Strings Attached, page 15
Jaymi looked up from the kitchen table and gave her a stern look. “You didn’t have to rush over here.”
She slung her jacket over a barstool. “The last time you called me upset about a girlfriend, she had cheated on you. I knew this had to be serious.” She sat next to her and rubbed Jaymi’s shoulder. She pointed to the empty beer bottle on the table. “Is that yours or Shawn’s?”
“Mine.”
She blew out a breath. “You’re drinking? Shit, now I know it’s bad. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Ever since we got back from this tour, we’ve been bickering over every little thing. Stupid stuff, like forgetting to take out the trash or leaving a towel on the floor. I don’t understand it. We’ve never fought.”
“Geez, Jaymi, it’s not surprising. We’ve been nonstop for over two years. Writing, recording, rehearsing, touring. At least the rest of us can go home and get away from each other. You and Shawn are around each other twenty-four seven. When do you ever get any time to yourselves? I know you. You need your alone time.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s never been a problem before.”
“Look, that six-month tour was intense. It’s a miracle we aren’t all at each other’s throats. We all need some time to decompress.”
Jaymi shrugged.
“But Shawn didn’t storm out of here because of a towel on the floor. Is there something else going on with you guys?”
Jaymi sniffed and swiped her nose. “No, it’s…she’s going through a hard time, dealing with some unresolved family stuff.”
Nikki didn’t want to pry, and she knew Jaymi wouldn’t tell her anything even if she asked.
Jaymi got up. “You want a drink?”
She fiddled with the corner of the woven placemat. “Sure. What the hell.”
Jaymi opened two beers. Nikki followed her into the living room, and they plopped onto the couch together.
“We can go look for her if you want. Any idea where she might have gone?”
Jaymi shook her head. “Usually when she’s upset, she goes downstairs to hang out with the horses. I’m nervous about her driving while she’s this upset. She’ll be back once she’s cooled off. She needs the time alone as much as I do; she just doesn’t always know it until she’s taken it.”
Nikki took a long swig. Her head buzzed, and she remembered she’d already had two glasses of wine. Shit. Too late now. She’d pay for mixing the two in the morning. “You want me to kick her butt when she gets back?”
Jaymi laughed and pulled her into a hug. “You always need to be my knight in shining armor, don’t you?”
“I prefer to think of myself as your security blanket.” She put her beer on the side table and wrapped her arms around Jaymi. God, she felt good. She rested her chin on Jaymi’s head and inhaled her clean scent as she stroked her hair. “You sure you’re okay?”
Jaymi nodded, burrowing her face between her neck and shoulder. Nikki kissed her forehead.
“I miss hanging out with you.” Jaymi withdrew from the embrace. She wrinkled her brow. “What’s with the Berklee sweatshirt?”
“It’s Drew’s. I was at her place when you called.” Shit. I wonder how she’d feel if she knew I was curled up with Jaymi right now?
Jaymi’s eyes widened. “Oh, Nikki. I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Jaymi, it’s okay—”
“No, it’s not okay. God, I feel like such a heel.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it, okay? It wasn’t a date.” Not technically, anyway. It sure felt like one. “And she knows we’re friends. She understood.”
“But—”
“But nothing.” She reached out to stroke Jaymi’s cheek and stopped herself. Instead, she squeezed her hand. “I’ll always be here for you. You’re my best friend, Jaymi. She knows that.”
Jaymi looked into her eyes and then down at their joined hands. She wished she knew what Jaymi was thinking right now.
She got her answer when they heard the door open, and Jaymi jumped up and ran into Shawn’s arms. “Baby, thank God you’re back. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, Jaymi. I—”
Nikki swiveled just in time to see Shawn glare at her.
“What’re you doing here?”
Jaymi placed her hand on Shawn’s cheek and turned her head to look at her. “I called her because I was really upset when you left.”
“Why didn’t you call Devin or one of your other friends?”
Nikki walked over to them. “I’m sure she tried Devin first and couldn’t get a hold of her.” She had no idea if that was true, but she had to get Jaymi off the hook.
“Devin was working and couldn’t talk.”
Her lucky guess punched a hole in her gut. She may have been lying to cover for Jaymi, but Jaymi wouldn’t lie. Even if it made her look worse to do so. So why did it hurt so much to know she was Jaymi’s second call and not her first?
She slipped on her jacket. “I better go.” She turned to Shawn, who looked as if she’d been crying for a year. Her heart went out to her. “I’m here for you, too, you know.” She meant it, too. Despite everything, she loved Shawn, in a kid-sister kind of way.
Shawn cocked her head and gave her a quizzical look.
Nikki smiled. “Someday, you’ll believe me when I say that.” She gave Jaymi one more reassuring glance and let herself out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Drew couldn’t move. There was one cat between her knees, one wedged against her side, and the other was on her chest poking a paw into her cheek. She opened one eye and quickly closed it again. It was too bright in here. The dull ache pulsing through her temples wasn’t helping. Vinnie poked her again and meowed.
“Oh, all right.” She scratched his head and wrapped her arms around him. He pushed away and hopped onto the floor. He was in no mood for that mushy stuff right now, which she knew, but hey, there had to be some form of payback for waking her up with his demands for breakfast at—she glanced at the clock—six thirty on her day off.
Fret crawled over her leg and slipped out to join Vinnie while Andres yawned and stretched within the crook of her arm. She gave him a tug and kissed his cheek. He would have been content to sleep in as well, but the other two weren’t going to let that happen.
Her flannel sleep pants dragged on the floor as she shuffled to the bathroom. She threw a zipped hoodie over an old black T-shirt that boasted “Musicians duet better” in white letters.
Later, she pushed away her half-eaten bowl of cereal. She wasn’t sure how much sleep she’d gotten last night, but it wasn’t much. Nikki’s abrupt departure wasn’t quite as confusing as her choice of ringtone. Why would she have a love song ringtone for her best friend?
Maybe it was Nikki’s ringtone for everyone. It was her own song, after all. Maybe she was proud of that song—and she had every right to be. It was beautiful.
Whom had she written it for? Drew wasn’t a songwriter, but she knew that the sentiment behind the lyrics in love songs didn’t usually come out of nowhere. There were genuine emotions and feelings behind them—often from the writer’s personal experiences. Nikki had been in love with someone.
She took care of the dishes, threw in two loads of laundry, and set to work on her Sunday chores, feeling grateful for what little distraction they provided.
When she was done cleaning, she jumped in the shower. Her musings about Nikki circled back to the love song. It was absurd to think she’d never been in love or had a girlfriend who inspired love songs. She was charming and beautiful. She still seems interested in me. Yet Nikki could have easily made a move on her last night, and she didn’t. Maybe I’m just a temporary distraction until the band’s break is over. Then what? Nikki won’t have time for anything else but her career. Including me.
Just like Mom.
She let out a huge sigh and got dressed. She couldn’t let this thing with Nikki lead to something she knew she couldn’t handle. By one o’clock, she’d finished her laundry and had eaten lunch. Now what? She growled in frustration. She wasn’t going to sit around waiting for a phone call.
She dug out her cello. Nikki would be in tomorrow for her first lesson. Perhaps she should brush up on her own skills. After quickly tuning, she took her position on the stool and drew the bow across the strings. Ah, that sound. She ran through some scales to warm up. Then she closed her eyes. A Mozart piece trickled its way into her brain like a gentle brook and emptied itself out through her hands. The sound wrapped itself around the tiny apartment like a warm blanket, and she was lost. No, not lost. Found. Home. At peace.
Day-to-day worries sloughed off note by note. The heartbreak of her mother’s choice of career and fame over parenthood drifted out to sea. Her loneliness crumbled like an avalanche. Her abbreviated evening with Nikki last night…
She ground the bow harder, increasing the volume to a level that could trigger complaints by her neighbors. But she played on. She was hurt. She was frustrated. She hadn’t wanted to admit it last night. Admitting it would have meant admitting that she was afraid of whatever it was she was feeling.
After the generous kindheartedness she’d witnessed at the grocery store, she still had no idea if—or how—she wanted Nikki in her life. She’d witnessed enough to know that Nikki was a loyal friend. If that’s all they were meant to be, would it be enough? She moved with the phrase she was playing as if she were dancing in Nikki’s arms again. She’d almost said no before Nikki gave her an out—not because she didn’t want to dance, but because of how badly she wanted to say yes.
Was it wise to give in to her attraction, which was stretching beyond physical now? They were beginning to open up to each other about very personal experiences and feelings whenever they were alone lately. Last night, she’d felt so close to Nikki emotionally, she’d wanted to kiss her. Was Nikki feeling that way, too, despite their agreement to only be friends?
Was it healthy for them to hang out if the attraction was mutual, or would their hormones get the best of them? What then? Could she date Nikki casually as Geena had suggested? What if it turned into something more? None of Nikki’s good qualities erased the fact that her career would take her away for months at a time or that she possessed the same type of obsessive career drive that had taken away her mother. It didn’t discount her reputation as a player, either.
She catapulted off the stool when a string snapped and whipped a gash in her arm. Her chest heaved, and she dropped the bow. She spewed out a few choice words and sprinted to the bathroom sink. Nikki was more than that, wasn’t she? Why was she trying to convince herself that she wasn’t?
She jumped again when a song of Passion Play’s interrupted her thoughts. Nikki’s calling. She toweled off and swiped the screen.
“Hello?”
“It’s your favorite customer.”
“Hi.” She watched a red streak trickle down her arm. “Damn.”
“I’m no longer your favorite?”
“Uh, no. I mean yes. Sorry, can I call you right back? I’m bleeding all over the place.”
“Bleeding? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I just broke a string, and the end caught me in the arm.”
“Shit, that sucks. I hate when that happens. You sure you’re all right? Want me to come over and administer first aid? Call an ambulance? Perform CPR?”
She laughed. Nikki was a musician and knew it wasn’t serious, and the teasing was just what she needed. She went from angry to amused in seconds.
“I don’t think I need all that. But I wouldn’t turn down a little TLC—if you’re so inclined to provide such services, that is.” What the hell am I doing?
“TLC is my specialty.”
She’d never been good at flirting. Yet now she sounded as if she’d been taking lessons from Marilyn Monroe on how to charm someone without even trying.
“Hello? Anyone home?”
She pulled the washcloth away from her arm. “Oh, sorry. I was just checking my arm.” Good save there, Valentino.
“And?”
“I think I’m gonna live.”
“Thank goodness for that. Can I still come over? I was hoping I might be able to make up for taking off last night.”
A smile snuck up on her. “Sure. Come on over. It might not hurt to keep me under observation.” Nice one. She was getting good at this.
“I’m looking forward to it. Do you need me to bring you a new set of strings? I have a few spare sets.”
“You have spare cello strings?”
“Cello? Not guitar? Shit, that must sting like a son of a bitch.”
“I’m fine, really.” She checked the wound again. The bleeding had finally stopped.
“I’ll stop at DJ’s on my way. I’m in good with the manager. I can get you a good deal.”
“Really? I heard she’s a hell of a saleswoman.” She paced through the tiny apartment, her insides buzzing with excitement. She didn’t even try to fight it.
“She is. She’s also gorgeous. Oops, I’m sorry; I’m trying to behave, but it’s not easy.”
Heat swelled into her cheeks.
“Hey, Drew?”
“Yes?”
“You need to learn how to take a compliment, you know that?”
“Maybe you can help me with that, too.”
“I’m gonna have to because there are more where that came from.”
“Why am I not surprised? Don’t worry about the strings. I’ll get some when I go into work tomorrow. I can buy them at cost.”
“In that case, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Nikki hung up before she could reply.
She danced back to the bathroom and put a Band-Aid on the pesky cut. She looked at what she was wearing. Yucky old jeans and a hoodie. No good. She rifled through her miniscule selection of clothes and cursed.
Why didn’t she ever invest in her wardrobe? Other than work clothes, she rarely had the funds to spend on such frivolous things. Her paychecks went to food, rent, and utilities. Well, and cat food and litter—she couldn’t very well neglect her kids. The only indulgence she ever treated herself to was records—on those rare occasions when she found one on her wish list.
She changed into a newer pair of jeans and swapped the sweatshirt for a fairly decent long-sleeved pullover. It would have to do until she had a few extra bucks to upgrade.
She smiled. It felt good to have a reason to shop for new things to wear. It had been too long since she’d felt this way. Far too long.
Chapter Twenty-Three
When Drew opened the door, Nikki knew she was in trouble. Drew looked so adorable, she wanted nothing more than to scoop her up on the spot and kiss her. Not that she didn’t appreciate the sexy, skimpy attire most women wore to impress her, but she’d always thought a woman in jeans was the sexiest thing going.
The rust-colored pullover complemented Drew’s fair hair beautifully. And those caramel eyes, oh God…
“Would you like to come in?”
“Yes, of course.” She smiled. “I was admiring the view.”
Drew gave her a confused look. “I have a view?”
“Honey, you are the view.”
Drew stepped aside so she could walk in. “You need to get your eyes checked. I look like a total bum. Shopping for clothes isn’t—”
“You look beautiful, Drew.”
Drew looked at her as if she had three heads. “Yeah, right.” She walked away and headed toward the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?”
She gently caught Drew’s arm as she reached for the refrigerator door. “Those aren’t just empty words. I don’t waste my time saying things I don’t mean.”
Drew shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I do need to learn how to take a compliment. It’s just that…you always look so great, and with business being slow, buying clothes hasn’t been high on the priority list.”
“First of all, thank you for saying I look great. See what I did there? I accepted your compliment. Easy. Second, we’re not competing in a fashion show. For the record, I’m a sucker for a woman in blue jeans.”
Drew still looked skeptical.
“When you grow up with parents who invest all their energy into appearances and making an impression, you learn to appreciate people who are down-to-earth. I care more about what’s on the inside.”
Drew’s lips twitched upward. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For the compliment.”
She grinned. “Now that’s more like it.” She took Drew’s hands in hers. “Which arm?”
“Huh? Oh, that. The right. It’s fine.”
Nikki carefully slid up Drew’s sleeve. Though she’d put a Band-Aid on the cut itself, there was a noticeable red stripe on her inner forearm where the string had struck the flesh.
“Yikes. What were you doing, Pete Townshend windmills?”
Drew chuckled. “On the cello? Hardly. A Mozart piece.”
“Shit, girl. I’d hate to see what’d happen if you played speed metal.”
“No chance of that happening. That’s one style of music I can’t stomach.”
“That makes two of us.” She looked at Drew’s arm again, realizing she was still holding her hand. She lifted it and placed a light kiss just below the mark. She snuck a peek at Drew and saw slight pink rise in her cheeks. She kissed the crook of her elbow. She heard Drew take an uneven breath. “Better?”
Drew nodded.
Stop. You need to stop now before you cross a line and scare her off again. She released her and stepped back. “Let’s go out.”
“Out?”
“Yes. Out.”
“And do what?”
“I don’t know. Anything. I’ll take you to dinner. Or…you want some new clothes? I’ll take you shopping—and please, don’t worry about money. I’ll buy you whatever you want—”
“No.” Drew pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t feel right about that.”
“What if I say it’s an early Christmas present?”
Drew seemed to consider this for a moment. She shook her head. “That’s very generous of you, but I can’t promise I’ll be able to reciprocate.” She brushed past her into the living room.
