Chapter Fourteen
Fourteen
‘Thank you all so much,’ Luke said, raising his right arm up in the air, as if he’d just finished playing Madison Square Garden… and from the crowd’s almost hysterical reaction, one would be forgiven for thinking that he had.
His set was fantastic. Mary couldn’t argue with that.
Not only did Luke’s voice sounded perfect, but he was also a very accomplished guitar player.
The icing on the cake had been his charisma.
He hadn’t lied when he’d told Mary that he knew how to get a crowd going.
Despite being a small stage, Luke had owned it as if he’d been born on one, a total natural.
The cherry on top of the icing had been his original songs.
They were definitely catchy with ‘hit’ written all over most of them.
‘If anyone is interested,’ he continued, ‘I have a few CDs that you can take home today. I’ve recorded fourteen original songs, including all the ones I’ve played in tonight’s gig. They’re only ten bucks a piece and your support will be very much appreciated.’
More applause and woo-hoos.
‘Thank you all so much again and…’ He gave the crowd one of his sexy winks. ‘I’ll see you at the bar. Please come say “howdy”.’
As Luke disappeared backstage, Mary had another sip of her beer, trying to decide if she should wait for him, or simply make her way home.
From all the women on the front row, she had already identified at least three who truly seemed to snap like gators and bite like rattlesnakes – and they were already heading towards the bar.
‘G.R.I.T.S,’ Mary whispered to herself, while shaking her head.
‘You learn something new every day, I guess.’ She finished her second beer of the evening and right then, decided that her best move was to go home.
Luke had more than enough company for tonight.
She just needed to visit the ladies’ room first.
What an unexpected evening, she thought, as she slipped into one of the five cubicles in the ‘Cowgirl’s’ bathroom.
But despite unexpected, Mary had to admit that she had thoroughly enjoyed her night out.
Since she’d moved to Nashville, she hadn’t really talked to many people.
That was the idea, anyway – keep herself to herself, spend six months to a year living in Tennessee, and then relocate somewhere else – but Mary did miss socializing…
she missed having friends with whom she could go out for a meal…
share a beer or a bottle of wine… watch a gig…
all the common things that friends did together.
As she left her apartment earlier that evening, thinking that she would just spend some time walking by the Cumberland River on another mundane Monday night, Mary never expected the evening to be the best she’d had in quite a while.
Frankly, she couldn’t even remember the last time that she’d had that much fun.
She’d even flirted with someone, and that hadn’t happened in years.
Luke was definitely cute, sexy and very talented – too bad that she couldn’t really let her guard down… or could she? For one night only?
Right then, Mary heard the bathroom door being pushed open, followed by a high-pitched and overexcited voice. ‘So, is he hot, or is he lava?’
‘Damn! I wasn’t expecting that,’ a second woman replied. ‘That boy is about ninety in the shade… and then some… and I’m not even talking about how good he was on stage. Seriously, I’d ride him like a bronco.’
‘Well, get in line, Pam,’ the first woman said back.
‘And it will soon be a very long line,’ Mary heard Pam reply. ‘Cause he’s not just hot, he’s also fucking good. With that voice? He’s gonna make it big. It’s just a matter of time.’
‘Well, if I have my way tonight, that boy is waking up in my bed tomorrow morning.’
Definitely time to go home, Mary thought, as she stood up and flushed the toilet. Before I’m forced to witness one of the G.R.I.T.S dry-humping Luke’s leg at the bar.
She stepped out of the cubicle and approached the sinks.
The two women were retouching their makeup in the mirror.
Mary made light eye contact through her reflection and gave them both a very polite and cordial smile.
‘That’s a very nice shade of red,’ she said, nodding at the lipstick that one of them was applying.
‘Right?’ the woman said back, her high-pitched voice seeming to find a new octave.
She looked to be around twenty-five years old, with wavy blonde hair that just touched her shoulders. She was definitely attractive, in a ‘girl-next-door’ way. Mary had noticed her earlier, in the front row, by the stage. She was one of the three women that Mary had imagined would snap and bite.
‘It’s called Showstopper,’ she told Mary. ‘It’s from Bobbi Brown.’
Mary smiled again. ‘It really suits you.’
‘Oh, thanks, hun.’ The blonde woman stretched out her arm. ‘I’m Vicky.’
‘Mary, nice to meet you.’ Mary dried her hands before shaking Vicky’s.
‘I’m Pam,’ the other woman said, also offering her hand.
She was at least a couple of inches taller than Vicky, with long black hair, twisted sideways and thrown over her left shoulder – mermaid style.
She too was very attractive, but in a more conventional way – high cheekbones, full lips, light-brown eyes, incredible skin, and a killer smile.
‘It’s nice to meet you both,’ Mary said.
‘I can tell from your accent that you’re not from round here,’ Pam said.
‘New York, actually.’
‘Oh,’ Vicky sounded genuinely surprised. ‘So, what brings you to Nashville?’ She immediately paused and raised a hand at Mary. ‘Scrap that question. The answer is always the same – music, right? Music is what brings everyone to Nashville.’
Mary found it easier to simply agree. ‘What else?’ She smiled again, this time, shyly. ‘Anyway… enjoy the rest of your evening.’
‘You’re not staying?’ Vicky asked, as she pressed her lips together before blowing out the letter ‘P’ a couple of times at the mirror. ‘Come hang out with us. Now the dancing starts. This is when it gets real good.’
‘Tempting,’ Mary replied, doing her best to keep the sarcasm off her tone. ‘But I’ve really got to get going. It’s only Monday and I’ve got quite a few things to do tomorrow morning,’ she lied.
‘Aww, pity,’ Pam commented. ‘But in that case, you’ve gotta come back here either Friday or Saturday. That’s when The Whiskey goes ballistic.’
‘Yes, I’ve heard,’ Mary lied again. ‘I’ll try to make it this weekend.’
‘We’ll be here,’ Vicky said in reply. ‘We can hang out and I’ll introduce you around. Seriously, you won’t regret it.’
That was the second time that Mary had heard that phrase tonight.
She nodded goodbye at the girls and stepped out of the bathroom.
‘Mary,’ Luke called from the bar, waving at her. He was already surrounded by G.R.I.T.S.
Mary waved back and gestured towards the front door. ‘I’ve got to go,’ she mouthed the words, while zigzagging through the crowd.
Luke’s disappointment was clearly visible in his frown.
‘What?’ he mouthed back, before excusing himself from the group of drooling women that surrounded him and quickly making his way towards Mary.
‘What do you mean you’ve gotta go?’ he asked, as he intercepted her halfway between the bar and the door.
‘I’ve got things I’ve got to do tomorrow morning,’ Mary lied again.
‘But we didn’t even have our shot together,’ Luke tried.
Mary’s gaze skipped to the bar. The G.R.I.T.S were all looking back at her with fire in their eyes. Vicky and Pam had just joined the group.
‘I think that if I do have that shot with you tonight,’ Mary replied, ‘I might be eaten alive by your fan club.’
‘Fan club?’ Luke’s eyes widened at her. ‘I don’t have a fan club.’
‘Evidence to the contrary,’ Mary said, nodding in the direction of the bar.
Luke turned to follow Mary’s gaze. At the bar, the G.R.I.T.S looked like a firing squad and Mary was clearly the one at the end of their scopes.
‘They certainly look like they’ll have more than a shot with you tonight.’ Mary smiled before giving Luke a kiss on the cheek. ‘It was a pleasure meeting you, Luke. Have fun.’ She swerved past him.
‘Mary,’ Luke called again.
She turned to look back at him.
‘Did you at least enjoy the gig? What did you think?’
Mary nodded. ‘I did, very much so. You were great on stage, Luke. You’re going to be a star. Just keep on doing what you’re doing. It’s just a matter of time.’ It was Mary’s turn to send a disarming wink Luke’s way.
‘Hold on,’ he paused her again, before she had a chance to walk away.
‘Umm…’ Luke scratched his forehead. He seemed like he was having a hard time finding the right words.
‘Would you… like to meet up again sometime? Maybe for a coffee, or… a walk in the afternoon? I know some pretty amazing places around town.’
Mary held Luke’s stare for a couple of moments longer than she would’ve normally, just enough time for butterflies to start gathering momentum inside her stomach, but her resolve was unflinching, and she was able to curb them way before they started flying.
Sure, Luke Jenkins was a hell of an attractive guy, talented too, but despite missing the pleasures of having sex, Mary wasn’t really looking for a quick hook-up, and she sure as hell wasn’t looking to get into a relationship with anyone that early in her new life.
Her reply to Luke’s question was a meager slight tilting of the head, accompanied by a feeble smile that clearly said – ‘I’m sorry. ’
Without saying another word, Mary turned, cleared the crowd, and walked out of The Whiskey Bent Saloon.
Outside, she paused and took in a deep breath. It was a warm evening, but the breeze blowing in from the Cumberland River felt cool and refreshing against her skin.
As she started walking in the direction of the bus stop, she paused for a second, reflecting on how silly she felt right then.
She should’ve been a bit nicer. She should’ve given Luke a verbal response, some sort of decent excuse, instead of simply walking away in silence like a diva.
She was just beginning to ponder the thought of going back inside when she saw him for the first time – directly across the road from where she was standing – leaning back against the wall by the door to the Broadway Brewhouse.
And the sight of him made Mary’s core rattle for the second time that evening – only this time it wasn’t out of excitement, it was out of pure fear.