success.”
She laughed and moved to the closet to select her clothes for work, on the way picking up discarded items from the night before. He went into the bathroom.
When he came out, she was sitting on the bed, chin resting on her knees, which were drawn up to her chest. Her robe had partially opened to expose her leg. He hesitated for a second, then sat down slightly behind her and rubbed her shoulders. He wanted to be near to her, to touch her.
“Penny for them,” he inquired.
She shook her head. He continued to massage her shoulders and felt the tension there begin to slip away. He could barely stand it, being so close to her. He felt the roller coaster take off inside him again and struggled to contain it. Finally, she turned herself around, put one hand on either side of his face, and drew his face to hers. Sweet Jesus, he thought, thank you for giving her the ability to read my mind …
“ O h, my God, look at the time. I have to be out of here in ten minutes.”
His eyes opened slowly, his peaceful near slumber disturbed. “Don’t go to work. Stay here with me.”
“Can’t do it. I have a ton of things to do today.” She got up quickly, grabbed the clothes she’d earlier removed from the closet, and disappeared into the bathroom. Five minutes later, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking him.
“Jamey, you have to get up now if you want a ride to the hotel. Would you please acknowledge that you hear my voice?”
“Yes. I hear you. I just don’t want to get up.”
“Do you want to sleep for a while? I can drive back and pick you up at lunchtime.”
“At least until lunchtime.”
She laughed. “What time do you need to be back?”
“Before we go on stage,” he mumbled into the pillow, and they both laughed.
“Do you want me to call around four or five? I can pick you up after I’m done, at six. You’ll get back before the show, although it will be close.”
“Make it five. That’ll give me enough time to get myself together. If you’re sure you don’t mind, I would very much like to stay and go back to sleep.” He pulled her close to him again. “Sweet Maggie. I don’t know what it is that’s happening here, but God, Maggie, it’s so good.”
She smoothed his hair back from his face and kissed him and stood up. Reluctantly, he let her go.
He listened as her footsteps faded on the steps, heard the downstairs door close behind her. He got up and went to the window and watched as she crossed the street and got into her car. He wondered if she had looked back before she pulled out of the lot. He turned back to the room and got back into Maggie’s bed. He wished she was still there, curled up next to him.
It was a long time before he was able to sleep, tired as he was. There was too much to think about this morning, and the faint scent of honeysuckle on the pillow distracted him. Before falling asleep, he found the phone book and placed a call to the florist he’d called the day before.
Funny, the way things go, he thought, you get into a routine and you just float along with it. Then in the blink of an eye, something changes, and everything looks different, feels different. The music’s good, the tour has been more successful than anyone could have predicted. And now there’s Maggie … He tried to remember the last time he’d felt this good about himself. Maybe the day Daily Times got its first recording contract. Maybe the day their first album charted. Nothing else had given him the satisfied feeling he had deep inside. For the first time in his life, all the pieces were there. He hoped he could put them together.
5
M AGGIE HAD BEEN TOYING WITH A PHOTOGRAPH she’d absent- mindedly picked up from the table to her right, pretending not to listen, though it had been impossible not to hear his voice. She glanced down at the framed image in her hand. She and Lindy. They sat on the beach at Cape May, New Jersey, back to back,
She laughed and moved to the closet to select her clothes for work, on the way picking up discarded items from the night before. He went into the bathroom.
When he came out, she was sitting on the bed, chin resting on her knees, which were drawn up to her chest. Her robe had partially opened to expose her leg. He hesitated for a second, then sat down slightly behind her and rubbed her shoulders. He wanted to be near to her, to touch her.
“Penny for them,” he inquired.
She shook her head. He continued to massage her shoulders and felt the tension there begin to slip away. He could barely stand it, being so close to her. He felt the roller coaster take off inside him again and struggled to contain it. Finally, she turned herself around, put one hand on either side of his face, and drew his face to hers. Sweet Jesus, he thought, thank you for giving her the ability to read my mind …
“ O h, my God, look at the time. I have to be out of here in ten minutes.”
His eyes opened slowly, his peaceful near slumber disturbed. “Don’t go to work. Stay here with me.”
“Can’t do it. I have a ton of things to do today.” She got up quickly, grabbed the clothes she’d earlier removed from the closet, and disappeared into the bathroom. Five minutes later, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking him.
“Jamey, you have to get up now if you want a ride to the hotel. Would you please acknowledge that you hear my voice?”
“Yes. I hear you. I just don’t want to get up.”
“Do you want to sleep for a while? I can drive back and pick you up at lunchtime.”
“At least until lunchtime.”
She laughed. “What time do you need to be back?”
“Before we go on stage,” he mumbled into the pillow, and they both laughed.
“Do you want me to call around four or five? I can pick you up after I’m done, at six. You’ll get back before the show, although it will be close.”
“Make it five. That’ll give me enough time to get myself together. If you’re sure you don’t mind, I would very much like to stay and go back to sleep.” He pulled her close to him again. “Sweet Maggie. I don’t know what it is that’s happening here, but God, Maggie, it’s so good.”
She smoothed his hair back from his face and kissed him and stood up. Reluctantly, he let her go.
He listened as her footsteps faded on the steps, heard the downstairs door close behind her. He got up and went to the window and watched as she crossed the street and got into her car. He wondered if she had looked back before she pulled out of the lot. He turned back to the room and got back into Maggie’s bed. He wished she was still there, curled up next to him.
It was a long time before he was able to sleep, tired as he was. There was too much to think about this morning, and the faint scent of honeysuckle on the pillow distracted him. Before falling asleep, he found the phone book and placed a call to the florist he’d called the day before.
Funny, the way things go, he thought, you get into a routine and you just float along with it. Then in the blink of an eye, something changes, and everything looks different, feels different. The music’s good, the tour has been more successful than anyone could have predicted. And now there’s Maggie … He tried to remember the last time he’d felt this good about himself. Maybe the day Daily Times got its first recording contract. Maybe the day their first album charted. Nothing else had given him the satisfied feeling he had deep inside. For the first time in his life, all the pieces were there. He hoped he could put them together.
5
M AGGIE HAD BEEN TOYING WITH A PHOTOGRAPH she’d absent- mindedly picked up from the table to her right, pretending not to listen, though it had been impossible not to hear his voice. She glanced down at the framed image in her hand. She and Lindy. They sat on the beach at Cape May, New Jersey, back to back,
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