Page 11 of The Fire Walker
She nodded. “French-Canadian.”
“So you speakFrench?”
“Yes.”
I hesitated, looking over at the bar where Frank was giving me two thumbsup.
“Do you like LA?” Jessie asked, making me turn my attention back toher.
I frowned and shook my head. Best to go the honestroute.
“Not your thing?” Her head cocked to the side, and I imagined running my fingers down her slenderneck.
“No,” I replied kind of dazed. “I don’t like…” I couldn’t think of a nice word, so I just gestured around us at the fakery of theclub.
She smiled widely, her shoulders sagging as if she was relieved. “I know what youmean.”
“I just want to play, you know? I don’t care about all this. I just…” I ran a hand over my face, suddenlyembarrassed.
“It’s about music for you?” she asked. “Not themoney?”
I nodded, watching her expression change, and I wondered what she was thinking. What was she in itfor?
“How about that drink?” she asked, and my eyebrows rose. When I hesitated, she smiled and shook her head. “Hurry up, or I might change mymind.”
“What do you like?” I asked with a lopsidedgrin.
“Scotch. Straightup.”
“Really?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” She was somethingelse.
“I don’t know that many women who like hard liquor. At least, not straight up.” And that was thetruth.
“Well, you’ve met aunicorn.”
And what a fucking unicorn shewas.
Walking up to the bar, she was served almost instantaneously, and I held my fingers up at the bartender indicating we wanted two. He looked me over and shrugged. Serve the pretty girl and try to pick her up? Not while I was around. I watched Jessie as she stood next to me, trying to figure out what she was thinking, but she was a closedbook.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, scowling at me.Like she didn’tknow.
I grinned knowingly at her and asked, “Are you coming to the show tomorrow?” We had a gig at a local rock venue, and it was the one ray of light in the blackness of recording. That was until Jessie Ware had turnedup.
“Of course. I wouldn’t missit.”
“Really?” I asked as our drinks were placed in front of us. I handed the guy a twenty without taking my gaze from Jessie. At least, I hoped it was atwenty.
She turned to face me, a scowl marring her features. “Why are you always surprised? Everything I say you come back with ‘really?’ I’m not sure how to takeit.”
I leaned against the bar, studying the contents of my glass. “It’s just... You surpriseme.”
“How?”
How? How could I explain that every single word that came out of her mouth embedded itself in my heart without coming off like a creep? I snorted and shook my head. I’d have to ask Will about thatone.
“What?” she asked again and thumped me in the arm, the contact sending my body straight to a dirtyplace.
“You’re with the label,” I began, my gaze running over her face and over her tattooed arm. “I expected Georgie, but I didn’t expectyou.”
A look flashed in her eyes that I didn’t understand, and she shrank back, downing the last of her scotch. “Thanks for the drink,” she said, dumping the empty glass on the bar and just walked away, merging into thecrowd.
I straightened up, running a hand through my hair, my heart thumping erratically in mychest.
What the hell did Isay?
