“I don’t think so,” she said reaching for her glass of white wine. She leaned towards Jackie. “I didn’t realize this was a gay bar. I’m staying in the hotel but I didn’t read anything about it in the reviews.”
“It’s not,” Jackie said with a laugh. “And, for the record, I wasn’t hitting on you. I would have said something better than ‘Do I know you?’”
“Sorry,” she said, her cheeks darkening. “I just…”
“Let’s start over,” Jackie said as she extended her hand. “Jackie.”
“I’m Lynn,” she said, giving Jackie’s hand a quick shake.
“Nice to meet you, Lynn… Seriously though. I think I know you from somewhere.”
“I’m a pro golfer,” Lynn offered. “Was. Sorry. I just retired a few weeks ago.”
“That’s it,” Jackie said as she lifted her glass off of the bar slightly to let the bartender know she was looking for a refill. “So how are you enjoying retirement?”
“Uh… It’s strange, really. I was going a bit crazy at home so I decided to come up here for a few weeks, maybe a few months,” Lynn said.
“Where are you from?”
“Tampa,” she answered, reaching for her drink.
“New York’s a big change. I think you’ll like it though. It’s the perfect place for a fresh start,” Jackie said.
“I’ve only been here for two nights and I’ve already been hit on once, before I’ve even set foot in a gay club. So it’s going better than I had expected,” she said with a laugh.
“That was my friend, Emily, that you were talking to earlier,” Jackie said as the bartender brought her a newly filled tumbler. “She’s one of the nicest women you’ll ever meet but she’s so shy sometimes…”
“I got that vibe. I was flattered though. She seems really sweet.”
“She is,” Jackie said taking a drink. “It took a lot of convincing to get her to come up here and introduce herself. I’m really glad she did though.”
“Me too,” Lynn said. “So you’re a bit of a match maker then?”
“No. Not really. I’m just looking out for Emily.”
“I actually noticed the two of you coming in. I just assumed you were together,” Lynn said.
Jackie laughed softly. “No. Well, we met on the dance floor a few years ago. I was interested in her but the whole thing was so awkward. I couldn’t even tell you why but we’ve been friends ever since.”
“Yeah. That’s happened to me before. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be,” Lynn said reaching for her drink. “So what about you? Are you single? Married?”
“Single. Definitely single,” Jackie said as she paid the bartender for her whiskey and Coke.
“I hope Emily can return the favor.”
“I think she’s given up hope for me,” Jackie said, bringing her tumbler to her lips, avoiding eye contact.
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t really do relationships… She’s always on my case to change my ways but… It’s just who I am.”
“As long as you know who you are,” Lynn said.
“Exactly and that’s why I don’t do relationships. They’ve never ended well for me.”
“I won’t try and convince you otherwise but maybe… Maybe you haven’t met the right person yet,” Lynn said.
“Maybe you’re right, although, I highly doubt it,” she said, taking another long drink. “Anyway, I hope Emily calls you and she doesn’t chicken out.” She left the empty glass on the bar.
“It was nice to meet you,” Lynn said.
“You too,” Jackie said, “Good night.”
She made a quick escape, her heart pounding in her chest. She was only going up to the bar for a quick chat but she found herself getting lost in those blue eyes.
Jackie left the air-conditioned bar and was met with the hot and humid air of the outside world instantly.
On one hand she wanted Emily to call Lynn. That way she might get to talk to her again. Maybe the sudden attraction was a one-time thing? Maybe it was the whiskey.
On the other hand, she wanted Emily to forget all about Lynn so that she could bump into her again. She knew Lynn was staying at that hotel. She wouldn’t be too hard to find.
Jackie ran a hand through her chestnut colored hair. Thankfully this didn’t happen too often. They both had sworn off relationships for different reasons. Emily’s last relationship ended suddenly and she’s pretty much refused to date since then even with Jackie’s encouragements.
Jackie went in the opposite direction. She wouldn’t commit to anyone but that didn’t mean she slept alone at night.
Jackie reached her building wondering how she’d gotten there. She was on autopilot. It was probably for the best that her feet brought her here rather than to a club.
She got into the elevator and tried to forget about Lynn and the possibility of Emily dating her.
Chapter 2
Thursday dragged for Jackie. She tried to focus on her work and spent most of the day pretending to edit photos but she didn’t get much done.
Thankfully, it was Friday and Emily would be walking in the door of the diner any minute now. Jackie was dying to know what was going on with Lynn.
She sipped her coffee, her knee bouncing under the table, unable to sit still.
“Hey,” Emily said, as she slid into the booth. “Did you order yet?”
“Of course not. I was waiting for you.”
“I always get the same thing,” Emily said, pushing her shades on top of her head.
“You’re on a tight schedule I take it?”
“As always,” Emily said, quickly glancing at the menu.
A young waitress came over to take their order.
“A club sandwich for me,” Emily said. “With a glass of water.”
“The burger please. Everything on it,” Jackie said, handing her the menus. “Water for me too.”
“What’s going on with you?”
“Never mind me. What about you?” Jackie said, leaning forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Did you call her?”
“Of course I called her! She’s stunning and smart. Did you know she’s a pro golfer?” Emily gushed. “I should stop calling her ‘she.’ Her name’s Lynn Prescott. Have you heard of her?”
“Yeah. The name sounds familiar,” Jackie said. “So when’s the big date?”
“Tomorrow.”
“That’s great, Em.”
“I don’t know where to take her though. Dinner? Movies? You know I’m not good at this.”
Jackie leaned back into the red leather seat. “What about Central Park?” She paused for a second realizing that she wasn’t supposed to know that Lynn wasn’t from New York.
“That’s a great idea!” Emily said, thumping her fist down lightly on the table. "Why couldn't I come up with something like that?"
“She’s probably from out of town so Central Park might be a nice way to show her around. You can talk but you won’t be under the same pressure you would be if you were sitting across from one another at an upscale restaurant,” Jackie said, thinking aloud.
“You’re a genius, Jackie!”
“This is my area of expertise.”
“I’ll text her tonight and let her know,” Emily said. “Thank you for helping me out. I know it’s about time that I get back out there. You should too you know.”
“Emily, we’ve been over this. No more relationships.”
“Ever?”
“Never. That’s it. It’s not worth it,” Jackie said, trying not to get into an argument about it. “You’re not going to convince me to change my ways so you might as well leave it.”
“Okay.”
“How’s work?” Jackie asked, changing the subject.
“Insane. The craziest it’s ever been.”
“All part of moving up the ladder?”
“Yes,” Emily said with a small sigh. “So I’ve signed up for all this. This is exactly what I’ve been dreaming about since college.”
“It’ll be worth it when you move into a penthouse,” Jackie said with a smirk.
“I sure hope so,” Emily said. “Here’s our food. I’m starving.”
The waitress brought them their lunches and left again to get Jackie a refill for her coffee.
“Any plans for this evening?”
“The usual,” Jackie said, holding her burger in her hands, trying to find the best place to start without causing a mess. “Do you want to come with?”
“I think my clubbing days are over. Now that I know I can just walk up to a woman in a random bar and ask her out… Why would I torture myself like that?”
“You can’t do that if I’m not there. How will you know who’s gay and who’s not?” Jackie said, taking a big bite out of her burger.
“That’s true,” Emily said. “I’ll see how tomorrow goes before I start thinking about asking any other women out.”
“Good idea.”
The blond waitress returned with Jackie’s fresh cup of coffee while the two women were too busy eating to talk.
A few minutes later, Jackie was leaning back, full but satisfied. “Make sure you’re not too busy for pride, Em.”
“When’s that?”
“Two weeks away.”
“We should be wrapping up this case by the end of next week,” Emily said, wiping her mouth with her napkin.
“Good. You’re not missing the parade.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Emily said with a small smile.
Chapter 3
Jackie’s week was a drunken daze, going from one bar to the next night after night, and rolling out of bed just in time for dinner – usually pizza or Chinese.
On Friday evening, she took a long shower and snapped out of it. She had a busy weekend ahead. She normally had weddings booked on the weekends but tonight and tomorrow she had two freelancing gigs.
Tonight, she was heading to a gig in an intimate venue just a few blocks from her apartment for an up and coming artist. She was the singer-songwriter type but from what Jackie heard of her on YouTube, her voice had a unique quality to it.
On Saturday, Jackie had a heavy metal gig; not exactly her thing but it paid. She’d send in her photos to a few of the mainstream metal magazines and hope that most of them would want to use her shots.
She looked through her closet and pulled out a black tank top and skinny jeans. She was always hot when she did gigs. Having to push through the crowds to get right in front of the artist was almost always hard work.
Jackie put on her black Converse shoes and double checked that her camera bag had all of her equipment in it. She reached into her desk draw and pulled out an extra battery, and threw it in her bag, just in case.
She also pulled down her press pass that was hanging on the inside of her closet door and put it around her neck.
She checked her reflection in her full length mirror. It was so hot out, her hair would dry on her way there. She put a light layer of make up on and grabbed her black camera bag, slinging it over her shoulder.
Jackie could have taken a cab but she preferred walking. It cleared her head. Emily had sent her a text during the week to let her know that her Central Park date with Lynn was a success.
Jackie didn’t ask what “success” meant but she was pretty sure that Emily was just suggesting that she hadn’t made a complete ass of herself. Emily never jumped into anything. They might not have even kissed, knowing her.
She tried to take her thoughts away from her friend and her new potential love interest. She’d be at the venue in a few minutes.
No matter how casual other parts of her life were, Jackie took her work very seriously. She liked to be at venues early, even if she knew the place well. Sometimes the lighting was drastically different depending on the type of artist that was playing.
Jackie wanted to be there early enough to get some shots in and play around with her camera’s settings. Sometimes she even got to have a quick chat with the singer before the gig.
She wished this was her full time job but it just hadn’t worked out that way for her yet. To keep her nice apartment, she took more weddings than she’d like to but it was what paid the best, especially since she only sought out high paying clients.
Jackie knocked on the side door of the venue and met one of the usual security guards who let her in when she flashed her press pass.
She was less than an hour early and she could hear the crowd of people out in the bar waiting for their turn to get inside.
Jackie watched the young woman on stage finishing her sound check. She was brave to just go with just her first name: Regan. Maybe she had an unusual last name. Her long dirty blond hair fell well past her shoulders and she played the acoustic guitar well.
It was just Regan on stage and Jackie noticed a piano to the right of the stage about halfway back. There were no other microphones or chairs. Definitely brave.
Jackie watched her play what would be her last song for sound check and took a few snaps as the lights changed for this more upbeat song.
Regan’s voice had such a haunting tone to it that it was surprising to Jackie how well it worked with a faster, happier song. Everything she’d heard on YouTube had been quite depressing if she was honest, which did suit her voice and style.
She looked down at the camera and changed her shutter speed slightly before taking a few more shots. That should do it. She put her camera back in her bag and closed it, making sure everything was secure.
Jackie found the bar in the back of the room and got herself a cold beer as Regan left the stage. It was already getting hot in here and there were only a handful of people in the room.
She watched the bouncers open the double doors and the crowd started filtering in, most of them with drinks already in hand.
Jackie checked her silver watch. There was no opening act tonight so Regan would be on stage shortly.
Leaning against the bar, she pulled out her camera and cycled through the photos she’d taken. Jackie silently hoped that Regan would be playing that upbeat song during her first three songs so that Jackie could get a few shots of it. She knew the bouncers here wouldn’t be that strict about the three song rule, but Jackie liked to put the camera away after that anyway and just enjoy the gig. Regan was actually smiling as she played the intro on her guitar for that song and Jackie wanted to capture it.
“Hey, Jackie!”
Her eyes darted upwards at the sound of a familiar voice. “Lynn, hi,” Jackie said, trying not to sound too excited. She was possibly the last person that Jackie thought she might run into here.
“I didn’t know you were a fan of Regan.”
“I’m working tonight,” Jackie said, holding up her camera. “You are though?”
“The receptionist at the hotel recommended the gig,” Lynn answered. “I hadn’t heard of her before.”
“She’s pretty new. This is probably her biggest gig so far.”
“So you’re a gig photographer too? Emily mentioned that you did weddings.”
“I do a lot of freelance photography but weddings are more reliable in terms of income…”
“But you don’t enjoy them as much?” Lynn asked.
“No. I’d prefer to be doing this every night,” Jackie said, reaching for her bottle of beer that she left on the bar. “Speaking of which…” she said as the lights dimmed. “I better move to the front.”
“Okay, maybe I’ll see you after?”
“Sure,” Jackie said with a smile and turned away to find the best route to the stage through the crowd.
People were still coming through the double doors from the bar so Jackie was able to easily weave her way through the crowd until she was just to the left of the stage.
She took out her camera and watched Regan come on stage to a mild round of applause. She sat on a tall stool and put her guitar strap over her shoulder, giving it a gentle strum before checking the tuning.
Jackie brought her camera to her eye an
d began taking photos as Regan sang the opening lines of her first song, a slow, haunting ballad.
There was only one other photographer there so she was able to move across the front of the stage with more freedom than she was used to.
Her first two songs flew by and Jackie quickly changed the settings on her camera as she recognized the start of that upbeat song that she’d heard in song check. The lighting changed completely from just a simple white spot light to fast colorful lights that moved across the stage.
Claire Decker Bundle Page 7