Every Heart Sings (Serenity Island Series) (25 page)

“So are you, Tony. Don’t ever forget that, kid.”

With those words, Josh picked up the guitar he’d come with and his duffle bag and walked out of the café, leaving behind his newfound family and his heart.

He hoped he’d be back soon to reclaim both.

The life of a rock star was never certain. Yet it was the life he’d chosen. For now. And it was easier to walk away from Serenity right now than abandon a career built on a lifetime of hopes and dreams.

Jordan stormed through town, on her way out to the campground. As she passed the Gas ‘n Go—the one gas station in town—she heard someone call out her name.

She turned to see Sidewinder. He’d been sitting on one of the two benches filled with old men, no doubt gabbing about events last night.

“Morning, Sidewinder. What can I do for you?” She spoke to give him an idea where she stood.

He tapped the cane, finding a clear path to her on the sidewalk. “Where you headed in such an all-fire hurry? You’re going the opposite direction from the café.”

“How’d you know I was hurrying?”

“Hank said you were pert near running down the sidewalk.”

“I was not running.” She huffed out a breath. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m heading to the campground. And you know I don’t work at the café anymore.”

“Planning a campout?”

“None of your business, Sidewinder.” She almost growled, impatient to end the conversation with the town gossip and find Ben to give the bastard an ear full.

“So, not camping? Well, I’ll save you the trip. You’re too late. He’s gone.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ben. High-tailed it out of here sometime during the night. Didn’t wait for today’s ferry. Drove cross the bridge. Once he heard of the kerfluffle over the contract, he decided we’d draw and quarter him, I suppose. And he’d be right.”

“Damn it. He got away?”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Sidewinder grinned, a big, satisfied smile that stretched the creases in his weathered face.

Which told Jordan that the town had pulled together.

“Let’s say his departure was eventful. An adventure, even.”

Jordan laughed. “Okay, but that still doesn’t satisfy my need to eviscerate the man.”

“You still got industry connections. Use them.”

“I’m not sure—”

“If you’re not sure at a time like this, when will you be sure?”

“I need to gather a bit more information first. Find out all the facts.”

“Maybe you should have done that first before you accused our poor boy Josh of wrongdoing.” Sidewinder had the self-righteous air of a man who always knew what was best for everyone else in this small insular community.

“Yeah, well, I let my emotions get the better of me. I wasn’t thinking clearly.” She stood with her hands braced on her hips. Trying to defend herself was pointless.

“Love will make you stupid.” The old man pursed his mouth and nodded, sagely. “Make you lose your head. Do crazy things.”

Jordan didn’t respond to his comment about love. She didn’t need that confession out on the street, going the gossip rounds. So she grabbed on to the other surprising statement in his diatribe. “Our poor Josh? Since when did Serenity take ownership of Josh Nicodemus?”

“Since the moment that poor boy stepped onto this island looking to put roots down, to find a home, a place to belong. You should know that, it’s the same way we adopted you. Like we do.”

Jordan rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like you do.”

It was more likely that they coveted the revenue Josh could generate from the new music café he’d opened. But she wasn’t going to fight that battle right now. Josh had endeared himself to the village. There was a lot to like about the hot headliner jock who had walked into their lives unexpectedly.

“Well, thanks for saving me the trip, old man. Guess I need to follow-up with Ben through the lawyer.”

“Good plan.” He turned and waved, as he started to walk away to rejoin the men on the benches in front of the gas station. “Any time I can be of service, you just let me know.”

So, she wouldn’t get any immediate resolution with Ben, but she could begin to make his professional life hell. She pulled out her phone and found Caitlin’s number. The entertainment lawyer had been a lifesaver to her over the years, she was the daughter of the attorney who’d handled her emancipation from her parents. If there was anything Jordan could do to squeeze Ben to do what was right, Caitlin would know.

“Hey, J.D., what can I do for you?”

“Guess you heard about what happened last night.”

“Yep. Spoke with Josh.”

This surprised Jordan. “Really? When?”

“Last night and again this morning.”

“Trying to cover his ass?” A note of bitterness edged her words. She couldn’t help it. The whole situation made her mad. She’d been suckered in. And she hated being a dupe.

“No, he has nothing to cover. What? You think he was involved?”

“Well, his name was on the contract.”

“No, J.D., Ben’s done this before with other artists. We’ve got him cold.” Paper rustled on the other end of the phone. “He embezzled from Josh, too. To the tune of five million dollars. Josh fired Ben this morning, but not before getting a signed agreement from Ben that he’d pay Grace and Tony recompense by the end of the week.”

“Wow. That fast?” Jordan had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She’d been wrong. And, yes, she’d already begun to suspect that she’d regret her harsh accusations of the night before. But, damn. It sure didn’t feel good, knowing that she’d judged so colossally wrong.

“Yep, he’s a man on a mission and this is serious business. Josh hired a new business manager—someone I recommended—who started immediately and he hired someone to oversee the café who will start next week. I think you know him, Tommy Robbins.”

“Tommy? Big guns. Interesting. He’ll do good things for the café. Get the right artists in here and promote the venue to young performers. Is he managing long distance? Who’s he getting to take over the day-to-day operations?”

“No. Tommy is going to do it all. He’s got big plans for the café and the mentor program. He plans to produce a series of live performance recordings from The Down Dog Café. Even mentioned possibly helping you promote some big project you got going on with a local theater.”

Jordan was shell-shocked. He knew about the cannery? “Well, that project is still quite a ways off. I need lots of money to renovate the property before it even becomes a proper theater. Right now it’s an old fishing cannery.”

“Oh, that reminds me. A large donation was wired to your Hope for the Arts Foundation, line itemed for the Serenity Community Theater Project.”

Jordan pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the screen. She couldn’t have heard right. “What? I don’t think I heard you right. No one knows about—”

“Yep. It’s a multi-million dollar donation. I think you now have money to renovate your community theater.”

Jordan sat down hard on the sidewalk. Her legs wouldn’t hold her.
Oh, hells no.
Josh was not going to do this.

She didn’t want his money.

He could not buy her love. No way. No how.

She already loved the crazy bastard, anyway.

Unless the money meant he was washing his hands of her, giving up. Panic seized Jordan. “Give it back. I won’t accept handouts from Josh.”

“It didn’t come from Josh.”

“Then where did it come from? No one else knows about my idea to renovate the cannery.”

“Well, the contribution was anonymous. But I have my guesses. It’s exactly five million dollars.”

“Ben,” she whispered.

“I can’t say for sure without digging. But I think so.”

“This has Josh written all over it.” Jordan jumped to her feet again and paced back and forth, tugging her hand back through her hair.

“Maybe. But now you have your money. Do some good with it, J.D.”

Jordan sucked in a huge breath.

This could really happen. She could open a theater here in Serenity. Contribute in a big way to the economy of the village. Help generate an income for the village.

Shit. She needed to talk to Josh. Get to the café. Apologize. Damn it, but she was so bad at admitting she was wrong. And she’d been wrong on such a huge level here.

“Gotta run, J.D.” Caitlin’s voice sounded distant for a moment, then she came back online. “Oh, almost forgot, Tommy will move in to the apartment above the café next week. Just thought you should know.”

“That’s impossible. Josh is still living there.”

“I thought you knew . . .” Caitlin hesitated.

“Knew what?”

“J.D., he’s gone. He called me from the ferry half an hour ago. He’s headed back to Los Angeles.”

Chapter 19

Building Community Theaters and Bridges

Six months later, the Serenity Community Theater opened with a benefit concert for the PIC-U Wings program. Jordan stood backstage, helping with the final touches, before she’d go onstage to welcome everyone and introduce the first act.

Renovations of the theater had finished ahead of schedule and she couldn’t be happier with the way it’d turned out. The architect had kept the industrial look of the interior and the historical details, only he’d fused that with lots of open beams and glass to create a really pleasing aesthetic.

Famous glassblower and artist, Dale Chihuly had donated brightly colored glass flowers each the size of a Volkswagen Beetle that hung in curtains off the balconies in front of the wall of glass windows overlooking the inlet. Sun glittered through the windows, hitting the colored glass, causing a stained glass window effect. The sight of it all brought her a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. And a touch of joy.

Only a touch, because she still couldn’t get over Josh. Or her broken heart. He’d left without a good-bye and who could blame him? It was her fault. All those nasty accusations. She’d sent him a note and flowers apologizing, but she wasn’t sure he’d ever gotten them, because he’d never called or contacted her in response.

Her heart ached at the thought of him. He’d only been part of her life, what? A little over a month. And still. He’d barged right into her heart and taken over like he belonged there. Forever.

She pressed her fingers to her chest and rubbed in circles. If only she could remove the pain. Their lives were so different. It never would have worked out between them even if Josh had accepted her apology. She didn’t want a life in L.A. and Josh couldn’t live in Serenity twenty-four-seven and do what he did best—charm fans with his choreographed moves or seduce them to buy his albums with his model-perfect face every time he appeared on
Ellen
or
The Queen Latifah Show
.

Yes, she’d been shameless. Wherever he popped up, she watched him. Usually on YouTube since she was hopeless at getting the timing right of modern-day television shows. So she ended up spending hours searching the internet for Josh’s latest escapade.

Ben had disappeared, and according to Caitlin, she was monitoring his activities with his cooperation. He wanted to do what was right. He admitted he had a problem and was in counseling. However, it remained to be seen, as far as Jordan was concerned, if Ben could really change and keep his nose clean.

“There you are, darling.” Helene ran a hand along Jordan’s shoulders to drape her arm around her. She squeezed. “Are you ready?”

Speaking of change. Things between her and her mother had been ironed out. Helene was spending more time in Serenity and Jordan had found that she’d actually enjoyed the time with her mother.

“I think so.” Jordan breathed out a deep, shuddering breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“You’ll do great. You’ve always been a natural-born charmer on stage.”

“Yes, it’s only off-stage we had issues. Both me and the press.”

Helene waved it off and laughed. “You were young then. Now, you’re more mature. Who’s the first up?”

“Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.”

“Nice. Heavy hitters.”

“Yes, Tommy did his job well.”

She’d worked with Tommy to make the night perfect.

He’d scheduled several top-of-the-line acts as well as a few of the young artists from The Down Dog Café mentoring program to perform tonight to raise money for the kids’ cancer hospital. “How’s Tony? This is the biggest crowd he’ll have ever played to—at least two hundred and fifty people out there.”

Helene smiled. “He’s a chip off both the old Drake and Alexander blocks. He’s in the dressing room warming up by singing to Hannah. Charming the pants—”

“Mom!” Jordan gasped. “He better not be.”

Again Helene waved her hand. “It’s merely an expression, dear.”

“Well don’t use it when you’re talking of a sixteen-year-old boy, okay?”

Her mother heaved a deep, belabored sigh. “All right. Whatever.”

“You were too old to use that phrase the moment you hit the big five-oh sound barrier.”

“Psshaw.” Helene winked at her daughter. “Age is a state of mind, honey, and today I feel like a teenager.” She eyed the handsome boy-band filtering across the backstage area.

Jordan rolled her eyes in disgust. “You would.”

“I’ve got to go, sweetie. I’ll be watching from the front row. Lending support.” She kissed both of Jordan’s cheeks.

“Love you, Mom. Thanks for being here tonight.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Jordan. Love you too, baby girl.” Helene disappeared around the curtain—hopefully not to flirt with someone half her age, but Jordan couldn’t stop her. Helene had a mind of her own.

Jordan smoothed the fabric of her red halter dress over her hips. It was a high-society event. People in the industry from Los Angeles to New York were here to contribute tonight.

Music started from the orchestra pit. Her cue.

Showtime.

Three acts into the benefit show, just as Jordan was ready to go back out onto stage to announce the next band after a performance of “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, Tommy shoved an index card into her hands. “Last-minute change of plans. Introduce this act next. Sorry, hon.”

“Wait. Who?” She tried to drag her feet to give her time to read the card in the dim lighting of backstage.

Tommy planted two hands in the middle of her back and gently pushed her through the curtain at stage right. “No time. Go. You’re on.”

She walked to the mic. Giving the crowd a moment to let the applause die down, Jordan looked at the intro on the card. The words she read made her heart knock hard in her chest.

Nicodemus.

The crowd grew silent. And, still, Jordan didn’t say anything. Her tongue wouldn’t move. She didn’t know what to say. So many words had gone unsaid between them since he’d left the island. So much heartache that she refused to acknowledge. So many hateful things she’d said to him that last night at The Down Dog Café. Words that she couldn’t take back. But, certainly, words she could now apologize for in person.

Even if it was in front of a crowd of hundreds. If he’d listen.

After an awkward pause, someone from the crowd, someone who sounded suspiciously like Sidewinder, said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Cat got your tongue, girl? Who’s up next?”

The crowd tittered. And that was enough to break the spell. She muscled through the fear. It would be okay.

Shit. She’d overcome many of her demons in the past three months. Hard things, things she’d thought she’d never get over. She’d always known Josh would step back on the island one day because of the café, she just never thought it’d be today. Now. In front of hundreds of people.

She sucked in a breath and shook her head in a forced laugh. What the hell? She tossed the index card over her shoulder.

Jordan didn’t need Tommy’s words to introduce Josh.

She had her own.

What had he said to her?
We’ll never experience our full potential if we let fear keep us from what we want most in life.
She knew exactly what she wanted right now and it scared the shit out of her because trusting others had become almost impossible for her over the years.

Until the last six months.

Or, really, a little longer. Since Josh came to Serenity.

“Well, Serenity is no stranger to our next guest. This past summer—as many of you know—Josh Nicodemus came to Serenity. He opened a music venue on the island that almost immediately began to generate income, and more importantly, national interest in the village. Tourism has been up. Our businesses are flourishing. Serenity is alive and vibrant again. All because of one man. So I want to thank, Josh Nicodemus. For having the courage and vision to see what we needed, for pushing us, for becoming a favorite son of Serenity in such a short time, and for becoming one of us.”

The crowd erupted in a round of applause and hoots and hollers.

“Josh once said to me, if you’re going to let fear keep you from doing something, you’ll never know what could have been, you’ll never really live your life.”

Josh walked onto stage at that moment, his guitar strapped around his torso. He shrugged out of the strap and carried the instrument by its neck, as he stalked toward her like a predatory animal with prey in its sights.

She’d never seen a more beautiful man.

“Serenity is vibrant and living because of you.” She spoke directly to Josh now. “And so am I. I can never thank you enough.” She waved a hand across the crowd. “This theater is a reality because of you. I’m fully living again because of you, because you cared about me enough to push me to confront my demons.”

Her heart ached just looking at him. He looked tired. Stubble shadowed his jaw and lines that hadn’t been there before now created tension around his blue eyes and his wide, sensual mouth. His long, muscular legs ate up the distance between them on stage. Clad in worn jeans that hugged him to perfection and a Down Dog Café T-shirt that stretched across his solid chest and biceps, he looked good enough to eat.

The women in the crowd agreed, groaning in female appreciation as soon as Josh appeared on stage. Jordan understood. Really she did. She couldn’t keep her own body from uttering the same cellular moan at his mere appearance.

Josh stood beside her now. He propped his guitar on the stand near the mic. She took a gulp of air and plunged on. “You once also told me that one day, when the right guy came along I wouldn’t be happy living my life as I always have. You’re right. Someday has come. Today is the day. And you’re the right man, for me and for Serenity. Welcome home, Josh Nicodemus.”

A smile, as bright as the sun, broke across Josh’s face. He crushed her to his chest and lifted her, twirling her in circles. His mouth came down on hers in a kiss that took her breath away and made her forget who she was and where she stood.

The crowd exploded into a cheering mass.

She slid down Josh’s body, to find her feet on the stage again. But then, Josh was going down on one knee before her. He fished a ring out of his pocket. A gorgeous, flashing princess-cut diamond in a white gold setting with tiny emeralds clustered around it. She gasped, clutching her thundering heart so it didn’t jump out of her chest.

“I love you, body and soul, Jordan Diane Drake. Will you make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me?”

“I—” She had so many questions about the logistics, how they’d make this work, where they’d live, how they’d maintain a relationship in the eye of the public, but there was one thing she knew for certain, she didn’t want to continue to live her life without Josh Nicodemus at her side. “A stable home is important to me because I never had that growing up.”

He nodded in understanding, tears shining glassy from his eyes. “Serenity is my home, too. If stable is important to you, then it’s important to me. I want to be here with you. We’ll make it work. Just say you love me . . . and you’ll marry me.”

The pleading look and unshed tears in his eyes broke her heart.

She loved him more than she’d ever loved anyone. And because of that he had the power to crush her in ways that no one had ever had, but she wanted him in her life anyway, despite the fear. She chose to live with love.

“I love you Joshua Matthews-Cohen Nicodemus. Yes. You’re it for me. Have been from the moment I first met you, even if I didn’t know it.” She laughed. Joy bubbled up and overflowed inside her. “I will marry you.”

He scooped her up in his arms and spun her around again, kissing her hard. She fell into the kiss and when they came up for air, she turned to the crowded theater. Camera flashes strobbed the theater seating. This would be on YouTube and plastered on every Twitter and Facebook feed within the hour, if not right this moment. So she’d use it to her advantage.

“I’m putting Nicodemus Fan Girls everywhere on notice.” She flashed her engagement ring, then lifted her other hand, pointing her index finger, and schooled her most bossy, intimidating expression. “Don’t even think about it, ladies! He’s mine. And I protect what’s mine. Enough said.”

She glared at the crowd once more for good effect before she turned back to Josh and gave him a huge welcome home kiss.

Nothing had ever felt more right to her in her life.

Josh’s lips brushed hers.

“I’m yours. Forever.” She breathed softly against his lips.

“I know.” Josh growled and cupped her face to deepen the kiss. “Never doubted it. Not for a second, babe.”

Jordan’s heart sang a song that only Josh could hear, and his heart whispered back a song of its own in perfect harmony; the two joined forever in a dance of lyrics that completed the other to perfection.