Hitting the Right Note (20 page)

“She's gotta catch me first,” JJ muttered.

She had kept a constant eye out for the red hair and freckles as soon as she'd arrived. That was the only way she could successfully avoid Sabrina. So far it was working. From where she was standing, she could see Sabrina in the corner with the hair-and-makeup crew. She had been there for a while now, giving JJ a much appreciated moment to relax.

Sabrina had just gotten up from her chair when Deacon breezed through the doors between Miles and Cyrus.

“Sorry I'm late,” he said with a wide grin. “But I'm here, and I'm ready to party.”

The energy at the event immediately shifted to match the vibe Deacon brought in with him. JJ shook her head, amazed at how he seemed to be able to switch moods with the press of a button. It made her a little sad. It must be something to live most of your life putting on an act for everyone else.

“Alright, everyone, let's huddle,” Kate said, waving her ever-present clipboard. “Listen up. Deacon's going to start off with the host for V-103 while the band sets up. We'll do the signature track to open. Ryan Lue and his guys are going to shoot throughout the performance and do shots after. Then Deacon will do the full interview. We'll record the sound bites for V-103, take some candid shots, and then everyone can get drunk and go home.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Deacon said.

“Alright, let's move and make use of this great sunlight.”

JJ and Diana headed for the makeshift stage area. JJ had barely taken two steps when a shoulder slammed into hers from behind, causing her to stumble to the side. As she struggled to catch her footing, she caught the swing of bright red hair.

Diana grabbed JJ's arm and helped steady her. “Told you she was coming.”

JJ let out a deep breath. Two more hours. Just two more hours and she would be on a plane, on her way home. She could survive two hours. Or so she thought until she opened her guitar case and found her guitar's B string cut. She cried out as if the cut had been to her own flesh.

“Who did this?” She jumped up angrily and looked around. There was no mistaking the fact that the string had been cut. It had been fine the night before when JJ put it away after the show. She always checked her guitar before and after every show. The instruments were stored with the rest of the band equipment, so only someone from the band would have had access to it.

“Who cut my string?” JJ asked more loudly. She knew she was getting hysterical, but this guitar was special. It had been given to her by Dean, and had her initials carved into the body. She could have gotten a new one at some point, but on this guitar she felt closest to home. No one should have touched her instrument.

Her eyes swung around the band, past Diana, Kya, the guys setting up the amps. None of them would look at her. They hadn't done it, but they all knew who had. Her eyes landed on Sabrina. The smug look on the woman's face said it all.

For a moment JJ lost herself. Dropping the case of her guitar, she stormed through the electrical cords and mike stands, straight for Sabrina. The woman's eyes widened a little. JJ's own eyes narrowed. Sabrina had no idea who she was dealing with. JJ might appear sweet on the surface, but she was an Isaacs woman at heart, and people who knew what that meant knew to watch out.

JJ stepped right around the keyboard and into Sabrina's face, nose to nose with her, so close she could see every freckle on her pointy nose. So close Sabrina could see the fire blazing in JJ's eyes.

“Don't you ever touch my guitar again,” JJ hissed. “Or I promise you, strings won't be the only things broken on this tour.”

Sabrina blinked rapidly and drew a shaky breath. In that moment JJ knew that Sabrina was more steam than engine. She talked a big talk, but when it came down to it, she was nothing but a little loudmouthed girl pretending to be bad.

“Leave my man alone, and we won't have a problem,” Sabrina growled back.

“You having trouble with your man, you take it up with him,” JJ said. “Leave me out of it.”

“I would, if I could get a moment with him,” Sabrina said, her eyebrows furrowing angrily. “Every time I turn around you're with him, which means that you're my problem. See, I'm not like everyone else around here. I know D—every single chocolate inch of him. So I know he's not sleeping with you. But something else is going on with the two of you, and I want to know what it is.”

A chill swept through JJ. Deacon didn't give his girlfriend enough credit. She was better at piecing things together than they thought.

“Ahh, there it is,” Sabrina said, her lips twisting into a sick smile. “You really should work on that, honey. Your eyes give away everything.”

JJ already knew that. “Nothing's going on, Sabrina.”

“And you're also a terrible liar,” Sabrina added. Her face hardened. “What's Deacon hiding?”

JJ pressed her lips shut. She wasn't saying another word to Sabrina. She stepped back and turned to walk away, but Sabrina grabbed her arm roughly.

“I'm not finished with you . . .”

“Ladies!”

Both women turned to look at Kate, who was leveling eyes of steel at them.

“Everything going okay?”

Coming from Kate it wasn't really a question, more like a demand to make everything okay so that the event they had spent thousands of dollars putting together went off without a hitch.

JJ yanked her arm out of Sabrina's grip and walked back over to her guitar.

“Everything's fine,” she said, unzipping the inside pocket of the case to look for a new string. She was done fooling with Sabrina. The woman could shoot her nasty glances and try her cheap tricks all evening. JJ was going to fix her guitar, play this event, smile for the camera, and get out of Dodge as soon as she could muster.

She glared at Deacon as he posed with the DJ and grinned at the camera. Him and his secrets. She wasn't even involved, but it was causing her nothing but trouble. It almost made her wish she could rewind to that night at the club and take Cyrus's advice to leave Deacon alone. It seemed the old saying was holding true: No good deed goes unpunished.

S
imon stood back from the crowd at gate eight, waiting. He watched people exit the passageway onto an elevated balcony and look out into the sea of people below for that familiar face. He watched their faces break into smiles, their bodies propel into motion as they moved to meet their companions at the bottom of the ramp. More smiles, many warm embraces, occasionally a few tears.

It made him think of all his airport visits. The ones where he was on the arriving end. Where he was doing the traveling. Sometimes there was someone there to meet him. But mostly there wasn't. Lately he had been noticing the smiling, expectant faces more. And more and more, deep in the back of his mind, in a place he didn't dare explore, he had started to wonder what it would be like to have a familiar face waiting for him. Someone who would smile when he stepped onto that narrow balcony and come to meet him at the other end of the ramp.

He knew there was a reason that he was having those thoughts as he stood at gate eight, waiting for JJ, but he didn't dare explore that either. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, fingered his car keys in his pocket, popped a piece of gum in his mouth, and tried to remember when he had become this impatient.

He saw the hair first. Thick, larger-than-life spirals with reddish highlights framed her face and cascaded down to her shoulders. Wearing a T-shirt and jeans and a blazer, she looked incredibly sophisticated yet casual. He couldn't see her eyes through the oversized glasses, but the faint frown tipping her pouty lips let him know that she wasn't completely happy. He smiled as he watched her glance around like the others did, looking for that familiar face that should be waiting. Looking for him. And when she saw him, he knew because the frown disappeared and slowly a huge smile took its place. It was the most beautiful thing Simon had seen in a long time.

Even with a guitar case on her back, pulling a suitcase in each hand, she managed to cut through the crowd and be down the ramp before he got to it.

“Hey,” he said as they got closer to each other. She dropped her bags and guitar and threw her arms around him. Simon stumbled back a bit, thrown off balance by the unexpected affection.

“Hey, yourself.” He heard the words against his chest where her face was pressed. He felt the weakness in her limbs and he couldn't help but pull her a little closer.

“Tired?” he asked when they finally let go of each other.

“You have no idea,” she breathed. “But I'm so glad to be home.”

Before he thought about it, he reached down and gently removed her glasses, sliding them up into her hair like he had seen her do once. He caught the questioning look in her eyes.

“I wanted to see you,” he said with a shrug.

She looked at him through her large hazel eyes for a long moment.

“You're an interesting man, Simon Massri.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Is that good or bad?”

He was treated to her smile again. “It's good,” she said, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. “Very good.”

“You mind if we continue this in the car?” he asked, grabbing her travel bags. “I'm not the biggest fan of airports.”

JJ nodded. “After the last few weeks, neither am I.”

Toronto Pearson International Airport was nothing short of a chore to get out of, but they made it through the maze of floors and parking lots in good time. As soon as they got in the car and started driving, JJ put her arm on the console between their seats and rested her hand on top of his, curving her fingers into the space between his forefinger and thumb. Simon didn't want to move, didn't want to breathe, just wanted to keep driving, past the airport, past the hospital, past everything for as long as the gas in his tank would allow him, as long as he could keep the feel of her soft, warm skin on his.

But he couldn't. And he hated himself for it.

It took him three exits to get past his selfishness.

He sighed. “Judith . . .”

“I know.”

He looked over at her, her head back against the headrest, her eyes closed, and hated himself a little more.

“I know,” she said again. “But can we talk about it tomorrow? Right now, can I just hold your hand and we not overthink it?”

Instead of answering, he opened his palm and threaded her fingers in his.

“You still want to go to the hospital tonight?” he asked. “Sheree will still be there tomorrow, you know.”

“I know, smarty-pants,” she said, amusement in her voice. “But I promised her I would see her tonight, and I will, if only for a few minutes. Just let me catch a nap on the way and I'll be good.”

“Didn't sleep on the plane?”

“Too wound up.”

“We'll talk about that later.”

He watched her smile at his response before settling deeper into the passenger seat and turning her head to the side, into a more comfortable position. He relaxed his hold in case she wanted her hand back. She curled her fingers around his a little more without moving or opening her eyes.

The city flew by as they headed east on the 401, then down the Don Valley Parkway toward the city center. They caught the tail end of the peak-hour traffic, and though they hit some snags it was a fairly smooth commute. They made a fifteen-minute stop at the hospital, then they were on the highway again.

Seeing Sheree seemed to wake JJ up, and she chattered all the way home, interspersing her musings with directions. It was almost eight thirty when Simon pulled up to the older North Toronto dwelling. Two cars were parked in the driveway, and Simon figured that her sisters were already home.

She tried to help him with her luggage, but he wouldn't let her, sending her to unlock the door instead.

“Woman, did you pack your whole life into these suitcases?” Simon asked as he backed into the front door.

“Not her whole life. She still has a bunch of junk left upstairs.”

Simon turned to find two of JJ's sisters standing behind him.

“Hi, Dr. Massri. We met before. I'm JJ's sister Sydney,” the slimmer of the two said, offering her hand. “This is Lissandra.”

The other woman, smiling, offered a nod.

“Hello, yes, nice to see you again,” Simon said, letting go of Sydney's hand. “I'm just going to go ahead and—”

“Leave?” Sydney asked, her eyebrows raised. “No, you can't. You have to stay and eat. JJ already started in the kitchen.”

Simon's eyes widened. “Started? When? She just got here . . .”

“It's what we do,” Sydney said, grabbing his arm and propelling him forward as Lissandra closed the front door.

Before he knew what was happening, he was sitting at the kitchen counter with a glassful of some mango-ginger concoction that JJ said would be the best thing he ever tasted. On the other side of the counter, JJ was cutting up vegetables and other items while Sydney rolled out dough. Lissandra was at the blender making more drinks.

They had pitas and an assortment of dips for their late evening supper. Conversation floated among the three women, and they drew Simon into the mix as if he were a regular participant at their kitchen-counter sessions. He had thought that they might interrogate him. After all, he was the Elevator Guy and he knew they knew all about him, thanks to their family network. But there was no probing, no overt or underhanded questions about what was going on between him and JJ. Maybe a secret look exchanged among them, or a sly comment dropped by Lissandra every now and then, but nothing else. Their greatest interest in him seemed to be his opinion on why men cared so little about the complexities of planning a wedding. This came primarily from Sydney, who, he learned, was engaged to be married to some former professional basketball player whose name sounded only vaguely familiar. He laughed as they ribbed each other, he tasted everything they put in front of him, and tried to stay focused on their conversation, though his eyes wanted to focus only on JJ. By the number of times his gaze locked with hers, however, he suspected it went both ways.

When he looked up and realized it was after ten, he was shocked. He stood up from the stool and the movement drew three pairs of eyes.

“You're leaving?” JJ asked.

“It's getting late,” Simon said, bringing his plate to the sink. “My mum always said you should leave before you're asked to, or you won't be asked back again.”

He turned to look at JJ. “And since I hope to be asked back, I reckon I better get out of here.”

“You've got nothing to worry about there,” Lissandra said with a smile. “You'll definitely be asked back. Right, JJ?”

JJ rolled her eyes and ignored her sister. “You don't have to go just yet.”

“You promised me you would get some rest.”

“When did I do that?” JJ asked, even as she stifled a yawn. “I don't remember anything like that.”

Simon chuckled. “Sure you don't.”

“JJ, why don't you see Simon to his car while we clean up in here?” Sydney suggested. “With our porch light out, he might not be able to find his way to the sidewalk.”

“Yeah,” Lissandra said dryly. “Especially with all those bright streetlights out there.”

JJ pushed a chuckling Simon toward the door.

“Your sisters are a trip,” he said as they walked leisurely down the front steps.

“Yeah, a long, difficult trip sometimes,” JJ said wryly. “They sure took a shine to you though.”

“Excellent. That should buy me some goodwill for the future.”

The night was quiet with only the sounds of crickets and the occasional car in the distance. JJ seemed to be taking her time walking to the car, and Simon didn't mind much. It was interesting how he had spent most of the evening by this woman's side, and yet it still didn't feel like enough.

“Work tomorrow?” JJ asked. They had reached the Jeep. But instead of waiting for him to open the door, she rested her back against the side of the vehicle unhurriedly. He leaned back beside her.

“I'm going to the reserve tomorrow, and then I'm off for the rest of the week.”

JJ turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised. “For the rest of the week?”

“For the rest of the week.”

She smiled and tilted her head up to the sky. “Can I come with you?”

The grin that hijacked his mouth was so wide it hurt. “If you want.”

“I want.”

He sighed. “Judith, Judith, Judith.”

She jumped up suddenly and turned to look at him. The moonlight illuminated her eyes and made him see things there that couldn't possibly be. Feelings that couldn't possibly exist, given how little time they had spent with each other.

Then all of a sudden he was looking at her lips. Wide, full lips that told him almost as much about what she was feeling at any given moment as her eyes did. Lips that caught his attention every time she spoke, every time she laughed. Lips that were now slightly parted. . .

He hadn't realized he had stepped forward until he felt the pressure of her palm against his chest and saw her head tilt toward him, her eyes turn hazy, her lids slide halfway closed. The night was warm, humid, but it was the electricity that crackled between them that pricked his skin, singed his senses. This woman. This woman could easily be the end of him.

He stepped back until he felt the solid frame of the Jeep beneath his shoulder blades once more.

“I'll pick you up around nine in the morning,” he said, barely able to choke the words through his constricted throat. “If that's not too early.”

She stared at him for a long moment. Her eyes like hot coals of fire, burning through him. Then she took a step back and looked down, breaking their gaze.

“Nine's fine,” she said. “I'll be ready.”

Simon nodded. But neither of them moved. Simon would have given a month's wages to know what she was thinking. He knew what he'd been thinking—thinking of doing—only a few moments earlier. But with JJ he could never be totally sure. The embrace at the airport, the hand on his in the car, the looks across the kitchen counter. Was he reading more into things than he should? Sure, they had spent hours talking to each other over the past few weeks, but what did that really mean? Was he just some friend for her to lean on during the whirlwind of her life, or was it something more?

He shook his head. This was way too much thinking for one night. And so he reached out and pulled her closer, folding her into his arms.

“Good night, Judith,” he murmured into her curls. “I'll see you in the morning.”

He felt her arms slip around his torso and squeeze for a moment before they both let go.

“Good night, Simon.”

Before he could do something more dangerous, he opened the driver's door and got in. Starting the engine, he nodded for her to go inside before he left. When he finally saw the front door close, he turned the vehicle around and headed down the road, away from JJ's house. Before he even hit the end of the block, he was counting the hours until he would be back again.