Wild Ice (13 page)

“Owls, huh?”
Kyle joked.

“Ye
s. Great horned owls,” she elaborated. “They were an incredible find because they don’t come out to hunt until after dark.”

JD
thought Lauren might tell Kyle about their walk on the trail, but she didn’t. Thanks to her discretion, it remained a special,
private
experience between the two of them. Not that they should be sharing anything private with each other anyway.

The trio stood there smiling at each other
and Mel went back to take his place next to Lauren.

“Do you live around here, Kyle?” Lauren asked.

“No, I live in Red Valley. This place would drive me nuts. It’s too damn isolated.”

Lauren laughed. “I have to disagree.
I live in the cottage right over there.”

“Oh. So you’re
Hollywood’s
neighbor
.” He gave the word neighbor multiple implications and JD wisely ignored it.

JD
did cringe at the nickname though. His brother was just showing off in front of Lauren. It sounded pretentious and silly to hear out loud in front of her. Usually only his teammates called him Hollywood because of the way he used to style his hair and the nice suits he wore. So what if he used to take pride in how he looked? That was a long time ago. Now, he wore a uniform of T-shirts and pajama pants. It was an effort just to put jeans on to go into town.

“
Hollywood, huh?” Lauren said to JD with a wink.

“No one’s called me that in years.”
The gruffness was back in his voice.

“Maybe they should,” Kyle chimed in.

JD shot his brother a dirty look and Kyle just shrugged it off.

Luckily Kyle changed the subject before JD could figure out how to punch him without looking bad in front of Lauren.

“I just stopped by to invite my big brother to watch my band play,” Kyle told Lauren.

“Oh? What instrument do you play?”

“I dabble,” Kyle answered modestly. “Guitar mostly. And I sing, too.”

“That’s great! I’m afraid I’m not musically inclined
and I don’t fare too well in the kitchen either...” She shot a quick glance toward JD. “Anyway, what’s the name of your band?”

“This week?
Whisky Chills. Last week we were Camouflaged Neon.”

She laughed and awareness zinged through JD.

“You should come and watch us play. We’re doing a show at Lavender Fields. It’s a little club, downtown in Red Valley.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“It will be. So, will you come? I’d hate to show up at the gig and play to an empty room.”

“I’m sure that won’t be the case
, but yeah, I’d love to come. Besides the birds, there isn’t much in the way of entertainment out here.”

Kyle told her the da
y and time and JD watched her as she listened eagerly. Her cheery disposition was starting to make him look bad in comparison.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your visit
,” she said. “I can’t wait to see how these pictures turned out.” She held up her digital camera, patted Mel on the head and told him to stay.

The brothers watched her walk away
, her braid swinging with the rest of her body, and disappear into the cluster of trees surrounding the cottage.

When she was out of sight, Kyle let out a breathy whistle and nudged JD.
“You had a piece of that yet?”

JD scowled and
sat down on the bench he’d shared with Lauren a few days ago.

“What?
” Kyle feigned innocence and leaned against the patio post again. “She’s a very attractive woman and for some odd reason she doesn’t seem completely repulsed by you.”

“She’s just my neighbor,” JD said, trying his best to look disinterested.

Kyle looked back in the direction of the cottage. “Yeah, that’s pretty convenient, don’t ya think? You go over and ask her for a cuppa sugar yet?” He waggled his eyebrows.

JD seethed at his brother’s blatant insensitivity
and thought about throwing his empty beer bottle at him. “I’m not talking about this with you.”

“Sheesh, JD. It’s not like you’re a
monk. It’s okay to be with a woman.” Kyle looked down at Mel who was also looking in the direction of the cottage. “She sure has your dog wrapped around her little finger,” Kyle brashly pointed out. “It’s a position I wouldn’t mind being in,” he muttered under his breath.

JD rolled his shoulders to ease some of the tension knotted there.

“So, are you coming into town this Friday night to support your baby brother or not? Like your pretty neighbor pointed out, there isn’t much for entertainment out here in the sticks.”

“Why’d you
have to bring her into this?”

“What? How do
you
know she wouldn’t like to see me shred on the guitar?”

“You don’t need the numbers. You know good and well that place is
gonna be packed on Friday.”

JD
was starting to get grouchy. First he’d had to endure “the talk” with his brother and then Lauren had come along and stirred up more feelings he didn’t want to deal with. The beer made him even more tired and all he wanted to do was collapse into his recliner.

To make matter worse, K
yle smirked a shit-eating grin.

“
And you didn’t have to drive all the way out here to invite me to your gig. You could’ve just called,” JD added for good measure.

“Yeah, but you don’t answer your phone
,” Kyle reminded him.

Th
is was true.

“So, will you
be there? I’d really like you to meet Kitty.”

JD sighed. Kyle may be a gigantic pain in the ass
, but he didn’t ask for much.

“
Maybe
.”

Chapter Fourteen

Lyrics and Ghosts

As Friday evening approached, Lauren grew anxious at the thought of a night out on the town. Well, maybe not out on the actual town but at least a night out at this Lavender Fields place. The idea of spending an evening listening to music sounded enjoyable after spending weeks alone in the cottage. Sure, she’d spent a few moments here and there with JD, but with as much as he distanced himself, she might as well have been alone.

When the big night finally arrived, s
he dressed in a simple blouse and a floral flowy skirt. The outfit felt summery and casual and was perfect for the occasion. She ran a brush through her hair, left it down, and swiped some mascara on her eyelashes.

Even though they hadn’t
technically made plans to go together, Lauren stopped by the manor to see if JD wanted to ride together. There was no reason to take two separate cars to and from the same place, right?

Lauren
actually looked forward to seeing JD in a different environment. He always seemed like he thought he was doing something wrong by talking to her. Lauren didn’t see anything wrong with it; they were neighbors and they were both adults. Maybe he’d finally let his guard down and lighten up a little being away from Hayley’s Point. When they’d been out on the trail, she’d caught a rare glimpse of how happy he could be. Lauren smiled to herself. In her opinion, it was impossible to be
un
happy out on the trail.

It took JD
so long to answer the front door that if his car wasn’t parked in the driveway she would’ve thought he’d already left. It was ironic, she thought, how he had a three-car garage and never seemed to use it.

When he
finally yanked open the door, his hair was mussed and his plaid pajama pants and thin V-neck shirt were wrinkled. The shirt sagged low around his neck giving her a view of his clavicle. The neck was frayed like he’d tugged too much on the collar.

“Hi
,” she said, feeling a little self-conscious and a lot embarrassed. Obviously he hadn’t been expecting her. Or anyone else for that matter. “I thought we could ride together.” She shifted her feet and scolded herself for having such high expectations of the evening. Here she’d been imagining a night full of music and male companionship and he looked like he’d just woken up from a bad dream.

Yep.
The blank look on his face said it all. He’d forgotten all about his brother’s show.

JD blinked.
He wasn’t much for keeping track of the days anymore. It could’ve been Friday for all he knew. Wait,
was it
Friday?

“You’re not going?
” she asked. “To hear your brother play?”

“Oh.” He raked his hand through his hair and it stood straight up making him look even
sexier. “Yeah. Uh…Give me ten minutes.”

Lauren
waited with Mel in the living room while JD went upstairs. She looked around the room for some clue as to who JD was and what he was hiding from in his past. There weren’t any family photos and there weren’t any personal touches, just fancy décor that an interior designer had put there to make the living room look like a showroom. Teal Manor was beautifully decorated and filled with antiques, but it still seemed so…empty.

* * *

In the shower, JD let the icy cold water sluice over his body. When he heard the knock on his front door, he’d been fast asleep in his recliner.
Then, after rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he’d opened the door to find Lauren there, looking like a dream. For a second there, he thought he
was
dreaming.

It took everything he had not to reach out and run his fingers through
her long hair. He’d never seen it down like that before. Loose and wavy around her face and shoulders. At least not in real life. It was always in a braid down her back so he’d never noticed how shiny it was before. Jesus, he bet it smelled good, too.

He’d forgotten all about Kyle’s music thing. Too bad that selective memory couldn’t be used for everything.

Unfortunately, JD didn’t have time to linger under the cold spray. He turned off the water and toweled off. She was waiting for him.

* * *

When JD came downstairs, Lauren stared at him in disbelief. Who was this man? Ten minutes ago he had been rumpled and groggy and now he looked like a completely different person. His damp hair was combed into place and he wore dark jeans and a crisp white button-down shirt.
The outline of his muscles could be seen through his clothes and Lauren swallowed down her nerves.

“I thought we could just take my car
,” she told him after he locked the door behind them.

JD
took one look at the aging Geo Metro parked in his driveway and shook his head. “I’ll drive.” He didn’t think he’d be able to scrunch his legs into that tin can of a car and he didn’t care to find out.

Lauren didn’t say much on the ride
to Red Valley. JD didn’t realize how much he’d gotten used to her chattering until silence stretched between them like a third wheel.

He
felt damn uncomfortable wearing a button-down shirt and jeans after living in pajamas for the past year. Lauren had made an effort and he knew he needed to, too. She looked beautiful tonight and a little nervous. He didn’t know why. It wasn’t like they were on a date or anything. He was only going to this gig out of obligation to his brother and she…well he didn’t really know why she was going. Out of sheer boredom, most likely.

When h
e glanced over at her, Lauren’s hands were clasped in her lap and she was staring straight ahead out the windshield. As much as he liked how she looked tonight, he liked her even better with her birds and binoculars.

“I, uh
…I forgot about tonight,” he commented, breaking the silence. “I guess I was hoping to get out of going altogether.”

Lauren
looked over, confusion knitting her brow. “But it’s your brother.”

“Yeah, well, he’d get over it.” It wouldn’t be the first time JD had let someone down in the last year. At this point, it was just expected of him.

“Why’d you change your mind?” she asked. “I could have gone by myself.”

Why
did he change his mind?
Because
, he wanted to say,
you showed up on my doorstep looking like heaven
. “Because,” he said out loud. “Maybe it won’t be so bad after all.”

* * *

Lavender Fields was
a small nightclub with a half dozen round tables and chairs, a small stage and dim lighting. The votive candles that flickered in the middle of the tables gave it an intimate feel despite the rough paneling and scuffed floors. Many local no-name bands had performed on that little stage and a few had even gone on to be famous. Crush 21 was a good example. Even though its members weren’t the legal drinking age, they had performed their first gig here and went on to be a household name.

JD knew his brother had hopes of doing the same.
He had his doubts though. It wasn’t that he didn’t want his brother to find success; it was that he doubted Kyle could persevere long enough to find it.

After a look around,
they didn’t see Kyle anywhere, so they chose a table near the front by the dance floor and sat down.

JD ordered a beer. He’d
have no problem nursing it through the night, so he could be sober to drive Lauren back home.

After Lauren ordered
a glass of wine, she admitted shyly, “I don’t drink very much.”

“Neither do
I.” If JD started drinking, he feared he might never find his way out of the bottom of the bottle. It was a promise he made himself last year when the urge to liquid medicate was stronger than ever.

Quietly,
Lauren sipped her wine as they waited for the show to start. JD was hoping they’d arrived fashionably late, but no such luck.

They sat in silence and watched
the room around them fill up with people. JD was lousy at small talk and Lauren seemed content to watch the people much in the same way she watched those birds of hers at the refuge. The room filled quickly and by the time the lights dimmed, the place was packed with couples and groups of friends celebrating the end of the work week.

JD looked down at his beer and frowned. This
sure as hell was beginning to feel like a date even though neither one of them would admit it. JD had no problem blaming his brother for the awkwardness.

“You came!” Kyle’s voice boomed from behind them
and Lauren jumped in surprise.

She wheeled around and saw Kyle
grinning from ear to ear. He was dressed the part of rock star in a leather jacket, black T-shirt and faded jeans.

Kyle squinted
at Lauren, no doubt trying to remember her name. “Lauren, right?” he asked.

“Right.”

Smooth, little brother
, JD thought.
You actually remembered.
For some reason JD felt protective of Lauren and that unsettled him. He glanced over at the single barstool and microphone stand on the stage. “How come you’re band isn’t set up yet?”

“Yeah…well…
” Kyle bit the inside of his cheek. “The Whisky Chills officially disbanded as of…” He glanced at his watch. “…two hours ago. So, I decided to go solo tonight.”

“I’m so sorry.”
Lauren patted Kyle’s arm and he shrugged much the same way she’d seen JD shrug a dozen times before.

Lauren sounded genuinely saddened
, but JD knew his brother went through bands like he did guitar strings.

“So, where’s your girlfriend?” JD looked around but didn’t see anyone who looked like they were named Kitty. “Weren’t you going to introduce us?”

Kyle grimaced.
“Yeah, uh, well, she’s part of the reason why the Chills broke up. I’ll spare you the details but, needless to say, I’m single once again.”

“Sorry man.”
JD meant it even though his little brother went through girlfriends the way he went through bands and guitar strings.

“No biggie, bro
,” Kyle shrugged it off. “She was just holdin’ me back,” he said with a wink at Lauren. “Well, I’d better get on stage so we can get this show on the road. I’m opening for the Orange Cones. You’re gonna love ‘em, Lauren. Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for inviting me.”

Kyle leaned in and whispered to Lauren. “Thanks for bringing him out into the land of the living. I owe you one.”

They exchanged a knowing smile
before Kyle took off toward the stage. The stage glowed from a single spotlight and Kyle took his place on the barstool and settled his guitar on his lap. He strummed the guitar and made a few last minute adjustments to the strings. “How’s everybody doin’ tonight?” he asked into the microphone, his voice velvety smooth.

Cheers and enthusiastic applause answered him.

“I’m gonna start by playing you a song I wrote. This one’s called “Second Chances.”

The melody was slow and
moving and Kyle’s fingers moved deftly over the strings as if he’d been born with a guitar in his hands.

Kyle Mason had charisma up the wazoo. Pair that with the ability to carry a tune and play a guitar and he was a dangerous combo with the ladies. If Kyle was this talented with a guitar, Lauren couldn’t imagine how JD was with a hockey stick.

Then he began to sing…

When we were younger,

The sky was the limit

Then one day it fell

And I watched you grow old

I held on so tightly

You promised to love me

And keep me forever

But forever is gone

There’s room for more laughter

Has to be room for
laughter

There’
s room for more laughter

A
nd a sweet second chance

There’s still room for love

That sweet summer romance

There’s still room for living

With a sweet second chance

The lyrics could have applied to anyone
, but Lauren could easily relate them to her own life. Kyle continued to sing about loss and finding love again and she was inspired by the moving message. By the end of the song, Lauren had to dab the tears from her eyes.

JD shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
It was like Kyle had written the song just for him. Which, knowing his brother, he probably did. Kyle had probably invited him here just so JD could listen to his sappy song and make his throat tighten up and his eyes burn.

After
“Second Chances” Kyle played another lighter, more upbeat song and then a few peppy songs after that. After he finished his set, he exited the stage to zealous applause.