Rock Notes (Book One of the Heartbeat Series) Page 3

  As we walked I asked him if we were going to wake anyone at this house. I also suggested to him that I only lived out by the National Park, only about a half hour away so if it wouldn’t be a problem he could just take me home instead of all the way to the city for my car. He did not answer; he simply took hold of my hand and led me closer to the grand front door. When we got in front he removed a key and opened the door to a beautiful, lavish wooden foyer. Rand then spoke. “I’ve had too many beers and you look beat, I say we get your car when the sun comes up.” He then said as he brushed past my ear tucking a fine wisp of hair behind my ear, “Madison, make yourself comfortable in my home. You can crash down in any of the rooms upstairs. There are plenty of boxes of the band’s tee shirts if you want to change, help yourself. He continued with, “You’re now part of our band” and his eyes sparkled and he smiled and then he headed toward the kitchen.

  “Madison what can I get you?” he asked with an intriguing tone.

  While what I really preferred is to spend more time with him, even at this late hour, I replied, “I don’t need anything but thank you, all I really need is some sleep.” He laughed and replied, “I’m getting cases of Red Bull for you to keep up with us on the road.”

  “Don’t worry I will keep up, today was just a long introduction.”

  “Madison we have only just begun, but sleep well.”

  It really had been a very long afternoon and evening, and I was mentally exhausted trying to process all that had happened today. I headed toward the upper level and went in the very first room to crash. I laid my body on the first bed I saw not bothering with my clothes. Since it was spring and the evening weather was nice, I had worn a crème colored lace cami top with a floral sweater over it and jeans, but I barely recall slipping the sweater over my head.

  Once my eyes closed, my thoughts turned to Rand, lost soul, lost love, so similar to me but then on stage he was so confident and sure of himself and his place in the world. That confidence was something that I lacked. He attacked the stage and all his charm and stunning looks dissolved those that set their eyes or minds on him. My mind kept trailing over and over about him. His deep blue eyes, his messy dark hair that just swept over his shoulder, his towering height, his hidden inks. I could think of nothing but him.

  I tensed for a moment when I felt someone hovering over me. I felt a breath and caught the scent of Rand fresh from a shower. I was lying on my side and I slightly opened my eyes. I knew I was seeing him, not dreaming. I could see him getting closer and I shut my eyes, remaining so very still. He reached down, took his curved fingers down my cheek, so slowly and tenderly and then he leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. Trailing his mouth down from my forehead he placed a soft kiss on the side of my neck and then moved upward to the tip of my shoulder and he lightly bit at my cami strap. I was so completely shocked and although I wanted to reach around and tell him I was awake, I couldn’t move. I had hopes that in the darkness he didn’t see me see peak out at him moments earlier. He then whispered, “Night Madison” and he tugged off my boots and pulled a light blanket over me.

  When the sun appeared in the bedroom I awoke all nervous, I got up and went to the bathroom. I had to search my purse for items to make myself presentable. It had only been about four hours that I slept. I gathered my boots and put my sweater back on and went downstairs to find Rand already wide awake and in the kitchen making us some breakfast.

  “I’m starving,” he said looking at me like he was ready to devour me. “Madison what are you hungry for?”

  He made me hesitate to answer him, I was definitely hungry for him. “I think I could eat something.” My stomach was excited and jumping inside just from seeing him so relaxed and cooking.

  “Your phone has been vibrating all morning.”

  “What’s vibrating?” I was too focused on his body and didn’t hear his words.

  “Your phone, you left it on the steps last night with your computer.”

  “Oh, okay that’s what was vibrating.” I was still watching his body in motion, and was thinking of how I would like him to make me stir. He caught me staring at him and I looked away and then I remembered I had silenced my phone during their practice and then powered it up when we walked over to the house. I had to pull myself together so I went to retrieve my phone and I looked at all the missed messages, they were from Jillian. I hollered back, “Rand, I just need a few minutes to check my messages.” I went into his main front room and dialed her back.

  “Where the hell are you?” Jillian yelled. She was so worried that I hadn’t called her and she stopped by my place having her own key and I was no where to be found. It took some effort to calm her but I told her briefly what had happened since the concert.

  “Jillian can you take me to Philly today to get my car? I don’t want to put Rand out anymore. I’ll just see if he can bring me back to my house.”

  “I’ll agree only on one condition, I want every single detail, don’t leave anything out, I want all of them!” I had to put my hand over the phone as she said this. She was so loud and I hoped Rand did not hear any of this.

  “Hey, I should go, I don’t want to be rude, he is making me breakfast,” I whispered to her.

  “No I bet you’re his breakfast…but I’ll come get you at noon. You can tell me then how great this sexy man is.”

  I didn’t get to comment, as she hung up too quickly. Rand flashed me a sexy smile when I returned to the kitchen, I wasn’t sure if he heard any of our conversation. I did look up at the high ceiling in his house and knew each word spoken echoed.

  “Wow this smells and looks so good,” I commented but wanted to say you look and smell so good.

  “Madison, take notes, you can write this too, I can cook and I am very good.” Again that sexy smile pursed on his lips.

  Before me was a breakfast feast. There were berry filled pancakes, sliced fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice and turkey sausage links and of course coffee made just like he had ordered for me at the coffee shop and it was in a large to go cup that read 2nd Street Coffee Café. I bet he had tons of these to go cups, he said he was a regular there.

  As we sat at breakfast Rand was still writing something in his journal.

  “Rand, this tastes delicious, thank you.”

  “Madison you seem so easy to please.”

  “I am a simple person, but I want to know about you, can I ask you a question?”

  “Ask away Madison.”

  “Well this is a lovely home” I began and “well did you always live here? Was it your parents’? How did you and the band meet? Who inspired your music?”

  Rand began, “Hey slow down, you said a question” he paused, “and that’s several questions. But, yes, this is my home; built the year after our band got our big break. I figured since my mother, Angela had passed away from cancer right before then and she left me money I would do something good. I had the recording studio built for our rehearsals. It honored her as I continued with my passion for music.”

  I looked at him and smiled tenderly and then wrote some notes. He continued to answer my numerous questions. “My inspiration was my grandfather Archer, he taught me music from as far back. He was great but he left this world before my mother.” Rand continued, “If I ever have a son he will be called Archer after my grandfather.” And there was a smile on Rand’s face like a child at an amusement park for the first time. I held his look of pure love that he displayed as he mentioned his mom and grandfather, it was so endearing and then doing what I do best, I blurted out, “What about your father is he proud of you?”

  “Well,” Rand replied in a serious tone, “not someone I want to discuss, to me he is Paul and right now dead to me. He never really acted like a father. When my mom got ill, he couldn’t handle it, he left. He hated I played music. Hated I was the singer in a band. He hated that Ashley was my biggest cheerleader. I’m young, I stayed out late, I drank and he told me I lacked responsibility and purpose. He told me to g
et a real job in the business world, but not be a singer in a band.”

  I looked at him as he answered and mouthed silently that I was sorry. I was sorry to hear about his mother passing and his dad’s desertion. I saw his eyes swell but not break, perhaps this was his love lost.

  I wanted to change the subject and said, “Rand, I have lost too, most recently, my husband, Thomas. We were married ten years. He just one day up and left me, for someone at his office. The one good memory that I have from my wedding was the flowers. They were my favorite – delicate crème roses with dark pink edging. I don’t want to bore you but Thomas had become my life and world for a long time. As for my family life, it’s only me. I was an only child. It was lonely. I guess that is why I love Jillian so.”

  I never stopped. Once I got started, I kept right on going. “And, to make my life crazier, my mother, Grace left my father, John and I for my father’s younger brother Jake. She and my uncle moved off to Galveston, Texas. I haven’t heard from her since.”

  Rand responded, “Wow your mom leaving with your uncle that’s hard.”

  “It was, and I found myself swamped with the memories of her abandoning us, of how it felt and how I knew that I’d never truly understand relationships again.”

  “Do you miss her?”

  “I do, she is my mother, but I never knew how to reach out to her. Since I was still with my father, I didn’t want to add to his sorrow of her departure. The only saving grace, per se, for my father during that awful time was that he didn’t need to raise me as I was already a teenager.”

  “So tell me about your father.”

  “Well, he was a police officer; he was a little tough on me since I was his only child. He recently retired but back during his days on the beat, he was strong like a Robocop. Everyone looked up to him. His fellow officers called him Mick, but everyone else called him Mr. McCormick out of respect. He was a very strong man but her leaving us really broke him I lived it and witnessed it.”

  “I miss my mother and uncle being part of my life. My mother was a true romantic and very creative so I think I have her to thank for my writing traits. But the romance part I no longer have. I hope I am not boring you with my story?”

  Rand looked happy that I was sharing stories with him, “Madison not at all, I like when you talk to me, you’re very…interesting.”

  I decided to continue and told him how I met Thomas after which I took a deep breath and then let out.

  “My father adores him, and when we divorced my father blamed it on me. He told me that I didn’t try hard enough to love and stay with Thomas. I haven’t had the chance to repair this relationship with my father, if there is any to fix. Even now my father and Thomas talk and get together, that hurts me.”

  “I’m sure he adores you, what’s not to like.” Rand took my hand into his and began to stoke his thumb over my knuckles. “Maybe in time you and your father will reconnect.” Rand could see me pushing through this with pained eyes so he changed the family topic rant of mine to geography. I was immediately grateful for his attempt to distract me and got lost in Rand’s story as he kept hold of my hand with his soothing light touch.

  He began to tell me that he always lived in the city and loved the vibe. He also explained how his music career all began by singing at the 2nd Street Coffee Café. Later, he ran into some other musicians and it was Isaac that shouted one drunken night for them to form a band. They all agreed to pursue this venture and their dreams of making their music together. It allowed them to combine their individual musical talents. They all fell into it quite nicely and the band in turn took off from local venues to now statewide venues. They decided together to name themselves Rolling Isaac’s as Isaac always rolled into the practice sessions late. They didn’t have a demanding schedule since they tried to stay grounded in normal life, but they did have a manager to oversee their schedules and travel and bookings.

  Rand told me about his Uncle Maxwell, who had been hired to be the band’s manager. He was Rand’s mother’s brother who took a special interest in Rand after is mother died and his father left. Maxwell was very good at the finances and the other business aspects of music. Rand’s Uncle Maxwell had never had any children and never married. He had built himself a nice bank account from working in the music industry early and no one to share with, except his nephew Rand. Maxwell took care of all the schedules and arrangements from the band’s equipment, to venue. He kept all the big things that went into a performance with the band low key. Maxwell took care of his guys and wanted them to focus on the music. Maxwell let them do what they did well; create their tunes while he ran around behind the scenes.

  Rand continued to tell me that he had been named after his uncle and always felt a strong bond with him. His uncle always encouraged Rand to write his own songs. He was very proud and never disappointed in the career path Rand chose. He believed Rand had such talent and his music was a true art form.

  The knowledge of his losses pained me since I too knew that feeling of loss. Rand then started on an upbeat note to change the tempo of our conversation. “This book is going to be great! You’re a good luck charm to our band when you write about us. Plus this time I’m looking forward to hanging with you.” I got up to help him with the dishes and he said, “Madison, leave it, go crash in the sunroom. I know you only slept a few hours.” I wasn’t about to disagree. I turned to head to the other room, as we were standing very close, he brought up his hand to the side of my cheek and touched me gently. Just as he did while I lay pretending to sleep last night. I gushed inside, I could not wait to share this with Jillian, but then I stopped. If he could not love then what was this? Just to make me feel good like he had with kissing those girls last night and many other nights in the past? I was confused and so I walked out into the stunning, bright sunroom.

  The décor was masculine but eclectic. Several music themed items were in there and the rays of sunshine warmed the room as I curled up in the taupe colored leather loveseat looking outdoors and taking in the property from this view. My eyelids got heavy and I drifted.

  My phone sounded and I jumped up. It was Jillian heading to my house already. Rand was lying at the other edge of the loveseat with me, leaving only about eight inches of separation between us and he was writing in his journal.

  “Can I bother you? I need to get home Jillian is coming to take me to get my car. I left it parked on 5th Street yesterday.”

  “No bother Madison, I can take you all the way to your car.”

  “No, Jillian is heading to my house anyway and she lives in the city so it’s not out of her way.”

  “Oh, that’s right you have a story to tell her, she wants to hear all about us.” He started to laugh.

  “Oh, I guess you heard our conversation.” I was blushing.

  I diverted that topic and said. “I just bought a new white Audi. I just didn’t want to leave it in the city too long.”

  “Hey don’t worry I’ll get you back and I’ll meet Jillian.” He laughed and then said, “If I don’t get you to her soon your phone will never stop ringing.”

  Jillian was already in my driveway when we arrived. Just like so many others, she knew who Max Rand was, but she’s never met him. When he jumped out and came to open my door, her eyes got large. And then, when he took my computer and belongings into his arm, she smiled brightly. When he walked up to my door and met with her, he took her hand lightly and introduced himself, and she melted. He had that way with all the girls and lately the grown women as well.

  “Rand thank you so much for the ride and the writing opportunity. I will talk to you later to go over your travel schedule.” I gave him a quick hug and started to move away.

  He pulled me close and said, “Madison, we leave in the morning. It’s going to be a packed schedule, first Florida, and then we come back to Philly for a few weeks. Then we have Atlanta, Texas and back here to Philly to regroup.” He then moved one hand to touch the side of my face as his lips lingered on my
cheek what seemed a very long moment. I nervously pulled my face away, and then Rand said, “I spoke with my Uncle Maxwell and all arrangements are done. We will be by around ten tomorrow morning, so you better get packing!”

  He pulled me in for a hug and smiled to Jillian who was standing behind me. When he released me, I was still leaning toward him even after he had left and driven off.

  Jillian whispered, voice quivering “Holy Shit!”

  Chapter Two – Traveling

  Thank God for Jillian again in my life, I was frantic, talking incomplete sentences. Filling her in on the past two amazing days and trying to pack for a few weeks, when I had so much trouble dressing for just the other evening. Jillian was shocked that I had gotten up enough confidence to approach Max Rand. She didn’t know that I had on other occasions attempted to reach out to his manager Maxwell, but had not gotten a reply. I hadn’t shared this will Rand either.

  Jillian worked for an advertising firm in the city and we had become close over the years when I wrote for the city column but so much closer when I had died inside and needed someone to bring me back to life after Thomas’s exit. She helped me so. She was like the sister I never had. She was always fiercely supportive of me. She understood my goals and my passion for writing and encouraged me. My father was not supportive of me becoming a writer. He thought I was a dreamer and wanted something more from me.