Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) Read online

  "A party with some fans who won a contest. Maybe Luke will have the bug out of his ass by then." With that, the bassist left.

  Brendan drained his cup. "I guess I'll head out too. Maybe I've over-caffeinated enough that I'll actually sleep." He stood and gestured again for Jayne to sit. "Welcome to the tour."

  "Thanks." She returned his wave. Zander walked with him toward the door. The welcome seemed to be split. Zander and Brendan for her, Luke against, and she couldn't get a read on Landry.

  Irisa settled into the seat beside Jayne. "They're exhausted."

  "So you said." But looking at Irisa's earnest expression, she couldn't back out. Not after all Irisa had done for her over the years, especially during Pepper's illness.

  Zander returned, carrying a coffee. He flipped a chair around to face Jayne, then straddled it and shrugged. "I'll apologize for Luke."

  "You don't have to do that."

  "Yeah, I do. My band, my responsibility. I don't want you feeling bad because my singer is an idiot."

  His expression bordered on frustrated and annoyed. She slipped into the mode she knew best—the fixer. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

  "So you're definitely in? You'll help me?" Irisa leaned forward, coffee forgotten.

  "I'm in."

  Zander reached across the table, extending his hand. A smile formed on his lips and that dark expression lightened. "Shake on it?"

  Jayne slid her hand against his. The strength of his grip ignited the same response as the first time they'd touched. Hopefully her decision wouldn't come back to burn her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Zander sat in his bedroom, hyped up on the coffee he shouldn't have consumed. Picturing Jayne, he picked out notes on his guitar. Playing always calmed him, distracted him, but he couldn't relax. She'd looked so sexy and sweet standing in that coffee shop. The little leather jacket, the snug jeans, the pale pink nails and matching lips. His body tightened. But she hadn't seen the band at their best. Luke had been an asshole. Not that the rest of the guys had been much better. She'd looked so unsure when they'd said goodbye.

  He dialed his sister's number. She could give him Jayne's number and then he'd… Say what? Apologize? Make sure she knew they didn't usually act that way? He couldn't lie. He could say, if you'd been with us last year, we were getting along better then. That wouldn't do a lot of good. Damn it, he didn't want to scare her off.

  A woman hadn't drawn his interest so completely in ages. He was damn tired of being alone. The years of constant recording and touring hadn't been kind to relationships. Too often in his business, he'd seen relationships go down in flames because of jealousy, long absences, infidelity, or suspected infidelity. And one night stands weren't his style. He'd resigned himself to being alone…but then she'd walked into that coffee shop and all he could think about was her.

  Irisa's voicemail picked up. Before he could leave a message, an incoming call alert sounded. Thinking it was his sister, he engaged the call.

  "Zander." Luke's voice slurred through the speaker.

  "What?" He barked the word. Fresh annoyance tingled along his skin.

  "I, ah, got arrested."

  Shit. So not what the band needed right now. "What the hell did you do?"

  "Boating. Drinking. Drinking while boating."

  "Are you serious?" Luke had always taken care to follow rules when out on his boat. "What happened?"

  "Obviously I had a little too much to drink." The slurring exaggerated his sarcastic tone.

  "Was anyone with you?"

  "No. They won't release me until tomorrow."

  "Good, then hopefully we have at least that long before the press finds out." He jotted down the police station's number, listened to Luke ramble for another minute, then ended the call.

  Fucking hell. He hated seeing anyone lose control. What a way to kick off the tour. The band wasn't any stranger to partying, but they'd gotten the worst of it out of their systems earlier in their career. Now, they had too much at stake to take stupid chances.

  He called his sister again and relayed the news. She'd start damage-control. He pushed away the idea of calling Jayne. Why bother her when he didn't have any idea what the hell would happen with Luke or how it would affect the tour.

  Early Monday morning, after a weekend filled with too much press, he dodged some reporters hoping for a sound bite and entered the courthouse with his sister. He sat cooling his heels in a hallway with Brendan and Landry while Luke and his lawyer waited for sentencing. Irisa had suggested they all show up for moral support, but Luke's lawyer had two security guards block them from following Luke into the court room. Apparently his lead singer didn't want or need their presence. His annoyance grew with every passing minute. After an hour, Zander pushed to his feet. This was ridiculous. He was about to tell the guys he was taking off when the door opened and Luke emerged—his face expressionless, dressed in a suit and tie.

  Irisa leapt to her feet. "Well?"

  "I have to pay a fine and do thirty hours of community service."

  "We don't have to miss any tour dates?"

  "No. But I won't have my license for six months. So I guess one of you will be driving me around." His gaze connected with Zander, then moved to the other guys.

  "Of course, whatever you need." Irisa placed her hand on his arm.

  Like hell. Zander kept quiet. Brendan and Landry did too. Irisa aimed a glare at them over her shoulder. "I'm sure the guys are more than happy to help out, too."

  Luke lifted a brow. "Sure. I can hear them clamoring to help."

  "What did you expect? Did you see those reporters out there? Did you think about the tour or label before doing what you did?" Anger bubbling over, Zander crossed his arms over his chest. "You're a fucking moron."

  "A moron? I guess you haven't made any mistakes?" Luke's tone rose. He got right in Zander's space.

  "Not like this," he murmured. His hands formed fists with the urge to knock that sneer off Luke's face.

  They were nose-to-nose when Irisa pushed in between them. "Not here. Are you insane?"

  Luke's lawyer grabbed his client's shoulder and pulled him away. "We're going outside. No matter what anyone says to you, don't engage, don't respond. Let me handle it."

  After nodding at him, Irisa kept her hand on Zander's chest. "We're all leaving. You're all going to pretend nothing is wrong, and then you're going to get in the car."

  Nothing wrong? The laugh fell from his lips. "Sure. United front. No problems here."

  "That's right. Now move it. Fast."

  Zander kept his gaze straight ahead and ignored the questions thrown at him while Luke's lawyer handled the media. Luke had gotten off easy. He should be grateful his band mate wouldn't be doing jail time, but all he wanted to do was break away from the media circus before he ended up hitting someone.

  When they reached the parking lot, Irisa pulled up short. "I need to make a call."

  He'd seen Oliver's name and several missed calls on her phone. Funneling his anger at Oliver into his frustration with Luke, Zander leaned against his sister's car, aware of the reporters and cameras. "Maybe we should make this leg of the tour a dry one."

  "No alcohol?" Landry shook his head. "Are you serious?"

  Luke loosened his tie. "No fucking way. What about our brewery sponsorship, genius? It's pretty hard for us to promote it if we can't drink it. Wait, unless you meant the dry tour for just me. And if so, that's not happening."

  Brendan stepped between them. "Come on, guys. Calm down."

  "A dry tour," Landry muttered. "What're you thinking we drink instead—milk and cookies?"

  "Dude." Brendan looked at him, expression serious, and tone of voice to match. "You can't drink cookies."

  Zander groaned and shook his head. Landry cracked a smile and even Luke huffed out a laugh, which grew louder as Brendan laughed at his own joke. The tension eased, and for a moment everything negative and stressful faded, leaving only the warm sunshine spotlighting the friend
s he'd had for more than a decade. But then Luke's lawyer coughed, and reality returned. The courthouse, the cameras across the parking lot, their responsibilities, the mounting frustrations, and the knowledge that no matter how much he wanted things to be perfect, he couldn't have it all.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Later that afternoon, Jayne headed into the animal shelter, music playing in her ears, the melodies working their soothing magic on her spirits. She'd been volunteering there for years and it had become a home away from home. The first few times back after Pepper's death had been hard. She'd dealt with the pain by listening to music, her go-to solution for any problem. Two months later, it still wasn't easy, but today, she'd have Irisa for company, if her friend wasn't held up too long in court. They scheduled their volunteer hours together whenever they could.

  "Jayne." Irisa's voice came from behind her.

  Jayne turned, pulling her earbuds out of her ears. Waiting all day for word on Luke had left her edgy. Heck, she'd been a bit on edge from the moment she'd first met him. "Hi. How's everything with Luke?"

  Irisa smiled. "Good news—the tour will go on as planned."

  Dread deflated to a dull ache. She should be happy—it was a good paying job. But part of her had hoped for not so happy news. She'd hate to see the band have to cancel their tour, but after the icy reception she'd received, spending time with the bickering bunch wasn't very appealing. Jayne stopped walking. She took a deep breath and said the thing that had been on her mind all weekend. "I don't think he likes me."

  "Of course he likes you." Irisa waved off the comment. "The band's been having some issues, that's all. He was in an equally bad mood with everyone on Friday. He's really a nice guy, though. I promise."

  "I don't know." Wringing her hands together, she glanced at the ground. "I've dealt with high-drama bands before. It doesn't scare me, but it's also never been directed at me. I don't want to leave you stranded but I'm not sure I'm the best choice for this band."

  Irisa reached into her pocket and pulled out a roll of antacids. She popped a pink tablet free. "I'll give you more money."

  "Money isn't the issue. You're already paying me more than I expected."

  "I promise things will be fine. Please don't back out. I need you."

  Jayne studied the roll as Irisa pocketed it again. "How many of those have you taken today? You're chewing them every time I see you. Are you sick?"

  "No." Her answer too quick, she chewed the tablet. "What can I do to convince you to come on tour?"

  "Are you sure you're all right?" The last thing she needed was to worry about her friend. Irisa was more than a friend, more like a sister.

  "I'd feel better if I knew you were still coming with me."

  "Well…" Backing out of something after she'd given her word wasn't her style. But she was emotionally exhausted after Pepper's ordeal, and she did have Vendetta's tour coming up in July. The high-energy metal band was very high-maintenance.

  Irisa gripped her hands together. "Being the only girl stinks. When we were playing the shows in New York and New Jersey, I spent a lot of time with the fashion designer who outfitted the guys for their photo shoot in Central Park. Hanging out with Audrey made me realize how much fun it was to have another female around. Please come help balance out all that testosterone."

  Her friend had mentioned Audrey Pierce's name several times when they'd spoken during that tour. Obviously, the designer had made an impact. Jayne touched her gold pendant—an Audrey Pierce design.

  Irisa had also flown home during that tour to hold Jayne's hand as she said goodbye to Pepper, and then spent the next three days helping her deal with the void the dog's death had left. She could never repay the debt. "I can't say no to you. All right. I'm in. I'm no quitter."

  A grin overtook Irisa's face and she threw her arms around Jayne. "Thank you."

  Arm in arm, they walked into the puppy room. Cute bundles of fur yipped and played and vied for attention. Jayne groomed and snuggled and let them soothe her worries. She'd been through a lot in her life. She could handle one surly singer.

  Confidence restored, she turned to find Irisa playing with a German Shepherd. "Do you want to grab drinks later? I have to give two piano lessons first, but maybe around eight?"

  "I was thinking I'd stay home tonight." A blush colored her cheeks. "I'm hoping I'll bump into my new neighbor again. We sort of had drinks together on Friday night."

  "Sort of had drinks together?" Jayne set aside the brush she held. "How could you not tell me?"

  "The whole Luke situation kind of dominated my thoughts."

  "True." She didn't want to dwell on that anymore. Irisa had been alone for far too long. If anyone needed to have some fun, she did. "Come on, spill the details."

  "Well, his name is Dom Torres and he plays center field for the Riptide. He also happens to be a big fan of the band. He even uses "Cut Down" as his walk-up song."

  "Wow. I bet the guys love that."

  "They do. They're performing the National Anthem at the ball park on the seventeenth and they'll get to meet the team afterward. Zander can't wait."

  "How's he doing?" Jayne picked up her brush, hoping the casual movement would cover her interest. She could only imagine the band's response to Luke's boating-under-the-influence arrest.

  "You actually might hear from him. He asked me for your number today. I think he's worried you might bail out." She stared out the window for a moment, a frown marring her forehead. "You won't, right?"

  "I already said I was in." She couldn't prevent the edge from seeping into her voice. Would Zander really care if she came on the tour? With all he had going on and pulling his focus, she doubted she was at the forefront of his thoughts.

  A few hours later, she strode into the community center in south L.A., where she gave piano lessons once a week. The building, a source of renewal in the crumbling neighborhood, had seen better days. Kids of all ages ran across the tiled floor, spilling into various rooms. She waved to some of the regulars and made her way to the music room. Instruments, some in various need of repair, crowded the space. Because the center relied on volunteers to provide free music lessons to the kids, they often went for long periods without instructors, and the instruments came in by way of donations. Most of the kids couldn't afford to buy their own. Their families could barely afford clothing and food.

  After her beginner lesson with a six-year-old more interested in banging on the keys than learning scales, she hunted down the director. She found Kate in one of the common areas.

  "Got a minute?"

  Kate grinned and blew out a breath. "For you? Always."

  "I'm taking a job with The Fury for eight weeks." Jayne handed her a list of dates. "There are a few conflicts with the piano lessons. I'd like to see if we can reschedule them rather than cancel them."

  "You're touring with The Fury?" A young, familiar voice came from behind her.

  She turned. Dalton, one of the kids in the program, stood gaping at her. As usual, he wore a threadbare concert t-shirt advertising one of The Fury's tours. He always talked about the band and how he wanted to play the guitar like Zander one day.

  "Have you already met them? What're they like? Does Zander really bring his guitar everywhere he goes?" Excitement shined in his eyes.

  "Yes, interesting, and no." She smiled. "How are the guitar lessons?"

  The shine faded. "The teacher quit. He said he didn't feel safe coming here."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Yeah, well. Maybe someone else will want to do it." Thin shoulders hunched forward. "But nothing's going good for me lately, so I'm not holding my breath."

  One of the other kids yelled for him to join in a basketball game. He declined until Kate managed to convince him he was needed. When he left, Kate sighed. "I feel so bad for him. His parents are going through a bitter divorce. He hasn't smiled in weeks, and he's shutting himself off from his friends. The only thing that seemed to make him happy was those guitar lessons. He loo
ks so defeated."

  "I know just how he feels." Jayne could sympathize all too well. Divorce was usually harder on the kids. "Since I'm working with the band, maybe I can arrange for Dalton to meet them. At least Zander, since he's his favorite."

  "Could you? That would mean so much to him. Dalton's such a special kid."

  He was. Shy and sweet, with a desperation she recognized. The idea warmed her spirit, and hopefully Zander would agree. Volunteering was important to Irisa, and from what she knew of Zander, giving back was important to him too. "I'll call him now."

  He answered on the second ring. "Hello."

  "It's Jayne." Her heart pounded in her chest.

  "I know." His voice warmed and the words slid over her skin. "So…what's going on?"

  She twisted her necklace chain around her fingers. After all the drama, meeting with another fan might be the last thing he wanted to do. "I need to ask a favor. But you can say no. Really, it's okay."

  A low, rich laugh flowed through the speaker. "How about you tell me what it is first?"

  "I volunteer at a community center in south L.A. One of the students in the music program idolizes you. He's sixteen, his parents are divorcing, and he's been going through a really rough time lately. He only wears Fury concert t-shirts and is always talking about how you're his favorite guitarist." She paused and drew in a breath. "It would be a huge boost for him to meet you. Do you think you could meet with him?"

  "Well—"

  "I realize we just met and I know you're exhausted from the tour. But he's got virtually no one. He reminds me so much of me when I was his age. My parents suffered an ugly divorce, too. I know it would mean a lot to him."

  "Jayne." He laughed again. "It's okay. I'll do it."

  "Really?"

  "Sure. When is a good time?"

  "He's here now. And he's usually here most afternoons. I'm sure he could be here whenever you can schedule it."