Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
The second we step foot into the soup kitchen, Lizzy motions with her head to where a man is hunched over, wolfing down food. His silver hair is matted and greasy, his coat ragged. Axel squeezes my hand before releasing it. “Could you give me a minute?”
“Sure.”
He goes over and sits down beside the man.
Lizzy comes over to greet me. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.” I motion at the table. “Need any help serving?”
“Nah, I think we’ve got it covered. We had a couple of extra people show up tonight.” She wipes her hands as a coy smile moves over her lips. “Looks like things are going well with you and Axel.”
A shaky laugh slips out. “Yeah, that seems to be the case.”
She arches an eyebrow. “Seems?”
Good grief, this is awkward. “It’s still early. We’ll see how it goes.”
“I know a good match when I see it. Y’all are in this for the long haul.”
Without warning, tears burn my eyes. I dab at the corners. “Sorry.” I gulp out a laugh. “I don’t know where that came from.”
Concern flicks over her pretty face. “Honey, you wanna talk about it?”
“Not really.”
She touches my arm. “I’m sure whatever it is will be fine.”
“I dunno about that.” My stomach knots. Not wanting to talk about myself anymore, I ask, “Who’s that man Axel’s talking to?”
She looks surprised. “Axel didn’t tell you?”
“No, he said there was too much to tell. That I’d just have to see it.”
“Ah, makes sense.”
“You could tell me.”
She glances at Axel. “I don’t want to overstep. It’s better to let him tell you.” She gives me a reassuring smile and pats my arm. “Keep your chin up. It’ll all work out.”
“Thanks.” Her intent is well-meaning, but her words ring hollow.
She trots back to the serving table.
Not sure what to do with myself, I pull out my phone to discover that I’ve missed a couple of calls from Mom.
She left me a voicemail about the benefit, wanting to know if I can help serve hot chocolate and popcorn at one of the stands.
A noose tightens around my neck. How am I going to navigate this situation to keep it from blowing up in my face?
A few minutes later, Axel waves me over and introduces me. “London, this is Dex.”
I paste on a polite smile. “Hello.”
The man nods, eyes not meeting mine. He’s raw-boned with salt and pepper whiskers and sunken eyes. His mottled cheeks and knuckles are chapped from the cold, his lips cracked and scabbed. He’s the kind of man I would be afraid to pass on a street when alone at night.
Several awkward beats pass.
Axel places a hand on Dex’s shoulder, regarding him with surprising tenderness. “This is my uncle and the best guitar player I’ve ever met.”
My eyes bug. “Your uncle?” Never would I have connected Axel with this broken-down man, staring ahead, expression vacant. What happened to bring the man to this state?
Axel nods in the affirmative and turns his attention back to Dex. “You should stay here tonight,” he urges in a low, soothing tone. “There’s a winter storm warning in effect. Lizzy has a nice, warm bed for you. You can take a shower. She has extra clothes.”
“I don’t wanna be a bother,” Dex croaks.
“No bother at all,” Axel counters. “It would ease my mind to know you’re safe and warm.”
Compassion simmers in my chest, and I get the sensation of seeing Axel clearly for the first time. He started this soup kitchen to help his uncle. All this time, I’ve been casting him as the villain when he’s a hero. I’m such an idiot!
Axel says a few more things to Dex, but the conversation is a monologue.
It’s hard to know if any of Axel’s words are getting through the haze that Dex seems to be under.
When Dex brings his hand up to wipe his runny nose, I notice a shake.
The man’s in rough shape. It’s heartbreaking to see someone reduced to this.
After a while, Lizzy comes over and takes control of the situation. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him,” she says to Axel as she helps Dex up and leads him away.
“Thanks.” Axel swallows like he’s trying to contain his emotion. Watching him gets me choked up.
I touch his arm. “Are you okay?”
He gives me a pained smile. “Yeah.” He glances toward the door that Lizzy led Dex out of. “I’m sure you have lots of questions.”
“You can tell me about it when we get in the car.”
“Sounds good.”
Outside, we’re met by a blast of frigid air that signals the approaching storm. I hug my arms and walk faster to get to the car. Even though it’s not a long drive from Axel’s house to my hotel, I probably shouldn’t stay at Axel’s house too late. In this type of weather, the roads get icy fast.
Axel blasts the heat when we get in the car.
Even though I’m itching to bombard him with questions, I refrain. I can sense that he needs time and space to work through this. Seeing his uncle took a toll on him. It had to be hard, witnessing Dex in such a ragged state.
Silence falls between us as Axel starts the engine and pulls out of the parking lot.
I bite my tongue, waiting.
Finally, he speaks. “Dex wasn’t always like that.” He keeps his eyes on the road, his voice subdued. “There was a time when he was … brilliant. It was Dex who helped me make my first connections here in Nashville.”
“What happened to him?”
He grunts. “Same old story. He got involved with drugs and alcohol. He suffered a few disappointments, as often happens in the business. He joined a tour as a roadie. He was married, but his wife left him. After that … well, he just couldn’t cope. He spiraled.”
“Wow. I’m so sorry.” I hesitate. “Is there anything you can do to help him? I mean—more than what you’re already doing?”
“I’ve tried. He’s been in and out of more rehab centers than I can count. The last time, he wouldn’t even stay twenty-four hours. He told me he was done… that I needed to leave him be.”
“I’m so sorry,” I repeat.
He falls silent again.
A few moments pass before he continues. “Dex is my dad’s older brother. I don’t think my dad ever forgave him for his addictions. For the life he lives. That’s actually the source of a lot of the problems between my dad and me.”
I crinkle my brows. “Really? How so?”
“In Dad’s mind, my choosing music instead of a ‘respectable career’ is the same thing as following Dex’s path. He’s afraid I’ll succumb to my demons too.”
I shake my head. “I mean, I can understand him being concerned, but that seems drastic. Not everyone ends up like Dex.”
“No, but in my dad’s mind, that’s where I’m headed.”
I didn’t know Randall Cox well, but I remember him being no-nonsense and stern.
I glance at Axel. The angular line of his jaw is silhouetted by the headlights from oncoming cars. “Thanks for telling me.”
He throws me a fleeting smile. “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”
“Of course, I’m glad you invited me.” A question slips out before I can stop it. “Does Zoe know about Dex?”
Long pause. “No.”
“Oh.” He trusted me enough to bring me here, but not Zoe. “So … what made you decide to bring me?” I ask quietly.
“Truthfully?”
I chuckle. “The truth is always nice.” I can’t believe I’m saying that—me, of all people.
“It’s just refreshing that I can be myself with you. Zoe’s consumed by her blog. And at the risk of my dirty laundry getting aired to the public, I thought it was better to keep Dex under wraps.”
Heat rushes through me, and then I go cold. He has no idea he’s talking to Jovie Chord. His biggest critic. His enemy.
“With you, it’s different. It’s nice knowing I can share things with you. Be myself in a way I never have with Zoe.”
Guilt pricks at my conscience. I’m such a terrible person.
I sit up straight. No one is ever going to know about Dex. That part of his life will never be public. “Thank you. For trusting me enough to share this.” I reach out and touch his arm. “I’m just so sorry. I can’t even begin to imagine the heartache this has caused your family.”
“Yeah,” he says glumly. “It’s been tough.”
“Do you think Dex will ever come around?” I don’t like thinking of anyone as a lost cause.
Axel shakes his head. “I don’t know. At this point, I’m just grateful he has a warm bed for the night.”
“Thanks to you.”
“It’s the least I can do for my mentor.”
We drift into silence until his voice lifts. “You still up for a movie?”
A smile curves my lips. “An Affair to Remember?”
“Not hardly,” he scoffs. “I’m not ready to turn in my man card just yet.”
“What?” A snigger slurps from my lips. “Your man card? What does that have to do with anything?”
“An Affair to Remember sounds like a chick flick.”
“Because it’s romantic?”
“Yeah.”
I cut my eyes at him. “If I watch It’s a Wonderful Life with you, then you have to watch An Affair to Remember with me.”
“Fine,” he sighs.
“Like I said earlier, I’ll even let you watch It’s a Wonderful Life first.”
He throws me a cheeky grin. “Well, aren’t you little Miss Christmas Kindness?”
“I think so.” We both laugh.
He turns on the radio, and we sing along to Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. A few minutes later, it starts to snow. Large, puffy flakes hit the windshield in succession like meteorites. I clasp my hands together, stomach tightening.
“Um, maybe we should take a raincheck on the movie. I should probably head home before the weather gets bad.” I hate driving in the snow.
“Or we could swing by your house right now. You could grab an overnight bag and stay in the guest room.”
“Nah,” I say easily. “I’ll just go back to your place and grab my car.”
“You don’t wanna stay over?” He sounds insulted.
I force a laugh. “Remember the part about us taking things slow? Especially until you settle things with Zoe.”
“What’s the harm of you sleeping in the guest room?”
“Let’s just keep it simple, okay?”
He lets out a breath. “Okay, but you should at least stay for the movie. If the roads get bad, I’ll drive you home.”
“Are you insinuating that you’re a better driver than me?” He probably is, but that’s beside the point. I can’t resist razzing him a little.
He chuckles. “Nah, just being a gentleman. So whaddaya say? You’ll stay for the movie?”
He’s not letting me off the hook. “Okay.”
He tosses me a triumphant grin. I can’t help but smile back. He’s so darn fun to be around. I’ll just have to drive slowly if the roads are icy. Thank goodness that the hotel is not far from his house. I don’t know what I’ll do if he insists on driving me home.
I’m getting in deeper and deeper with the lies. If I were a better person, I’d come clean right now.
But then this wonderful dream would be over.
And I’m not ready for that.
Not yet.