Strings Attached, page 14
“She’s a cuddle bug, so I’m sure she’ll let you. I can’t promise you’ll see Vinnie. He’s a bit skeptical around strangers. Andres over there doesn’t get excited about much. He’s almost fourteen, so he prefers to hang back and supervise.”
Nikki hauled Fret into her arms. “You’re a little charmer, you know that?” She scratched her cheeks and behind her ears. The purrs grew louder.
Drew folded her arms across her stomach in mock jealousy. “As usual, Fret gets all the attention.” She scrubbed Fret’s head but kept her gaze glued to Nikki. She lifted the cat’s chin and kissed her on the nose. “Don’t you, sweetie pie?”
Nikki’s heart was melting. She was in dangerous, uncharted waters that she wanted desperately to test. Waters she could drown in if she wasn’t careful. She could smell the clean scent of Drew’s coconut shampoo, and the overhead light brought out the gold in her hair. She desperately wanted to run her fingers through it. She swallowed hard and released Fret onto the floor. “Maybe I should get a cat. At least then I’d have someone to keep me company when I come home.”
Drew gave her a thoughtful look and then nodded as if she understood. “Living by yourself has its perks, but it can get lonely sometimes.”
Drew’s vulnerability touched on her own crumbling barriers, and all Nikki could manage was a nod and what she hoped was an understanding smile.
Drew opened the oven and pulled out a large baking dish. “Would you mind grabbing the salads out of the fridge?”
They filled their plates and—after Drew shooed Fret off one of the chairs—sat down at the small round table in the corner of the kitchen.
Nikki sank her teeth into another mouthwatering bite. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a home-cooked meal. This is fantastic.”
“Thank you. Don’t you cook for yourself?”
“Yeah, but nothing this elaborate. It seems silly to cook a big meal for only one person. So I make quick, easy meals or get takeout a lot.”
“I don’t eat this well when I work a night shift, but when I’m out at five, I cook big meals.” Drew suddenly became interested in tearing her slice of garlic bread into chunks. “It gives me leftovers to bring to work for lunches.”
“That’s a good idea. Saves money, too, I’m sure. Eating out can get expensive.”
Drew replied only with a nod.
Nikki had a feeling money was a sensitive subject for her. “You have a nice little place here. It’s very homey.”
“It’s small but affordable and enough room for just me.” She popped a piece of bread in her mouth and politely swallowed before continuing. “I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what you’re used to.”
She thought of her barren condo. She already felt more at home in the hour she’d been here. “No, it isn’t, but probably not in the way you think. I bought this huge, modern-style condo last year. I went a little over the top after the band started making decent money, and I’m starting to wish I’d put a little more thought into what I was spending it on.”
“Such as a sports car that you can’t drive in the winter?” Drew teased with a little quirk of her lip.
She pretended to be offended. “For your information, I had the Mustang before we made it big.”
“Oh, all right. I’ll let that one slide, then.”
“How generous of you.” She ate the last of her meal and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “That was delicious. Thank you very much.”
Drew sat back and rubbed her belly. “You’re welcome. That was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
They smiled at each other for a long minute.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help wondering how in the world such a beautiful, talented, intelligent woman who can cook this well is still single?”
Drew took her time considering her answer. Something Nikki was coming to expect. “This will sound totally clichéd, but since I finished college, I’ve been focused on my career. Romantic relationships haven’t been a priority.” She paused for a beat, as though she was going to say something else but stopped. “What’s your excuse?”
Nikki would’ve believed her answer had it not been for the slight defensive tone in her voice. The career part might’ve been accurate, but she knew there had to be more to the second reason. The familiar image of Jaymi and Shawn together invaded her thoughts again and tore at her heart. She couldn’t exactly tell her the biggest reason—that she’d wasted years falling for someone she couldn’t have. “Same as yours.”
Drew looked at her skeptically. “Uh-huh.”
“I had a girlfriend in high school. Then I dated a few girls in college, but nothing that stuck.” There. She’d come clean. A little, anyway. “Come on, you must’ve had a girlfriend at some point in your life.”
Drew looked down and pushed leftover sauce around her plate with her fork. “I dated a girl for a while at Berklee, but it only lasted a couple months. Not enough time to become anything serious. Her name was Kelly.”
“And?”
Drew shrugged. “And a lot of things. Do you really want to spend our evening listening to me drudge up a bunch of unhappy shit?”
Nikki leaned forward. “I want to get to know you. If that includes hearing about your unhappy shit, then so be it. Lord knows I have enough of my own. You can hear about it if you want. Then we’ll be even.”
Drew chuckled at that. “Okay, but let’s stick to the abridged versions for now. I’m having too much fun tonight to waste time on unhappy shit.”
Nikki grinned. “Okay, shoot. Give me the abridged version of the tale of Drew and Kelly.”
“Okay. She was an incredibly talented singer-songwriter. But we wanted different things. She wanted the big time and everything that goes along with it, including the wild lifestyle, something I had no interest in. She got in with a bad crowd. Next thing I knew, instead of saving her gig money to record a demo and go to LA, she was spending it on partying. Drinking. Drugs. She got high on anything and everything she got her hands on. I can’t tell you how many times I got a phone call in the middle of the night to go pick her up at a bar or friend’s house because she was too wasted to drive.”
“That explains why you asked me if my band uses drugs.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I can assure you we’ve always been clean and intend to keep it that way.” Nikki saw a grateful smile play on Drew’s lips. Should she tell her about her wilder days when she’d shown up at rehearsals toting a few beers and the fights it caused with Jaymi? Nah, maybe she’d tuck that away for now. “Did you know Passion Play went to LA for a few years?”
“No, I didn’t. Is that where you got your big break?”
“Weirdly, no. We came back when Jaymi’s mother got sick with cancer.” Nikki’s stomach wrenched at the memory and the agony Jaymi went through in the year that followed. Her girlfriend cheating on her. Her mother passing away. Jaymi’s depression and the way she beat herself up over writer’s block when the band finally regrouped and started gigging again. Of course, then Shawn came along and saved the day.
“That’s so sad.” Drew’s brow furrowed in sympathy. “Is that what that tribute song is all about? The one she and Shawn sang at the end of your show?”
Nikki nodded. “Yeah. Anyway, we were all glad to be home, and things took off here. None of us were that crazy about living out there, so it all worked out.”
Drew released a shy smile, as if that bit of information pleased her. “I’m glad you’re here.” She stood. “Let’s clean up, and we can move to the living room where it’s more comfortable.”
“Sounds good to me.” She breathed again, glad she didn’t have to bare her soul all at once.
They worked easily together, clearing the table and loading the dishwasher. Drew wiped off the counter and turned to face her. Her smile disappeared suddenly.
“Oh no.”
“What?” Nikki followed her line of sight downward. There was a quarter-sized blob of marinara sauce on her white dress shirt, just below her breasts. “Shit. That’s what I get for wearing white and eating Italian food.”
Drew grabbed a clean dishrag and ran it under the sink. “That’ll stain. We have to get some cold water on it.” She spun back around and took a step. A loud “merow” sounded at their feet, and Drew stumbled forward, landing in Nikki’s arms. Fret scampered into the living room.
“You were saying?” Nikki felt the cold damp cloth against her chest. It did nothing to quell the warmth spreading within her.
Drew took a small step back and frantically began wiping at the stain. Nikki held back a laugh when she saw Drew’s flushed cheeks.
Drew accidently brushed her breast. “Sorry.”
She covered Drew’s hands. “No worries.”
Drew stilled and looked up into her eyes.
She released Drew’s hands and reached for her top button. “This will be easier if I take this off, don’t you think?”
“Uh…”
“Don’t worry. I have a tank on underneath.” She popped another button. “Do you have something I can wear over it?”
“Oh. Yeah. Right.” Drew didn’t move.
“Drew?”
“Sorry. Is a sweatshirt okay?”
“I’m a bit taller than you, but whatever you have is fine.”
Drew nodded and left. Nikki resisted the urge to follow her into the bedroom and sat on the couch. She heard a drawer open and close, and Drew returned with a navy-blue crew sweatshirt. Nikki took off her vest, finished unbuttoning her shirt, and stood up.
“Oh no,” Drew said.
“What now?”
Drew poked her in the stomach. “It soaked through. Look.”
Nikki reflexively caressed her cheek, and Drew’s pupils grew dark.
Shit, I almost crossed the line already. She dropped her hands and took the sweatshirt from Drew. “Maybe we should have that gelato before I put this on. You know, in case I dribble again.”
Drew took a step back. “Yeah.” She sounded out of breath.
She wondered if Drew’s heart was beating as fiercely as hers was.
“But I don’t want you to get cold. It’s okay if you dribble. Go ahead and put on the sweatshirt. I’ll get dessert.” She hurried into the kitchen.
Nikki threw on the sweatshirt.
She was too keyed up to sit, so she wandered over to the oversized bookcase in the corner. The top shelf was full of books, all about music and art, from what she could see. The rest was a gold mine of LPs. She had almost every genre imaginable, but most were classical, early blues, and jazz, as well as some easy listening and big band. Many looked to be originals. Nikki was in heaven.
Drew placed two bowls on the coffee table. “Would you believe that’s not even close to what I wish I had?”
“This is incredible! I am so jealous. How long have you been collecting vinyl?”
“My whole life. Call me crazy, but it’s my obsession. I have CDs, too, but they just don’t—”
“Sound the same.”
They finished the comment in unison.
Nikki pulled out an Ella Fitzgerald record. “I know what you mean. There’s a warmth to the tone you can’t duplicate digitally. I love Ella.”
Drew’s eyes lit up. “You’re kidding? She’s my all-time favorite. I have an original copy of everything she ever recorded except for one album that I can’t find.”
She smiled and suddenly had the urge to go to the ends of the earth to find it for her. “Impressive. You have excellent taste. Can we listen to this now?”
“Sure.” Drew powered up an old stack stereo and put on the record. As soon as Ella’s smooth vibrato filled the air, Drew closed her eyes and smiled. She seemed to relax into a hypnotic state for a moment. Her eyes flew open. “The gelato! It must be melting.”
They laughed and sat on the couch to have dessert. They ate without conversation, as if neither wanted to miss a note.
She gestured for Drew’s empty bowl. “Let me clean up. You turn the record over. I want to hear the other side.” When she returned from the kitchen, she impulsively reached for Drew’s hand. “Dance with me.” She backpedaled when Drew seemed hesitant. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to. You can say no this time without any backlash from hecklers.”
Drew gave her a shy smile and took her hand. “We’ll have to be careful so we don’t make the record skip.”
“I’ll take it easy with you. No dips or spins.” She wrapped her arms around Drew’s waist. How the hell am I going to resist kissing her now?
“Okay.” Drew hooked her hands behind Nikki’s neck and stepped closer.
Oh shit. She closed her eyes, and their cheeks came gently together. Drew’s warm breath sprang goose bumps on her neck. Does it count if Drew kisses me first? They continued to move to the music.
“Nikki?”
“Hmm?”
“We have an audience,” she whispered.
“We do?”
Drew gestured to the recliner. Fret was watching them. Andres had awoken from his nap and stared at them from his bed on the floor.
Nikki pulled their bodies together. “I can’t blame them. I can’t take my eyes off you either.”
Nikki’s cell phone rang. Her coat pocket muffled the sound, but she knew who it was by the ringtone.
Drew leaned away. “Do you need to get that?”
Three more rings and it would go to voice mail. Her instincts were screaming to answer it. She pried herself from Drew’s embrace. “Yeah. I think I do.”
She answered just in time. “Jaymz, you okay?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
She wasn’t okay. She was speaking through tears. Nikki was all too familiar with the sound. “What’s wrong?”
“We had a fight. Shawn stormed out and took off in her car. I’m worried sick about her. I don’t—”
“I’m on my way over.” She disconnected and shrugged into her jacket.
Drew stood in the doorway, her brows drawn together with concern. “Everything okay?”
“I gotta go. I’m sorry. Jaymi’s…something’s wrong. Can I call you tomorrow?”
Drew nodded slightly. “Yeah, sure.”
The record ended, and the silence it left chilled Nikki to the bone She’s hurt. Quick, do something. “I’m so sorry. I promise something special to make up for this, okay?”
She drew back her shoulders and pressed her lips into a straight line. “You don’t have to.” She sounded defeated.
You’re killing me here, Drew. “I really am sorry, but I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“She’s your friend. It’s all right.”
“Thanks for understanding, and for an amazing evening.” She resisted the temptation to give her a quick peck on the lips and left.
Had that call come a minute later, she would have kissed her. She was almost sure of it. Saved by the bell. But I’m gonna kick Shawn’s ass if she hurt Jaymi again.
She maneuvered the Jeep carefully down the winding road to Jaymi’s place. Did she do the right thing by leaving? Maybe, maybe not. At the very least, it would keep her hormones in check for now. Or would it? The good thing was that she couldn’t wait to get back to Drew. If, that is, she hadn’t fucked it up by running to Jaymi’s rescue.
***
Drew closed the door behind Nikki and fell with her back against it. What just happened? One minute they were sharing a love for Ella, dancing close, on the cusp of their first kiss, and then Jaymi called, and Nikki took off faster than a horse in the Kentucky Derby.
She went to the turntable to put away the album. Their night had gone much smoother than she’d thought it would up to that point. After her initial butterflies, she’d been relieved to find that Nikki was actually easy to talk to. In the privacy of her apartment, without the threat of fan interruptions, without the potential opportunity for her celebrity persona to surface, without the salesperson-customer relationship in the way, Nikki had let her guard down. She was nothing like she’d expected. That scared her a little. She’d expected Nikki to act suave and forward. She’d been just the opposite. If anything, she seemed reluctant to make a move. When Nikki had suggested taking off her shirt to treat the stain, she thought for sure Nikki was going to try something.
It had taken a great deal of willpower not to make her own move at that moment. They’d agreed to get together as friends, but she had to admit she’d started craving more. Nikki’s beauty and soft curves were hard to resist. She’d been working up the courage to kiss her when the damn phone rang. What sucky timing.
Or maybe it was perfect timing. If Jaymi hadn’t called, who knew what might have happened.
As she brushed her teeth, she saw Nikki’s shirt hanging on the garment hook on the door. She’d left in such a hurry, she’d forgotten it. She didn’t know what Jaymi’s crisis was, but Nikki didn’t hesitate to go to her, no questions asked. Would I have done the same thing for a friend in need? Yes, she would. If she had friends, that is. She respected Nikki’s loyalty.
Or was it something more than loyalty? She slipped on her pajamas and shook her head. She was probably overthinking things again. She’d seen the bond Nikki had with Jaymi and her other bandmates firsthand. They were closer than family.
She gathered her kitties and crawled into bed. She’d let it go for tonight. Maybe Nikki will confide in me when she calls tomorrow. If she didn’t, then it would only prove that she was protective of Jaymi’s privacy. That wasn’t a bad thing, either. It was admirable.
As if she needed another reason to like her more.
How many women had she dated who were fans of Ella Fitzgerald? Who had the same appreciation for music on vinyl? How many famous people had she met who’d sworn off drugs? Or who cared more about being there for a friend than the possibility of having sex? None. That was how many. Her disappointment dissipated as she drifted off to sleep.
Until she recalled the love song that was Jaymi’s ringtone on Nikki’s phone.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nikki bolted up the long outdoor stairway along the side of the barn to Jaymi’s apartment. She knocked but didn’t wait for an answer and let herself in.
