Lush (22 page)
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It was indeed so good he could have eaten eight pieces. She
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seemed to glow when people loved her food and he knew it was
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because she loved to take care of people. Loved it when what
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she created made folks happy.
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He wanted to help clean up but she refused. He sat around
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with her friends drinking beer and chatting while she and her
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crew got things ready for the following day.
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Adrian watched Gillian as she laughed with Jules and Daisy.
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“Hard to break in to a long- term group.”
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They were letting their guard down around him. He should
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probably send fl owers to Gillian for that story she told about
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Paddy and the photographer. Until that moment they’d only
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known him as the guy with a beer in his hand and his face in
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cleavage.
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Damien shrugged. “They don’t know me. I get it.”
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“Doesn’t make it any easier while you’re dealing with it.
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They’re good people. Close to each other. You’re doing fi ne. Mary
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is an awesome woman. You have good taste. If it helps, they
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didn’t like me much at fi rst either. I was a dick, handled things
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wrong. But they want her to be happy and from what I can tell,
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you make her happy. They’ll relax once they get to know you.”
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“I like her. She makes me smile. How’s Miles liking his new
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school?”
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“So far it’s just been orientation stuff. He starts for real on
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Tuesday. But already the Kid’s kicking ass. He’s not the only son
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or daughter of a musician there, which makes it a little easier.
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The school knows how to deal with security in a way his other
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school wouldn’t have. Not that it was bad, just not their norm.
S28
I feel better with him there. Safer. After this tour he’s thriving
N29
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Lauren Dane
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in a new way. Making music is now a much larger part of his life
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and he digs it.” Adrian paused. “You were right to suggest it. Right 03
to suggest he get more specialized education.”
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“Your kid has mad talent. No surprise really, given who his
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parents are. I’m glad it worked out.”
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“He’ll miss his old school, I know. But I’m thinking this is a
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good new start for him.”
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“How’s life now that the tour has ended?”
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“I’m still getting used to it. I mean, we had the house built, I
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made a record, we got married, had a short honeymoon and went
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directly on tour for a few months. It’s really only now that it feels 12
real. I’ve seen a lot. Done a lot. But when I’m with Gillian and
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Miles, I’m
home
.”
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Adrian’s gaze moved to Gillian again, a smile on his face.
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Mary came out from the kitchen and they all moved to leave.
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17
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They went back to her place and talked until long after mid-
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night. He was going home the following day. She didn’t ask him
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to stay any longer and he wanted her to. She didn’t push for any
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more than he’d already given. But he wanted her to.
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He’d thought about it pretty much the entire trip back home.
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Especially after the conversation he and Adrian had had. He’d
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known Adrian for a long time. There was a big, soul- deep change
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in his friend.
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Mary had already changed the way he thought. Part of it was
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that he couldn’t fi gure her out. Which was unusual and maybe
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part of her appeal. But he doubted it. She didn’t have an agenda.
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Lush
It kept making him nervous. And then he’d realize how fucking
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nice it was that he didn’t have to constantly worry about it.
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He’d had a few longer- term relationships before, mainly
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before they broke big. But women usually wanted to spend time
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together. Mary had a busy life and when he left that afternoon,
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she hadn’t dug around about when she’d see him again. In fact,
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he’d been the one to say he’d call her soon.
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And then the appeal of moving on to the next city and there-
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fore not having to worry about anyone wanting more from
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him than a night or two wasn’t enough. He wanted more. The
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tour was over, his life would have some quiet moments, and he
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realized, quite clearly, that he wanted to spend that time and
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energy pursuing this thing, this possibility of a thing with Mary
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Whaley.
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He stopped in Portland to grab doughnuts and coffee. His
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mother was of the opinion that Folgers was just fi ne and any
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fancy crap he bought was a waste of money. He never knew any
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different until they’d started to make some real money and stop-
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ping at gas stations for seventy- fi ve- cent burritos and ulcer-
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creating sludge wasn’t their only option.
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Now he knew and now, as his mother said, he was a bit of
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a coffee snob. He had his favorites and was sure to have it when
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they traveled.
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Mary had Kona coffee in her pantry. He smiled. Showed
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what good taste she had. He should take her to Hawaii. So they
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could have it fresh.
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It was late enough that he didn’t catch too much traffi c, and
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by the time he got through Portland, he started coming home.
S28
N29
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Lauren Dane
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The road changed, the sights became more familiar. The river
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glittered.
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He’d been all over the globe. But nowhere else made him feel
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like coming home the way Hood River did.
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06
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When he pulled over the last rise and saw the land he let go of
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his last bit of stress. This was his. He’d run over these hills, chas-09
ing things, running from a pissed- off older brother. Later they’d 10
ridden horses and ATVs. There’d be activity at fi rst light in the
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morning. The pears were close to harvest.
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His window was down and the scent of freshly cut grass and
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alfalfa hung in the air. The lights were on in the main house, he
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noted as he passed. He’d stop at his place fi rst and wander up
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to see his parents once he’d cleaned up.
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The porch light was on at his house. He smiled. Probably Ezra,
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who lived closest. Damien’s house would be on the way back to
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Ezra’s and he’d have stopped to turn it on because Damien was
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returning. There was something to be said about your family
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leaving the porch light on so you could fi nd your way home.
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The garage door made that horrible squeal when he opened
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it though. He sighed, something to look at. The next day or
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maybe the day after. The house had been aired out, he noted
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when he came in from the garage. He fl ipped the lights on. His
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bags had been dropped in the living room. Paddy had left a note
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saying his drums had been taken up to the barn.
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A shower fi rst. He stopped by the fridge and peeked. He
28S
grinned as he grabbed an ice- cold beer and cracked it open.
29N
There was milk and butter, yogurt, cheese. He knew there’d be
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fruit, something never in short supply around there. Bread sat
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on the counter. His mother, most likely.
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After a shower he changed and grabbed his bike. He could
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have walked. It would have taken him about fi fteen minutes,
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but he preferred to ride his ages- old Schwinn over instead.
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Ezra and his dad sat on the front porch drinking iced tea.
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“Thought I heard a car earlier.” His dad gave him a hug when
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he came up the front steps. Ezra followed.
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“Just got back. Took a shower, had a beer, looked at the mail,
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put the mail back in the pile and came over here. What’s up?”
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“Nothing much. Just talking about tomorrow. Just need to
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check the fruit. Looking pretty clean this year. Probably have
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another week or so before we need to harvest.”
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“I’ll be around to help.”
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His father nodded. That’s what you did when you lived on
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a family farm. He and his brothers would go away and do their
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thing, but when they were home, they helped. It was hard work,
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but it was honest work. It built character, and his father liked
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to say it kept them out of too much trouble.
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Ezra sat again, stretching his legs out. His big brother topped
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six and a half feet. Because he worked the way he did, he was
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solid muscle, a lot like their father. He’d let his mustache and beard 22
grow back, and when he was out on the back of a horse with a
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cowboy hat on, he looked like a cigarette ad from the 1970s.
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Right then though, he looked like a guy who’d most likely been
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up since fi ve.
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He wanted to talk with Ezra about Mary, but now wasn’t
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the time. He still needed to think on it himself.
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“I’m going in to check on Mom. I’ll be back.”
N29
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Lauren Dane
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“She’s in a good mood. The babies are here.”
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Vaughan had two kids that had resulted from a very short
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marriage three years ago. She’d crumpled under the weight of
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being married to a musician and had divorced him about two
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months after Kensey, their youngest, had been born.
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But to her credit, she’d agreed to settle in Gresham so they
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could share custody. She had a part- time job while she fi nished
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school. Vaughan paid her support and all her bills. Mostly out
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of guilt, but he had a lot to be guilty over. And he loved his kids 10
without a doubt.
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His support enabled her to be home with the girls and it kept
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her reasonable about how much time the girls spent with them.
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It didn’t erase the fact that he wasn’t there every day for his kids, 14
but he was trying.
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Damien grinned at the thought of the little dynamos. Vaughan
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wasn’t the only one who loved those kids. His nieces were awe-
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some little girls.
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Inside the house, the sound of giggles drew him toward the
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huge kitchen where his mother was standing at the island
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while the girls sat nearby coloring as their daddy looked on.
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“I thought I heard there was a monkey infestation. I see
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there is. I’d better run.”
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The girls saw him and jumped down, running to him.
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He scooped them both up into a hug, kissing their faces.
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They laughed and so did he.
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“When did you get back?” his mother asked once he put
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the girls down and they scampered back to their dad and their
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crayons.
29N
His mother had not been pleased when Vaughan and Kelly
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had decided to split, but it was clear she approved of how he’d
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handled the situation since. It wasn’t perfect. But the girls would 02