The
Rockstar
Fifteen years and many heart-wrenching
experiences after their disastrous first meeting, a reformed rock star and the
woman who idolized him as a teenager get a second chance to prove songs of the
heart are the sweetest music of all.
EXCERPTS:
Rock'n' Romance
The Rock Star
Spotlights flashed in
rainbows across the stage. Red. Green. Blue. Crisscrossing until they merged
into one white-hot light on Geoff Chastain’s face, evoking memories of other
times. The screams of thousands of teenaged girls washed through his memory as
he pulled the microphone from its stand.
The first notes of
his daughter's favorite song filled the auditorium and his breath caught,
jagged, in his chest. Pain pulsed through Geoff's heart with each beat of the
drum. He nearly dropped to his knees, longing to crawl back into the
self-imposed exile where he had existed since his daughter died.
The faces of the kids
in wheelchairs looked up at him with bright expectation. The whispers of the
singers waiting in the stage wings curled around him in concern.
Daddy, promise you
won’t let the music die. His daughter’s last request haunted Geoff. He never
suspected life would become so desolate he would forget to eat and sleep, let
alone lose touch with the music that had always flowed so easily from his soul.
A singer moved from
the wings to stand beside him. Her presence drifted around him in silent
encouragement. Her sweet contralto coaxed him to sing with her.
Focus, he ordered his
brain, staring at the woman. Waves of auburn hair framed her face, then tumbled
halfway down a lush body barely covered in spandex and sequins. A woman
designed to stir a man to action.
Geoff's voice rasped
with disuse on the first verse; the woman's harmony covered it. As he started
the second verse, an image of his daughter swam before his eyes and Geoff's
throat closed. The woman picked up the melody without missing a beat, as if
they had planned this duet.
He grasped at her
hand and drew a deep breath. Her soft scent filled his nostrils, drawing his
attention away from the pain. Giving him the strength to dig deep inside where
the music had lain in silent mourning.
Geoff's voice mingled
with hers on the chorus, then soared as he soloed the third verse. Their voices
chased each other through the final refrain, then their eyes met and held on
the last triumphant note. Awed silence hung for a moment before applause
erupted and the crowd was in motion.
A sea of well-wishers
swarmed onto the stage. Not the frenzied near-riots of years ago, but the
exuberant cheer of celebration. Smiles and congratulations wrapped warmly
around Geoff as men pumped his hand and women kissed his cheek.
But the mysterious
auburn-haired woman who saved his musical butt had disappeared.
The Body Guard:
Two weeks before Christmas, Mitch decided he had waited long enough.
"Come on, mutt." Mitch grabbed his coat and a pair of work
gloves. "Let’s go find the twins."
Gabe bounded to his feet and bumped the doorknob with his nose. He
sniffed and marked around the yard while Mitch pulled the Ferrari out of the
garage. As soon as the dog jumped into the car, Mitch drove to a lot selling
Christmas trees. He selected one that would fit nicely in Julia’s small
apartment and strapped it to the top of the car.
The mutt hung his head out the window, riding in silent watchfulness
until the apartment building was in sight. "Woof!"
"You have to be quiet or we’ll get caught smuggling you in."
Under cover of the falling twilight and a bushy evergreen tree, Mitch and the
dog walked quickly toward Julia’s apartment.
As soon as Julia opened the door, the dog pushed inside and sniffed out
the twins, quickly falling back into their game of hide and seek. Within
seconds, the twins’ giggles let Julia know the dog had found the children.
"I brought a tree." Mitch stood the evergreen upright.
"I see that." Julia bit her lip as she walked around the tree.
"Nice choice. Bushy all around."
"I had three picky sisters who trained me in the fine art of
Christmas tree selection."
Julia smiled. "They trained you well."
"I thought we could decorate it tonight and maybe have cookies and
hot chocolate."
The wistful look on Mitch’s face tugged at Julia’s heart. She didn’t
want to disappoint him--or miss the chance to spend time with him. "That
would be great. Except..."
The Leader of the Band:
Staring
at the woman in the mirror, Lauren slowly pushed the gray wig off her head. Her
naturally blonde hair lay matted forlornly against one side of her head. As she
turned her head, a white bandage became obvious, framed by a semi-circle of
close-cropped stubble around her ear where waves of golden hair used to flow.
I could have lost my life instead of my hair,
she reassured herself. Still, a spiral of panic threaded through Lauren’s
belly.
Sometimes
Lauren disparaged her beauty, especially when lechers with insulting hands
expected free access to her body. However, she also knew her physical
appearance garnered many opportunities a plain woman never enjoyed.
Now,
hidden out in a retirement center and disguised as an old woman, no one had
spared a second glance at her. Hadn't she wanted to be respected for something
that didn't depend on good looks?
A
commotion at the door startled Lauren away from her own musings. Zach slipped
inside and slammed the door shut behind him. Then he leaned against it, gulping
deep breaths of air. His silver-streaked wig hung precariously over one ear;
his satin smoking jacket was missing the belt that knotted it jauntily around
his middle when she left him less than fifteen minutes ago.
He
slid the lock into place and limped toward Lauren. “Whoever said women lose
their libido in old age never visited this place.”
He
flung the wig on the bed for the cat to play with and sat beside Lauren on the
vanity bench. “How are you doing?”
Lauren
shrugged. “Have the police found any sign of Matt [my son]?”
Zach’s
fingers tiptoed across the bare skin at the back of Lauren’s neck. “Nothing
yet. Johnny is spending most of his off-duty time shaking up the homeless
hangouts. But they’re a tight-lipped bunch. Don’t talk to cops much.”
Zach’s
lips touched the cool skin of Lauren’s nape. “He'll be alright.”
Her
shiver this time wasn’t from fear for Matt but the trail of Zach's kisses
across the base of her neck. Funny how being in a place with older people had
eased Zach’s mind about aging. These men and women hadn’t given up on life when
their youth faded. They still indulged their passions and their dreams. They
spoke their minds and pursued what they wanted without regard to what others
thought.
They
were free in so many ways from the restraints and criticisms of the world. Free
from their own unrealistic expectations, yet at peace with taking risks and
trying new experiences.
Why
had Zach feared growing old? "Will you make love with me?”
Lauren turned and stared at Zach. Disbelief, humor, interest, and
eagerness flickered in her eyes before she placed her hand in Zach’s.
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