AT 29 (84 page)

“Complicated guy,” Nigel offered.

“McCabe? I think he was touched.”

“Could be the wedding tomorrow. I know I'd be a little off the night before I did the deed.”

“Did you see the briefcase? He was doing work before we showed up. Cindy's got a tiger by the tail.”

“Best woman for the job. She'll slow him down.”

“Yes, she will.” Jimmy changed the subject. “You knocked me out of the top ten.”

“Band's good, something new and better every night. It helps to have a fellow Aussie in the mix.”

“Travis?”

“Yep. Good mate.”

After eating, Nigel suggested a trip to the roof so he could light up. They took in the city's vista before finding a place to sit against the railing that circled the rooftop. Jimmy took a long drag from the joint Whitehurst gave him.

“Alice Limoges intends to write an article about you.”

“We're going to have a sit-down before I fly to California.”

Jimmy held up his joint. “She'll ask you about this.”

“For the article?”

“Maybe. I'd steer clear of telling her anything. McCabe doesn't need to know.”

“Just magic green, mate. No worries.”

“All the same, don't give her anything. She's my friend, but she's a reporter first.”

The conversation went on to midnight. Back in Jimmy's apartment, it turned to details about the songs. As always, the Gibson came out and both men tinkered with chords and notes. Eventually, their voices fell in together, a vocal blend that gave deep satisfaction. When Nigel left they both had some fresh ideas for collaboration.

Les returned at one a.m., slightly tipsy and looking exhausted. Jimmy had waited up, growing increasingly impatient as the hours passed. Since her arrival they had not made love. He could wait no more. Les slumped in a chair, half asleep as the jet lag she'd resisted for hours finally took its toll. Jimmy wanted to talk, but her eyes grew heavy. Finally, fearing for his chance, he stood and gathered her into his arms, gently guiding her to his bedroom.

She rallied just enough to hold him off. “You can't be serious.”

“We haven't been together in months,” he protested.

“Jimmy, I'm exhausted. I need to sleep.”

“You can sleep after.”

“No! I'm not in the mood.”

He was devastated. He couldn't accept her rejection. “You arrive for only a few days and now you're not in the mood?” Anger dripped from his words.

“Tomorrow. You can wait.”

“It doesn't matter to you?”

Les slipped out from his embrace. “I'm not one of your groupies.” She made for the guest room.

It was little better in the morning. Les slept until ten while Jimmy stewed in the kitchen. She had put him in a state of confusion. He could think of nothing to break through the wall that seemed to be growing between them. He didn't know why she was so distant.

Miles waited for Felix to arrive. His tailored morning suit felt foreign although he was pleased with the way he looked in the mirror. The carnation arrived at mid-morning. As he struggled to get the pins into his lapel, he shifted his thoughts to what lay ahead. Thankfully, the ceremony would be a simple secular affair, involving only a few of the four hundred people who would later join them at the reception. They would exchange their vows outside in Central Park, a short walk from Tavern On The Green, which, by leveraging some influence, Miles had secured for the afternoon's post-ceremony festivities. He glanced out the window, glad to see the sun shining, a good omen. He still talked with Anne sometimes. He did it now, knowing she was with him and that she blessed his decision to remarry.

The wedding took place at noon. The Park's authorities permitted no chairs so the onlookers stood on the grass among the flowers and tall leafy trees surrounding the spot Cindy picked for the occasion. Felix stood by his side. Miles was nervous. He knew few members of Cindy's family, only her sister and her husband from Connecticut, much younger than Miles. The husband was mingling with a dozen others, most, Miles assumed, from Cindy's family. Her sister was nowhere to be seen, likely attending to Cindy. For his part, he had few relatives and even fewer friends close enough to warrant presence at this special occasion. Jimmy and Ellis were there more for Cindy, he decided, than for him, Felix, of course, with his wife, and Myra with her husband. Winfield was invited, but, so far, a no show.

Jimmy watched McCabe as he waited with Ellis and his girlfriend. Les was gone again, with Cindy somewhere, preparing. It had been a long time since he'd been to a wedding. This one was unique in so many ways. Little more than a year earlier he was living with the bride, her soon-to-be husband unknown to them both. So much had changed.

A pretty young violinist stroked the wedding march, bringing everyone to attention, as Cindy suddenly appeared flanked by her sister. Les hustled through the small group of people, coming to Jimmy's side and taking his hand as everyone turned. The future Mrs. McCabe wore a long white gown that clung provocatively to her figure. She walked at a deliberate pace, first smiling at those arrayed on either side of her path, then lifting her eyes to Miles as he stepped forward. All brides are beautiful. Of that, no one could ever disagree. This bride was breathtaking.

Mike Winfield dropped his daughters at their brownstone on the upper west side. He hugged and kissed each of his little girls at the door then turned quickly to rush back to the cab when his ex-wife opened the door to bring the girls inside. As the cab drove off, he waved, taking in the façade of the luxurious abode. His ex-wife now owned his one-time home as part of the divorce settlement. It was already noon, too late, he thought, to make the wedding ceremony. What the hell, he decided, and reached into his pocket for the one thing he craved. It had been a long night before the sun rose on this Saturday. He denied himself with all the self-discipline he could muster, but it had been difficult. Still, he had to be sure his ex-wife saw no sign. Now, he could relax. He had the whole afternoon. He sprinkled the white powder onto a square piece of paper, careful to hold it steady as the cab jostled among the street's cracks and crevices. Then he rolled the paper expertly in the same way he'd done almost daily since his introduction to Chase. He glanced at the cab driver, making sure the Pakistani with the thick accent wasn't looking in the rearview mirror. Then he leaned down behind the seatback and snorted the heavenly substance into each nostril.

The reception began at one with cocktails on a large patio overlooking the park. The photographer waylaid the bride and groom for pictures, leading them far into the trees where he spent an hour forcing them to pose. Jimmy and Les linked with a group comprised of Sonny, Marsha, Ted, Melinda, Kate and Nigel. Before long, Nigel engaged Les in a lengthy conversation about Sister Marie and the orphanage. Jimmy felt slightly out of place. He spotted Ellis and his girlfriend, leaning against the outside bar and walked over. They looked up, smiling as he approached.

“Just talking about you,” Ellis said.

“Good, I hope.”

“You anchor the show in LA next week. Biggest thing we've ever done together. It's amazing how far you've come since a year ago in Atlantic City.”

“
Yarra
's going to be the big draw, I can feel it. Nigel and I worked through some things last night in my apartment. He's already better than me at my best.”

Ellis nodded, looking closely at his client and friend. “Does that bother you?”

“No. To tell the truth, I'm getting tired of all the baggage that goes with touring. When I'm not on the stage, I'm a prisoner in my hotel. I'd be glad to hand all of that to someone else.”

“Not likely. You still have the rest of the year to go.”

“Don't remind me.”

The guests were summoned inside to take their seats. Once Cindy and Miles made their grand entrance, the speeches began. Felix stumbled through his duty, thoroughly uncomfortable. Cindy's sister did a better job, welcoming Miles into the family with genuine sincerity that touched many in the room. Ellis couldn't resist doing a brief attempt at standup comedy. Three of the ten tour promoters, who bankrolled Blossom
Presents, also spoke, praising McCabe's business acumen and heaping effusive compliments upon his beautiful bride. The band, a small orchestra hired by Miles with strict orders to keep the music soft, played in the background during dinner then took center stage for dancing as dessert was being served. Before Jimmy could act, Les took Nigel by the hand and led him to the floor, quickly followed by Ellis and his girlfriend. By the next song, Ted and Melinda joined them. Jimmy chatted with Travis and Kate then left the table and went outside.

When he came back his table was empty, Kate having hustled Eugene to the dance floor with the others and Travis off shooting the breeze with the Riland Brothers, closer to his age. Jimmy wandered the room, landing at the bar, which afforded a wide view of the festivities. Cindy came off the dance floor with Miles, who was quickly hustled away by Mike Winfield and two of his promoter friends. Several well-wishers came up to her, engaging in chitchat, even as she looked past, spotting Jimmy, leaning with his back to the bar. She made her apologies and worked her way over.

“Not the best place for you to be standing,” she said, placing her arm in his.

“No comment,” he replied, giving her the once over. “You're beautiful.”

“All brides look beautiful. It's pre-ordained.”

“You broke the mold.”

Cindy turned to look across the room to where Jimmy was following Les' every move on the dance floor. “We've become best friends, Jimmy.”

“She's spent more time with you than me since she arrived.”

“Talking about you mostly. Lost in love.”

“Could have fooled me by the way she's acting.”

“She's afraid.”

“I don't know what she has to fear.”

“Losing you, maybe. She's there. You're here. Neither of you really know what's going on in your lives. I don't think she understands what she feels. Irrational thoughts.”

“Well, she's made one decision. She's not coming back here anytime soon. She took the top job at the orphanage in Australia.”

“You're afraid, too.”

“Sure. Once the tour ends, what am I supposed to do?”

Miles took the measure of Winfield as the DJ briefed him on the LA show. His confidence in his music savvy, one-time opponent had grown, but he still did not trust him. How could he? After seeing what he'd done to Toby Maine, it was clear that Mike Winfield could be dangerous. Something seemed off about his appearance. His eyes were bloodshot, his complexion pallid and his movements shifty, like he was on edge. He made Miles slightly uncomfortable.

“Whitehurst knocked our boy out of the top ten,” he was saying. “Time to get behind
Yarra
. Good reports about the way he controls a stage. Maybe we should stick him at the end. Let Buckman be the lead-in.”

“No.” Miles was firm. “Jimmy's the headliner.”

“I'm just saying…”

“No changes, Mike.”

“Okay.”

There were other conversations with the promoters and a few of McCabe's music industry peers. He was a player now, well respected for what he'd accomplished with the
Blossom label, more in one year than Daisy Overton during her entire tenure. But he really didn't want to do business. Today was his wedding day. He wanted to be with his bride. He excused himself when he saw Cindy talking with Jimmy at the bar. She took his hand when he came to her side.

“When do you leave for the coast?” Jimmy asked, making conversation.

“Tomorrow morning, San Francisco. We'll take a car through wine country for a few days then we'll head down to LA.”

They moved to the dance floor, leaving Jimmy to his thoughts. He continued to lean for a moment. Then he turned and nodded to the bartender. “Scotch, rocks.”

When the orchestra took a short break, the others joined him back at the table. Les slid into her seat, touching him on the hand. The others gradually took their chairs as the wedding cake was rolled in. The bride and groom were ushered to the center of the room where each cut a piece for the other. No youthful demonstrations. They got the tradition over with quickly.

Ellis spotted the scotch. The glass was full and appeared to be untouched. He watched Jimmy's face as he chatted with Les. Then he kept his eyes on his friend's hands.

Les also saw the drink. “Are we ever going to dance?” she asked, keeping the subject light as the orchestra opened play again.

“I thought you'd never ask,” Jimmy answered. He pushed his chair back and reached for his drink.

“You don't need that,” Ellis said, grabbing the drink before Jimmy could reach it. “You two get out on the floor. I'll take care of this.”

Benson pulled Nigel outside to the veranda. They moved away from a group nearby then out into the park where no one could hear. They talked for a long while, sometimes laughing, other times speaking in low tones into each other's ear. They were still talking when Winfield came over just as the reception wound down. Then the three shared a cab to some unknown destination.

Miles waited at the table as Cindy made one last sweep of the room before their departure. Felix came back from the bar with a Jack Daniels for each of them.

“I like this open bar thing,” he said, sitting down with a chuckle.

“It's not so open for some of us.” McCabe laughed, raising the glass to his friend, “but I don't mind if I do.”

Felix took in the dwindling numbers in the room. “Nice party. Looks like everyone had a good time.”

“This time next week we'll be at a bigger one in LA.”

“The show you mean?”

McCabe nodded. “Good test for the Blossom Presents format. We'll see how well it works.”