Romancing Austin

by Riley Bancroft, Evelyn Berry, Cara Carnes, Jax Garren, Irene Preston, Rebecca Royce, Chandra Ryan

  How hard could it be?

  3

  Dallas picked up all his music off the stand then turned off the pipe organ. To say Aurora was the most unusual woman he’d ever met would be the understatement of the century…especially in a town like Austin. What else did a person call a gorgeous woman with a husky voice and blue hair? Not black hair with blue highlights…electric blue hair.

  He thought he’d seen everything since returning home to Austin, but occasionally a few folks still reminded him of the town motto, ‘Keep Austin Weird.’ Aurora was doing her honest best to fit in.

  It wasn’t only her appearance either, although her fancy beaded dress, blue hair, and expensive jewelry didn’t hurt. When he’d worked as a lobbyist in DC he’d been trained to spot money and power. She was an odd mixture of money and seduction with a huge dollop of innocence. The combination made her unique. He’d never met anyone like her who didn’t have dead eyes, as if they’d seen everything, done everything, and there were no more surprises.

  ‘Just Aurora’ seemed full of surprises. She wore no shoes. Her bare feet and toes had swung merrily back and forth as he played Handel’s March from Act III of the Oratorio Judas Maccabeus, but the Duruflé had moved her to tears.

  Her dress was made of some gossamer, filmy material he’d never seen at any political fundraising event. Threaded through the material were sparkling diamond beads strategically placed to obscure her breasts and the junction between her thighs. It had taken all his effort to focus on his music.

  Concentrate.

  He hadn’t had a problem ignoring sex for the past two years, and honestly, he shouldn’t care what she looked like as long as she was reliable enough to help him out. Keeping up with pretty faces and deep wallets broke him in DC, and the only thing keeping him sane when the rest of the world turned its back on him was music. Music was the beacon of light he focused on when the rest of his life was one huge storm. And music was what brought him home to Austin thinking he could start over again as a professional musician.

  Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only person who thought they’d get discovered at SXSW. But while other gigs focused on singing or guitar, he had to pick the organ to showcase his talents.

  People were not exactly banging down the door to pay for his performances, but he’d told her the truth. If he got the job, he would have a steady bonus income on top of his wages as organist at St. Michael’s church. And he’d finally be able to prove to himself he’d made the right decision to quit DC.

  She’d done well for someone who said they couldn’t read music. For brief moments he would steal a glimpse in her direction to see how she held up, and she seemed to be dancing. Well…as much dancing as someone could do sitting on an organ bench.

  He changed out of his organ shoes to street shoes, then picked up his bag to leave when his cell phone rang. His sister had programmed the ringer to play Ode to Joy, so he would think of her and smile. The name ‘Fern’ on the caller ID wiped his smile away. What did the production manager want with him besides making his life difficult? Why couldn’t he just concentrate on music?

  “Hello,” his kept his tone polite but not welcoming to idle chit chat.

  “Hey Dallas. I’m calling to see if your page turner showed up.” As usual, Fern sounded amused as if she knew the punch line of a joke but wasn’t willing to share. He didn’t understand her, and that was fine by him as long as he got the job. There were two other candidates for the position-—Fern’s boyfriend being one of them—and unlike Dallas, they each had a musical education. His degree in government wasn’t going to help him. He was the underdog for the position, and he knew it, which only made him more determined to show the Board of Directors his talent.

  “Yes, thank you for arranging it. She was a big help.”

  “She was?” Why did Fern sound surprised? “Uh, good. That’s great. Can you give me her full name? We need to add her to the program.”

  “Her first name is Aurora, but I don’t know her last name. Perhaps you can ask her yourself tomorrow.”

  “I look forward to it. So, how did she do?”

  “You know how it is. It took some time to get ourselves situated, but I think we’ll work out together.”

  “I’m glad, because she’s also supposed to be with a host family, and I volunteered you for the job.” Fern rebounded from unsure to cocky in two seconds, and he seethed.

  He had applied to be a host for a visiting artist months ago hoping to earn a few extra dollars, and now when he needed to concentrate and focus, he got a roommate in the shapely form of ‘just Aurora.’

  “Fine,” he said between clenched teeth. His heart thumped a little faster, and he couldn’t tell if it was from frustration toward Fern or thoughts of sharing close quarters with the sexy page turner.

  “I knew you’d be happy to hear that,” her saccharine response told him she knew he was the exact opposite of happy. She ended the conversation with a cheery, “See you tomorrow,” and hung up.

  He glowered at the cell phone, and bundled everything in his bag before striding out of the church and walking briskly toward his car. He had to the find the one woman who could either help or hurt his chances at getting this job. How far could a sexy, barefoot woman go? He was afraid to answer that question. Aurora didn’t seem sophisticated or street-wise and in Austin, during SXSW, naiveté got people into trouble.

  He increased his pace. When he got to his beat up car he jumped in, turned the key, and prayed it would start without any drama. The engine turned without him performing his usual ritual, and he sped off into the night.

  She’d only been gone for a half-hour or less, but after a quick circuit of the church he didn’t see her.

  If I were a beautiful and odd woman, where would I go?

  He scanned the area outside the car window, looking for his interesting page turner. Bright lights came from the direction of downtown, signaling ongoing parties and outdoor concerts. He would bet his last dollar, which was currently in his wallet, that she was there. Beautiful women like her were always looking for the life of the party or the bigger, better deal. All could be found far away from him.

  After a few short blocks, sounds of music pulsated through the air. Country music pounded alongside rock, creating an uneasy syncopation. He came across the first group of festival attendees and slowed his car down to a crawl. Men and women danced on the sidewalk, their bodies swaying together under the cool breeze. There were certainly beautiful women, but none of them captivated his interest like Aurora. In the short time he’d spent with her, he’d fought every second to keep his attention off her and on the music. Her honest, open face was such a change from what he knew in DC.

  He drove a little further and still no Aurora. Bright lights from the festival areas were interspersed with dark patches. He squinted into the darkness and tried to see through the shadows before moving on.

  Finally, he found her walking along the sidewalk, still barefoot and in her revealing dress. Her hands were cupped as if she was holding and talking to something.

  “Aurora,” he yelled out the window. Her head jerked, and she adjusted her bundle so she could wave at him.

  “Dallas.” She walked toward him with a wide grin but took one look at his car, and her steps faltered along with her smile.

  He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. He knew it was a bucket of bolts, but it got him from Point A to Point B—most of the time—and he wasn’t going to apologize for his lack of wealth at the moment.

  “Fern called me and told me you’d be staying with me until after the concert.” Knowing Fern, she probably hadn’t told Aurora anything about her living arrangements. He should count himself lucky she’d made it to the church for even part of the rehearsal.

  “Uh…she did? I am?” Her eyes widened in surprise, and she leaned down to say into her cupped hands, “Did you hear that Manuel? We have a place to stay. I told you we’d find shelter.” She looked up again, and her sunshine smile
returned. Her happiness shined through unfiltered and stunned him, leaving him gasping under her beauty.

  Keep it together. “You are.” Proud of his firm tone, he put the car in park, then jumped out to lead her to the passenger side. “You better let me open the door…it kinda sticks.” Who was he kidding? His face warmed with embarrassment as he struggled to open the passenger side. He hadn’t blushed since…he couldn’t even remember. And he didn’t even know why he wanted to make a good impression on her, but he did.

  The door flew open with a metallic, rusty screech, and he winced. He held it as she settled in, her small bundle transferred to her lap.

  “Be careful. I have to slam it shut, and I don’t want to hurt you.” She gave him another of those sunny smiles, and he threw his body against the door, closing it.

  The passenger side seat belt also needed some manipulation, especially since it had broken after last year’s inspection. But after clicking her in, he put the car into drive and concentrated on finding the quickest way out of the city and toward home.

  The squeaks finally drew his attention. They weren’t from his car; they were coming from the small bundle she had in her lap.

  “What do you have there?” He gestured toward the dark bundle while keeping his gaze on the road. There weren’t many streetlights on RM2222 and the darkness combined with the curvy and hilly roads made a dangerous combination.

  “Did I not introduce you to Manuel? He’s my friend.” She picked up the small body and pressed him to her face.

  He had seen every combination of eccentricity in D.C. and Austin, but she took the prize. “Is that a bat?” He couldn’t quite keep the incredulousness out of his voice.

  “Of course he is.” She used a finger to pet the small mammal, scratching him behind one ear.

  “Of course he is,” he repeated at a loss.

  A comfortable silence fell across the interior as he concentrated on the road. He would never get used to driving in these hills. A driver had to be prepared because they never knew what was going to come their way, whether it was another car, a deer, or an unwelcome houseguest.

  He took the turn off the main road, then pressed the accelerator to climb even higher. The car’s engine revved as the car fought against gravity, but their motion still reduced to a crawl. He steered into the driveway and turned the car off before it could die on him. Hopefully it would be good for a few more trips until the concert was over.

  He got out of the car and ran to her side to find her head sticking out of the window as she gazed at his house with wide eyes.

  “You live in a castle.”

  The awe in her voice reminded him of when he used to be amazed at the fantasy in his mom’s imagination. She turned her fanciful thoughts into reality, plucking dream rooms out of her mind and transforming them into reality on pieces of paper.

  He helped Aurora out, looked over his shoulder, and tried to view his house through her viewpoint. The giant stone monolith stood alone on a hill and would have faded into the darkness if it hadn’t been for the security lights planted in the lawn, casting long shadows on the three-story mansion. It did indeed resemble a castle, which was exactly his mother’s goal.

  “No. This is a real house. My mother was an architect and started designing her dream home when she first married my father. It took them decades to get everything she wanted. She finished construction a few months before they died.” He pushed the words out even as a pang of loss made him want to howl into the night.

  “Surely your mother was royalty. This castle is fit for any queen of the nine realms.” He would do anything to get his parents back, but now all he had left was his mother’s dream, her reality, and he would do anything to hold onto it. Getting the job with the Austin Choir would go a long way to holding on to his mother’s house.

  “She was certainly a queen to me.” He rammed his shoulder against the car door slamming it shut. “Why don’t I show you around since you’ll be here for a few days. Uh…I noticed you didn’t bring any luggage with you. Did it get lost?”

  “Yes. Lost. And who knows when, or if, I’ll ever see my beloved luggage again.” She brought the small bat closer to her.

  “And what about the bat? Should I be worried about rabies?”

  Was it his imagination or did Manuel opened his tiny jaws and emit a tiny squeak in protest to the word ‘rabies’?

  A person didn’t live in Austin without ever seeing the Mexican-free-tailed bats leaving Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk in search of their evening meals. One thing most native Austin-ites learned, don’t touch a bat if it looked sick or injured.

  “Rabies? Of course not,” Aurora brought the bat closer to her chest.

  Lucky bat.

  She cradled him like a baby. “He strained himself flying.”

  “As long as he’ll be all right.” He led them all to the front door and had her wait as he punched in the security code.

  “Certainly. He only needs a few days of rest. Just enough time for me to help you out and see Dexter Bryce Reed.”

  Let’s not forget about Dexter Bryce Reed.

  Dallas never did. It was the lowest point in his life when he met Reed in rehab. Dallas’ parents had died in a car crash weeks earlier, and he didn’t know how to keep going on. He’d been empty inside from all the years of denying what he wanted. All the years of choosing lobbying instead of music—all the years he listened to his dad say music wasn’t a career. There was a hollow ache in his soul filled with regret and sadness for all that lost time. He didn’t know how to get better. Reed helped Dallas find himself…in his own way.

  “I’m a host for members of the choir. They usually stay in the guest house around back…but it’s still under repairs from the last choir member. Since I didn’t know you’d be coming, I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay with me.” He winced at how desperate he sounded and quickly added, “in the main house.”

  Smooth, Dallas. Real smooth.

  He used to be good at talking to beautiful women, and now he wanted to smack the back of his own head. He was glad the darkness hid his unwanted attraction toward her. The control he had mastered was cracking under her natural warmth.

  He followed Aurora’s liquid movements as she glided into the main hall and pirouetted under the vaulted ceiling, “It’s heavenly.” The grandfather clock chimed from the shadows reminding him how late it was and of the long day tomorrow.

  “And this is only the foyer. Wait until you see the bedrooms.” Pride in his mother’s work made him smile.

  She stopped twirling in front of him, “Oh, yes, the house is lovely, too, but the hills outside are pure wonder.”

  He peered outside into the dark night, “How can you see anything out there? There aren’t any lights. It’s pitch black.”

  She bubbled over in laughter, and he swore he saw Manuel open his mouth and chortle. “Of course you can’t see anything. That’s the point.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t understand.” Maybe he was too tired. A long day of rehearsal would be followed by an even longer day tomorrow if he had to take care of ‘just Aurora’.

  She grabbed his hand while cradling Manuel in the other and led them both outside again. They stood on the limestone path, but she drew him to a shadowed portion of the yard where none of the security lights ever reached. Overgrown grass tickled his skin above his socks, but he imagined it might feel cool against her bare feet.

  He peeked in her direction. Her eyelids were closed. “Close your eyes,” she commanded. If he did, he might fall asleep standing up, but he shrugged his shoulders and obeyed

  He waited for her to say something next, but she didn’t. The silence seemed deafening at first, and then as he listened it filled with sounds of the Texas Hill Country. An animal, possibly a deer, walked among the trees and occasionally snapped a dried twig. Birds he couldn’t identify sang to each other, insects whistled and whooped, and finally a gentle breeze rustled the tree branches together. The sounds start
ed to weave together.

  “It’s like music. Isn’t it?” She whispered. He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. Only gave her hand a gentle squeeze and continued to listen.

  How could he have lived up here for two years and not taken the time to enjoy the natural orchestra? He spent most of his life being on the outside, but sharing the moment with her…he could have stood there forever. They continued to stand in silence listening to the sounds of the night, but his cell phone rang again. The shrillness cut through the relaxed atmosphere, yanking him to the present, and left him wondering why he stood on his front lawn with his eyes closed.

  4

  Aurora wanted to linger outside and gaze upon her forest. A longing for the scents and sounds of the outdoors created a heavy emptiness in her chest, and she rubbed a hand over the spot. The only way the feeling would ever go away was when she went home after capturing Dexter Bryce Reed and delivering him to her aunt. She had to focus on her mission or lose her freedom and her mother forever.

  She and Manuel had left the court so quickly after Titania’s demand that she hadn’t taken the time to even change out of her court dress or gather a weapon or even food. What she wouldn’t do for a drop of nectar right now.

  After they’d left the church, she hadn’t been sure what she and Manuel would do for shelter. Her plan had been to find Reed as soon as possible. She’d let the goddess guide her footsteps toward the light of the city where Dallas had found her. Ironic, since he seemed more lost than she. She accepted it as a sign they should stay with him until he brought Reed to her.

  Dallas stopped talking to the object he put to his ear then put it away in his pocket. She heard humans had unusual powers over the elements.

  When he had approached her in his metal animal, she almost ran screaming into the night. But she remembered the elders spoke of these things around the bonfire. Get a few drops of nectar in them and stories poured out about metal beasts rolling on land and barking at each other, the clothes they put on their feet called shoes, and the moving picture boxes. In four short days, she’d arrive home a heroine with the human Reed, and younger fairies would ply her with drink to get her stories.