No Ordinary Joe

by Michelle Celmer

  Karma, Reily wondered, or just dumb luck?

  “One of the waitresses at Joe’s Place mentioned that Joey is divorced, but I haven’t noticed anyone coming around to see his daughter.”

  Reily knew it wasn’t her place to tell Veronica anything about Joe’s life, and she had no right to get involved, but maybe it would help her understand how vulnerable he still was.

  “Joe’s wife left two years ago. They don’t see her anymore.”

  “Oh dear,” she said softly. “I had no idea.”

  “It was pretty rough on him and his daughter.”

  “You think I should leave him alone.”

  “It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s none of my business.”

  “Maybe coming here was a mistake. Maybe I am too late.” She looked so defeated it pulled at Reily’s heartstrings. “Maybe he really doesn’t care.”

  She knew she should keep her mouth shut, let Veronica think what she wanted to think, but she just couldn’t. “I was watching Joe’s daughter last night, so I was here when he came home. He was really upset that you were at the bar.”

  “So I’m making him miserable, is that what you’re saying?”

  “All I’m saying is if he really didn’t care, it wouldn’t have mattered.”

  Veronica sat a little straighter and the hint of smile crossed her face.

  “But, as I said,” Reily added with a shrug, “it’s really none of my business.”

  “Well,” Veronica said, rising from the chair, appearing stronger than she had been just a few minutes earlier. Looking as though she had a renewed sense of purpose. “I believe I’ve taken up enough of your time.”

  Reily stood. “It was nice talking to you.”

  Veronica smiled. “You too.”

  “I hope everything works out.”

  She walked to the storm door and pulled it open, then she turned back around, hand still clutching the handle, and said, “Thank you, Reily.”

  Then she was gone, leaving Reily to wonder if she’d done the right thing.

  * * *

  “It’s Friday,” Joe told Steve Richards, the bassist for Thunder Sky, the band that had been headlining at the bar every Saturday night for the last eight months. Until this weekend apparently, because Steve had just cancelled on him. “There’s no way I’m going to find another band to replace you guys by tomorrow.”

  “Dude, I’m really sorry. Jake had a family emergency. His dad had a stroke so he flew back to Pasadena this morning. He’s not sure when he’ll be back.”

  What had begun as a pretty good week was swiftly going to hell. His liquor distributor had screwed up his latest order, leaving them short on several brands they needed for the weekend, and after paying through the nose to fix it, the air conditioner was acting up again. To top that off his “mother” had been in last night for dinner, and was back again for lunch today. From where he stood at the bar, Joe glanced her way. She didn’t look as pale as she had the other night, and she’d ordered a burger this time instead of her usual salad. Not that it made a difference to him what she ate. She wasn’t hounding his employees any longer, but her presence alone was enough to keep him on edge. And the longer she stayed in town, the more likely it was her identity would be discovered, and there was already enough innuendo and conjecture floating around about his and Reily’s relationship—which was one of the few things that was actually going right in his life.

  But even that could hit the skids when he had to break the news that Mark was coming back next week, and the best Joe could do was maybe squeeze Reily in ten hours a week.

  And now he was losing his headlining band. Thunder Sky was responsible for drawing in the majority of his Saturday business. If he couldn’t figure something out, he was screwed.

  “You can’t manage without Jake?” he asked Steve.

  “Dude, he’s our lead singer.”

  “No one else sings?”

  “Backup, but not lead. So unless you want an instrumental set, or better yet, if you know someone who could sing for him, we’re not performing.”

  “I can sing for him.”

  Joe and Steve both turned to Reily, who stood behind the bar and had clearly been listening to their conversation while she polished wineglasses—because, despite having had the dishwasher serviced, the stemware continued to come out spotted.

  “I know pretty much all the songs you guys play and the ones that I don’t, I can learn by tomorrow night. That is, if Joe doesn’t mind filling in for me at the bar.”

  Steve turned to Joe. “Is she joking?”

  “She has a great voice,” Joe told him. Granted, he had only heard her sing lullabies while perched on the edge of his daughter’s bed. How she would do onstage, what kind of performer she would be, he couldn’t say. But it couldn’t hurt to have her try out.

  “I don’t know if the other guys would go for it,” Steve said.

  Reily shrugged. “Whatever. Just thought I would offer.”

  Joe told Steve, “The least you could do is listen to her sing.”

  “There’s no music,” Steve pointed out. “What’s she gonna do, sing along to the jukebox?”

  “I could sing a cappella,” Reily said.

  “Right here?” Steve asked.

  “How about on the stage?” Reily suggested.

  Steve looked surprised. “If you’re okay with that.”

  Reily turned to Lindy, who had been listening in. “Can you handle things without me for a few minutes?”

  “Absolutely,” Lindy said. “I’ve been wondering when I was going to hear you sing.”

  “Joe, you want to turn on the mic?” Reily asked.

  Joe crossed the dance floor to the stage to fire up the sound system and kill the jukebox. The sudden absence of music earned him curious looks from everyone having lunch. Reily climbed up behind him and he handed her the mic. If she was nervous at all, it didn’t show. Weirdly enough, he was, though he wasn’t sure why. She wouldn’t be on her way to Nashville to sing professionally if she couldn’t handle singing onstage, right?

  He hopped down and walked back to the bar where Steve stood, arms folded, looking as though he was expecting an amateur performance.

  “Any special requests?” Reily asked, her voice sounding steady and confident through the bar speakers.

  “You know anything by Lady A?” Lindy called out.

  “That just happens to be one of my favorite bands,” Reily said with a grin. “How about ‘American Honey’?”

  With everyone’s attention riveted to the stage, Reily took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started to sing. And Joe stopped breathing.

  It was a sweet song about a simple country girl who lost her innocence and wanted to get it back. Maybe he was biased, but in his entire life Joe had never heard a song sung more beautifully, or with more heart. And now he knew, without a shadow of doubt, she was going to make it big. She would be a star. She would leave Paradise and go to Nashville, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could or would do to stop her. Because the last thing Reily needed was some guy and his kid holding her back. He could never be that selfish again, not after what he had done to Beth.

  She finished the song to a roar of applause and catcalls.

  “Thank you,” she said with her sweet smile, bowing to her audience, then she turned the mic off and jumped down from the stage. Joe felt himself grinning as he looked over at Steve. He was slowly shaking his head, a stunned expression on his face.

  Reily walked over to him and said, “So, what did you think?”

  “Jesus,” Steve said. “Where did you learn to sing like that?”

  Reily smiled. “Does that mean I passed the audition?”

  “Hell, I’m convinced. Can you come by my place for rehearsal tomorrow aft
ernoon? Two o’clock?”

  “I’m supposed to work,” Reily said, looking to Joe.

  “Go to the rehearsal,” he said. “We’ll find someone to cover you.”

  Reily turned to Steve. “I guess I’ll be there.”

  Steve wrote his address down on a napkin that Reily stuffed into the back pocket of her jeans.

  After he was gone, Joe asked Reily, “Can I talk to you in my office for a minute?”

  She called to Lindy, “I’ll be right back,” then followed Joe into the back. The second they were inside his office with the door closed, he slid his arms around her, pulled her close and planted a slow, deep kiss on her.

  “Hmm, that was nice,” she said, smiling up at him. “What was that for?”

  “Because you’re an amazing woman, Reily Eckardt. I had no idea you could sing like that.”

  “You’ve heard me sing to Lily Ann.”

  “Not like that. That was…” He shook his head, at a loss to adequately express his awe. How could the people of her hometown ever doubt her? “You’re going to make it, Reily. You’re going to be a star.”

  She grinned up at him. “I know.”

  Only now did he realize that all this time, somewhere deep down, he’d let himself believe that Reily wouldn’t go. That she would change her mind and decide to stay with him. Or if she did go, she would miss him and Lily Ann so much it wouldn’t be long before she came back. Just as he’d felt about his wife. But that wasn’t going to happen, he knew that now. And despite that, he wanted Reily even more, needed her, in a way that he’d never needed anyone before. Not even Beth.

  All he could do now was make the best of their last few weeks together. And then when the time came, let her go.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Reily’s debut Saturday night as temporary lead singer for Thunder Sky was an enormous hit. Everyone Joe talked to raved about her talent, and by Sunday afternoon the entire town was buzzing. And though Reily had earned the right to bask in the glow of her success, she handled the attention with the utmost grace and humility. Even when Jill, who had been on her very best behavior the past couple days, swallowed her pride and told Reily she had a “really nice voice,” and Reily had every right to be smug, she had smiled and thanked her instead.

  The Saturday gig was a new source of income for Reily, but after splitting the money with the four other band members, it didn’t amount to much. And though Joe had racked his brain, he hadn’t come up with a solution to the scheduling situation. He broke it to her during Sunday supper.

  “It’s okay, Joe,” she said with an understanding he didn’t feel he deserved. “Mark has worked for you for a long time. Of course you have to give him his job back.”

  “But I promised you six weeks,” he said.

  “Aunt Sue, could I have more chili?” Lily Ann asked, holding out her bowl.

  “Sure, sweetheart.” Sue stood, taking the bowl, and asked Joe and Reily, “Anyone else want more?”

  “No, thanks,” Reily said, and Joe shook his head. The truth was that he felt a little sick to his stomach. He was a man of his word, and he hated to let Reily down.

  Sue filled Lily Ann’s bowl, set it in front of her and sat back down at the kitchen table. They usually ate Sunday supper in the dining room, but the four of them had spent the day at the lake and hadn’t gotten back until after seven. They were all exhausted after a day of swimming and sun, so Sue had warmed up the leftover chili and made corn bread from a mix.

  “I can probably squeeze you in ten hours a week,” Joe said. “And if anyone calls in sick, the shift is yours, no question.”

  “I’ll figure something out,” Reily said. “Maybe they could use someone part-time at the diner.”

  “I feel lousy for doing this to you.”

  She shrugged. “Worst case, I stay a couple of weeks longer.”

  God knows he would love for her to stick around, but he couldn’t be selfish about this. Besides, the longer she stayed, the harder it would be when she did finally leave.

  “You know,” Joe said. “I could lend you what you need—”

  Reily shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

  “But I have the money. You can take as long as you want paying me back.”

  “It’s sweet of you to offer, but this is something I need to do on my own.”

  “I think I may have a solution to the problem,” Aunt Sue said.

  Joe pushed his bowl away. “I’d love to hear it.”

  “Ever since my friend Irene moved to Palm Springs she’s been nagging me to come visit, but I couldn’t just up and leave with no one else to watch Lily Ann. I was thinking, why couldn’t Reily take over for a couple of weeks?”

  Lily Ann, who he hadn’t even realized was paying attention to the conversation, bolted upright in her chair and her eyes lit like firecrackers. “Could she, Daddy? Could Reily babysit me? Pleeeeeze!”

  As far as Joe could tell, it was the perfect solution. But that didn’t mean Reily would want to do it. “What do you think?” he asked her.

  “It sounds like a great idea to me,” Reily said.

  “Yeah!” Lily Ann screeched, getting so excited she flailed her arms and nearly knocked her milk over. Joe managed to grab it a second before it toppled from the table.

  Lily Ann bit her lip, smiling sheepishly. “Oops.”

  “Be careful,” Joe warned her, using a napkin to soak up the milk that had splashed over the side. “If Reily sees what a handful you can be she might change her mind.”

  “I’ll be really good,” Lily Ann told Reily earnestly. “I promise.”

  “I know you will, sweetheart,” Reily said with a smile, chucking her under the chin.

  “I’ll run home and give Irene a call right now,” Sue said, getting up and carrying her bowl to the sink. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled with the idea.”

  Lily Ann helped clear the table, then went into the living room to watch television while Joe and Reily loaded the dishwasher. By the time they finished and went in to check on her, she was out cold.

  “I guess all the swimming wore her out,” Reily said.

  “I’m going to put her to bed,” Joe said, scooping her limp little body up off the couch. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  He carried Lily Ann upstairs and laid her in bed in her clothes. He pulled the covers up over her and kissed her forehead. For a minute he just stood there, watching her sleep. He hoped this new babysitting arrangement wouldn’t be too confusing for Lily Ann. He had explained to her that he and Reily were just friends and that she would be leaving in a few weeks, and Lily Ann seemed to have no trouble grasping that. But he never could be sure what went on in her little head. He hoped she understood that Reily was a babysitter and not a stand-in mother.

  When he walked downstairs, Aunt Sue was back.

  “It’s all settled,” she told him. “Irene said to come as soon as I could, so I went online and booked a flight for Tuesday afternoon. That will give me all day tomorrow to pack and make out a schedule for Reily.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Joe said.

  “I can’t thank you enough for doing this,” Reily told her.

  “I’m the one who’s thankful,” Sue said. “Without you I would never be able to take this kind of vacation. Joe’s schedule makes it next to impossible to find someone to replace me for any extended amount of time.”

  Reily’s cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket to check the display. “It’s Steve. I’d better take this.”

  When she stepped out onto the front porch, Joe asked Aunt Sue, softly enough so that Reily wouldn’t hear, “You haven’t ever mentioned to Reily what I pay you, have you?”

  She smiled. “Why do I get the feeling she’s going to be making considerably more than I do?”
<
br />   God knows he had tried to pay Sue more, but she insisted on taking the barest minimum. “I plan to pay her enough so that she can leave in six weeks like she planned.”

  “I would think you’d like to keep her here as long as possible.”

  “I would only be delaying the inevitable. She has a plan and I have no right to hold her back. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”

  “Maybe she’ll change her mind and decide to stay.”

  “No, she won’t.” He knew Aunt Sue liked Reily, everyone did, and she wanted Joe to be happy, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

  “I guess I should get home and start putting that list together for Reily. I’ll bring it by in the morning.”

  “Sounds good.”

  After she left, Joe sat down on the couch waiting for Reily. She came back inside a few minutes later.

  “Well, that was an interesting conversation,” she told Joe.

  “Is something wrong?”

  She sat on the couch beside him and he looped an arm around her shoulders. “Apparently Jake, Thunder Sky’s lead singer, is not coming back. The stroke was so bad that his dad has to retire, and he wants Jake to take over the family business. Steve and the other guys want me to take his place permanently.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “That I’m leaving in a couple weeks, but I’d be happy to fill in until they find someone else. That is, if we can find someone to watch Lily Ann while I’m performing. As long as you’re okay with that.”

  “If you tell them no, I lose my headlining band, so I’m very okay with it. I’m sure we can find someone to watch Lily Ann for a couple of hours Saturday evening.”

  “You can deduct whatever it costs from what you planned to pay me.”

  “Okay,” he said, even though he would do no such thing. But she would never know that.

  “How much are you planning to pay me, by the way?”

  “For two full weeks? Minus a couple hours Saturday night?” He pretended to do the math in his head, then quoted her a number. One that was more than double what he paid Aunt Sue.