning, I laid
this whole thing at God’s feet and said, ‘it’s all Yours.’ So don’t you think I
would have known
something
was coming? Don’t you think I should have had
some kind of inner alert or . . . or
feeling
that
something was about to happen? Like shouldn’t God have given me some kind of
clue?”

The total
bewilderment on his face alarmed her. “I don’t know, Jason. God’s God. He
doesn’t
have
to do anything.” She cringed at the tone of her sheepish
response.

He started wiping
the counter with a dishrag in wide, angry circles. “But still, think about it.
I haven’t exactly turned my back on Him, y’know? Or, I don’t know, maybe I
have. Maybe I just thought I was staying tuned in to Him. Maybe I screwed up
and didn’t even realize it.”

“Jason, why are
you doing this? First you’re trying to blame God and now yourself? There’s no
way you could have known this was going to happen now. Gevin and Rissa want to
get married. What’s so difficult to understand about that? He’s older, Jason. Why
shouldn’t
he want to get married and settle down? I think it’s great that
he found someone like Rissa and knows this is the real thing. That’s probably
pretty tough to discern in your business.”

He rolled his neck.
Her comments clearly only agitated him more. She folded her arms across her
chest and took a deep breath.
Just let him talk.

He threw the cloth
in the sink and turned around to lean against the counter, bracing his hands on
the edge behind him. “I’m just not ready. Not now.”

Her heart ached
for the disappointment in his face, his every move. “Have you talked to any of
the other guys yet?”

“No. I thought
about it. Then I decided, why ruin their break too?”

His cell phone
rang from the living room. “Geez, I don’t even want to answer that.” He looked
up at her, his eyes asking
should I?
Hannah shrugged leaving the
decision up to him. It rang, then rang again.

He left the room,
his steps heavy. Hannah dropped her head onto her folded arms on the table.
Oh
God. Please help him.

“Hey! When did you
get in? . . . Yeah? . . . Did Tracey come with you? Good, it’ll
be good to see her.” Jason walked into the kitchen, holding the tiny phone to
his ear. “JT,” he whispered.

Hannah sat up.
Jason crossed his eyes. The slightest hint of a smile crept up his face. He
winked at her and her heart skipped a beat.

“Okay, we’ll see
you in a few minutes. Tell Mom to fix you guys a turkey sandwich or something . . . Okay,
see ya, man.” He disconnected and put the cell in his jeans pocket. “Well,
Hannah, how would you like to meet JT Malone?”

“Hannah, Jason—come
on in. Y’all want a sandwich?”

Laura was in her
element. Dressed in a navy designer tracksuit with her blonde hair twisted in her
signature French braid, she set plates heaped with sandwiches in front of her
guests.

Hannah tried to
swallow.
I can’t believe it. I’m nervous again. After everything else, I’m reduced
to a basket case of nerves. Trembling, no less!
She avoided eye contact
with JT as long as she could, afraid she would blush twelve shades of purple.

Jason grabbed his
buddy in a bear hug, slapping him on the back. “Hey JT . . . Tracey—
get up and give me a hug, woman!” As Jason moved to embrace JT’s girlfriend,
Hannah took a chance to steal a peek at
Blue’s
famous bad boy. With a
huge smile planted on his face, he approached her. He was shorter than she’d
expected, but well built. A thin dark beard lined his jaw, accented by multiple
earrings on each ear. His close-cropped hair was a dark shade of burgundy. Suddenly
she was gazing into those puppy dog eyes that made girls all over the world
melt like butter.

Me included.

“And you must be Hannah.”
His raspy voice snapped her out of her fog. “Laura’s been telling us all about
you. I’m JT, Hannah, nice to meet you,” he said taking her into a warm hug.

“Hi JT,” she
croaked.
Oh God, please don’t let him feel my heart beating against his
chest!

“Hey, you’re
shaking! Come on in and warm up,” he said, leading her by the hand toward the
kitchen table.

Yeah, that’s it.
Shaking from the cold. Right.

“Mama Mac, how
about some hot tea or something? This one’s shaking like a leaf.” He pulled the
chair out for her and she sat down. She looked up to see Jason snickering
silently behind JT’s back.
Great. He knows I’m star struck.
She shot him
a warning glare.

“Hi Hannah, I’m
Tracey—and thanks guys for remembering to introduce me.” JT’s girlfriend was attractive
in an eclectic sort of way, just as Hannah would have expected. Jet black hair
in a short blunt cut. She had her own share of piercings, though most were tiny
studs confined to folds of her ears. Her ready smile helped put Hannah at ease.

JT ducked behind Tracey’s
chair and wrapped his arms around her neck. “I didn’t forget you, babe, you
just beat me to it.” He planted a kiss on top of her head.

“Tracey, you look
really familiar,” Hannah said, finding her voice again.

Tracey tugged at JT’s
tattooed arms around her neck. “I was a background dancer in the
Who’s It
Gonna Be
video. We hit it off from the moment we met, didn’t we, honey?”

“That’s it!”
Hannah interrupted. “Tracey, you’re the one he stepped on, aren’t you?”

“You remember
that? See, JT—she saw it too!” Tracey teased. “I told you guys we should’ve
done one more take. Nobody listens to me!”

“I didn’t
step
on you, Trace. You accidentally put your foot under mine,” he corrected. He
turned to look at Hannah. “Can I help it if she’s a klutz?”

Hannah felt
Jason’s hands on her shoulders. “Tracey, the whole
world
saw him step on
your foot, so don’t let him give you grief about it.” It was good to hear him
laughing. She lifted her hands to rest on his.

“Hannah, the thing is,” JT continued, “I’m surrounded by these wannabe
dancers day and night. They never listen to me, they never listen to Rissa or Gevin—”

Hannah looked up at Jason. A trace of pain dashed across his face. Just
as fast, he covered with nonchalance.

JT stopped. “What?”

“So what made you guys decide to come up early?”

Nice cover, Jason,
Hannah thought.

“Since you didn’t show for Christmas I wasn’t expecting you ’til the
party.”

Tracey reached for her glass. “I talked JT into spending Christmas with
my family. We were there for a couple of days until he started climbing the
walls.”

He reached over to take her hand. “Yeah, one too many aunties and uncles
for me. Hey, speaking of relatives—is the big guy in town?”

Jason took a deep breath and patted Hannah’s hand then moved to his
chair. “Yeah, Gevin stopped by with his family last night.”

Silence.

Hannah watched as JT waited for more, his eyes squinting as he studied
Jason. JT glanced across the table at her. She returned an innocent smile then
looked away.

“Okay, JMac. What’s going on here? Spit it out.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh yeah, right, and I don’t like jewelry. What’s the deal? Is something
wrong with Gevin?”

“Not at all, JT. He’s fine. Couldn’t be better.”

More silence.

JT shoved his plate aside. He folded his arms on the table. “Are we gonna
sit here and play games all day or are you gonna tell me?” All pretense of
humor had left his face.

“We’ll talk later, man. Okay?” Jason answered quietly.

“No! I wanna know
now.
What’s the matter?”

Tracey rolled her eyes. “JT, just chill—”

“Babe, if you’ll please stay out of this?” his response, quiet and
measured.

“I said later, JT,” Jason interrupted, his tone stern.

“Geez, Jason, it’s not a hard question. Knock off the suspense, okay?”

“I promised Gevin I’d let him tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

Jason exhaled. He rubbed his face with both hands. He looked up at Hannah
for support, then made the announcement. “Gevin’s getting married.”

“What?!
Gevin?”
JT bellowed. “Who’s he marrying? I didn’t even
know he was—wait!” He snapped his fingers. “Just a minute. Rissa. It’s Marissa,
isn’t it?”

Jason nodded his head, that sheepish grin on his face. “JT, you’re too
smart for your own good.”

“Rissa! I knew it! I had a feeling about them . . . but
man, has he been discreet or what? So when’s the big day? When is he announcing
it to the press? That snake! Why didn’t he tell us?”

Jason was laughing. “Yo, JT! Chill! You’re gonna hyperventilate if you
keep this up.”

“This is wonderful!” Tracey joined in. “What a perfect couple. I’m so
happy for them! But what a surprise, huh?”

JT threw his head back. “Oh man, I’m in total shock here! Is Rissa in
town? Are they coming over?”

“I’ll call them and get them over here. He’s gonna be chapped that I told
you but, oh well.” Jason pulled out his cell phone and auto-dialed Gevin’s
number.

JT was still shaking his head. “Oh my, oh my, oh my. This is
unbelievable. Hannah, were you here when they told Jason?”

“Yeah, it was pretty incredible.” She silently warned herself not to say
too much. “I really enjoyed getting to know Rissa. She’s so sweet. And they
seem really happy together.”

“They’re on their way over.” Jason closed his phone. “Sooooo . . . .
looks like another long night, right Hannah?” His eyes widened again with
mischief. She stood to slip beside him. He pulled her to his side. “Here we go again.
Guess you better fasten your seatbelt, babe.”

Babe?
A tingle slid down her back. He’d never called her that
before.
Maybe it’s just the power of suggestion with JT saying that all the
time.
Or was it something more?

Didn’t matter. She liked the sound of it.

She liked it a lot.