Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Sunday was moving slowly, Jax thought. It was only eleven o'clock, and he'd already done a six-mile run, made breakfast, and put his laundry away.
For the past two months, he'd been doing a lot of sleeping, reading, and movie binging, with the occasional guitar restoration, but he didn't have a guitar to work on today, and none of those activities seemed appealing.
It was still hot, but not as warm as yesterday.
There were people at the pool, but not Kaia, who he couldn't seem to get out of his head.
He'd managed to avoid her for months, but now he'd had three conversations with her in the last two days, and that was three too many, because she was an unsettling person.
Or maybe it was that he felt unsettled when he was around her.
She had an energy, a determination, a fire that couldn't be quenched, and she was also very pretty, a dangerous combination.
Feeling restless, he wandered around his apartment for another few minutes. He needed to stop thinking about Kaia, to focus on someone else, but not a woman, or, at least, not a woman from his life. Maybe one from Walter's past. That seemed intriguing and also safe.
He sat down and pulled out a notepad. He jotted down what Walter had told him about Reina Chapman, which wasn't much, and then he pulled out his computer.
While there was a lot of information about Reina's more famous sister, Anita, there was little info on Reina. That wasn't surprising. Anita had loved the spotlight, and the spotlight had loved her. There probably hadn't been room for Reina, even if she'd wanted to share in that light.
A knock came at his door, and he jumped.
It was rare for anyone to stop by. Getting up, he peered through the peephole, his tingling sense of anticipation immediately fading when he saw it was Josie and not Kaia.
He opened the door for his landlord. Josie was in her early seventies and wore a colorful dress with a bright yellow sunflower print.
Her dark-red hair was pulled back in a loose bun.
Her brown eyes sparkled with warmth and unconditional acceptance, as they always did.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Jax, but the tenant above you has a leak in their bath, and the water might come down the wall into your bathroom."
"I haven't noticed anything."
"Do you mind if I let Javier in to take a look? He's upstairs now, but he wanted to check down here next."
"Sure, that's fine."
Relief ran through her gaze. "Oh, good. I want to catch any minor problems before they get too big. Javier might have to open up the wall, but he can get it fixed back up really quickly. Are you going to be home today? It might get noisy."
"I can find something to do." With construction about to happen, getting out of the apartment might be a good idea.
As they awkwardly faced each other while waiting for Javier, he said, "You've lived in Oceanside a long time, right?"
"About forty years, why?"
"Do you remember a nightclub with a red door?"
"That sounds like the Starlight Lounge. But it's not around anymore. Went out of business probably twenty years ago."
"Do you know where it was, if there is another business in the same building?"
"I'm not positive, but I think it's where the bookstore is now. Why are you asking?"
"I met this old guy who's looking for a nightclub that has a red door. Seems to tie into his personal history."
"In what way?"
"I think it has something to do with a woman."
"That sounds about right," she said with a laugh. "Maybe the one who got away."
"The woman was a singer. Her name was Reina Chapman."
"That name doesn't mean anything to me, but I don't follow music much. No offense," she added hastily.
"None taken."
"Are you happy living here, Jax? Is it what you hoped for?"
"The place is a lot friendlier than I was expecting," he conceded.
"But everyone has left you alone, right?"
"Yes."
"Good," she said with approval. "Everything in its own time. That's what I always say."
He gave her a warning look. "If you're thinking I'm going to become a part of the pool crowd, I wouldn't hold your breath."
"Do you know why I agreed to let you live here under a different name?"
"The high rent I'm paying?" he asked dryly.
"If you think I'm about money, you haven't been paying attention," she said, annoyance sharpening her words. "It's because I've been where you are now."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you know I won an Oscar?"
"I had no idea," he said in surprise, although Josie did have a theatrical flair.
"I was in my twenties. I thought I had the world at my feet, but many things went wrong. I got hurt in more ways than I could count. People I trusted betrayed me. I had to start over."
"I know that feeling."
"One of the people who helped me start over was a Hollywood agent named Peter Henning."
"Clay's father," he said. "That's how Clay found you, found this place." He'd been too caught up in his problems to question why Clay had chosen this place, but now it made sense.
"It's where I started my life over, away from prying eyes and endless questions."
"It's a big leap from award-winning actress to apartment manager."
"I like to think of myself as more of a community leader. I needed a new home, a new family. I found that here. And I have had the happiest life ever since I moved in."
"That's difficult to believe considering the kind of life you were living before."
"Money, luxury, fame…they never brought me the joy I thought they would. I found that here."
"Well, I'm not looking for home or family. Those aren't words that mean anything to me."
"Maybe you don't know what you're missing because those words don't mean much to you. But that might change."
He felt the need to squash that optimism. "I don't think so. I appreciate your cooperation, and this is a nice building. It's great to be by the beach. But I'm not looking for more than a roof over my head."
"The ocean is always healing. Anyway, everything in its own time."
He frowned, not appreciating the repeated sentiment. It felt like Josie saw something in his future that he didn't see and didn't want to see. "I don't know where my life is going to go, but at some point, it will lead away from here," he said firmly.
"If it does, it does. That just means your next chapter, whatever that might be, happens somewhere else." She paused as a knock came at the door. "That's Javier."
He was more than a little relieved to let Javier in. He didn't want to hear more about how everything happens in its own time. He didn't know where he was going, but he didn't think this place, with its faulty air conditioning and nosy neighbors, was his final destination.
As Josie and Javier went into the bathroom, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
He was in such a hurry to get away from Josie and her unsettling predictions about his life that he ran right into a woman coming down the hall. Of course, it was Kaia.
"Sorry," he said, catching her arm to steady her. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Always in a hurry to get away," she muttered as she pulled away from him. "Where are you off to?"
"I thought you were respecting my privacy."
"Is it a secret mission? Are you a spy?" she asked with a sparkle in her eyes. "That would explain a lot."
"I'm not a spy."
"But you are on a mission…"
"To get out of my apartment, yes. Josie has the handyman working on a leak coming from upstairs."
"That makes sense. I'm glad we ran into each other. I've been curious about what else Walter said to you yesterday."
Speculation ran through his gaze. "Why do you care what he said?"
"I'm concerned. He spends a lot of time alone. He seems confused and also determined to find something that might not exist anymore. I'm worried he'll keep looking for that red door, and the next car he walks in front of won't stop as fast as you did."
"All he said was that the door led to a nightclub where one of his favorite singers used to perform. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton at the time, and I got the feeling there was some sort of love affair that happened between them."
"Really? You didn't mention that before."
He shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. But I did just ask Josie about a nightclub with a red door, and she said she thought it led to a club called the Starlight Lounge, which tracks with what Walter told me. She said it closed years ago, and it might be a bookstore now."
A light jumped in her eyes. "I know the bookstore. It doesn't have a red door, at least not the front door." She paused. "Maybe there's a side door or a back door. We should check it out."
"Uh, I don't think so," he said, thrown by her impulsive suggestion.
"Why not?" Kaia challenged. "You just said you had to get out of the apartment. I got too much sun yesterday to lie by the pool today, so I was going to go into town and look for a wedding present for Emmalyn. It would be easy enough to swing by the bookstore."
"You should do that, and I'll do something else."
"Oh, come on. You're interested in this story, too. We're both going to end up there. Why don't we just go together?"
She had a point. He was more interested than he should be. "Maybe I'm curious because I'm bored," he admitted.
"I'm a little bored, too. My friends are all in love, and I have to hear about it all the time."
He couldn't prevent a smile from spreading across his lips. "That does sound torturous."
"All the hearts and flowers are getting to be too much for me.
Not that I don't want to support my girls.
I love Em and Lexie. They're like my sisters.
And they have great guys in their lives.
Once Em ties the knot, Lexie won't be far behind her.
It's going to be romance land for a while.
So, I want to focus on something else. Let's go to the bookstore. Let's try to find the red door."
"I'm sure it's not there anymore."
"If it's not, we can tell Walter that the lounge isn't there anymore, and maybe he'll stop wandering out of his apartment alone looking for it."
Seeing the determination in her eyes, he said, "You're a very stubborn person, aren't you?"
"Yes. And you seem like one, too."
"Fine, let's go to the bookstore. But personal topics are off-limits."
"Great. I can drive."
"I'd prefer to take my car."
"You'd prefer to be in control," she said knowingly. "Whatever. I don't care. I drive all the time on my job, so I'm happy to be a passenger." She stopped abruptly. "Whoops. That was too much personal information, wasn't it? Now, you know I drive a lot."
"I think you're making fun of our ground rules," he said lightly, having a hard time disliking the sexy smile she threw his way. He had a feeling this trip was going to be a huge mistake.
Kaia couldn't believe she was sitting next to Jax Ridley in an older SUV that had seen better days.
But it was clean, and there wasn't one clue to Jax's life anywhere in the vehicle, which was probably why he'd let her get inside.
Since they'd agreed not to get personal, the silence between them lengthened until it felt awkward.
"What do you think of this hot weather we're having?" she asked.
"It's definitely hot."
Well, that question had led nowhere. As they stopped at a light near Maverick's Bar and Grill, she said, "Have you been to Maverick's?"
"Yeah, I've had a beer and a burger there a couple of times. Good food. Good drinks."
"The owner lives at Ocean Shores, at least temporarily. Brad and Serena just had a baby, so they're getting ready to move into a bigger place."
"Makes sense. I've heard a baby crying a few times late at night."
"Me, too. But it doesn't bother me."
"Probably because you don't have to deal with the crying."
"That’s true. I love babies, but they're a lot of work.
" She really wanted to ask him something more personal.
Was he a night owl? Was that why he was up late at night?
Had he grown up in a big family? Did he have siblings?
Had he ever had a baby of his own? Was he married?
God! She really hoped he wasn't married.
Not that his relationship status mattered.
This wasn't a date. She needed to refocus on Walter.
"What did Walter tell you about his relationship with this woman? "
"He said she sang like an angel, and he was mesmerized. When he was leaving, he also muttered something about her leaving a message for him at the club."
"That's why he wants to find the door. The plot thickens."
He laughed. "You think a personal note is still sitting somewhere after forty years?"
"No. But, apparently, Walter does." She paused. "And this whole conversation was in the music store? What was he doing in there?"
"He was looking through the records, mostly jazz and soul… That's what got him talking about Reina Chapman."
"And you looked her up?"
"Yes, but as I told you, there wasn't much about her. She was mentioned briefly in relation to her more famous sister, Anita. That was it."
She thought about that. "Is Anita still alive? Does she live around here?"
"Anita died a while ago. I didn't find anything else on Reina, not that I looked that hard," he added. "I was somewhat curious about her, but I didn't dig deep into anything. It's not our business."
"You're right, but I feel like Walter's ramblings and forgetfulness are partly because of this search that's driving him out of his apartment at night. Maybe if we could help him with that, then other things would fall in place."
"Maybe."
As silence fell between them again, she said, "Do you mind if I turn on some music?" She didn't wait for his reply, already flipping on the radio, but only a few notes filled the car before Jax abruptly turned it off.
"I'd rather not have music on," he said shortly.
She looked at him in surprise, his profile turning hard. "Okay. Why not? You don't like music? But you were in a music store yesterday."
"No personal questions, remember?"
"That's not a personal question," she countered, but he remained silent, unwilling to elaborate.
His behavior was odd; there was no doubt about that, and she wondered about the wisdom she'd shown in getting into his car, knowing so little about him. But she reminded herself that Josie had vetted him, so there was that. She might not trust him, but she did trust Josie.
As she sat back in her seat and stared out the window, she didn't think anything about Jax added up. She told herself this trip wasn't about solving his mystery, but maybe she could do both.