Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her things and left, hoping she wouldn’t screw this up.
The band was already playing their first set by the time Karlie walked into the dimly lit bar. She'd arrived before they started but had sat in the parking lot for a while trying to work up the nerve to go inside.
As she wound her way through the crowd, she watched Jax on stage, her heart aching at being this close to him again. Once at the bar, she leaned against it, flagging down a bartender.
“What can I get ya?”
“A shot of rum and a Cosmo please.”
Karlie tapped her foot to the beat of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” while she waited for her drinks. Something tapped the bar behind her and she turned to see the bartender placing everything down in front of her. She smiled and passed him a ten dollar bill and threw back the shot. She blew out a breath as the liquor burned going down. She shivered and grasped her Cosmo.
She turned to face the stage again, her eyes automatically finding Jax. He was dressed in his normal show attire: ripped jeans, work boots, and a t-shirt. His hair was down and falling in his face, hiding his expression from her, as he played his heart out.
Wanting to be closer, she pushed her way through the crowd and found a small table that was in shadows but had a decent view of the stage. She settled in and listened to the rest of their set, humming along while she nursed her drink.
Once they finished, Harry told the crowd they’d be back shortly and the canned music turned on. Karlie used the break between sets to scan the bar to see if any of the band came out or if anyone went to the back. No one did and some of the tension Karlie felt melted. At least that part was true. She felt a twinge of guilt for still doubting Jax’s words, especially when she’d already had it confirmed, but she couldn’t help her insecurities rearing their head.
She heard a tapping on the mike and saw that the band was back from their break. She smiled and flicked her gaze to Jax. She sucked in a breath when she saw him crouched on the edge of the stage, talking to a blonde. He smiled and laughed at whatever was said and then jumped off the edge of the stage, pulling the woman into his arms for a hug.
Karlie’s heart felt like it was breaking. Her chest ached as she watched the familiarity with which the two of them conversed. The blonde placed her hand on Jax’s arm, squeezing it slightly before keeping it there as she threw her head back to laugh.
She thought from his message the other day that he was waiting for her. But she was obviously wrong. She wanted to look away, but it was like a train wreck and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. The two talked for a few more moments before Jax hopped back up on the stage, and the woman moved to stage right, settling at a table there.
Karlie swallowed with difficulty as she studied the woman. She couldn’t see much of her features, just that she was slim and had long blonde hair that fell down her back. The woman’s attention was focused on the stage and she seemed to be watching the band as they set up.
She threw back the rest of her drink and fought the urge to order another. If she wanted to drive home tonight, she didn’t need one. She hoped she had something at her house to help her forget when she got home because there was no way she’d forget Jax and the blonde woman any time soon.
The band launched into their second set, and Karlie found her attention pinging between Jax and the woman across the dance floor. It was toward the end of the set, and Karlie was debating leaving and saving face when Jax stepped up to the microphone. “Hey y’all. Normally I don’t do the talking. That’s what Harry here is for.”
The crowd laughed, and Jax smirked. “Tonight is special though. We have a special guest singer that’s going to come up and sing with us.”
The blonde woman stood and Harry helped her up, adjusting the height of the microphone for her. Veronica moved over to the keyboard, and Karlie turned her attention back to Jax who was smiling at the woman. “For those of you that don’t know, this is my mom, June. She and my dad would jam out on the weekends and it’s because of them that I even play the guitar. I’ve wanted to sing with her in a show, and tonight is the first chance I’ve had to do that. So, we’re going to sing Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ for you.”
Karlie’s eyes widened and she coughed at Jax’s words. His mom? That was his mother? Her face heated as she realized how wrong she'd been. The opening riff started and after a few moments, June started to sing. The crowd went silent as she crooned the words, weaving a spell over the crowd. Her harmonizing with Jax gave Karlie goosebumps, and when the song came to an end, the crowd burst into applause, which Karlie gladly contributed to. June and Jax smiled, and Jax waved his hands, calling for quiet. “I’m glad y’all enjoyed that. We have one more song that we weren’t sure we’d sing together, but prepared just in case. It’s also by Fleetwood Mac and is called ‘Go Your Own Way.’”
The band launched into a rousing rendition of the song, the strong sound of the guitar vibrating through the bar and the steady beat of the drum matching the rhythm of Karlie’s heart. Karlie was breathing fast as the song came to an end and the crowd applauded them.
June hopped off the stage and sat back at her table while the band launched into their final song of the night, “Wagon Wheel.”
As the last notes faded through the bar, everyone burst into motion. The band started packing up, people started talking again, and Karlie’s thoughts couldn’t be ignored. Shame rolled through her as she remembered her reaction to Jax earlier. He hadn’t given her any indication that he wasn’t waiting and she automatically assumed the worst. She didn’t even pause before assuming he was lying, and that bothered her. Her eyes watered a bit as she watched Jax move around the stage, coiling a cord, and stacking equipment. She couldn’t face him tonight and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to ever again.
With that thought, she quickly gathered her things and took one last look at Jax on the stage. She sucked in a breath as their eyes met. She quickly turned and pushed her way through the crowd, bursting out the doors into the humidity of the night. She gulped in lungfuls of air as she walked quickly across the parking lot to her car. She fumbled with her keys once she got them out of her purse, and unlocked her doors.
As she wrenched the driver’s door open, she heard “Karlie!” from behind her.
She glanced over her shoulder with one foot in the car. Jax was standing outside the door to the bar, looking around the parking lot for her. “Karlie, where are you?” he shouted again.
With one last glance, she climbed in her car, slamming the door behind her. She started her car and pulled out, turning toward home, her shame following her the entire ride.
Chapter Twenty
Jax
Jax ran his hands through his hair as he frantically searched the parking lot for Karlie. He heard a car start and saw a flash of lights to his right, but could only watch the taillights flicker as she pulled from the parking lot.
“Shit,” he muttered, watching her drive away.
He watched where her car disappeared, thinking over the events that led him to stand outside the bar.
When their last set had finished, Jax had started packing stuff up along with the rest of the band. Something had made him look into the crowd where he locked gazes with a familiar pair of blue eyes. The breath had been knocked out of him, and in the span of time it took his body to catch up with his mind, Karlie had vanished into the crowd.
After telling Harry he’d be back, he'd pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring the people that tried to pull him in for a conversation. Even though the show was over, it was still wall to wall people inside, so it took him longer than he thought to get outside.
He sighed before turning to go back inside. He pushed through the crowd to the stage where he hopped up and got to work packing up his gear.
“Where’d you disappear to?” Harry asked as Jax placed his guitar in its hard case.
“Just went outside real quick.”
Harry coiled a cord ar
ound his arm and eyed Jax. “Why’d you go outside?”
“I didn’t go to smoke if that’s what you’re implying.”
Harry held his hands up in the surrender position. “Not implying anything here. Just wonderin.’”
Jax sighed and dropped his head to his chest. “I thought I saw Karlie in the crowd.”
“Oh?”
Jax’s head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes at Harry. “You don’t sound surprised.”
Harry shrugged. Jax turned to face him fully. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Harry glanced around and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Bailey might have called me to tell me Karlie could stop by.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to get your hopes up.” Harry shrugged as he finished coiling the cord. “If I said something, you’d stare out into the crowd all night long looking for her.”
Jax opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut when he realized Harry was right. Jax would have been distracted, and he wouldn’t have played well. He muttered under his breath as he turned to finish packing.
Harry clapped him on the back before moving to another cord.
“Need help, baby?” his mom asked, sitting on the edge of the stage.
“Nah, I got it.”
“Was that girl you chased after Karlie?”
Jax froze momentarily before continuing to pack his gear. “You saw that?”
“Of course I did. You tore after her like a coon dog treeing a raccoon.”
Jax snorted. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so Southern come from your mouth.”
His mom chuckled. “That may be, but the description is apt.”
He sighed. “Yeah, it was Karlie.”
“Did you talk to her?”
He shook his head as he sat on the edge of the stage next to his mom.
“Why not?” she asked, bumping his shoulder with her own.
“She was already pulling out by the time I got out there.”
“Well, that would make things difficult.”
Jax snorted.
“Why don’t you go talk to her?”
“Well, considering she tore out of here like the hounds of hell were after her, I’m not sure she wants to talk to me.”
His mom tsked next to him. “You always assume the worst of people.”
His brow furrowed and he glanced at her. She was looking at him earnestly, almost like she was willing him to figure it out on his own.
“Let me guess. You’re telling me that she came because she wanted to see me.”
“Look at you, all grown up, and figuring things out on your own.”
Jax rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. “Then why did she leave so quickly after we finished playing? She didn’t even try to talk to me.”
“Honey, she’s probably scared of something. I imagine it wasn’t easy for her to decide to come here and face you after everything. She probably just needs a little nudge in the right direction.”
“So I should…go see her?” he asked, feeling very unsure of himself.
His mom nodded. “That’s a start. Maybe offer to make her breakfast or take her to breakfast.”
“So, I shouldn’t go tonight is what you’re saying.”
His mom sighed. “You could go tonight, but she might be too upset to talk to you. You have to remember that women sometimes get caught up in their own narratives and don’t take other things into account.”
“Sounds kinda like me…” he muttered.
His mom’s tinkling laugh rang out, causing several people to look their way. “You do sometimes jump to conclusions, yes, but you always correct yourself when needed.”
She hopped off the stage and turned to face him. “I’m going to head on to my hotel. Your father should be there by now. We’ll see you tomorrow for dinner before the show?”
Jax nodded and pulled his mom to him for a hug. “Thanks,” he whispered in her ear.
“You’ll be fine.” She patted his face before pressing a light kiss to his cheek.
He watched her weave through the crowd and sighed. He needed to get the rest of his gear together and help them pack the van so he could get home and think of what to do the following day to get Karlie to talk to him.
The next morning, just after 8:30, found Jax standing at the foot of Karlie’s front porch steps nervously shifting his weight from side to side. He'd stopped at a local deli for breakfast. Karlie had touted their homemade bagels and the sandwiches they made with them as some of her favorites; he had taken extra care to order her preferred sandwich.
Now that he was outside her house, faced with potential rejection, he wasn’t entirely certain he was ready to do this. He blew out a breath and shook his arms to get some of the antsyness out of his body before slowly mounting the steps. Each footfall on the wooden slats of her porch steps sounded like a pounding in his head, signaling his impending rejection.
He shuffled across the deck and ran his hand through his hair before pressing her doorbell. He clutched the paper bag with their breakfast in his right hand and stuffed his left in his jean pocket to stop fidgeting.
He heard footsteps approaching and took a deep breath as the locks disengaged. The door opened and Karlie stood in front of him. He felt like the breath had been knocked from his body as he took in his first good look at her since their encounter at the pool. She was still in her pajamas, but she looked fresh-faced and he just wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her tight.
“Hey,” he said, smiling. “I brought breakfast, if you’re interested.”
Karlie blinked at him, not saying anything for several moments. She finally asked, “What are you doing here?”
Jax cleared his throat and looked at his feet, shifting with sudden nervousness. “Well, I saw you at the show last night. You ran out so quick after we didn’t get a chance to talk. I thought I’d come here to see what’s up.”
He held the paper bag up and shook it to indicate what he brought.
“Is that from—” she started, eyeing the bag.
“Yeah, it is. I got your favorite sausage, egg, and provolone on an everything bagel.”
Her gaze met his again and she narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t a ploy of some kind?”
“The only ploy this is is to get me in the door so we can talk.”
She sucked on her bottom lip for a few moments before stepping aside and letting him in. He stepped over the threshold and waited patiently as she locked the door. He walked to the dining room table while she went to the kitchen.
“Coffee?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks,” he said, pulling their sandwiches out.
He joined her in the kitchen, pulled down two plates, and grabbed the creamer from the fridge. In silence, they sat at the table, doctored their coffee, and dug into their sandwiches. As they ate, Jax stole glances at Karlie, soaking in her presence. Though he had no way of knowing how this talk would go, he wanted to burn what she looked like in his mind because he never wanted to forget it.
“I heard your mom sing last night,” Karlie said. “You sounded good together.”
Jax smiled. “Thanks. We’ve been working on some duets whenever I visit. She decided to come with my dad to see some shows. She came a few days early to practice with the band. I think she’ll come up for our next few shows also.”
Karlie nodded. “Will your dad join also?”
Jax wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “I doubt it. He still plays, but not publicly. Growing up, he always had a guitar in his hand, even at meal times it seemed. But, as he’s gotten older, arthritis has moved into the bones of his hands and it hurts for him to play for long periods.”
“That has to suck.”
Jax nodded but didn’t say anything else. He finished the last bite of his sandwich and gathered his and Karlie’s trash. He tossed everything and placed the plates in the sink before rejoining her at the table.
�
��Thank you for breakfast,” she murmured, staring into her coffee cup.
“It’s no problem.”
They lapsed into silence, and Jax didn’t know what to say. He had so much he wished to tell Karlie, but now that he was faced with being able to say it, nothing came to mind. He was empty.
“Why’d you run last night?” Jax asked, wincing as he did so. Not the best way to ask that, but it was out there now.
He glanced at Karlie and noticed she was blushing. That certainly wasn’t the response he had expected.
Chapter Twenty-One
Karlie
Karlie’s face heated as she remembered her shame from the night before. She refused to look at Jax.
“Why are you blushing?” Jax asked, jerking Karlie from her thoughts.
“I’m…ashamed,” she admitted.
His brow furrowed. “Ashamed? Why are you ashamed?”
His clear blue eyes met hers and she struggled to say the next words. “I saw you with your mom and, before I knew who she was, I thought you had moved on already.”
Jax coughed as Karlie admitted what she thought she saw.
“You thought my mom was my new girlfriend?” he asked once he had his breath.
“Or at least a fuck buddy.”
He opened and closed his mouth a few times before asking, “You really thought I’d leave you a message begging you to talk to me and go find someone else?”
Karlie’s face heated again. “Yes, no, I don’t know! I was already confused before going to your show and then being there threw me for a loop also.”
Jax sat back in his chair and looked at her. Karlie refused to meet his eyes, sure she would find anger of some kind there. “Hey, look at me,” he said, placing a hand over hers.
She took a deep breath and looked up. When their eyes met, she didn’t see anger. If anything, she saw understanding. “It’s okay to be confused. I’ll admit to my fair share with this entire situation.”
Jax (Southern Sands Book 1) Page 16