Page 42 of Dahlias, Sapphires, and Cool Autumn Dusk
I thought the redness was from drugs, but he actually seemed to still be with it at the moment, meaning his eyes were irritated. “You didn’t have to come. I would’ve understood.”
He shot me a baffled expression. “What? No, I’ll be there. I’ll get some drops or something, because I wouldn’t miss it. Besides, I have to keep the twins under control. They want to go kick ass every time someone gets near you.”
“Not a lie.” Jeremy laughed then his expression turned dark, his tone ominous as if we planned to drag him into a meth lab. “We need to get home and changed to make it to the jazz club, if we’re still going.”
Barrett shook his head, putting his arm around me to guide me forward. “So go do something else. We’re not dragging you to see one of the great voices of our time.”
“Not of our time. From a time long ago, a relic borrowed from another time,” Jeremy said then laughed. “I’m not letting the three of you take her out on a date without me. That’s ridiculous. If we’re group dating this week, I’m part of the group.”
Group dating. I rolled the word around in my mind, trying it on for size, since I never thought about it that way.We play house and we are going on a group date. A thrill shot through me, since if I was honest, I loved our situation. I loved them, even if I couldn’t say the word.Saying the word will make everything implode.
“Okay.” Jeremy walked backward, his gaze trained on our faces.
I reached for his shirt, tugging at the fabric. “Don’t do that. You’re going to get hit by a car.”
“No, I won’t. I have mad walking skills, Princess.” His smile was infectious, so I grinned back. “If we’re group dating, then we’re also going to solo date. We agreed to the routine for sleeping—Phoenix won that one too easily—and now we need to date her one-on-one. Otherwise, Phoenix just wins at solo time, since you actually get to see her in class, too.”
Their youngest brother shook his head. “While I am not going to disagree with me winning, being kidnapped as a child probably means I’m the opposite of lucky.”
Julian slung an arm around Phoenix. “Absolutely true, but admit it…Having that as the ultimate backup excuse has really turned your negative into a kind of winning.”
To my shock, Phoenix threw his head back and laughed. Something about the moment sparkled, imprinting itself indelibly on my mind, the image of what life meant when it could be good.
I pulled out my little black dress once we got back to the apartment, a sleeveless number that stopped right above my knees. I didn’t have to ask about appropriate wardrobe, whichgave me a sense of pride as I got dressed. All summer, I’d stuck to shorts, pants, or skirts when we went out to eat, so I delighted a bit at taking the extra steps to primp myself and make sure I looked good. When Dina had picked the dress, I loved it from the moment I saw it, so I thrilled at getting to wear it finally.
My pink pearls from Jeremy in the Hamptons finished off the look, so I let my hair fall down in reckless curls. Hopefully, I wouldn’t regret the decision because I became frizz lady later. Sliding my feet into black heels, I couldn’t even find a thing to hate about my reflection in the glass.
When I emerged from Barrett’s bedroom where I prepped, everyone looked up from their phones to stare at me, and honestly. . .they took my breath away.
They pulled out all the stops for that evening. Dressed in uniform black, the matching color seemed striking on each of them. All managed to give their outfits personal touches. Phoenix wore a blazer over an open collared shirt and black pants. His skater vibe seemed hotter in this nighttime version. Barrett adjusted his tie under a black blazer, his suit neatly tucked and buttoned up. His slicked back hair reminded me of something out of the past, but then again, he always struck me as comfortable in his formality.
The twins didn’t bother with jackets, but both wore collared black shirts and dark jeans. Something about them each stuck out, perhaps in the collar, because Julian’s scooped down in a way unlike Jeremy’s.
“You guys look incredible.” I confessed honestly.
“I think you’ve rendered us speechless.” Jeremy offered his hand, so I took it. “You look gorgeous.” He spun me in a circle, so I giggled and almost tripped, so unprepared for actual giggling. I’m not a big giggler, if I’m honest, but they could make anyone flustered and flattered.
They called a car, so soon we sped toward the club. Jeremy ran his fingertip over the pearls, occasionally touching my neck and meeting my eyes. Each time he stroked my flesh, a shiver rushed through me. He gazed down at his phone, and I wondered if he even knew he affected me so much.
“What you said before about it being a bygone era? About her voice?” Barrett said from the backseat. “You couldn’t be more wrong. Some things are eternal.”
Phoenix glanced back from his seat next to the driver. “Are you two going to do this all night?”
“Probably.” Jer didn’t look up.
Actually, I knew they wouldn’t. If they followed suit with former trips, they would sit at the table Barrett reserved for us, and no one would check our IDs. As expected, I followed them to my seat and ordered a drink.
I leaned over to Barrett while I sipped my ginger ale. “You must have really helped them out of a financial jam for this to be so easy all the time.”
“I did.” He kissed my cheek. “And I liked it so much, it’s all I want to do now. I would just open and help music clubs and teach, if I could, but that’s not likely.”
The music started up and a beautiful woman in her seventies took the stage. Despite her obvious advanced years, she stood with the ease and confidence of a woman half her age. What was more, she owned the crowd, but then Celeste Demille was famous. My uncle loved her. Although I had few good memories from San Francisco, I didn’t regret learning to love jazz.
She gripped the microphone and winked at the crowd, earning immediate applause. I joined, prepared for my hands to hurt by the time the night ended.
“Well, New York, I am bringing you some love from New Orleans tonight.” The applause roared through the room again.“Tomorrow night, you can find me at Lincoln Center, but you? Y’all are my people.”
The music started and I sailed away on the sound of her voice wailing between soulful notes. I meant to turn to share a grin with Barrett, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She owned the audience with her talent alone, and I sighed, the weight of being in the same room as greatness settling around my shoulders like a mantle. I once heard a late night comedian in Chicago talking about an actress’ entrance, and I dismissed his description as exaggeration. Back then, I never experienced the likes of Celeste Demille.
