Page 28 of Jaz
Chapter Nine
Mandi glanced around when Jaz pulled into theKatzparking lot. “What are we doing here? I don’t work tonight.” The lot was pretty empty save for a few cars she recognized, a few trucks she didn’t and a few bikes she’d like to get to know better.
“No, you don’t, but … I sorta do.”
She turned surprised eyes on him. “You do? Since when did Jackie hire you back on?”
He shrugged. “It’s a special event. I won’t be working long, and when I’m done, we can go if you want.”
Uh-huh. “So let me get this straight. Jackie gives me the awesome birthday present of you, the weekend off, but then she asks you to work a special event?”
“Yeah.” He pulled into a spot in front of the building and put the Charger in park. “Feel free to take it up with her.”
“I will be happy to.”
Jaz grinned and got out of the car. He was acting a little weird, and it made her a little uneasy. He opened her door, helped her out, and kept hold of her hand.
His palm was a little clammy and there was a slight tremble in his fingers, but his face betrayed nothing. Yeah, something was going on. That uneasy feeling churned in her belly and she didn’t like it.
Jaz opened the door toKatzfor her and followed her inside. It was dark, there was no sound, there were no people, no—
“SURPRISE!”
Okay, there were people. Lots of them. And lights and noise and … Her hands flew to her mouth and she took an unconscious step back. Jaz’s solid body braced her from behind. He wrapped an arm around her collarbone and held her tight against him. “Oh God.”
Mandi’s heart skittered to a stop then picked up speed. A surprise party. For her.
“Gotcha.”
Jackie and her megawatt smile had come to hug her, and Mandi wrapped her arms tight around her friend. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“I don’t know why not. You’ve never had a surprise party and, well, now you have.”
It was true. She’d never had one, and while a small part of her had always hoped for one, she’d never expected one. Ever. “How long have you been planning this?”
“Since you said you’d come work for me for a while.”
“You couldn’t have known I’d fall for him.”
“No, I had no idea you’d rather have a badass than a buttoned-up suit, but I should have. He was the icing on your cake, so to speak, once I realized the attraction ran both ways.”
Mandi looked in the direction Jaz had gone. As soon as Jackie had come forward, he’d squeezed Mandi and kissed the top of her head, telling her he’d be back shortly. He went off to talk to his friends and they were … She turned her attention back to Jackie. “What are they doing?”
“It’s part of your surprise. You didn’t know they had a band?”
A band? “No. I didn’t know.”
“Oh yeah. Jaz is their drummer. He’s pretty good, too. Hell, he’s pretty damn good at everything he ever tried. Creative little shit. No matter what it is, he can turn it into gold. He’s got so much talent. He couldn’t sit still when he got out of jail. Between working for me and tattooing at the shop, there were still hours left in the day. Usually the middle of the night or the crack of dawn. I don’t think he slept more than a couple hours at a time.
“He came to me a few months after he got out and said he wanted to play the drums. Between us, we had a set custom designed for him. He started taking lessons early mornings from the local high school music teacher. It wasn’t long and he was on his own with it. The teacher said he didn’t have anything else to teach him. Jaz had the technique. He also has an ear. He can hear any beat, any cadence, and play it after only hearing a few bars. We keep them here because he can make all the noise he wants after hours. And about a year or so before you came to town, he the other three came up with the band idea. They’re not bad for a garage band.”
“I had no idea.” He was a musician, a drummer no less. That explained a few things, she thought with an inner smile. It especially explained his coordination when he played with her body. How he could touch her with such finesse, with such precision. The way he could manipulate her responses …
Jackie was right. Jaz was a creative little shit.
“He’s been fucking nervous too.”
Jackie’s comment drew Mandi’s undivided attention. “Why?”
