Love’s Serenade

by Sheryl Lister

  “I have no idea. He knew I was coming to Harlem, so I guess it wasn’t that hard.”

  “I wonder why he’s here.”

  “I don’t care why he’s here,” Leigh said. “I just want him to leave me alone so I can get on with my life.”

  “I can understand that. But he is a handsome devil,” Liz said with a grin.

  Leigh glared.

  Liz chuckled. “Don’t glare at me. And I don’t ever remember you being a brawler.”

  “One of the guys who kept the peace at Mr. Butler’s place was a distant cousin of Jack Johnson and said that a pretty lady should always be able to protect herself, so he taught me a few things.” Jack Johnson was the first Negro heavyweight boxing champion and held the title from 1908 until 1915. “This was the first time I’ve used it.”

  “Well, I’m sure Miles will think twice about crossing you again. By the way, he’s still downstairs. He wants to talk to you.”

  Leigh sighed. She didn’t want to talk to him.

  “Do you want him to come up?”

  “No,” she said quickly. “I know you’re closing, but can we talk down there? It won’t be long.”

  Liz stood. “Sure. It’ll take another half an hour to clean up, so you have a little time.” She pointed at the photo of Leigh’s parents. “Have you thought any more about writing to them?”

  She had confessed to missing her parents and wondering how they were doing. “I’ve been thinking on it, but wanted to wait until I made it big.”

  “Yeah, they’d probably keel over if they saw you on the stage,” Liz said with a laugh. “Then they’d haul you right over to the church for the pastor and deacons to pray you back to a holy state.”

  Leigh snorted. “Girl, please. The only thing holy at that church is the sign on the door. And maybe Mother Harris.” The pastor and a few of the deacons had been regular patrons at Mr. Butler’s saloon. She’d kept their secret and they’d kept hers. She shook her head. “Anyway, let’s get this over with.” The sooner she had the conversation, the sooner she’d be rid of him.

  She followed Liz back downstairs to where Miles sat with the ice pack against his jaw. She took the chair across from him and waited with her arms folded.

  Miles set the ice pack on the table and rubbed his jaw. “You pack a helluva punch, Mae Lee.” At her glare, he hastily corrected himself. “Sorry, Leigh.” He stared at her a long moment, then said, “You look good, girl.”

  So did he, but she refused to say so. With his golden skin, towering height and blinding good looks, women constantly threw themselves in his path. “How did you find me?”

  “I remembered you saying you were going to stay with your friend, Elizabeth whose parents owned a restaurant. I asked around and it was fairly easy to find her, since the restaurant is well-known. I didn’t expect the club.”

  “She just opened it six months ago. Why did you come here?”

  “I missed you, Leigh,” Miles said quietly. “Missed you more than you’ll ever know.”

  Despite her anger, her heart skipped a beat. “I need to change.” She stood.

  He stood and placed a staying hand on her arm. “I’ll go with you.”

  “There’s no need. I live upstairs.”

  ”Will you come back and talk to me? I want to try to explain.”

  As much as she shouldn’t care, a part of her wanted to know why he had disappeared. She nodded. Leigh reasoned that if she knew why he left, she could move on with her life. They both could.

  Chapter 2

  Miles placed the ice pack on his sore jaw and waited for Leigh to return. He had expected her to be angry, but he hadn’t expected her to land a punch that would do a boxer proud. Elizabeth had introduced herself when she handed him the ice, but outside of that hadn’t said another word. Now she stood behind the bar watching him intently.

  Belinda came over to the table again and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “No. I’ll be fine.” She had been hovering since Leigh stormed out the first time.

  “You can come by my place and I’ll fix you right up.”

  “Belinda, are you done cleaning your tables?” Elizabeth asked from the bar.

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll see you tomorrow. The man said he’s fine.”

  She mumbled something like good night, grabbed up her belongings and walked out.

  “Thanks,” Miles said.

  “You’re welcome. What are your intentions with Leigh?”

  He studied her. “That’s between me and Leigh.”

  “Not if it interferes with my business.”

  Elizabeth stood a good eight or nine inches taller than Leigh’s five-foot height, had a pretty light brown face and full figure. She also didn’t mince words.

  “I don’t plan to interfere in your business.”

  “That’s good to know.” She gave him a meaningful look.

  Before he could reply, Leigh entered. Her face still held some anger, but it didn’t distract from her beauty. She had changed into a simple white blouse and dark calf-length skirt. She’d also wiped off the lipstick. He remembered how her soft lips felt against his, the sweet taste of her kiss, the melodic sounds of pleasure he’d drawn from her. He would give anything to do it all again.

  “Did you sell my music sheets?” Leigh asked as she sat.

  Miles shook his head. He had taken three songs when he left, two they had done together and one she had written.

  “Then why did you take them?”

  He tried to come up with a way to explain that he needed some kind of connection to her after leaving. “I just wanted something to remember you by.”

  “You had me. That wasn’t enough?”

  “It was enough, Leigh. More than enough. My leaving had nothing to do with you and I’m so sorry I hurt you. That was never my intention.”

  “How long do you plan to stay?”

  More than anything, he wanted to tell her he’d stay as long as she was there, but he couldn’t. Not yet. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.” Leigh stood and held out her hand. “My music.”

  Miles reached down for the satchel next to his feet, extracted some papers and handed them to her. He caught her hand. “I would never sell these, baby.”

  She snatched her hand away. “Don’t call me that.”

  “Leigh—”

  Leigh shook her head. “Just stay away from me.” She turned to leave.

  “Can’t do that.”

  She stopped and faced him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Exactly what I said. If I could stay away, I wouldn’t be here.” It didn’t matter that she was angry with him or acted like she never wanted to see him again. He couldn’t blame her. He’d left her on her own to travel to an unknown place. He hadn’t been there her like he should have and he would go to his grave regretting his actions. Anything could have happened to her. She stared at him, seemingly searching for some meaning. But he didn’t know what it all meant, either. He only knew he wanted to be near her. “It’s late. We can talk some other time.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Miles smiled. “Yeah, we will. Good night, Leigh.” He watched until she disappeared through the back door.

  Liz came over and placed a glass in front of him. “You look like you could use this.”

  He tossed the drink back, set the glass on the table with a thud and stood. “No. I need more than this.” While putting on his hat, he contemplated asking her how much for the bottle, thinking if he got drunk enough, it would dampen his desire for Leigh. Unlike the foul taste of bathtub gin, which was known to kill a person, Liz’s liquor reminded him of the whiskey before prohibition. Undoubtedly, she knew a good bootlegger. In the end, he decided against it. Spirits dulled the mind and he liked to stay sharp. He tipped his hat politely to Liz and walked out the front door and down the three blocks to his apartment.

&nbs
p; The place Miles called his temporary home didn’t have much in the way of furniture and it suited him just fine. As long as he had a bed and a place to cook, he would make do. Moving around as often as he did taught him to be frugal and whenever it became time to leave again, everything he owned could fit into one suitcase. He removed his father’s pocket watch and a photo of his parents on their wedding day from his pants and placed them on the night table next to the bed. Miles fingered his father’s wedding band resting on the fourth finger of his left hand. His father told him that his mother had insisted on purchasing him one and didn’t care whether it was popular or not. They were the only things he had left of his parents. His mother died when he was three and he had no memory of her. Afterward he and his father lived with Miles’s paternal grandmother in Louisiana for about six months. But his father was so brokenhearted over losing his wife he turned to the one thing that made him happy—music. Miles Cooper, Sr. packed up and hit the road, taking Miles with him. Miles remembered never staying in one place for more than three or four months, but, somehow, they always had a roof over their heads and food to eat. He recalled sitting on his father’s lap learning to play the piano.

  When Miles was old enough, he played alongside his father in the various saloons and clubs. The attention he garnered often resulted in a few extra dollars, which his father promptly tucked away, telling Miles that money was for Miles’s future. But those times had passed. His father went off to fight in the World War and came home in a pine box. Miles had been eighteen at the time and went back to Louisiana to stay with his grandmother. He found a job working on a farm, but he couldn’t live without the music and soon found himself wandering again. Restless feet, his grandmother had called it. She also told him it would take a good woman to settle him, just like it had done his father. However, he didn’t put any stock in her words because he’d met several women and none held his interest for long. Until Leigh. After leaving, he’d had a few dalliances, but always found them lacking. Not so with Leigh. From her sparkling dark eyes and playful smile to her sassy ways and smooth voice, she had touched a chord in his heart. But he’d hurt her and he had to take his comeuppance like a man. He didn’t know anything about putting down roots, but in order to have her he would have to learn.

  *

  Leigh woke up the next morning in a foul mood. She’d tossed and turned all night thinking about Miles. Pushing him out of her mind, she took care of her needs, dressed and went out to run her errands. One of the things she enjoyed most about Harlem was everything being in walking distance. She stopped to speak to the West Indian couple who owned the market and headed over to the produce section to see if they had any peaches. She was just about out of her beloved peach jam and wanted to make more. They had a nice selection, so she got a few more to put up for the winter. Leigh added some more things to her basket, paid for her purchases and reversed her course for home. On the way back, she admired an evening dress in the window of a shop. Now that she had a bit more money coming in, she would treat herself to something nice soon.

  Once she returned to her apartment, Leigh started the arduous task of doing laundry. It had never been one of her favorite chores. She didn’t have many clothes, but after adding the bedding and towels, she felt like she had washed clothes for an entire family. She hung everything on the clothesline downstairs behind the building, except her underthings. Those she hung in the bathroom. Leigh changed out of her wet blouse then went downstairs to have lunch with Liz in the restaurant.

  “I was wondering where you were,” Liz said.

  “Laundry. I think my clothes multiply when I’m not looking,” Leigh added with a chuckle.

  “I still have to do mine. Thank goodness we’re closed tonight.” The club was closed on Thursdays and Sundays, while the restaurant only closed on Sundays. A server came to take their order. They spent a few minutes discussing some new ideas Liz had for the club.

  “So you and Miles talked for a while last night. Did he say why he’s here?”

  Leigh fiddled with the napkin in her lap. “He said he missed me, but I wasn’t born yesterday.”

  “You don’t believe him?”

  Her brow lifted. “Would you? He’s been gone three years, Liz.” She paused when the server came and placed the food on the table. She thanked the woman and picked up her fork. “If you miss somebody, it doesn’t take that long to figure out.”

  Liz shrugged. “Maybe he couldn’t afford to come until now.”

  “Why are you taking his side?”

  “I’m not. I’m just saying he may have a good reason.”

  “If he does, he didn’t share it with me.” Leigh couldn’t come up with one plausible scenario as to why Miles had disappeared for three years and hadn’t made an attempt to find her until now.

  “Whatever the case,” she said between bites, “the man can play that piano and sing.”

  Yes, he could. She’d heard his voice in her dreams all night long. Deciding they needed to change the subject, she asked, “Are you going to Mrs. Perkins’s rent party tonight?” A man had handed her a rent party ticket while out that morning.

  “Probably. Her husband lost his job a couple of weeks ago, so I know they need the money.”

  “I didn’t know that. I hope he finds something soon.” Neighbors brought all kinds of foods, supplied bootleg liquor, and had piano players or a small band. People paid an admission fee and extra for food and drinks. One could find a party every night, but most took place on a Saturday when laborers got paid and didn’t have to work the next day. Those had been Leigh’s best money-making nights. Thursdays had gained popularity lately because most sleepin domestic workers had the day off. “I’ll go with you.”

  Later, Leigh met Liz and Frank downstairs for the ride over. She could hear the loud voices and smell the food as soon as they entered the building. They handed their twenty-five cents to the woman at the door and squeezed into the crowded space. The regular lights had been replaced with soft, colored ones. All the furniture had been moved from the front room and the rugs taken up, leaving only a piano. Frank immediately slid onto the bench and started playing. Leigh and Liz found their way to the kitchen where the hosts were serving fried chicken, pork chops, potato salad, chitterlings, Hoppin’ John, collard greens and gumbo. Liz paid the additional ten cents for a plate, but Leigh declined.

  She ventured back to the front room to watch the dancing. She tapped her foot and clapped in time with the rhythm until a young man she knew from the restaurant pulled her out onto the floor. They did the Charleston, Jitterbug and Lindyhop, and had a great time. Her partner spun her out. Her laughter faded and she missed a step. Miles stood leaning against the wall watching her, his expression unreadable. Leigh quickly gathered herself and continued dancing, angry that his mere presence could rattle her. Without turning around, she could feel his heated gaze and, after another minute, she excused herself from her dance partner and wound her way through the apartment to the bathroom.

  A man latched on to her arm. “Hey, honey. One of the bedrooms is free. How ‘bout you and me—”

  Leigh jerked her arm away and stared, appalled. “I beg your pardon, sir! I am not that kind of girl.” Along with the food and dancing, at many parties, the bedrooms were reserved for gambling and other illicit activities.

  The man ducked his head and had the decency to look embarrassed. He mumbled something that sounded like, “My apologies, ma’am,” and shuffled off down the hallway.

  “Honey, you know you can earn three days’ pay or more in just fifteen minutes. It ain’t bad.”

  She stared in utter shock at the scantily dressed woman lounging against the opposite wall.

  “Hmph. I’d be a fool to go back to cleaning and scrubbing and breaking my back all day.” She shrugged. “Just something to think about.” She sauntered off.

  Leigh shook her head. She would never resort to working on her back to for any reason. She closed the bathroom door, leaned against it and took
a deep breath. Her mind went back to Miles. This wasn’t exactly what she had in mind when she told Miles to stay out of her way. She didn’t want to keep bumping into him all over the city. Seeing him reminded her too much of their times together—the music, the dancing, the kisses. She promptly dismissed the latter thought. There would be no kissing this time around. Leigh wished she could stay in the bathroom all night, or at least until he left. Sighing, she went back to join the party.

  Before she could take two steps, a hand slid around her waist and Leigh turned, intending to give the offender a blistering retort.

  “Holster your weapons, baby. I only want to dance,” Miles whispered close to her ear.

  Dancing with him could prove to be very dangerous, especially since the music had changed from the energy-filled jazz to the sultry blues. Couples all over the room snuggled close and swayed slowly to the music, and some men had their women against the wall, stealing kisses. No, dancing would not be a good idea. He extended his hand and she reluctantly let herself be led onto the floor. The moment Miles pulled her into his arms, all rational thought left her head. Leigh tried to remain distant, but the heat of his body against hers seeped through to her skin, warming her all over. The sound of his steady heartbeat beneath her ear melted her resistance and she lost herself in his embrace. His hand made an unhurried path up her spine and her pulse skipped. No other man had touched her this way and as much as she tried to deny it, she’d missed him.

  “I missed holding you this way,” he said, echoing her thoughts. “I know I hurt you, but give me another chance to show you I’m a changed man.”

  Leigh lifted her head and met his gaze. Lord knew it would be easy to fall back into a relationship with him, but one heartbreak was enough to last her a lifetime. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Miles. I—”

  “We were good together and I know we’ll be even better this time.” He gathered her closer and continued to dance until the last notes of the song faded away. “Thanks for the dance, Leigh.”

  “You’re welcome.” Without taking his eyes off her, he lifted her hand and brought it to his lips in a soft, lingering kiss that sent heat flowing up her arm. He smiled, inclined his head and left her standing in the middle of the floor trying to breathe again. She glanced around and saw a few raised eyebrows, as well as two women glaring at her, one being Belinda from the restaurant. Liz had mentioned the woman staying around to try to talk to Miles last night.