Page 35 of Drive
Arnie, a regular at Artmosphere, thrust his hand in front of Jacques when he was just three feet from Rainey. “Never heard you play ‘Here and Now’ like that, man. Sounds goodacoustic.”
“Thanks, Arnie.” He was already leaning away, trying to get to her. “See yaaround—”
But Arnie kept talking. “Kind of reminded me of the time Epoch did that unplugged version of ‘Last November.’ ‘Memberthat?”
Jacques did remember, but he didn’t care. He wanted to get to Rainey. And Arnie liked to talk. And he liked beer even more, so when he did talk, he took his time, coaxing his beer-soaked tongue around each word like a mother bathing aninfant.
“Yeah, Arnie. I remember. Excuse mefor—”
“Shame y’all broke up,” Arnie said, looking pretty broken up himself. Jacques wondered how many beers the guy had already guzzled. Arnie was a regular, but that didn’t mean he was particularly popular. Probably because the guy was a drunk. A friendly drunk. An easygoing drunk. But there wasn’t a whole lot more beneath the surface. More than once, Jacques had given him a ride home after closing time, and the guy lived in a tiny little apartment on Amelia Street. Maybe he worked. Maybe he was on government assistance. Jacques had no idea, but it seemed like a sad way tolive.
So even though the person he wanted to talk to was just out of his reach, and his break between sets wouldn’t be very long, Jacques didn’t have the heart to just brush off theguy.
“Yeah, it’s a shame,” Jacques echoed, but for the first time, he didn’t feel the sentiment behind the words. Heroine had something, and when he thought about the band and the potential they brought together, he felt the air around him charge with an almost sentient energy. Maybe Arnie would feel that too. “But I got something new in the works,Arnie.”
The barfly — who wasn’t drunk yet but had a good start — cocked his head and seemed to read the light in Jacques’seyes.
“Whatchoomean?”
“Can’t talk about it now. There’s somebody here to see me, and I don’t want to keep her waiting, but stick around tonight, and you’ll find out what Imean.”
As he said the words, he felt a hand settle on his forearm. Jacques turned and there was Rainey, her eyes smiling a shy smile, and at the sight of it and the touch of her hand, his heart turnedover.
“Hey,” he said, reaching his arm around her waist and hugging her to him. And this, too, the feel of her softness pressed into his side gave him a headyrush.
“Hey,” she murmured, leaning intohim.
“Yep, I wouldn’t want to keep her waiting either,” Arnie muttered just loud enough for Rainey tohear.
He felt more than heard her body laugh because just then the house sound system came on, blaring Robin Schulz to keep the party going betweensets.
Jacques nearly had to shout over the noise. “Want to go outside for a minute?” he askedRainey.
She gave him an eager nod, and that was all heneeded.
The front patio would be packed. With its own bar and wooden tables close enough to the music, it would only be slightly better than staying inside, so Jacques pulled Rainey to the back of the bistro, turned past the long bar, and took her outside to the courtyard. A few people lounged in wrought iron chairs, smoking and laughing, but Jacques moved past them to a bench along the backfence.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, gesturing for her to sit. She did, and he settled himself besideher.
“Thanks for asking me,” she said, the shyness still there in her voice, in her eyes. To dispel her nerves, Jacques claimed her hand, and he was rewarded when she spread her fingers and let his slip in among them. Then she looked him square in the eye. “You’re really, reallygood.”
And when she said this, he heard no shyness, only certainty. She liked what she’d heard, and that feltamazing.
“I’m glad you liked it. You should stick around,” he said, hoping like hell she would. “The girls from Heroine — my new band — are joining me later, and that’s going to be evenbetter.”
Her eyes rounded in surprise. “Really?” But the look behind her surprise wasn’t excited. It looked…worried.“That’s… that’sgreat.”
Her expression disappeared so quickly he wondered if he’d imagined it. Letting it go, he squeezed her hand and tried to make the most of hisbreak.
“How’s yoursister?”
Rainey gave a one-shoulder shrug. “She’s okay. She’s home, and she’s over the worst of the pneumonia, but she’s going to have to keep taking blood transfusions,” she said, wincing. “And she’s weak. When she’s a little stronger, they’re going to start trying some treatment meds, but I hear they aren’tfun.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, meaning it. She looked worried, and her look made him feel restless. At least Rainey wasn’t alone in looking after her sister. “Is her boyfriend with hernow?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but I waited for him to take a shower first. He works for Iberia Bank, and he’s getting his MBA, so I wanted to give him a few minutes,” she explained with a shrug. “Holi’s not the easiest patient. She’s always trying to do things she shouldn’t, and I didn’t want her going downstairs by herself. She’s so sick of being sick, she’d probably try it if given thechance.”
“Man,” Jacques muttered, shaking his head. He figured one day he’d have to help Pal just like that, but he wasn’t looking forward to it. Not because he wasn’t onboard. Because Pal would hate it as much as Holi seemed to. “So, how’d you get here? I’d like to drive you home after the show if that’s not toolate.”
