Between a Rock and a Hard Place (38 page)

“I understand, but . . . we were just working things out.  I don’t want to be away from you again.  I don’t want things to backslide.”

The remorse in his voice tugged at her heart. “I don’t want to be away from you either, but I have no choice.  We’ll be OK.”

“I feel helpless all the way over here in Europe.  What can I do to help you?”

“Thank you, baby, but there’s really nothing you can do. My sisters are on their way over. Ella’s going to fill me in on all the details.  Luckily, my store manager is dependable and I trust her completely.”

Tommy was silent for a few seconds.  She heard his breath puff into the phone, and Angel asking a series of questions in the background.

“Put Angel on the phone.”

“Hi, sweetheart. Is everything OK?”

“Not really, but I’m handling it.”

“You had us very worried about the way you ran out of here.”

“I’m sorry.  It was hard for me to leave, and I had to go before I changed my mind.”

“Please, call my dad if you need anything.”

“I will. I’m going to stop by the restaurant tomorrow and surprise him.”  She smiled at the thought of dining at Garcia’s and visiting Angel’s wonderful family.  “It’s so good to be home.”

“Are you sure everything’s OK between us?  You know it breaks my heart when you have ill feelings toward me.”

“We’re good, Angel.”  It was the truth.  She was happy with the way things turned out.  They communicated their fears and shared their feelings.  She was done with the rivalry.  Angel wasn’t the enemy.  He was her equal, her comrade and her partner.

“I love you, sweetheart. Here’s Tommy again. He’s practically pulling the phone out of my hand.”

“Hon, if you want me to come home, we have two days off after the show tomorrow night.  I can catch a plane as soon as it’s over.”

“You have an album to write, remember?”  It meant a lot to her that he offered, but she really didn’t need him here, and he needed to finish the album.

“I don’t care about that.  I care about you.”

“I know, but you’re almost done, and then we can spend time together.”

More deep breaths into the phone conveyed Tommy’s dismay.  “I love you, Jessi.”

“I love you, too, baby.  I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“OK.  Good luck with everything, hon.  Bye.”

“Bye, baby.”

The doorbell rang as soon as she put the phone down.  She hugged her sisters like she hadn’t seen them in a year and brought a bottle of wine onto the deck so they could talk under the pastel sky.

“I had a bad feeling about that dressmaker right away,” Ella said.  “She never wanted me to go in the back.  I thought she was hiding something, or stealing, so I asked Rachel to keep an eye on her.  That other dressmaker who sits near the door, Isabella, she’s very nice.  She made some comments about that woman too, but I think she was afraid to cross her.”

“Well, you were right about that.  I spoke to Isabella today and she confessed that she caught Martha stealing fabric but was afraid the woman would get her fired.  She seemed very sincere.  I just can’t understand what Martha was up to.”  Jessi put her chin in her hand and stared off into the distance.  If Martha had an ulterior motive, eventually it would surface.  In the meantime, she had a business to run.  “I guess it’s all in hindsight.  I’m just glad that you and Rachel noticed that something was wrong with the construction of that dress.”

“I’m sorry you had to come back and miss the tour.”

Jessi refilled their glasses with wine and took in the tranquility of the night.  “I’m sorry I left, too.  Even though Tommy and Angel were busy, and we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together, I enjoyed the little sightseeing we were able to do.”  The enthusiasm and energy showed in her voice.  “London was fun.  Germany was beautiful. I was looking forward to Prague, but,” she spread her arms out to the side, “here I am, missing it.”  She took her wine and moved to the railing.  “I’m happy to be home, though.  I didn’t realize how much I missed this place until I walked through the front door.”

Maggie leaned on the railing next to Jessi and looked back at the house.  “I still can’t believe how far you came in such a short time.  You made it.”  Maggie clinked her glass against Jessi’s. “You live in this mansion. Tommy’s band is on a world tour, you opened a store, and you’re famous.”

“I’m not famous.  People know me because of the band, that’s all.”

“No.”  Ella joined her two sisters, so the three of them gazed at the painted horizon together.  “I was at the store every day.  People know you for your clothing.  I overheard quite a few people, who never heard of Immortal Angel, inquiring about the band merchandise.”

Jessi laughed, genuine happy laughter. Her life, albeit a gritty, bumpy ride at times, was full of excitement and tremendous highs. “I can’t believe it myself. Sometimes I have to stand back and remind myself it’s not a dream.”

“We’re not surprised.  You accomplish anything you put your mind to.” Maggie set her wine glass down on the railing and her brows inched together in serious consternation.  “Mom has been talking about you a lot lately. Ever since she saw an article about your store opening in the newspaper, she’s been saying how happy she is that you finally got the recognition that you deserve. I think she passed the store too, but she won’t admit it. She’s very proud of you, Jessi.  So is Dad.”

All of Jessi’s feelings of joy and satisfaction disappeared at the mention of her parents.  Sharp, twisted shards stabbed her in the chest and sent her head reeling. “I can’t handle their drama right now, Maggie. I’ve been through enough lately.” Maggie and Ella both tried to say something, but she brushed them off and walked inside the house. How much could one person take? She just got through a wrestling match with her emotions over Angel, she was still dealing with life away from Tommy and the store was missing a key employee. She couldn’t deal with any more stress.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Writing music was tedious enough without the added pressure of a time constraint and Angus breathing down their necks every time they turned around.  They were under the gun and it hampered their progress.  Watching Tommy was painful. He wasn’t present.  He was lost in a world behind his mournful blue eyes. Angel wasn’t faring much better, but he was able to function normally. Tommy was lost without Jessi. It was different when she stayed behind during the first leg of the tour, because he knew that Jessi was eager to return. There was a predetermined date, a definitive plan. Now, with each passing day, Jessi’s return became more of an enigma and she seemed happy. When Angel spoke to her on the phone earlier, she had an excitement in her voice that she didn’t have before. He knew she missed him and Tommy, that was apparent and unquestionable, but she didn’t seem to miss the band, the tour or the rock and roll lifestyle that he thought was ingrained in her blood just as much as it was in his.

Angel could deal with his own loss and heartache, but watching Tommy withdraw and suffer was a pain Angel couldn’t bear. The guitar was always in his hand but Angel never knew what Tommy was playing. It was bits and pieces of music and he never played more than a few measures at once, never a piece in its entirety.

Tommy was in the corner of the studio playing one of his vignettes again, instead of collaborating with the rest of the band.

“What the fuck, man?” Jimmy jumped up from behind his drum kit. “How are we supposed to write a song without our lead guitarist?”

Tommy ignored him and kept his head down.

“Snap out of it, man.  We got a deadline and we need you.”

This time Tommy nodded his head and slowly looked up at Jimmy.  “I’ll be right there.  I’m just working on something.” His gaze shifted to Angel and rested there.

The sight of Tommy, detached from his bandmates, stricken into a world of solitude, was heart wrenching to watch. Angel knelt down in front of Tommy and placed his hands on Tommy’s knees.  “MI Corazon se romped a vertex tan triste.”

Tommy smiled for the first time in days and a small glimmer of light reflected in his eyes.  “What did you just say?”

“I said it breaks my heart to see you so sad.”

“I forgot how sexy it is when your mouth makes those little rolling Rs.”  Tommy’s smile widened and he tilted his head to the side, causing his gorgeous tresses to fall over his shoulder.

Angel put his finger through Tommy’s hair and smoothed it back behind his ear.  “I missed your smile.”  He motioned toward the guitar with his chin “What are you working on?”

“A song. It’s almost done.”

“A song?”  Angel sat back on the heels of his feet. “We’re over there banging our heads together trying to put together a basic rhythm, and you sat here and composed a song all by yourself?” The man had talent beyond comprehension.  “Can we hear this stroke of genius, my prince?”

Tommy shook his head.  “It’s for Jessi.”

“You’re not going to share it with us?”

“No.”

“You’re not going to play it?”  Angel displayed the sweetest smile he could muster.  “Not even for me?”

Tommy returned a small laugh.  “I told you, A.  It’s for Jessi. I only play them for her.”

“Are you going to write one for me, too?”

“How do you know I haven’t written you a song already and just haven’t played it for you yet?”

Angel’s phone buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket. “I got a text from Jessi.” He smiled as he read it aloud.  “I’m almost done with my fall line!”

“That’s it?”  Tommy took the phone from Angel’s hand.  He was searching for something more, but there wasn’t anything else. Not even a ‘Luv U’. “That’s a little short.”

It was unlike her, but Angel tried to brush it off.  “She’s probably busy with work.  She’ll call when she gets a minute.”  The worry lines in his forehead made another appearance and his smile diminished.  Jessi’s absence unnerved him.  She left too abruptly and seldom answered her phone.  Her texts were spirited, but short, and on the rare occasion when he did catch her on the phone, she sounded too happy.  She was on another continent, away from him and away from Tommy, and she sounded happier than she had in weeks.  That’s what scared him.

Tommy handed Angel back his phone, dismayed at Jessi’s short and matter-of-fact text.  Five days apart were torture for him.  It wasn’t just the physical distance that ate away at him, it was the emotional disconnect.  He couldn’t concentrate on his performance because he couldn’t stop thinking about her.