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“I guess you missed me…”

“…Very much. I thought about you most of the day.”

“Then you didn’t get much work done.”

“…Enough.”

She kissed him lightly. “Go on up and change. Everything’s about ready here.”

Instead, Bryce dipped his hungry lips to hers for another stomach-churning kiss. Beth’s head was spinning when they broke for air.

“
Whew
…Go…” She pushed against his chest to make him go. He just dug in and hugged her more tightly to him. She sensed something was up.

“Are you all right?” she whispered in his ear. Then she felt some tension leave his body.

“I’m good. Let me go change.” He finally let her go with a grin and went upstairs.

Beth frowned as she prepared plates of spaghetti for them and set the plates on the kitchen table. Something was definitely the matter – She could feel the stress in his body. There was no way he could hide it from her, but he also didn’t want to talk about it right now. And that was okay… She’d wait until he was ready.

With the French bread sliced and on the table, Beth was pouring a nice red wine for them when he came back downstairs. She took one look at him and started laughing. Bryce took the wine bottle out of her hands before she spilled it.

“What’s so funny?”

“…You…” She finally stopped laughing, but continued to smile broadly at him.

He looked down at his clothes. “…Don’t like my clothes?”

“It’s either Marlon Brando or James Dean night.” He was wearing hip-hugging worn jeans and a tight, white tee shirt. “All you need now is the leather jacket…”

“I have one.”

“Of course, you do.”

“… No, it’s the same one from high school.”

Her eyes widened. “I want to see it after dinner.”

“It’s a date…”

Beth took off the apron as they sat down at the table.

“And what’s with the apron?” He smirked. “…Didn’t know that was standard musician’s costume.”

“Ha ha, Mr. Barron. I didn’t want sauce on my blouse. I tend to do that when I’m cooking.”

They raised glasses together, took sips and began eating in companionable silence. It felt good to just sit still, enjoying each other’s company without needing to speak. Finally, Bryce swallowed and wiped his mouth with the napkin.

“This is good, honey. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

He glanced into the dining room. “You know, there’s another room we could eat in instead of the kitchen.”

Beth scrunched up her nose. “It’s too big and fancy. Isn’t it for entertaining mostly?”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t know… Never ate in it.”

She blinked in surprise. “You’ve never eaten in your own dining room?”

“Nope. We didn’t cook much or eat in at all.”

“Wow… What a waste of a good kitchen.”

He shrugged. Bryce swallowed the bite he was chewing and wiped his mouth again.

“So what has the Quartet decided to do?” She glanced over at him. “Didn’t you tell me that you all were meeting to discuss your future?”

“Yes, we did.”

“Any decisions made?” He ate another bite of spaghetti.

“…Actually, yes. Tomorrow is our last performance here in Las Vegas and then we’re taking a few months off. Everyone needs a break.”

“And after that?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll have to meet again probably…”

Bryce thought about that for a minute. The conversation was heading towards the topic of San Francisco and he wasn’t quite ready to talk about that yet.

“How would you like to go for a ride on the bike tonight?”

She looked over at him. His face was open, contemplative and she guessed he was tossing something around in his mind. Beth grinned.

“I’d love to…”

He beamed. “Good. There’s a place on the Strip I’d like to take you to.”

Beth almost laughed out loud. “What kind of place?” She passed him the bread.

“I see that smirk so you’ve probably guessed.”

“Yes?” He took a slice of bread and started to butter it.

“It’s a dive basically, but they’ve got local bands that play some fabulous music.”

“Let me guess… Probably not Mozart.” She smiled as he shook his head.

“…Rock, mostly.”

“When was the last time you’ve been there?”

“…Probably over a year.”

“Then it’s high time we went. I know how much you love rock.” She remembered something. “When was the last time you played your guitar?”

Bryce raised his eyebrows and exhaled. “Damn…I haven’t even thought about it for quite some time.”

She looked smug. “It’s probably high time you did that too. You played a decent bass, as I recall.”

He reached over for her hand. “I’m on a little journey of self-discovery, aren’t I, sweetie?”

“Yep… It’s okay.”

“With you, it’s okay... With you, it’s even possible.” Bryce squeezed her hand and leaned over to kiss her.

“…Mmm… You taste like marinara sauce.”

Bryce cleaned up the dinner dishes while Beth went upstairs to change. Luckily, she’d brought her jeans, a casual shirt and light jeans jacket. Finding something familiar in his closet, she went back downstairs and into the kitchen. He saw her and whistled appreciatively.

“You could pass for Brando’s girlfriend…”

“I guess I have become Eva Maria Saint, huh?” She giggled. “And look what I found?”

She put her nose into the old brown jacket she was holding and took a good whiff.

“Well?”

“It still smells like rich leather… I always liked this jacket.” He took it from her and put it on.

“You were the only one. My dad about fainted when I bought it.”

They looked at each other and smiled. “Your father was wonderful, you know.”

“… I do, but thanks for reminding me.”

They went out to the garage where Bryce punched the remote button and opened the garage door. Then he handed Beth a helmet and put one on himself. When he got on the motorcycle and started it up, he revved the engine and she laughed. Smiling, he took her hand and helped her on the seat behind him. Beth grabbed him around the waist and he brought her hand up to his lips for a kiss. She kissed him on the back and they were ready to take off.

Leaving the condominium complex, Bryce opened up the bike and they roared down the street. Drinking in the fresh air and freedom, he felt a million times better… Beth hung onto him and the years fell away – It was ten years ago and they were roaring down the street again, laughing and smiling like when they were kids.

Beautiful memories bubbled over onto the bike and all around them…

* * *

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Barron! How the hell are you?”

Inside the club, Bryce turned toward the voice calling him. The lighting was so dim that it was hard to tell who was speaking. When his eyes adjusted, Bryce looked up to see the club’s manager, Sid Fellows, walking up to him, hand outstretched.

“Sid… Good to see you again. I wondered if you still owned the place.” They shook hands smiling at one another.

“Yeah… I know, but the place is such a dump, who the hell would buy it?” Sid laughed merrily as if that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. He’d addressed his comments to Beth standing close beside Bryce. They both held motorcycle helmets.

“And who’s this pretty lady?”

Bryce beamed. “Sid Fellows, meet my girlfriend, Beth Lane.”

He reached out to shake her hand too, as Beth blushed
. Girlfriend?

“Well, Beth… Let me tell you.” He grinned over at Bryce. “This guy used to come in all the time to jam with us. Plays a pretty mean bass, you know?”

Beth nodded her head. “But we haven’t seen him in a while.”

“…Ah…” began Bryce.

Sid slapped him on the back. “… But he’s still wearing that ratty old leather jacket…”

“… Been busy,” said Bryce.

“Well, sit down, sit down… Enjoy yourselves. Whatever you want is on the house. Talk to you later, Barron…” They could hear him chuckling all the way to the back of the club.

Bryce found a small table close to the mini stage set up with instruments, microphones, speakers and cables everywhere. He took her helmet and placed it on the floor by his. People were milling around during the break.

“Want something to drink?” He looked at her as she giggled.

“…
Girlfriend
?”

Bryce blushed this time. “Would you prefer ‘
good friend’
or ‘
lover’?
”

“I guess I’m all those things, huh?”

“You’re much, much more than all those things, Beth. I love you…” He leaned over to kiss her. She caressed his handsome face and kissed his nose.

“You are kinda cute…”

“… And?” He took her hand and waited for her.

“… And I love you too…” He leaned over to kiss her again. She was beginning to feel butterflies in her stomach and wondered briefly why she was nervous.

They were nursing a couple of beers when the next set started. Some blues guitarists played low and soft creating the sultry mood that enveloped the club. When they finished, a few other guys got up, strung their electric guitars around their necks, plugged them in and belted out a wild rendition of Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. A drummer had joined them when Sid came over to Bryce and asked him to join in – The group needed a bass player. Bryce shook his head until he looked over at Beth. She had a big smile on her face and tipped her head toward the stage, encouraging him to get up there.

Bryce laughed, shrugged off his jacket and joined the musicians on stage. Someone handed him the bass guitar and again, he felt he was coming home. It had been too damn long since he’d done this. Tapping his foot and remembering chord structures, he came in on the beat and played several raucous songs with the group. The joint was jumpin’ and it was plain to see that these guys were pretty good. Beth was ecstatic and clapped her hands along with them.

When they finished their set, Sid threw Bryce a towel. He left the stage wiping the sweat off his face and laughing as he hadn’t laughed in years. Sitting down by Beth, he looked over at her and grinned.

“What is it about you?”

“What’d I do?”

“As soon as I meet you again, my life begins to get better and better.”

She smiled. “Maybe we’re good for each other.”

“…Think so?”

“I’m feeling pretty good myself.”

“Good.” He leaned over to kiss her. “…Very good.”

He played one more set with another group and was thinking that he definitely needed to do this more.

“We probably need to take off, sweetheart. I have work and you have a performance to prepare for.” Bryce stood to help Beth with her jacket. “…And I need to talk to you when we get home.”

“Uh-oh… Sounds serious,” she kidded. He just nodded and she knew he was ready to tell her what was going on with him.

He put on his leather jacket and reached down for their helmets. He waved goodbye to Sid and then they went outside, breathing in the fresh night air. Bryce started the motorcycle and helped Beth get on behind him. She put her arms around him again, holding on tightly. And then they roared off again down the road, into the dark night.

* * *

Bryce was still feeling pretty good by the time they were home and the motorcycle was tucked away. He took her hand and led her into the condo, heading right for the kitchen. When he started to make some coffee, Beth found two mugs, milk and sugar. She sat down at the kitchen table, just waiting for him.

When the coffee perked, he poured two mugs and sat down by her. Shaking his head at the milk and sugar she offered, he took a tentative sip and then set down the mug. Bryce had become more solemn with each step he took. Beth was getting pretty nervous by the time he set down that mug and she looked into his worried face.

“You asked earlier about my day…”

“…Right…”

“I didn’t want to talk about it then.”

“…And you want to talk about it now?”

“Yes, honey. I do… with you.”

“Let’s hear it…”

Pause.

“Nick and I went for a drink at the Bellagio after work.” He stopped and took another sip of coffee. “He asked about the Gardnerville deal and told me I would be fired if I didn’t get it done – and fast.”

Beth’s lips parted and her eyes popped wide. “What a bastard…”

He smiled. “That’s pretty much my thinking too.”

“I thought this man was a friend of yours.”

“…Not really. In fact, I think he always liked Sylvia better…”

Beth laughed and took a sip. “Is that it?”

“No. He also said if I screwed up the deal, he’d make sure I didn’t work anywhere in the financial markets again.”

Shocked, she dropped her mug and spilled coffee on the table. “Oh! Damn… Sorry…” Beth jumped up to get a towel and mopped the mess off the table. Then she looked back into his serious eyes. “The bastard threatened you?”

Bryce blew out a breath. “Yes…”

“Can he do that?”

“Yes, he can make it very difficult for me.”

She took his hand and they were quiet for a few minutes.

“What do you want to do?”

“You have your last performance with the Quartet tomorrow evening?”

“…Yes.”

“Will you come with me to Gardnerville the day after that? I have a lot of thinking to do on the way and I need you.”

“What in the world for? I don’t know anything about your business deals…”

“You love me and that’s what I need for what I have in mind.”

He slowly began to smile…She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why do I get the impression that you’re up to something?”

“Because I am…” He leaned over to kiss her. “Beth Lane, you give me the courage to move large mountains. I’ll never be able to tell you how much you mean to me…”

She grinned. “Well, maybe you can show me.”

They looked at one another smiling. He nodded…

“Are we done here?”

“For right this moment, yes. We both need something else now.”

Beth stood up, took his hand and led him up into the bedroom. Without taking her eyes from his, she pulled his shirt over his head and unbuttoned her blouse. He unzipped her jeans and unzipped his own. They wiggled out of their jeans at the same time and fell together on the bed in each other’s arms. He moved her bra out of the way when his mouth found her breast and he removed her panties with just one hand – The other was busy doing its own exploration.