Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Taz
Mav invited me over to his place the following day. He said he’d grill, so we could have a little privacy.
His wife, Codie, met me at the door. She was hot as hell, and looked vaguely familiar. Maybe I’d seen her pictured somewhere with her famous husband.
“Come on in,” Codie said, offering her hand.
I was glad she wasn’t a hugger. I wasn’t big on hugging strange women. Or anyone, for that matter. “Nice to meet you,” I said, forcing myself to look her in the eye.
Her smile seemed genuine, as she closed the door behind me and led me into a large open-concept living, kitchen, dining area.
“Can I get you something to drink?” She raised a hand before I could respond, and added, “But I should warn you, Mav and I are both recovering alcoholics, so there’s no alcohol to be had around here. Sorry.”
Ugh. How the hell was I supposed to get through this meeting without a little liquid courage? “That’s okay, whatever you have is fine, thanks.”
She pointed to a live edge wood stool at the massive kitchen island. “Take a load off, Taz. My husband is just getting out of the shower. He’ll be down in a few.”
Her long black hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she was wearing cut off jean shorts, a cropped white tank top and flip flops. No makeup. A woman who could look so hot with zero effort must be a knockout when she was really trying.
“Nice ink,” I said, pointing to a colorful Phoenix tattoo on her abdomen.
She smiled. “Thanks. I’m a tattoo artist, so this is kind of like my business card. I didn’t do the work, obviously, but the design is mine.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise when I asked, “You’re a tattoo artist?”
She laughed as she handed me a glass. A soft drink on ice. “Yeah, I’ve got a shop downtown.”
I snapped my fingers, pointing at her. “That’s why you looked so familiar. There’s a painting of you on the building, isn’t there?”
She palmed her forehead. “Uh, yeah. My hubby thought that would be a cool birthday present for me last year. The artist was crazy-talented, obviously. But I cringe every time I walk in and see myself plastered on the side of my building.”
I chuckled as I watched her pour a drink for herself. “Can’t really blame the guy, Codie. If I had a girl who looked like you, I’d probably do the same thing.”
She smiled as she tapped her glass against mine. “You have no filter. I love that. You, me, and Mav, we’re gonna get along just fine.”
I was used to working around burly, beer-chugging, tradesmen and construction workers all day. Before that, prison inmates. I didn’t date, just indulged in one-nighters from time-to-time, so filtering myself wasn’t really an issue.
“Sorry, if I—”
“Hey, no apologies necessary.” She winked. “I like that you’re a straight-shooter. I am too.”
“You know my story?” I asked, wondering how many people Luc had already told about my past.
She shrugged. “Some, but this is a judgement free zone. We’ve all made mistakes around here, paid our dues. You’re no different.”
I appreciated her willingness to give me a pass, but didn’t feel I deserved one. If my own daughter didn’t want to know me, why would this woman?
“I doubt you’ve committed crimes, hung with gangbangers, bailed on your kid, stole from your folks—”
“Wow, you’re really going in for the hard sell, aren’t you?” She grinned when I smirked. “Trying to convince me what a great guy you are. Why don’t you let me decide that for myself?”
We shared a look that told me this girl had been through it, and she got me. “I just think it’s better if I tell people up front, who and what I am, that way they can bail before—”
“Before they get to know you?” She leaned over the counter. “Yeah, I know all about defense mechanisms, Taz. Trying to push people away before they get too close. Can’t get hurt that way, hmm?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. I know your type. Hell, I was your type.”
“Oh yeah?” I hadn’t met too many women like me, but Codie gave off a vibe that made me feel like we could be dark kindred spirits. “What happened?”
“Life happened.” She sighed. “My daddy bailed on us. I got my heart broken. Became a drunk. Met a man who tried to use me as his personal punching bag. Shall I go on?”
“No, I get it.” I took a sip of my drink, wishing for something stronger. I tried not to use alcohol as a crutch, but some days I still needed a little help just to keep going. “We all have our stories. That’s your point, right?”
“My point,” she said, sizing me up slowly. “Is that you wouldn’t even be here unless Luc Spencer saw something in you. So, why can’t you believe in yourself? Are you still punishing yourself for all the mistakes you made?” She raised her hands. “Hey, no judgement if you are. I get it.”
“I guess I’m still working through shit.”
“Are you seeing anyone, a therapist?”
I scowled. “Hell, no. I don’t need a shrink. Not that I could afford one. I’m trying to fix my house up, pay off my truck, and catch up on child support.”
She nodded. “That’s commendable. But if you sign with Luc, you wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore. So, why the hesitancy? Are you afraid your past will come back to bite you? Or just that you don’t deserve the break, because you’ve hurt so many people?”
Damn. This girl had my number. “I, uh—”
The doorbell rang. “Oh, that’s my sister. We’re going for a burger and a movie, so you and Mav can have a chance to talk.”
I was kind of hoping she’d stay. I liked her, and I wouldn’t mind a buffer if her famous husband wasn’t as cool as she was.
I heard female giggling from the foyer, but didn’t want to turn around. For all I knew they could be laughing at me.
“Taz,” Codie said, walking back into the room. “This is my sister, Grace. She’s a therapist, but don’t hold that against her.”
Holy shit. There was some seriously good genes in this family.
Grace, like her sister, was petite with long black hair, olive skin, and blue eyes.
But when she flashed a bright smile, the similarities ended.
Codie was sexy with rough edges, but her sister was all sweet innocence.
The kind of girl I wouldn’t be allowed to touch with a ten-foot pole.
“Hi,” she said, offering her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Taz.”
Her hand was small and soft, in mine, and I had a crazy flash of that hand getting me off. What the hell was wrong with me?
I cleared my throat, releasing her, as I took a step back before glancing at Codie. Thankfully she wasn’t giving me a filthy look, so she couldn’t be a mind reader.
“I’m just going to run upstairs and get changed,” Codie said to her sister. “And give my husband a kick in the ass. I swear he takes longer than I do in that bathroom.”
Grace laughed as she made her way to the fridge while I tried not to stare at her ass.
Damn. She was wearing short white shorts, a pink V-neck fitted t-shirt, and white flip-flops, and it reminded me of the double scoops of ice cream I’d loved as a kid. Strawberry and vanilla. On a sugar cone. Sweet. Sticky. Drip. Lick. I wasn’t thinking about ice cream anymore.
“You look like you could use a beer.” She grinned as she wrapped her lips around a pop bottle, while her aqua eyes sparkled with amusement. She knew exactly what she was doing to me, and she clearly liked it.
“I could.”
She winked. “I’m sure my sister has already told you this is a booze-free zone, but Jimmy’s isn’t. You know it?”
“Uh, yeah. Why?”
She licked her glossy lips and pressed the bottle against her open neckline, drawing my attention to the lacy outline of her white bra through the thin fabric.
“You could meet me there for a beer later. After you finish up with Mav.” She didn’t wait for me to respond, before she said, “Hand me your phone. Let me give you my number.”
Was she for real? Girls that looked like her didn’t come on to guys like me unless they had a death wish. I’d die before I’d hurt a woman, but I had dangerous written all over me.
“What? You’re not interested?”
I slid my phone across the stone countertop. “No password. Gimme your number.”
She smiled as she typed her info. into my contacts. “I could probably meet you there by ten. If that works for you?”
“Yeah, that works.” I should probably tell her I didn’t date, but I’d be down for a one-nighter if that was her thing. Before I had the chance, Mav returned with his wife, and Codie made the introductions before she dragged her sister out the door.
I didn’t know what the hell just happened, but when she left, I couldn’t think straight.
Mav laughed. “The Harlow women have that effect on men, Taz. Trust me.”
I chuckled before scrubbing my hands over my face. “Sorry, didn’t mean to stand here like an asshole ogling your sister-in-law.”
“No worries.” He took a couple of steaks out of the fridge. “Let’s take these outside and heat up the grill.”
“What’s her deal anyway?” I knew I was an idiot for talking to Mav about his sister-in-law when I’d been invited to discuss music, but I couldn’t go into a hook-up blind.
Mav led the way through double doors off the kitchen to a tiered patio overlooking a kidney-shaped pool, with an outdoor kitchen.
“Uh, she’s single,” Mav said, raising the lid on the gas grill and adjusting the dials, after setting the platter of meat down. “Just broke up with someone, actually. A corporate lawyer.” Mav scowled. “Arrogant S.O.B., let me tell you.”
“Huh. Is that the kind of guy she usually goes for?”
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “White collar types? Yeah, for the most part. She’s a family and couples’ therapist. Smart as hell.” He grinned. “Don’t ever challenge her to a game of trivia. You’ll get your ass handed to you. Fair warning.”
“Good to know.” Yeah, this hook-up was not happening. This girl was so far out of my league it wasn’t even funny. “So, have you known Luc a while?”
“A few years. He’s a great guy. Treats me like family. They all do.”
I nodded, wondering what it would be like to be welcomed into the inner circle of Nashville’s elite after rubbing shoulders with the dregs of society for so long.
“If Luc sees something in you, you’d be crazy not to see where it could take you, man. Just saying.”
I knew I was here so Mav could sell me on his label, but I still wasn’t sure I was buying. “I don’t know if I’m cut out for the music business.”
“I can respect that. But how many people get a shot like this, right? You might kick yourself in the ass years from now if you don’t take this chance.”
I’d quit taking stupid risks years ago, telling myself I was too damn old to keep making the same mistakes over and over. But what if this changed my life, for the better? And I could finally prove to my daughter that I wasn’t the worthless loser she’d grown up believing I was?
“I might.”
I looked around Mav’s backyard, wondering what it would be like to live like country music royalty. To have screaming fans who showed up every night to support me and my music. To finally be proud of something, instead of living in the shadows of shame and guilt and regret.
“You owe it to yourself, man.”
Mav looked me in the eye and it reminded me of inmates who’d become like brothers. Someone who’d survived the depths of hell and lived to tell their story. Codie wasn’t the only one who got me. Her husband did too.
“Yeah, brother. Maybe I do.”