Diamond, page 7
Diamond stared at the flush across his cheeks. His eyes darkened, almost daring her to argue. Wisely, she did not. In a way, what he had said made sense. In another way, he’d given her what she’d wanted, a reason to stay. She didn’t want to leave Jesse any more than he wanted her to.
“Well…okay,” she said. “But just for now, until you have time to help me find something else.”
“Right,” he said, feeling relieved. “Just for now.” He cupped her face with his hands and swept his thumbs across the tear tracks on her cheeks. “Go wash your face and then come right back,” he said quietly. “Henley will skin us both if we let supper ruin.”
She clasped her letter and money to her breast and walked away. There would be time enough later to decipher how she’d felt when he’d touched her mouth with his fingers. Time enough later to remember that she’d distinctly felt his body harden as he’d held her against him. But there would never be enough time to face how she’d feel when it came time to leave his home. Leaving Jesse Eagle was going to be nearly as painful as leaving her sisters had been. But it was inevitable, because Jesse didn’t belong to her. He belonged to his music and his fans.
Three days had come and gone since the day of the letter. That was how Diamond had categorized the second phase of her life with Jesse. There was the day after the funeral. That was when he’d taken her away from Cradle Creek. And then had come the day of the letter. The previous day had been the day of the song.
She still had a difficult time convincing herself that she’d really sung a song with Jesse Eagle that was going to be on his new album.
She wished everyone else wasn’t so uptight about it. She walked past the stores in the shopping center without noticing the displays, remembering instead Tommy’s air of practiced martyrdom concerning her part in the new album. Even the band members seemed to have reservations about the way Jesse had thrust her upon them.
She knew they’d been with Jesse a long time, and she’d come out of nowhere and was getting special treatment right away. It was as if she hadn’t quite earned the rights that had been given to her.
But earned or not, she was there, by the grace of God and the voice he’d given her. Try as she might, Diamond could think of no place else she’d rather be.
She glanced down at her watch, noticed the time, and then shifted the packages she was holding to a firmer position. Her shopping spree had taken longer than she’d expected.
The outfit on the mannequin in the store window was enticing, but the weight of her purchases convinced her that she would be wise to leave more shopping for another day.
The tall, elegant woman she saw reflected in the store window did not resemble the Diamond Houston from Cradle Creek. This one wore soft gray slacks and a pink cotton sweater, not hand-me-down plaid and worn-out denim. The slim gray slippers on her feet were nothing like her old scuffed Ropers. But the face was still the same, and the look in her eyes was still wary. It was going to take more than a few regular meals and some money in her pocket to convince her that her luck had changed. In fact, Diamond didn’t trust anything to luck. It had been the elusive love of Johnny’s life, and it had gotten him nowhere.
However, the knowledge that she had a substantial bank account and the possibility of adding to it soon made her feel a little better.
Tommy kept promising her that they’d cut her demo tape just as soon as Jesse’s album was finished. When he had her demo in hand, he said, then it would be time to start pitching her to the major recording studios.
The fact that Tommy repeated that promise without looking her in the face did not convince her of his undying sincerity. But Jesse was insistent, and she knew that in the end Tommy would capitulate.
Diamond hailed a cab and crawled into the back seat, sighing with relief as the driver headed for the studio. She’d walked as far as she could go today, especially in new shoes. Jesse and the band should be about ready to call it a day. She was ready to go home and sort out her new purchases. It would be a treat to have something to hang in her closet other than someone else’s throwaways.
Jesse paced the floor in front of the sound booth, alternately frowning at Tommy and staring at the door. The recording session had gone better than expected, and they’d called it quits for the day nearly half an hour ago.
The engineer had given him a thumbs-up sign as they’d begun the mix, combining the prerecorded tracks into one digital copy that would be the finished product. It should have reassured him. But the only thing that was going to help Jesse relax was if that door opened and Diamond came walking through it.
“She’s not lost,” Tommy said. “You couldn’t run her off if you tried, so quit worrying. Hell, she’s right where she wants to be, Jesse my man, and you know it. She’s in the lap of luxury.”
Jesse glared. He was getting sick of Tommy’s attitude. “You just can’t face it, can you?” he said. “You heard us yesterday when we cut the first song for the album. Singing with her is pure magic, and the song was perfect. Even though we sang it three times, we could have used the first damned take, and you know it. She’s good, Tommy. And either you’re stupid as hell or you’re less of a man than I thought. I never took you for the kind who holds a grudge.”
“Thank you for your vote of confidence,” Tommy said sarcastically. “And just for the record, I’m not holding a grudge against anyone.”
Anger swept through Tommy and he had to restrain himself from screaming. He resented like hell the fact that Jesse was becoming so attached to a woman who had put him on his butt.
It was the principle of the thing. He wouldn’t deny that women had their place in a man’s life, all right. He liked a good fuck as well as the next man. But Jesse didn’t realize that he could ruin his reputation and lose his star status in a heartbeat by becoming attached to some two-bit singer.
If Jesse up and moved some blonde into his life, Tommy knew what the millions of women who dreamed of wedding and bedding Jesse Eagle would do. They’d move on to the next male hunk with tight buns and a pretty face, and that would leave Tommy Thomas representing a has-been. That wasn’t in Tommy’s plan. And neither was Diamond Houston.
Jesse didn’t like the look on his manager’s face, but there was nothing he could do to change Tommy’s opinion. He could, however, fulfill the promise he’d made to Diamond’s sister. Diamond was going to have her chance at stardom, or he’d know the reason why. A promise was a promise, and Jesse was a man of his word.
“Don’t forget what I said about giving her billing on the album,” Jesse said.
Tommy rolled his eyes, wished again that he hadn’t quit smoking, and slid a smile into position.
“As if I could,” he said. “You’re a goddamned broken record about the issue.”
Mack Martin leaned against his pickup truck and took a long drag on his cigarette. The smoke curled around his eyes and then spiraled upward into the air as the nicotine leveled off in his system and pulled his ragged nerves back into gear. Recording sessions always made him edgy. He’d choose the spontaneity of a live performance any day.
A cab pulled up at the studio gate. A slow smile parted the brush of whiskers on his face as he watched the passenger emerge from the back seat. It was Diamond!
He flipped the cigarette butt onto the pavement, ground it into the concrete with the toe of his boot, and wiped his hands on his thighs.
“Hey, hey, darlin’,” he called, and met her as she came across the lot. “If you spend all of Jesse’s money, then you just come to me. I’ve got plenty of that…and anything else you might need.”
Diamond flushed but said nothing. His implication was obvious. The last thing she needed was what Mack was offering.
“Here now, let me help you with some of those bags,” Mack said, purposely sliding his hands across her breasts as he took the packages from her arms. The look in his eyes dared Jesse’s latest woman to ignore what he was offering.
He was being rude and pushy, but Diamond was used to men like Mack. Whitelaw’s Bar had been full of them. She knew exactly how to handle a man with too much on his mind.
“Thanks,” she said, letting him have her bags. “Here’s another one.” She piled a package on top of the armful she’d relinquished. “Follow me. I’m going to tell Jesse I’m back.”
She walked away, leaving Mack literally holding the bag.
Mack’s eyes narrowed as his lips thinned. That hadn’t gone exactly as he’d planned. This one was cool, he’d give her that. But he could wait. And when he got hold of her he’d warm her up good.
The In Session light was off over the door. That meant they’d finished for the day. It hadn’t taken Diamond long to catch on to the ins and outs of how an album was cut. There were rules governing everything, and she was good at following rules.
“Did anyone miss me?” she asked as she breezed through the door.
As Jesse turned, he knew that the smile he was wearing was inches too wide for his face, but he couldn’t help it. He’d never been so relieved to see anyone in his life.
“Didn’t know you were gone,” he said, and then watched her smile. He was lying, and she knew it. He didn’t care.
“Guess what?” she said.
Jesse started to hug her, felt her body stiffen with unconscious resistance, and then stepped away, giving her the space she so obviously needed.
“You’re hungry?”
She punched him on the arm and then motioned toward Mack, who’d entered the studio carrying her packages.
“No, smart aleck,” she said. “Well, actually I am, but that’s not what I was about to say.”
Jesse stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked on the heels of his boots as he waited for her to continue. She was so damned pretty that he was having a hard time concentrating on what she was saying. All he could do was watch how those wide green eyes caught and reflected the light, and how the pink on her cheeks matched that soft pink sweater cupping her body.
“Are you listening to me?” Diamond asked.
“No,” he said. “I was looking at your sweater. It fits you good…real good.” He wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a practiced leer.
“You’re such a…such a man, Jesse Eagle.”
It was meant to be denigrating. Men didn’t rate high on her list of trustworthy people. But Jesse took what she said and turned it into a compliment that made her blush.
“Yes I am, lady,” he said softly. “And don’t you forget it. I haven’t.”
Diamond did completely forget that she’d been about to tell him she’d spent some of her money. She forgot to tell him that she’d also opened a bank account and had looked around at some apartments. She forgot everything but the fact that this evening when she left the studio, she’d be going home with a man who was driving her crazy.
“Where ya’ want me to put this stuff?” Mack asked. He wasn’t any too happy about being a pack mule for this love-struck pair. In fact, he was getting pissed off about the whole deal.
Jesse dug in his pocket, pulled out some keys, and tossed them to Mack, who managed to catch them without dropping his armload of bags.
“Just put them in the trunk of my car,” he ordered.
Mack swallowed a curse, turned around, and headed back out the door with Diamond’s new clothes. He needed to work on his strategy. He wasn’t putting up with this shit again.
“Give me a minute to firm up tomorrow’s schedule with Tommy, and then we’ll go home, okay?” Jesse said.
Diamond nodded and tried not to feel sorry for herself. If only home and Jesse were synonymous.
Henley hovered in the background, quietly refolding and repacking everything that Jesse was stuffing into his bags. Jesse’s muttered curses and complaints went in one ear and out the other. Henley knew what was wrong. He just didn’t know if Jesse knew.
It wasn’t the first time he’d helped Jesse pack to leave, but it was the first time that Jesse would be leaving someone other than Henley behind.
“Is that everything?” Jesse asked. “Don’t forget to pack my silver jacket. And for God’s sake get my hatbox. The last time I went without it, someone slept on my Stetson. Took the hatter a week to get the damned thing back in shape.”
“Yes sir,” Henley said. “It’s all here. Don’t worry.” And then he added—as if in afterthought, although he knew it was the excuse that Jesse needed to make an exit and tell Diamond good-bye—“Miss Houston is in your music room, sir, if you want to give her any…instructions.” The hesitance on the word instructions was pointed, and they both knew it.
Jesse whirled and stomped from the room. He moved through the house and down the hallway as tension snaked itself inside his belly. It wasn’t as if he didn’t trust her alone in his house. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to go sing, either. Hell, he told himself, performing was the other half of himself. He’d die without it.
But this was the first time he could ever remember being reluctant to leave, regardless of the fact that he would only be gone three or four days. Denver wasn’t all that far from Nashville. He knew it would be a good gig. The performance had been sold out for months.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked. The door slammed against the wall as he shoved it open and stomped into the music room.
The stack of sheet music fell from her hands as Diamond turned around in fright. The look on his face matched the sound of his voice, and she wondered what she’d done wrong.
“You told me to—”
“I’ll be leaving soon,” he said. “I don’t mind you being in here, but be sure and put everything back where you found it when you’re through.”
His anger was so unexpected, she didn’t have time to suppress her reaction. A swift set of tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them away. She was well practiced at hiding her emotions.
“I will,” she said. “You forget, I’m only following orders, Jesse. In fact, that’s all I’ve done since I got here—follow orders.” The censure in her voice was thick.
Jesse’s fingers curled into fists as he closed his eyes and wished he could rewind the last few minutes and do it over again. But there were no retakes in life and he knew it. There was nowhere to go but forward.
“Sorry I snapped,” he said. “I always get edgy before a road trip. I’ll get over it.”
“And that’s supposed to pass for an apology?” Diamond muttered.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing of importance,” she said. “Just have a safe trip.”
She picked up the scattered music, placed it carefully on the desk, and walked past him without saying anything further.
Jesse reached out, but he was too late to stop her, and the words wouldn’t come to say he was sorry. All she left behind was the scent of her perfume and the sound of her heels tapping sharply on the floor as she walked away.
“Your ride is here!” Henley called.
“Hell,” Jesse said. It was a combination of how he felt and where he supposed he should go.
“Jesse! Jesse! Jesse!”
The auditorium rocked from the sound of his name as the fans screamed for him to make just one more curtain call. But three was his limit, and they had come and gone.
“Let’s wrap it up, boys,” he said, and headed offstage with the members of his band close behind.
As always, it was like running a gauntlet to get from the stage to the dressing room and not be taken apart at the seams. It was the only part of his public life that made him uneasy. No matter how tight the security or how intricately they planned an exit, a swarm of fans always managed to get past the guards. In the back of Jesse’s mind there was always the knowledge that someone could be deranged enough to kill.
“Ooowee,” Mack shouted, still on an adrenaline high from the rowdy crowd. The louder and wilder they got, the better he liked it. “That was one fine show, Jesse. I saw good pickins on the front row, too. Al, did you see that redhead? The one wearing red Rockies and that little bitty bandana she was passin’ off as a blouse? Hot damn! She bounced more than my mattress on a good night.”
Any other night Jesse would have laughed and joked with his band, throwing in his own observations about the female fans. The groupies were always the ones who dared to be different, willing to try anything to get an entertainer’s attention, certain that this time his reaction would be different. Certain that this time their hero, the entertainer, would fall hopelessly and madly in love with them.
Only they never did. The only place the entertainers fell was in and out of bed. The groupie was just another notch on someone’s bedpost. Another girl without a name. After a while, they didn’t even ask…they didn’t even care.
During the concert Jesse had gotten lost in the music and pushed the guilt he’d carried with him to the back of his mind. But the music was over. The night was just beginning for the band, only this time, Jesse had other plans.
He pushed his way through the crowded dressing room, past the boys in the band and the string of women who were straggling inside. They were the chosen few with backstage passes. In less than an hour, the pairing would have taken place, and Jesse wanted no part of it. He wanted a phone. And he wanted it now. Before he closed his eyes on another day he had to hear Diamond’s voice. He had to say I’m sorry and let her know he meant it.
“Jesse, there’s someone I want you to meet,” Tommy said. “This is Bobbie Lee. Isn’t she a honey?”
Jesse looked. The woman hanging onto his manager’s arm was smiling. It was a smile he’d seen before. It said yes to whatever he wanted. Long black hair framed her plump, pretty face. Her eyes were big, and bright, and lost somewhere beneath several layers of makeup. Her ample figure underneath her western shirt and tight jeans gave new meaning to the word filled.
