“Hi. I’m Jake Masters. This is my . . . my other father, Moose. And the lady is my very good friend, Gracie. This,” he said, touching Giz’s head, “is Gizmo. My mentor. I do not have the words right now to tell you how happy I am to be here.”
“Well, damn, man, it’s good to see you,” John said, wrapping his arms around Jake’s shoulders. “This is Mr. Arnold Stonebridge. Beth and I work for him, and he owns the club.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Jake. Call me Arnold. Your sister has told me so much about you, I feel I know you.” He held out his tiny hand, and Jake clasped it in both his, and it was difficult, but he knew somehow that the handshake was important to the little man.
“I wish I could say the same thing, but I didn’t find out about any of this till four o’clock this morning. I hope we can sit down and talk.”
“Absolutely. And who is this beautiful animal? It must be Gizmo! I’ve heard all about you, too, Sergeant.” Arnold held out his hand again, and Giz offered his. A treat found its way to Arnold’s hand. He held it out. Giz took it and carried it over to the biggest Christmas tree in the room and lay down.
Jim Mack finished up the introductions, then they all trooped into the kitchen, where a catered lunch was set out.
The hours flew by as the small group talked about past Christmases, friends, and families, until Arnold called a halt and said it was time to gather around the tree in the center of the club and sing carols. “I just want you all to know that this is my very first Christmas with a real family. Beth and John have graciously included me, and I want to thank you for the privilege.
“Since this is my first real Christmas, I have to go by what Beth and John have told me, which is, first we eat this big, as in big, dinner, which will be arriving soon, catered, of course. Then we clean up. That means everyone hustles because they want to get to all those exquisite packages underneath the tree. But first we sing all the Christmas carols, and it doesn’t matter if you can sing or not.” His eyes went to Beth, and everyone laughed out loud.
“Then we all walk around the Christmas tree and look at the ornaments and relive memories. After that, we all go to the window to look outside to see if it’s snowing, which the weatherman said wouldn’t happen, but we’re going to do it anyway.
“And then we gather around the tree again and we all say a silent prayer for peace on earth and wish all men and women goodwill.”
“And then we sit down and open all the presents!” Beth squealed at the top of her lungs. “I’m sorry I stole your last line, Arnold.”
“That’s okay.” The little man laughed. “I hear the caterers in the kitchen setting up dinner. We’re having candles and everything because I saw that in a picture once. And there is a small, real-live Christmas tree in the center of the table that is all decorated. I can’t wait. Welcome to my home, everyone! And Merry Christmas!”
Jim Mack moved and scooped the little man up in his arms, to Arnold’s complete surprise. For a moment he wasn’t sure what he should do—be embarrassed, be insulted, or be happy. He looked at the happy faces around him, and said, “So this is how it feels to be up here so high! Merry Christmas!” he bellowed.
Arnold looked at the faces staring up at him. At long last he saw what he had hungered for all his life—acceptance. He really did belong. He was finally just one of the guys, something he never, ever thought he would experience.
“To one and all,” Beth and the others said, as tears streamed down their faces.
Not to be outdone, Giz let loose with three sharp barks of approval.
Epilogue
Beth stared out the car window at the early morning. February was not one of her favorite months. It was that gray, dismal time between what was left of winter and only a memory of what spring was from the year before. Plus it was cold. It shouldn’t be cold on Valentine’s Day. It should be warm to go with people’s smiles. So far, she had yet to see a smile, but then, the only person she’d seen so far was John, and at best, he was grumpy. He’d only had three hours’ sleep because the band had played late, and by the time they got home he was too wired up to go to sleep. She crossed her fingers that all would go well at the recording studio. If he wasn’t up to his game today, all she’d done would be for nothing.
“You nervous, babe?” he asked.
“Define nervous.” This was good. He’d initiated a conversation. Maybe he was perking up.
“You know, jittery. You’ve been wanting this forever, and now it’s here. You have a right to be jittery. It’s all going to be fine, so just relax. I’m going to be playing, too, and I’m loose as a goose.” He laughed at his little joke. Actually, he wasn’t loose as a goose, he was wired worse than Beth. Something in his gut told him today was going to be a total disaster for her.
“So you’re happy with the producer you hired?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ve got it down pat. John, we spent the last six days doing the rough tracks for each song with the rhythm section, thanks to your band. We managed to mold the song, we figured out the tempo and the key. Each musician recorded his own individual track, and it will be mixed in later. We’ve done everything they asked us to do. Today we do the final take on the lead vocal. We’ve already done three takes and are good to go.
“Our engineer and producer already mixed all the tracks, so this is our final mix. Anything that could go wrong would have gone wrong by now.”
“God, Beth, I had no idea it was costing fifty thousand dollars to do all this. That is one boatload of money. And you’re going to be spending another fifty thousand on production and distribution.”
Beth wanted to say, “John, you are worth every penny because I believe in you.” But she didn’t. “It is a lot of money, but one has to follow one’s dream whenever possible. I’d do it all over again if I had to.”
“You sure your distribution and promotion is sterling? If it isn’t, then this could be a bust.”
“Absolutely I am sure. Arnold helped me with that. You know he has a lot of influence here in Nashville. He assured me he has it covered. We’ll get a lot of good play and press. Look, John, whatever happens, happens. Today all you have to do is the one song, then you can head out to the café. An hour tops. I’ll catch a ride back with Arnold. You okay with that?”
“Yeah. I’m happy as long as you’re happy. So, tonight is the big party. You got that covered, too, I suppose.”
Beth laughed. “Let’s just say it’s covered, but not by me. Everyone else did all the work. I just got it up and running. Mandy, Callie, and Lily have their divisions in line. By now, all the clients, or guests if you prefer, should either be arriving or they came in last night. I know Gracie, Jake, and Moose got here last night. Arnold arranged for the caterer. You guys are providing the music. Rootie Tootie’s is closed tonight. By the way, what do you think of Arnold’s decision to buy up the two properties next to the club for expansion?”
“From what I can see, and what he told me, sounds like a tremendous investment to me. He’s sharp; nothing gets by him. He’s going to be mad as a wet hornet when he finds out you nominated him for Man of the Year here in Nashville. Tess at the café told me she has it on good authority he’s going to take the title hands down. She had every customer who came in for the past month vote for Arnold. I’m hoping after tonight, he comes out of his shell.”
“Okay, we’re here, Beth. This is it, honey. You ready?”
“I am soooo ready, you have no idea,” Beth trilled. Oh, John, if you only knew.
Coats, hats, mufflers, all their gear was stowed before Beth and John hit the studio. They watched as the producer, his assistant, the engineers, and the technicians readied everything. The band was in place. Arnold Stonebridge was standing on a stool behind a huge plate-glass window. His tiny fist shot in the air. Time to get this show on the road!
John was to take the lead and sing their song. He smiled at Beth as she stood to the side and watched him take a deep breath. Then the music started, an
d it all happened just the way she had dreamed it would.
“When I gave my heart, you stole my soul.
I felt so lost and empty.
Your smiling lies,
A great disguise,
My tears were mighty plenty.
“When I look back I do remind
That same old saying’s true:
Love is blind.
I thought you were mine.
What was I thinking when I was thinking of you?”
Beth didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she heard the last note. It swooshed out of her as she looked up at Arnold, who was grinning from ear to ear.
DONE! In her heart, Beth knew John would make the charts. She just knew it. It looked to her like everyone else in the room thought so, too. Except John, who was wrapping up to hurry back to the café. He still believed this was all about Beth and not him.
The minute John waved and was out the door, Beth let loose. “Okay, you guys know what to do. You take out all my caterwauling and fix it. I’ll pick it up sometime around six. Everyone clear on what you have to do? No screwups. I want to thank you all for . . . for going along with all this and keeping it a secret.”
The producer, a man named Evan Evers, looked at Beth, and said, “The guy has the talent. From here on in, it’s up to him. He doesn’t even have to work at it; it all comes natural to him. Good job! Thanks for the gig, Miss Masters.”
Beth laughed. “I saw you guys trying not to wince when I was singing.”
“You can’t sing, that’s for sure. But if I recall, that’s the first thing you said to me when we met. See ya around.”
Beth turned around to see Arnold moving faster than she’d ever seen him move. He was grinning from ear to ear. “My dear, I didn’t think it was possible, but you pulled it off. John does not have a clue he was the star of this recording. I guess you are going to have to fess up pretty darn soon. Like maybe tonight?”
Beth felt a twinge of uneasiness. Tonight she was going to have to do a lot of fessing up. She crossed her fingers that nothing backfired.
As they headed out to Arnold’s specially equipped van, he chatted the whole way about how great John sounded, how confident he was that he was going to make it in the music world. From there he babbled on about the club’s expansion and what it would mean for the music industry here in Nashville. Beth just kept smiling and agreeing with everything he said.
“I’m really looking forward to your get-together this evening,” Arnold said as he settled himself on the hydraulic lift that put him behind the wheel. “Tell me again what it’s all about. I love hearing about your business.”
Beth sucked in a deep breath. This was all part of the “fessing” up that was going to either make or break her. “It’s . . . it’s just something Gracie and I do for our clients. We’re kind of different in that way from the other matchmaking services, which are pretty much exclusively geared to the very young yuppies. I hate to use the term specialize, but in the end, that’s what it is. We have divisions that cater to different demographics. I like to use the example of say, Joe Smith, who has a club foot and is shy about going out to meet someone because of his handicap. Doesn’t matter if he’s got a PhD in economics, and has boo koo money in the bank. People can be cruel, and I hate that. I really hate that. Why shouldn’t Joe Smith have the same chances at happiness as anyone else? Why does he have to stay alone at night watching movies by himself or buying takeout because he doesn’t want to face ridicule or ignorant stares? That’s what I mean by specialize. We’re working for everyone, but one division specializes in making those with challenges comfortable enough to venture out. I hope I said that right.
“Just so you know, Arnold, this is not about money; we’ll be lucky if this division comes even close to breaking even. And it isn’t about exploiting people with challenges. It’s about giving everyone a chance at happiness. In time, we might make a small profit, but right now that isn’t important to Gracie and me.
“Jake, surprisingly, because he was handicapped himself for a while, is on board with all of this, and he’s into it. He does his therapy in the mornings at the rehab, and works with Gracie on Perfect Match in the afternoons. Eventually, Jake is going to work full-time with the rehab center, and it will go back to just Gracie and me running Perfect Match. It’s all coming full circle, Arnold. Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t such a hopeless romantic. But I am, and I always will be. It’s who I am.”
Arnold smiled, and the smile stayed on his face all the way back to the club. He was going to say he would be standing in the wings in case he was needed, but he was so tuned to his new friends these days he knew he didn’t have to say the words.
Life was so meaningful these days. He offered up a silent prayer that it would stay that way.
The grand ballroom at the Nashville Inn was alive with music, chatter, and laughter as the guests of Perfect Match met the owners for the first time. Jake, Gracie, Gizmo, Mandy, Lily, and Callie had formed a receiving line, which Beth joined as soon as she arrived.
The big grand ballroom had been decorated with fresh flowers, papier-mâché, and strings of hearts in honor of Saint Valentine’s Day. No one was actually dancing, but they were talking, and no one was standing around alone or acting like a wallflower. Beth’s battle cry at the onset was “Mingle!” So her challenged guests mingled. As Gracie put it, there didn’t look to be a shy one among the 150 guests. Because . . . as Jake put it, those who were challenged somehow had the ability to look beyond whatever deformity was visible to the naked eye.
Gizmo understood that this was a social occasion, and he arrived in civilian mode, not work mode. He played the room, though, going up to a blind man with a service dog named Shasha. He yipped a greeting that was returned with a yip. Then, in dog speak, he yipped again. Translation: “Wanna get together later?” The return yip was a happy sound. Translation: “Seriously, dude. I’m working. Later.” Gizmo trotted off to the far wall, where a long, low table was set up for the little people. He walked among them and allowed himself to be petted and crooned to. He went right up to Arnold, who looked so dazed he appeared out of it. He nudged him to the side and yipped and growled and nipped at the little man’s leg. When Arnold didn’t seem to be getting the message, Jake appeared and leaned over. “When Beth says mingle, she damn well means mingle. She doesn’t want you standing around staring off into space. In case you don’t know this, Arnold, this whole thing is because of you. She did this all for you, so you would have someone in your life. There’s a little lady over there with bright blue eyes named Emily Baker. She’s been batting those baby blues at you for the last fifteen minutes. Even Gizmo picked up on it. You just gonna stand here or what?”
Or what indeed. Arnold was in full panic mode now as he looked across at Emily Baker, who was, in fact, batting her eyelashes at him. He’d noticed her before but thought she had something in her eye. Stupid is as stupid does.
Arnold started to stammer. “I don’t . . . I never . . . What do I . . . ? I thought she had something in her eye. I’m not . . . I had no idea . . .”
“Listen, Arnold. I don’t even know if Tennessee has a river or not, but if it did, and I suddenly threw you in it, either you’d drown or you’d swim like hell to get out. Same thing here. March your butt over there and ask her if you can get her a glass of wine. But introduce yourself first.”
“You’re sure? That’s all I have to do?”
“Yeah. It worked for me with Gracie. Look at us now. We’re on our way to something. What do you have to lose? Miss Emily Baker is your age. She makes costumes for showgirls in Las Vegas. She is financially independent and isn’t looking for someone to take care of her. She can do that all by herself. But she does want friends and a companion to go through life with. Now, are you going to go over there? Or do I have to pick you up and take you there? Which is going to be a problem with this cane, but I will do it.”
Arnold looked up at the giant standing next to him and kne
w he meant every word of what he said. Best to do it on his own. “Okay, okay, I’ll do it.” He trotted off, Giz at his side.
“I heard all that. You’re a bully, Jake Masters.”
“Better than a whiny puke, right?”
Gracie doubled over laughing.
“When is Beth going to tell John what she did?”
Gracie kept on laughing. “She did on the ride over here. He said he knew but let her do her thing. He said he wasn’t looking for fame and fortune, and he did not want to be a big Nashville star. He wants to stay right where he is with the band and Arnold and be a help with the expansion. Beth couldn’t have found a better guy.”
“So everything worked out just the way it was supposed to. Do you think Beth has some kind of . . . of . . .”
Jake’s head bobbed up and down. “Whatever it is, she’s got it. All you have to do is look at Arnold. Damn, he’s into it. Look, he’s escorting Emily over to a table. He’s laughing. Or is that flirting?”
“They’re both flirting. Check out Gizmo and Miz Shasha over there. He’s such a gentleman.”
Beth joined them. “Look! Look! I knew it! I knew it!” She clapped her hands together.
“What?” Jake asked. “You mean Arnold and Emily?”
“The perfect match!”
Dear Readers,
I suspect that a lot of you readers feel depressed or sad as I do when you realize you are about to read the last page of a book, knowing it’s the end. I always want more, maybe just a page; two or three would be great. It rarely if ever happens, as we all know. I decided I could give you all a few more pages by adding a delectable pie recipe that the character Moose used in Perfect Match.
Having said that, I just wanted you all to know that Moose borrowed (okay, he swiped it) the recipe from a beautiful, charming lady in California, and palmed it off as his own. Of course, as the author, I allowed that to happen with the beautiful, charming lady’s permission.
Perfect Match Page 26