Keep Coming Back To Love. Christa Maurice
other a long time. Joe’s clothes fit good. He stood straight but not like there was a steel rod down his spine. Confident, like a real man. The kind of man girls like Candy wanted to be with. Tyler tried to copy the pose, but his shoulders wanted to climb up his neck, so he eased back into his familiar slouch. The guy was watching him as if he could read his mind. Bastard.
“For me, that extra mile means sleeping at night so I can get good grades and doing your tailoring on my day off.”
“Unless you’re going out with him.” Joe Goldman nodded toward Tyler.
Candy turned to Tyler with that bright smile lighting her face again. “I do have the night off tomorrow.”
Dinner and the gig on Friday would have been great, but if he didn’t get her tomorrow, she might end up going out with this guy. “Great. I’ve got rehearsal at seven, but I can get you about five at your place and then you could come to rehearsal with me.”
“That would be awesome.”
Joe sighed. “My shirts will never be done.”
Candy sneered at him. “Don’t you worry about your shirts. I meet my commitments.”
“I’m gonna play my first gig with the band on Friday. Can you come?” Tyler asked before they got too cozy again. The band was the only thing he had going for him over the old guy.
“Friday? Already? I work Friday, though.” She huffed. “Man. I wanna go.”
“The store closes at nine-thirty.” Joe checked his watch even though it wasn’t either Friday or anywhere near closing. “Where is your band playing?”
Tyler paused for a minute to savor the words. Where is your band playing? His band. “McGrudy’s. It’s out on State Road.”
Candy made a small noise in her throat. “It’s way out there. I’ll have to see. But tomorrow for sure. Come on and I’ll write down my phone number and address for you.”
“My mom really likes your taste in clothes. She said I could get a couple more things.”
“Fantastic.” Candy bent over behind the desk. Tyler glanced away before he started staring and caught Joe admiring her ass. Maybe it wasn’t such a horrible thing to do. “We need to get you into something for your show Friday, too. Joe, you’re getting bumped for an emergency order.”
“I thought you met your commitments.”
“I am giving you ample warning. It’s going to get done, but it’s going to take a little longer than expected.”
“I knew it. I’m going to have to hire you to work in my office so I can get you to do my tailoring for me.”
Candy laughed as she handed Tyler a piece of paper with her phone number and address.
Chapter 2
Candy paced around her room with the portable phone stuck to her ear. “He asked me to go see the band play Friday, but I have to work.” Being home in the afternoon was weird. Between her job and school, she didn’t have to spend much time here. Not really a bad thing, but a thing nonetheless.
“So? Call in sick,” Jody said.
“I’m not calling in sick.” Candy checked her look. Tight dark wash jeans. Filmy black shirt. Leopard print heels. Perfect hair and makeup. Dangling earrings. Slick and complete. And Joe’s shirts were finished and folded in a bag by the door so he could pick them up at the store tomorrow and pay her.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not sick.”
“You’re going to make me leave the club between sets to come get you.”
“Would you?” Of course she would. Jody wanted to get backstage and get her hands on Jason Callisto. It was all she’d been able to talk about for months and that was before she had a valid opening.
“If I have to, but you have to promise to introduce me to the band.”
Bingo. “I’m going to meet them tonight. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” The doorbell rang. “That’s him. I gotta go.”
“You are so lucky.”
Candy walked through her empty house. “Yeah. Lucky. See you tomorrow.” She set the phone on the charger on the table under the last family photo from seven years ago. Mom, Dad, and precious Candace. Six months after the picture was hung, Mom ran off, Dad started working all the time and, as soon as she could, so did Candy. “Hi, Tyler. Ready to go?”
“If you are. Shouldn’t I say hello to your parents or something?” He was dressed in the green button-down shirt and straight leg jeans she’d picked for him, and even a couple of days on the skin and hair care regimen made a difference. Between her and Jody, they were going to make a rock star out of him if it killed them.
“Nobody home.” She snatched her purse off the table before she closed the door behind her. “Where are we going to dinner?”
“Mama Lena’s?”
Next up on the hit list was his lack of confidence. Mama Lena’s was always good. The sit-down restaurant impressed her because half the time her dates thought McDonald’s bought them a park hopper pass to her body. “I love Mama Lena’s.”
He also had a car. A dark blue Grand Marquis with bumper stickers that read “My Child Made Honor Roll at Fort Island Elementary” and “My Child Made Honor Roll at South High School.” Pretty nice part of town. No wonder his mom could hand him a credit card to go shopping. After they ate, he drove her to a residential neighborhood not far from the restaurant. A beat-up car sat in the driveway and the living room lights were on.
“You’ll like the guys. They’re all really nice.” Tyler hurried her up the path. Before he knocked, he smiled at her. “You look really pretty tonight.”
“Thanks. You look great, too.”
“Thanks to you.”
“You fill the clothes out good.” She grinned. He did. All through dinner she’d been wishing he’d sat on the same side of the booth as her so she could at least feel his thigh against hers. Wouldn’t have happened. Every time she’d brushed his leg under the table, he’d moved it as if he thought he was crowding her.
He knocked.
A stocky, middle-aged man with a buzz cut answered. “Hello Tyler. You brought a guest.”
“This is my girlfriend, Candy.” Tyler settled his arm around her shoulders as if she might crumble if he pressed too hard.
Girlfriend? That was fast. Maybe he had more confidence than she’d thought. Candy held out her hand. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”
The older man softened as he shook her hand. “And it’s nice to meet you too, Candy. I’m Mr. Dale, the boys’ manager.”
Touchstone had a manager? Most of these garage bands were lucky if they had one member with his shit together enough to book gigs. But then Touchstone was doing better than most garage bands.
“Come on inside. Jeff and Michael are downstairs. Brian and Jason are running late as usual. Candy, would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you.”
Tyler took her hand and led her to a basement door. Downstairs were two more long-limbed rejects from the flannel parade.
“You brought a fucking girl?” the one with the bass shouted.
“Jeffery!” Mr. Dale barked. “Watch your language.”
“But it’s practice, not the school dance.”
“I—I didn’t—” Tyler stammered.
“It’s not a problem.” Mr. Dale put up his hands. “You boys