by J. L. Farey
Laurel wished he hadn’t used the D-word, but she gave him a thumb’s up, then went on stage.
She had two songs to sing. Approximately ten minutes of stage time. And the entire thing went by in such a blur, she might as well have been performing a Gregorian Chant.
The lights on the stage were blinding, so she moved from side to side, trying to see the audience. Every time the lights moved, so did she. It was almost like playing a game of tag. She caught sight of a bald head moving quickly through the crowd. Then she saw Aiden. The lights shifted. She swooped and twirled. When she found the bald man again, it was just in time to see him trip over the legs of the blind man. The lights moved. She swung one way, then another. The last song was coming to an end. She caught a glimpse of Aiden hauling Chief up by the collar just as she hit the high note and carried it home.
The crowd went wild, which helped detract attention from the arrival of the Nashville PD and the arrest taking place. Laurel took a bow, waved at the crowd, and hurried off stage as the MC came back on.
“How ‘bout that, folks?” The MC said. “Rye Randall, I think we just found your next star. Sign that little lady up.”
Backstage, Laurel made her way through the sea of people, smiling and accepting congratulations as she went. When she reached the entrance to the main saloon, Rye and Danielle were waiting for her.
“You were spectacular,” Danielle said as she hugged her.
“Thanks. I don’t remember much about it. Did I actually sing words?”
A laugh rumbled out of Rye. “You did. Many words, all of them right. You did quite a dance, too.”
“I’m glad that’s what it looked like out here.” Laurel looked in the direction she’d last seen Aiden, but he wasn’t there. “Did we get him? Chief?”
“Did we ever.”
She turned and found Wade beside her. “I take it you’re not blind anymore.”
“It’s a miracle. And you were fantastic.”
“Thanks. Now tell me what happened. I saw when you tripped him.”
Wade shrugged. “Hey, I was just stretching my legs. But when he hit the ground, Lola almost tore him a new...let’s just say he won’t be sitting comfortably for a while.”
“Remind me never to get on Lola’s bad side,” Laurel said. “But how was there enough evidence to arrest him right away?”
“That’s the best part. Turns out the reason Lola lost her mind was because she smelled Vance’s blood on him. He was carrying the pocket knife he used to stab Vance.” Wade crossed his arms and grinned. “I love stupid criminals.”
Laurel exhaled a deep breath. She felt so light, she just might float away. They’d done it. They’d found the murderer and removed any suspicion from Rye. It was over. Except for one thing.
“Where is Aiden?”
Wade motioned toward the door. “He and Aurora took the dogs to the SUV. They’re waiting for us, whenever you’re ready to go.”
“I’m more than ready.”
“I need to stay here,” Rye said. “Rayne’s going to finish up the night with her own set. But you go on. My shack is your shack.”
Laurel laughed. Only Rye could call his place a shack and make it sound so complimentary. As she and Wade were leaving, she saw Rayne behind the bar.
She grabbed Wade’s arm to stop him. “I’ll be right out. I want to say goodbye to Rayne.”
He nodded and went outside. Laurel scooted around behind the bar.
She made her way to Aiden’s sister and tapped her on the back. “Rayne.”
When Rayne saw Laurel, her expression became a mixture of happiness and disappointment. “Laurel. Hey. You were great. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. If you hadn’t helped me, it wouldn’t have gone so well.” She rubbed her palms on her hips. “I’ve got to admit, I kind of love this outfit.”
“You can have it.” Rayne took a tall, plastic glass from under the bar. “And you can have those songs, too.”
“What? No, I couldn’t. You wrote those songs. They’re yours.”
She shook her head. “Not after tonight. Even if I tried to sing one, I’d only be covering a song that everyone associates with you.”
“But this is just one small club. By tomorrow, no one will even remember me.”
Rayne scooped ice from a bin and filled her glass. “For an old chick, you’re pretty naïve. Every person in here has a cell phone, and about half of them recorded your performance, even though we ask them not to. Within five minutes of the end of your set, most of those videos were uploaded to YouTube. By morning, you’ll be a viral sensation. Heck, you probably already are. That’s the exposure every singer wants.”
She didn’t have to say anymore for Laurel to get the drift. We work hard for it, but you got it without trying. She almost apologized, but stopped herself. What’s done is done and there was no way to undo it. Even if she could, Laurel wouldn’t want to.
Laurel started to leave, then turned back to Rayne. “Will we see you at breakfast?”
One corner of her mouth lifted in a cheeky grin. “Does a bear sleep in the woods?”
~ ~ ~
Breakfast the next morning was more like a party, with lots of laughter and hearty conversation. And not one speck of doom and gloom. It was the kind of thing Laurel could get used to.
After breakfast, everybody hurried off to pack their things and take them to the SUV. Rye helped, taking Aurora’s suitcase in one hand and Laurel’s in the other.
“Those will fit right behind the back seat,” Laurel pointed out. “And the rest of the back is for Bailey.”
Rye put the luggage where he was told. “Are you sure you can’t stay longer?”
“Positive,” Aiden said. “Wade and I need to get back to work.”
“You could at least stay for lunch.”
Danielle squeezed Rye’s arm. “If they say they need to go, then they do. But they’ll be back again.” She looked at Aiden with hopeful eyes. “Won’t you?”
“Of course. And you can come see us.”
“All right, I give up,” Rye grumbled. “But I’m hoping you can do me a favor and take something back with you.”
Laurel and Aiden exchanged glances. “If there’s room, sure,” Laurel said. “What is it?”
“Lola.”
Laurel gasped. “Are you serious?”
“Very. She and Bailey have gotten so close, and I’m afraid she won’t get all the attention she needs here. It would be a good thing for all of us.”
“But, what if she doesn’t want to go?”
“She does,” Aiden said.
“How do you know?”
“What do you think we were talking about last night while we waited for you?”
Laurel shook her head and laughed. True to his word, Bailey was saving his talking for important things.
~ ~ ~
The trip back home to Nocturne Falls was much smoother than the trip getting to Nashville. Laurel finally got to drive her car, Wade stayed awake the whole time, Bailey and Lola kept each other company in the back, and Aurora spent half the time searching the internet for clips of Laurel at the Golden Bear. As for Aiden, he was content to sit back in the passenger seat, watching the scenery rush by.
That morning, he awoke to the sound of birds chirping and sunlight filtering through the windows. He was well-rested, alert, and excited about the new day. It struck him then that he hadn’t had a nightmare since they arrived in Nashville.
He would still tell Laurel about that terrible night, but not now. Things were too good and he was too happy. Maybe the dream would come back, maybe it wouldn’t. But after spending time with his father and mother, discovering who they all really were, Aiden was more interested in the promise of his future than the pain of his past.
“Now entering Nocturne Falls,” Laurel called out. “Home sweet home.”
They dropped Wade and Aurora at his place because Aurora said she’d rather hang out with Wade than be stuck alone at her sister’s
cabin. As they drove away, Aiden reached for Laurel’s hand.
“It’s only three o’clock and we’ve got the rest of the day to ourselves. Want to look at some of those nursery properties?”
“Oh no,” Laurel said. “There’s only one thing I want to do.”
“Make mad, passionate love?”
“Okay, two things.”
“Sleep and make mad, passionate love?”
Laurel laughed. “We know each other so well.”
Yes, they did. And they would keep getting to know each other better and better, for as long as they both should live.
THE END...ALMOST
About the Author
J. L. Farey (Jennifer, to her friends) was born in Hollywood, California. For the first ten years of her life, home was an apartment above a mortuary one block away from Hollywood & Vine where she watched Dark Shadows on TV with her mother, and heard tales of her Hungarian violinist grandfather and his good friend, fellow-Hungarian, Bela Lugosi. It's no surprise she jumped at the chance to be part of the Nocturne Falls Universe. She now lives in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, with her hottie British hubby, the best cabbie in town. When she’s not busy spinning tales, she enjoys playing tabletop games, attending live theater and movies, and singing at the top of her lungs to whatever happens to be playing on Pandora. Jennifer loves hearing from readers. You can contact her via Facebook or her website, www.JLFarey.com.