Read Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) Online
Authors: Susan Scott Shelley
Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) (2 page)
When they reached the
counter, Irisa leaned in close. "I'm sorry. They're just tired. It's been
a long tour."
"Are you sure? Luke
seems like he thinks I can't handle things."
"He's really a nice
guy, I promise." She bit her lip, then placed her order and waited for
Jayne to do the same.
Fifteen minutes earlier,
she'd been brimming with excitement over the tour and working with Irisa. Now,
as she lingered over adding cream and sugar to her coffee, her enthusiasm had
vaporized and she struggled to compose herself.
Heated words in low tones
flew between Luke and Zander. Something about the band needing to be fully on
board in making decisions, and Zander telling Luke to calm the hell down.
Landry leaned toward the pair, and whatever he said earned a curt "Fuck
you" from Luke.
Jayne winced. Maybe she
should just back out now. Artists could be temperamental but Luke's reaction
confused her. Maybe he really was afraid she'd screw up. Luke's reaction aside,
the guys were too tense. Yes, they had just finished months of touring and
flown home on the red-eye, but still…
Brendan met her gaze. He
gestured to the empty seats at the table, one in between him and Landry, right
across from where Luke stood. "Join us."
That was the last place
she wanted to be. "I think I better go."
"No. Wait,
please." Irisa strode past her, right into the line of fire. "Guys,
come on now. We're all tired but we have two weeks to relax and sleep in our
own beds. And there's plenty of days off where we'll be at home during the next
two months. This should be easy compared to Europe, Canada, and the East Coast.
Please, let's start this leg off on a good note."
"Fine." Zander
moved away from Luke and closer to Jayne. In a flash, his scowl vanished and
that sexy smile reappeared. She answered that smile with one of her own.
"I'm out." Luke
tossed his cup into the trash and then slammed out of the shop.
"I'm his ride home,
you'd think he'd wait for me." Landry stood and shrugged into his leather
jacket. "This was productive. See you guys on Tuesday."
"What's
Tuesday?" Jayne gripped her cup. Steam curled up in a ring. The rich
coffee and hazelnut scents calmed her despite the tension with the band.
"A party with some
fans who won a contest. Maybe Luke will have the bug out of his ass by
then." With that, the bassist left.
Brendan drained his cup.
"I guess I'll head out too. Maybe I've over-caffeinated enough that I'll
actually sleep." He stood and gestured again for Jayne to sit.
"Welcome to the tour."
"Thanks." She
returned his wave. Zander walked with him toward the door. The welcome seemed
to be split. Zander and Brendan for her, Luke against, and she couldn't get a
read on Landry.
Irisa settled into the seat
beside Jayne. "They're exhausted."
"So you said."
But looking at Irisa's earnest expression, she couldn't back out. Not after all
Irisa had done for her over the years, especially during Pepper's illness.
Zander returned, carrying
a coffee. He flipped a chair around to face Jayne, then straddled it and
shrugged. "I'll apologize for Luke."
"You don't have to
do that."
"Yeah, I do. My
band, my responsibility. I don't want you feeling bad because my singer is an
idiot."
His expression bordered
on frustrated and annoyed. She slipped into the mode she knew best—the fixer.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
"So you're
definitely in? You'll help me?" Irisa leaned forward, coffee forgotten.
"I'm in."
Zander reached across the
table, extending his hand. A smile formed on his lips and that dark expression
lightened. "Shake on it?"
Jayne slid her hand
against his. The strength of his grip ignited the same response as the first
time they'd touched. Hopefully her decision wouldn't come back to burn her.
He dialed his sister's
number. She could give him Jayne's number and then he'd… Say what? Apologize?
Make sure she knew they didn't usually act that way? He couldn't lie. He could
say,
if you'd been with us last year, we were getting along better then
.
That wouldn't do a lot of good. Damn it, he didn't want to scare her off.
A woman hadn't drawn his
interest so completely in ages. He was damn tired of being alone. The years of
constant recording and touring hadn't been kind to relationships. Too often in
his business, he'd seen relationships go down in flames because of jealousy,
long absences, infidelity, or suspected infidelity. And one night stands
weren't his style. He'd resigned himself to being alone…but then she'd walked
into that coffee shop and all he could think about was her.
Irisa's voicemail picked
up. Before he could leave a message, an incoming call alert sounded. Thinking
it was his sister, he engaged the call.
"Zander."
Luke's voice slurred through the speaker.
"What?" He
barked the word. Fresh annoyance tingled along his skin.
"I, ah, got
arrested."
Shit. So not what the
band needed right now. "What the hell did you do?"
"Boating. Drinking.
Drinking while boating."
"Are you
serious?" Luke had always taken care to follow rules when out on his boat.
"What happened?"
"Obviously I had a
little too much to drink." The slurring exaggerated his sarcastic tone.
"Was anyone with
you?"
"No. They won't
release me until tomorrow."
"Good, then
hopefully we have at least that long before the press finds out." He
jotted down the police station's number, listened to Luke ramble for another
minute, then ended the call.
Fucking hell. He hated
seeing anyone lose control. What a way to kick off the tour. The band wasn't
any stranger to partying, but they'd gotten the worst of it out of their
systems earlier in their career. Now, they had too much at stake to take stupid
chances.
He called his sister
again and relayed the news. She'd start damage-control. He pushed away the idea
of calling Jayne. Why bother her when he didn't have any idea what the hell
would happen with Luke or how it would affect the tour.
Early Monday morning,
after a weekend filled with too much press, he dodged some reporters hoping for
a sound bite and entered the courthouse with his sister. He sat cooling his
heels in a hallway with Brendan and Landry while Luke and his lawyer waited for
sentencing. Irisa had suggested they all show up for moral support, but Luke's
lawyer had two security guards block them from following Luke into the court
room. Apparently his lead singer didn't want or need their presence. His
annoyance grew with every passing minute. After an hour, Zander pushed to his
feet. This was ridiculous. He was about to tell the guys he was taking off when
the door opened and Luke emerged—his face expressionless, dressed in a suit and
tie.
Irisa leapt to her feet.
"Well?"
"I have to pay a
fine and do thirty hours of community service."
"We don't have to
miss any tour dates?"
"No. But I won't
have my license for six months. So I guess one of you will be driving me
around." His gaze connected with Zander, then moved to the other guys.
"Of course, whatever
you need." Irisa placed her hand on his arm.
Like hell. Zander kept
quiet. Brendan and Landry did too. Irisa aimed a glare at them over her
shoulder. "I'm sure the guys are more than happy to help out, too."
Luke lifted a brow.
"Sure. I can hear them clamoring to help."
"What did you
expect? Did you see those reporters out there? Did you think about the tour or
label before doing what you did?" Anger bubbling over, Zander crossed his
arms over his chest. "You're a fucking moron."
"A moron? I guess
you haven't made any mistakes?" Luke's tone rose. He got right in Zander's
space.
"Not like
this," he murmured. His hands formed fists with the urge to knock that
sneer off Luke's face.
They were nose-to-nose
when Irisa pushed in between them. "Not here. Are you insane?"
Luke's lawyer grabbed his
client's shoulder and pulled him away. "We're going outside. No matter
what anyone says to you, don't engage, don't respond. Let me handle it."
After nodding at him,
Irisa kept her hand on Zander's chest. "We're all leaving. You're all
going to pretend nothing is wrong, and then you're going to get in the
car."
Nothing wrong? The laugh
fell from his lips. "Sure. United front. No problems here."
"That's right. Now
move it. Fast."
Zander kept his gaze
straight ahead and ignored the questions thrown at him while Luke's lawyer
handled the media. Luke had gotten off easy. He should be grateful his band
mate wouldn't be doing jail time, but all he wanted to do was break away from
the media circus before he ended up hitting someone.
When they reached the
parking lot, Irisa pulled up short. "I need to make a call."
He'd seen Oliver's name
and several missed calls on her phone. Funneling his anger at Oliver into his
frustration with Luke, Zander leaned against his sister's car, aware of the
reporters and cameras. "Maybe we should make this leg of the tour a dry
one."
"No alcohol?"
Landry shook his head. "Are you serious?"
Luke loosened his tie.
"No fucking way. What about our brewery sponsorship, genius? It's pretty
hard for us to promote it if we can't drink it. Wait, unless you meant the dry
tour for just me. And if so, that's not happening."
Brendan stepped between
them. "Come on, guys. Calm down."
"A dry tour,"
Landry muttered. "What're you thinking we drink instead—milk and
cookies?"
"Dude." Brendan
looked at him, expression serious, and tone of voice to match. "You can't
drink cookies."
Zander groaned and shook
his head. Landry cracked a smile and even Luke huffed out a laugh, which grew
louder as Brendan laughed at his own joke. The tension eased, and for a moment
everything negative and stressful faded, leaving only the warm sunshine
spotlighting the friends he'd had for more than a decade. But then Luke's
lawyer coughed, and reality returned. The courthouse, the cameras across the
parking lot, their responsibilities, the mounting frustrations, and the
knowledge that no matter how much he wanted things to be perfect, he couldn't
have it all.
"Jayne."
Irisa's voice came from behind her.
Jayne turned, pulling her
earbuds out of her ears. Waiting all day for word on Luke had left her edgy.
Heck, she'd been a bit on edge from the moment she'd first met him. "Hi.
How's everything with Luke?"
Irisa smiled. "Good
news—the tour will go on as planned."
Dread deflated to a dull
ache. She should be happy—it was a good paying job. But part of her had hoped
for not so happy news. She'd hate to see the band have to cancel their tour,
but after the icy reception she'd received, spending time with the bickering
bunch wasn't very appealing. Jayne stopped walking. She took a deep breath and
said the thing that had been on her mind all weekend. "I don't think he
likes me."
"Of course he likes
you." Irisa waved off the comment. "The band's been having some
issues, that's all. He was in an equally bad mood with everyone on Friday. He's
really a nice guy, though. I promise."
"I don't know."
Wringing her hands together, she glanced at the ground. "I've dealt with
high-drama bands before. It doesn't scare me, but it's also never been directed
at
me. I don't want to leave you stranded but I'm not sure I'm the best
choice for this band."
Irisa reached into her
pocket and pulled out a roll of antacids. She popped a pink tablet free.
"I'll give you more money."
"Money isn't the
issue. You're already paying me more than I expected."
"I promise things
will be fine. Please don't back out. I need you."
Jayne studied the roll as
Irisa pocketed it again. "How many of those have you taken today? You're
chewing them every time I see you. Are you sick?"
"No." Her
answer too quick, she chewed the tablet. "What can I do to convince you to
come on tour?"
"Are you sure you're
all right?" The last thing she needed was to worry about her friend. Irisa
was more than a friend, more like a sister.
"I'd feel better if
I knew you were still coming with me."
"Well…" Backing
out of something after she'd given her word wasn't her style. But she was
emotionally exhausted after Pepper's ordeal, and she did have Vendetta's tour
coming up in July. The high-energy metal band was very high-maintenance.
Irisa gripped her hands
together. "Being the only girl stinks. When we were playing the shows in
New York and New Jersey, I spent a lot of time with the fashion designer who
outfitted the guys for their photo shoot in Central Park. Hanging out with
Audrey made me realize how much fun it was to have another female around.
Please come help balance out all that testosterone."
Her friend had mentioned
Audrey Pierce's name several times when they'd spoken during that tour.
Obviously, the designer had made an impact. Jayne touched her gold pendant—an
Audrey Pierce design.
Irisa had also flown home
during that tour to hold Jayne's hand as she said goodbye to Pepper, and then
spent the next three days helping her deal with the void the dog's death had
left. She could never repay the debt. "I can't say no to you. All right.
I'm in. I'm no quitter."
A grin overtook Irisa's
face and she threw her arms around Jayne. "Thank you."
Arm in arm, they walked
into the puppy room. Cute bundles of fur yipped and played and vied for
attention. Jayne groomed and snuggled and let them soothe her worries. She'd
been through a lot in her life. She could handle one surly singer.
Confidence restored, she
turned to find Irisa playing with a German Shepherd. "Do you want to grab
drinks later? I have to give two piano lessons first, but maybe around
eight?"
"I was thinking I'd
stay home tonight." A blush colored her cheeks. "I'm hoping I'll bump
into my new neighbor again. We sort of had drinks together on Friday
night."
"Sort of had drinks
together?" Jayne set aside the brush she held. "How could you not
tell me?"
"The whole Luke
situation kind of dominated my thoughts."
"True." She
didn't want to dwell on that anymore. Irisa had been alone for far too long. If
anyone needed to have some fun, she did. "Come on, spill the
details."
"Well, his name is
Dom Torres and he plays center field for the Riptide. He also happens to be a
big fan of the band. He even uses "Cut Down" as his walk-up
song."
"Wow. I bet the guys
love that."
"They do. They're
performing the National Anthem at the ball park on the seventeenth and they'll
get to meet the team afterward. Zander can't wait."
"How's he
doing?" Jayne picked up her brush, hoping the casual movement would cover
her interest. She could only imagine the band's response to Luke's
boating-under-the-influence arrest.
"You actually might
hear from him. He asked me for your number today. I think he's worried you
might bail out." She stared out the window for a moment, a frown marring
her forehead. "You won't, right?"
"I already said I
was in." She couldn't prevent the edge from seeping into her voice. Would
Zander really care if she came on the tour? With all he had going on and
pulling his focus, she doubted she was at the forefront of his thoughts.
A few hours later, she
strode into the community center in south L.A., where she gave piano lessons
once a week. The building, a source of renewal in the crumbling neighborhood,
had seen better days. Kids of all ages ran across the tiled floor, spilling
into various rooms. She waved to some of the regulars and made her way to the
music room. Instruments, some in various need of repair, crowded the space.
Because the center relied on volunteers to provide free music lessons to the
kids, they often went for long periods without instructors, and the instruments
came in by way of donations. Most of the kids couldn't afford to buy their own.
Their families could barely afford clothing and food.
After her beginner lesson
with a six-year-old more interested in banging on the keys than learning
scales, she hunted down the director. She found Kate in one of the common
areas.
"Got a minute?"
Kate grinned and blew out
a breath. "For you? Always."
"I'm taking a job
with The Fury for eight weeks." Jayne handed her a list of dates.
"There are a few conflicts with the piano lessons. I'd like to see if we
can reschedule them rather than cancel them."
"You're touring with
The Fury?" A young, familiar voice came from behind her.
She turned. Dalton, one
of the kids in the program, stood gaping at her. As usual, he wore a threadbare
concert t-shirt advertising one of The Fury's tours. He always talked about the
band and how he wanted to play the guitar like Zander one day.
"Have you already
met them? What're they like? Does Zander really bring his guitar everywhere he
goes?" Excitement shined in his eyes.
"Yes, interesting,
and no." She smiled. "How are the guitar lessons?"
The shine faded.
"The teacher quit. He said he didn't feel safe coming here."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well. Maybe
someone else will want to do it." Thin shoulders hunched forward.
"But nothing's going good for me lately, so I'm not holding my breath."
One of the other kids
yelled for him to join in a basketball game. He declined until Kate managed to
convince him he was needed. When he left, Kate sighed. "I feel so bad for
him. His parents are going through a bitter divorce. He hasn't smiled in weeks,
and he's shutting himself off from his friends. The only thing that seemed to
make him happy was those guitar lessons. He looks so defeated."
"I know just how he
feels." Jayne could sympathize all too well. Divorce was usually harder on
the kids. "Since I'm working with the band, maybe I can arrange for Dalton
to meet them. At least Zander, since he's his favorite."
"Could you? That
would mean so much to him. Dalton's such a special kid."
He was. Shy and sweet,
with a desperation she recognized. The idea warmed her spirit, and hopefully
Zander would agree. Volunteering was important to Irisa, and from what she knew
of Zander, giving back was important to him too. "I'll call him now."
He answered on the second
ring. "Hello."
"It's Jayne."
Her heart pounded in her chest.
"I know." His
voice warmed and the words slid over her skin. "So…what's going on?"
She twisted her necklace
chain around her fingers. After all the drama, meeting with another fan might
be the last thing he wanted to do. "I need to ask a favor. But you can say
no. Really, it's okay."
A low, rich laugh flowed
through the speaker. "How about you tell me what it is first?"
"I volunteer at a
community center in south L.A. One of the students in the music program
idolizes you. He's sixteen, his parents are divorcing, and he's been going
through a really rough time lately. He only wears Fury concert t-shirts and is
always talking about how you're his favorite guitarist." She paused and
drew in a breath. "It would be a huge boost for him to meet you. Do you
think you could meet with him?"
"Well—"
"I realize we just
met and I know you're exhausted from the tour. But he's got virtually no one.
He reminds me so much of me when I was his age. My parents suffered an ugly
divorce, too. I know it would mean a lot to him."
"Jayne." He
laughed again. "It's okay. I'll do it."
"Really?"
"Sure. When is a
good time?"
"He's here now. And
he's usually here most afternoons. I'm sure he could be here whenever you can
schedule it."
"So you're both
there now?"
"Yes."
"Why wait? Text me
the address and I'll head over."
"
Now?
"
Glancing down at her t-shirt, worn jeans, and sneakers, she winced. But this
meeting was for Dalton, not her. "That should be fine."
"I'll see you
soon." His voice deepened and her knees turned to jelly.
She stared at the phone.
"Kate, he's on his way."
"Exciting,"
Kate rubbed her hands together like an evil genius plotting a takeover.
"Let's keep this a surprise. I'll stay with Dalton and watch the game. You
wait by the front desk."
Too soon, she spied
Zander cutting across the parking lot. He met her gaze through the glass front
door and quickened his pace. Leather jacket, dark jeans, black shirt, he caught
the attention of every person in the room.
She ignored the urge to
straighten her shirt or touch her hair. "Thank you for coming."
His gaze roamed her from
head to toe. "This is much better than how I was spending my
evening."
"What were you
doing?"
"Hanging out with
Shredder."
"Shredder?"
"My dog. You'll meet
him soon." He glanced around the room. "I haven't been in a place
like this in years. Looks just like the one I hung out in. Actually, this isn't
all that far from where I grew up."
She knew his story from
Irisa. His family had emigrated from the Ukraine when he and Irisa were little
kids. They hadn't had much money. In this space, he didn't look like a big-time
rock star, just a regular guy. "Dalton's playing basketball. We didn't
tell him you were coming." She led the way.
After introducing Zander
to Kate, she pointed out Dalton.
Zander nodded and waited
for a break in play. Then he walked over and tapped Dalton's shoulder.
"Got a minute?"
The teen whirled around.
His eyes grew rounder and rounder. "You're…you're…"
"Zander
Rostov." Grinning, he extended his hand. "And you're Dalton,
right?"
"Yeah. How are you
actually here? Is this for real?" He slowly raised his hand to shake
Zander's when the rocker pulled him in for a quick, back-slapping hug.
Zander handed Dalton a
new concert t-shirt. "I hear you play the guitar."
Jayne relaxed against the
wall and watched as Dalton bloomed into full animation as he discussed music
with his idol.
After several minutes,
Dalton led Zander into the music room and Jayne followed to spy from a
distance. Dalton showed Zander the guitar he'd been using. "I've been
playing for two years. I'm trying to learn your solo in "My Fist, Your
Face"."
"Show me what you've
got." Zander stood back and observed, then gave pointers. They worked
together for a while, far longer than she'd expected.