by Dee J. Adams
“Lizzie just basically quit on me with no notice. To make it worse, she sent Paula to be my guard dog until I find someone else.” Her eyes and arms were open wide in a gesture that said, “Do you believe this?”
“Ew.” Mel would’ve elaborated but that about summed it up.
“Yeah. No kidding.”
He placed her arm in the crook of his elbow and led her upstairs. She hadn’t been in his music room before and maybe it would take her mind off Paula for a minute. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going and you’re not listening to me. Paula’s taking me to the doctor tomorrow. Are you sure you’re working?”
“I told you yesterday that Greg booked Seger for a private party. I hadn’t planned to be working, but I am, so…”
“So I’m stuck with Smelly. Great.”
“Tell her to just spray the stuff on herself instead of soak in it.”
“Oh nice.” Ashley gave his arm a half-hearted smack then growled in frustration. “I really shouldn’t be such a bitch. Paula seems very nice. I have no reason not to like her. I just don’t know her that well.”
“I know. I don’t blame you. So why’d Lizzie quit?” Mel walked into the room and guided Ashley to the sofa. “Sit.”
“A family emergency came up,” she said, plopping onto the full cushions.
“You can’t really fault her for that,” Mel said as he picked up his guitar and sat on the stool across from her. “Tell me what you think of this.” He started strumming the tune that had been in his head for the last few days. Although he only had some of the lyrics, he didn’t dare sing in case she recognized his voice. But he could play because the sound was completely different than his norm. Quietly, he hummed along with the notes, picking the chords that had flowed so effortlessly after spending time with her. A minute later, he looked up to see her reaction.
Her mouth dropped open wide as she leaned forward. “Oh, my God!” The surprise on her face made him blanch. Oh shit. He’d been wrong. She did know. He felt the blood drain from his face.
“That is beautiful,” she said. “How come you can play like that and you’ve never had a song recorded? Does your boss know how good you are?” Relief poured through him as she stood and paced in front of the sofa. “I’ll bet he’s keeping you down, isn’t he? He knows how good you are and he either doesn’t want to lose you or he knows you’ll be competition so—”
“Ashley,” he said, trying to get her attention, but she was too damn cute for words as she railed against Seger Hughes. “Ash.”
But she kept talking about how unfair life was. How a talented guy like himself shouldn’t be working for a “no-talent—no offense, I know he’s your boss—obnoxious rock star like Seger Hughes” when he could have his own successful career. She was amazing when she was on her soapbox.
He’d learned she had very definite opinions when it came to life. She respected other people’s views, but damn if it stopped her from saying what she thought. She was honest and forthright. What you saw was what you got with Ashley Bristol.
He let her talk until she stopped right in front of him.
“Did you hear anything I said?” she asked.
“It was hard not to.” He grinned. He’d never been championed before. “Seger isn’t trying to keep anyone down. I’m just fooling around with this song. It’s not a big deal.”
“That’s bullshit, babe.” Ashley used the term babe on a regular basis, but she’d told him she reserved it for friends. He couldn’t deny he liked being on her list. “This tune is a hit. You could put any words in the middle of those notes and you’d have a hit.”
“Oh yeah? Since when are you such a connoisseur of music?”
“I’ve always been a huge fan of music. I own a little bit of everything. I even have your boss’s first CD.”
So did about thirteen million other people. “Only the first one?” he found himself asking.
She did an eye roll. “You know they played it so much I kind of figured they’d do the same with the other ones so I never bothered buying any more.”
Ouch. “I won’t tell him you said that.” He wouldn’t have to since he’d heard it from the horse’s mouth.
“Thanks.” She gave him a smile. “All I’m saying is this song has ‘hit’ written all over it. There has to be someone who can help you record it. Seger or his manager? Someone.”
“I think you should be my manager.” Mel couldn’t help it. He stood up and kissed her cheek, amazed at the softness of her skin. “Thanks for your confidence in me.”
She popped him in the chest with the back of her hand. “I’m serious. You could be so much more than a guitar tech. Have you even thought about trying for your own career? I can’t believe you’ve just watched your boss all this time when you’re so talented.”
Kissing her had brought them close together and he hadn’t moved back. The expression on her face as she looked up at him gave him a sense of worth he hadn’t felt in…years. Her utter belief and conviction in him was staggering.
He’d all but convinced himself that the new sound wouldn’t go over with the record company. Hadn’t he tried to go in a different direction before and they’d stopped him cold? Maybe he really could pull off a new sound and keep his audience. Maybe, he’d even attract a few new fans.
“Quit being so nice or I might have to kiss you again.”
She stuck out her tongue and made a clown face. “Yeah, right. Because kissing me made you so hot you’re dying to do it again.”
“Hey, you’re the one who took the mistletoe down. I was ready to give it another workout.” Actually, he’d been thinking about it a lot.
She patted his chest. “Don’t worry. All you need to do is find a woman who’s ready, willing and able before or after your gig tomorrow. Get yourself laid. Then you won’t think about kissing me.”
Mel had to ask. “So let me get this straight. You don’t want to kiss me?” The concept made him smile.
Taking a step back, she seemed to really consider the question. “It’s not that I don’t want to, because I will admit that you packed a wallop of a kiss. It’s just that we’re friends and neighbors first and I like that. I like having someone to talk to and joke around with and I don’t want to fuck it up.” She lifted a finger. “I was speaking figuratively.”
“Naturally.”
“Quit laughing at me,” she said. “I’m being honest with you.”
He nodded. “I know. I like it.” She didn’t play games or want anything from him but friendship. Everyone wanted something from him, but it always cost him, whether it was money or a piece of his soul, but Ashley liked him for who he was without any demands.
“Good. Then we’re on the same page.” She made her way back to the sofa and sat down. “Now, let’s figure out how we get you noticed.”
Mel just laughed.
Chapter Fourteen
Ashley walked out of the doctor’s office glad she had Paula to hang onto. She hadn’t known what to expect, but the news had thrown her for a loop. She kept dark sunglasses over her eyes not only because her pupils had been dilated, but she didn’t want anyone to see how shaken she was.
“Tell me again,” Paula said. “What’s it called?”
“Wet Macular Degeneration and it’s due to head trauma.” She’d been diagnosed rather quickly considering it had taken two neurosurgeons three weeks and dozens of tests to decide she needed an eye doctor. The news had been good and bad. Good in that she finally knew what the problem was and bad in that the treatment wasn’t guaranteed to help her.
“That sounds serious. But it’s curable, right?”
“Not always. It depends on how the treatment goes and how my body responds.” She didn’t know the particulars, especially since the doctor wanted to check the latest statistics on the new medication he’d recently heard about. He said he’d get back to her on her options ASAP.
“But, still, it’s got to be a relief to know you can try and do some
thing about it.”
Ashley appreciated Paula’s optimism. Lizzie would’ve been the same way. But if the doctor was serious about this new treatment, then she wasn’t sure she felt any relief. “Would you consider getting a needle in the eye a relief?”
Paula stopped, leaving Ashley no choice but to stop with her. “No way. You mean you have to get a shot in your eye?”
Hearing the horror in Paula’s voice made it seem as bad as it sounded originally. “Yeah. Not just once, but a series of times.” Ashley tried to see Paula’s reaction peripherally, but couldn’t. That might’ve been because of the tears welling up in her eyes.
“Oh, honey.” Paula pulled her close and gave her a solid reassuring hug.
It would’ve been too easy to break down, to fall apart in the arms of a woman she barely knew, but Ashley held tough and just accepted the comfort Paula offered. She wished she had her mom, or her sister—someone who understood that the idea of taking a needle in the eyes terrified her to her bones. She’d always had a certain aversion to needles and always looked away when any type of shot had been administered, but getting a shot in the eye? That seemed incomprehensible.
“How about I take you to lunch,” Paula offered. “After that we’ll order the biggest honkin’ dessert we can find and lose ourselves in calories.”
Ashley laughed as she slipped a finger under her shades and wiped at a tear. Usually she and Lizzie went out for a meal or coffee after a doctor’s appointment. Lizzie had been helping her get accustomed to being out in the world and knew how important it was for Ashley to start living her life again. Eyesight or not, it was time she took control. “Lunch sounds good. But it’s on me. You’ve been really nice and I’d like to say thank you.”
“Even better,” Paula said. “My perfect lunch. It comes with dessert and it doesn’t cost me money.” She placed Ashley’s hand in the crook of her elbow and walked to the parking structure where she’d parked Ashley’s Honda.
Lunch turned out to be more miserable than Ashley anticipated. It started when Paula had crowded her a little too much and Ashley misjudged and hip-checked a table, spilling three drinks and dousing herself in the process. Then she’d somehow misjudged where she’d set her glass and dumped the contents onto her plate.
Nice.
More than anything, she wished she were home. She didn’t want to be out where strangers could see her make a fool of herself. She liked the solitude of her house and knowing she could get along there without a huge amount of help.
Paula kept up a stream of conversation, and Ashley wasn’t sure if Paula did it on purpose to keep Ashley from thinking about her vision problems or if she just liked talking about herself. Either way, she learned a lot about Paula and felt much closer to her by the time they got home. She certainly understood how Lizzie had grown so close to her so fast. Hadn’t she done the same thing with Mel? After a long Thanksgiving weekend, she felt as if she’d known him for five years rather than the three weeks it had actually been.
Paula drove into the garage and they both got out of the car. Ashley was ready for some alone time. She needed to come to grips with her diagnosis and treatment before she could talk to her mom or sister about it. They worried about her so much, and she’d realized a long time ago if she thought she could handle whatever came her way then they could too.
“You sure you don’t need me to stay and do something? Help you with anything?” Paula asked as she followed Ashley into the house, through the hallway and into the kitchen. Roamer bolted in from the doggie door and happily pranced around both of them, but as soon as he got near Paula he started sneezing. It always took him a minute to get used to her perfume.
Paula got him a treat from the ceramic canister on the counter and tossed it across the room, making him scramble over the tile to get to it.
Ashley only needed one thing done and she didn’t have the courage to ask. “No. I think I’m good.”
“Come on,” Paula insisted. “I heard the hesitation. You thought of something.”
Sighing, Ashley set her purse on the counter. “If you must know, I need someone to scoop the poop. I’m always afraid I’m going to step in a pile on the way to the beach. But I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Of course you can,” Paula said, already heading toward the sand room and outside.
Ashley followed her and stood at the door while Roamer took the time to investigate the yard again. “Scooping poop is one of those things I don’t think I’ll be able to do as long as my sight is this limited. Lizzie taught me so much, but…” She shrugged and a surge of the old helplessness washed through her. How did she think she could take life by the balls if she couldn’t scoop a frickin’ pile of poop? She heard Paula dump the scooper’s contents in the trash can and head her way.
“Done,” Paula said, moving past her and into the house. She washed her hands at the sink as Ashley came in and shut the door. “Anything else?” she asked. “Don’t be shy. Seriously, Ashley, consider me the new girl until you find someone else. We’re doing each other a favor. At least I think so,” she added.
Honestly, she was right. Paula was helping her and vice-versa. Come to think of it, she needed Paula for one more thing today. “You’re right,” Ashley admitted. “We are helping each other. And I realized there’s one other thing you can do.” She headed to the small desk in the corner of the kitchen and pulled out a big file on the edge. “Can you look in here and find the number for the Department of Rehabilitation? I need to call them when you leave and start setting up interviews.” She couldn’t believe after finding Lizzie so effortlessly that she had to go through the whole thing again, and this time without Ellie. “I should’ve put the numbers on my digital recorder when I originally started interviewing people, but my best friend was here and taking care of everything and I just let her. We found Lizzie and I thought I was done. My mistake.” Speaking of Lizzie…why hadn’t she returned the call yet? A full day had passed already. Ashley didn’t want to leave another message so soon, but if she still hadn’t heard from her by tomorrow, she’d try again. She found her recorder on the counter by the phone. “I just need you to speak the numbers in here and I’ll be able to call myself.”
“Sure.” Paula moved next to her and spoke into the small digital recorder. “Done,” she said. “Come on, we’re on a roll. I’m two for two. There’s got to be something else I can help you with.”
Ashley gave in to the urge to hug her. “You’re sweet,” she said as she pulled away. “But that’s it. I promise. I have another doctor’s appointment at the end of the week so if I haven’t found—”
“Say no more,” Paula said. “I’ll be here. Not a problem. Really, Ashley, I need the work and I hope you give me a chance to prove I can help you as well as Lizzie did.” She turned back to the desk. “Here, I’m leaving my number in your recorder in case you need me for anything. Don’t hesitate to call.” Ashley heard the tone and Paula left her name and number. “I can come back tomorrow, even if it’s just to scoop the poop. It’s not a problem. If it makes you feel better, just pay me whatever you think is fair. I’m good with that and it’s better than my current salary of nothing.”
Ashley didn’t see a reason to decline. “Okay. It’s a deal. But you don’t need to come over until around two and I probably won’t keep you later than six. I just need some help around the house and outside.”
“You got it.” Paula’s hug took her by surprise. “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.” She let go just as quickly and started out. “See you at two. Be careful tonight.” The door closed with a click and a tingle of ridiculous apprehension niggled Ashley’s stomach.
* * *
Two days after he’d left for the unscheduled gig, Mel watched the black town car drive away before he unlocked the front door and went inside. When Greg had called and said some computer genius billionaire wanted him to perform at his anniversary party, Mel had declined. The wealthy geek had persisted and Mel had told
Greg to ask for an insane amount of money thinking that would end the game. The last thing Mel expected was for the guy to say yes to the price tag, so two days and a million dollars later, he was finally home.
The quiet solitude of his house washed over him like a security blanket. It was good to be back. Despite the fact that he’d not even lived here a month, the place had grown on him like no other.
His neighbor had grown on him too.
He had missed Ashley’s laugh and dry sense of humor. He’d missed her playful smacks and easy conversation. He liked the way she smiled at his jokes. When was the last time he’d had this kind of relationship with anybody? Not ever. He’d moved around too much as a kid to make any solid friendships and band members came and went. Yeah, sure, Greg was a friend, but he was more about business than fun. Greg was the spin-doctor, scheduler and all around kick-anyone-in-the-ass-who-needed-kicking kind of guy.
Mel checked his watch. Three o’clock. Where would Ashley be now? It seemed too late for her to be on the beach. She either went down in the morning or at lunch, but by the afternoon she’d be back inside. Maybe he should call her. They’d exchanged phone numbers during that long weekend together. He’d been worried about her being alone, and they were still feeling a few aftershocks since the earthquake though they were fewer and smaller as the days passed.
On the other hand, maybe he’d be better off leaving her alone. Maybe he was getting too close. This trip had forced some distance and maybe he’d be smart to keep some of it. But what if Ashley hadn’t found a replacement for Lizzie and was still stuck with Paula?
“Not your concern,” Mel told himself. She survived a year without him as her neighbor so there was no reason she couldn’t live her life now. “She wasn’t blind until a month ago,” his conscience pointed out.
Regardless of the fact that he didn’t want to hunt her out his first minute in the door, Mel went to the backyard and strode to the top of the stairs. No sign of Ashley on the beach. Good. She was probably inside getting ready for dinner or listening to music or working out.