Jack
I WALKED BACK into our room to find Hadley sacked out, her quiet snore music to my ears, knowing she needed the rest. Setting the bags on the counter, I grabbed my laptop and ear buds, and sat on the sofa to check a few emails.
I wasn’t quite prepared for what I found. The word was out that Bam would be playing drums for RatHound tonight and the internet was buzzing. Apparently, Lucy was able to smooth things over with the promoters, and all was going well, but I felt a little bad for Bam. I knew he was going to do a great job, and would eventually have fun, but I also figured he was probably a nervous wreck right now.
I finished up responding to email and closed my laptop. I wanted to focus as much of my attention to Hadley as possible. I’d put work before my marriage in the past, and wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. I would have never trusted anyone else in my drum stool back in the day. I would have found some way to justify being on stage tonight, no matter what, but at this moment, I wanted to watch Hadley sleep more that I wanted to hear the roar of the crowd. I wanted to think about the future with my new family more than I wanted the road.
* * *
“Have you been watching me the whole time?” Hadley asked as she stretched.
“You’re so beautiful when you sleep, I couldn’t help it.”
“Beautiful when I sleep?”
“Oh yes, very beautiful. Except when you drool,” I teased.
“I do not drool.”
“You most certainly do. It’s disgusting,” I said, leaning down to kiss her.
“I do not.” She turned her head to avoid my kiss. “Now take that back or else.”
“Or else what?” I challenged.
“Or I won’t kiss you anymore.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I would.”
“Even though you’d really be the one missing out.”
“Full of yourself much?” Hadley laughed.
“I’d rather you be full of me.”
“Well that’s off the table too, mister, until you take it back.”
“Okay, fine I take it back, you don’t drool when you sleep… just snore.”
Hadley hit me with her pillow and I pounced on her, kissing her neck and tickling her.
“Stop! I’m gonna pee!” she cried out as I continued my attack.
“You’re cute when you laugh, baby.” I laughed and she grabbed my arms.
“Seriously, honey, I’m going to pee. Let me up.”
I jumped off the bed immediately and she slid her feet off the mattress.
“Slow, baby,” I said. I steadied her and frowned. “You sick?”
“Not yet.”
“You want stuff for the nausea now or wait?”
“We should probably do now,” she said. “Just to be safe.”
I grabbed the bags of groceries, and she took an anti-nausea pill with a little ginger ale and a saltine.
After a few minutes, she pushed off the bed and headed to the bathroom. I followed, concerned she might pass out again.
“I’m okay, honey,” she said.
I studied her. “You dizzy? At all?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“Okay, sweetness, just be careful.”
She leaned up and kissed me. “I will.”
We decided to eat in the hotel’s dining room for dinner and were seated by a grand fireplace, which was currently illuminated by a series of large candles, rather than flaming logs, I assumed to keep the heat down in the summer months. The dining room wasn’t very busy and we were enjoying our quiet, romantic meal… well… until...
“Excuse me, Jack Henry?”
I looked up to see a woman in her late-forties, wearing thick cat’s eye frames, holding a RatHound 1995 tour program and several CDs.
“Yeah… on my better days,” I said, and gave the woman a smile.
Rather than looking pleased, the woman actually looked like she was in total agony. Her body shook and she began to make a low groaning sound. Eventually, her noises began to sound like words. Normally, I hated when people interrupted me for a picture or an autograph… it’s part of the reason I grew my hair long. Once I did that, people recognized me less and less, but apparently, the word was out and my cover was blown. It had been a while, and I was in a good mood, so I decided not to blow her off.
“Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, I’m your b-b-biggest fan.”
“Oh, yeah?”
She bobbed her head up and down and let out a strange moaning sound. “I knew Rex would come to his senses and put the band back together.”
This woman was a weirdo.
“Did you want me to sign those for you?” I asked, motioning to her stack of RatHound merch.
She simply moaned again and quickly thrust the items toward me.
“Who should I make this out to?” I asked.
“Uh… Cathy… I’m Cathy… I’m Cathy Meadows.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“We’ve met, Jack.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s been a long time, so you might not remember.”
“Maybe not.” I nodded toward Hadley. “This is my fiancé, Hadley.”
Cathy stopped smiling. In fact, Cathy stopped moving altogether. Her unblinking gaze was now fully set on Hadley.
“Where are you from, Cathy?” I asked in an attempt to turn her focus back to me, or at least back to earth.
“I’m from Colorado,” she said without breaking her focus on Hadley.
“What a coincidence,” I said, signing her things. “We were just in Colorado.”
“I know.”
I tried again. “What brings you to Boise?”
She finally turned to me and said, “You.”
I looked at Hadley, and her eyes were as big as saucers. I swallowed hard and hoped Cathy didn’t notice. This chick was seriously starting the freak me the fuck out.
“I’m here to see you guys play at the Idaho Center Arena,” she said.
“Wow, you’re in town a little… early aren’t you? The show’s not for another two days.”
“I was going to see you at Red Rocks tonight, but when I heard you weren’t going to be playing drums, I drove straight here instead.”
“Last night?” Hadley asked.
“Uh huh,” Cathy answered.
My blood ran cold. “How did you… know I was at this particular hotel?”
“I saw you pull in here when I was following you.”
* * *
Hadley
What the hell? This woman was nuts.
If looks could kill, I’d be dead ten times over, and considering I’d seen what women could do to other women who got between them and their idols, she was making me more than a little nervous.
“What room are you in?” Cathy asked.
“We don’t give that kind of information out, Cathy,” Jack said.
I just sat there dumbfounded considering I couldn’t believe she’d even asked.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” She stepped closer, apparently, now feeling more comfortable. “I can run errands, um, and, ah, things. Whatever you need.”
“We’ve got it handled,” Jack said.
She pulled a chair up to the table and plopped herself down between us. “I can’t believe I’m having dinner with Jack Henry.”
“Cathy, I’m sorry, but you can’t join us.”
“Oh, how come? I’ve come all this way and I’m all by myself.”
I raised my eyebrow at Jack. I’d like to see how he got out of this one.
“Well, I’m here with my fiancée, and…”
“Oh, she doesn’t bother me,” Cathy said.
I choked on the sip of water I’d just taken and Jack gave me a look of panic.
“Sorry, will you excuse me for a second?” I said, and stood.
Jack shook his head, and I escaped… heading straight for the front desk.
“Miss Simon?” a voice said from behind me and I turned to see Rolf, the general manager approaching me.
“Hi, Rolf.”
“Can I help you with something?”
“Um, yes, please, if you wouldn’t mind. Jack’s having a little problem with a fan.”
I filled him in on Cathy and her desire to sit with him… but I left out the fact that she probably wanted to make a skin suit out of him.
“I’ll take care of it,” Rolf said. “Just head on back to dinner.”
The fact that the bands had pretty much booked out the hotel for the next two nights, meant we got a little extra preferential treatment. Rolf was close to Jack’s age, so I had an inkling he was a fan… probably a secret one… but, regardless, I appreciated whatever he could do to keep the crazies from my man.
“Thank you.” Instead of heading straight back to the table, I made a pitstop, then joined Jack again, who was still dealing with Cathy. And she appeared to have moved closer to him.
Jack stood, reaching his hand out as though to grab me like a lifeline. “Hi, baby.”
I grinned, sliding against his body. “Hi, honey.”
Cathy looked like she might explode, but I didn’t object when Jack sat in the chair furthest away from her and settled me between them.
Our server arrived and smiled at Cathy. “Are you Ms. Meadows?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, you have a phone call.”
She frowned. “Here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her frown turned into a scowl, but she didn’t move to get up.
“It’s quite urgent,” the waitress stressed.
“Ah, okay, right.” Cathy rose to her feet and the waitress led her away, returning quickly with a grin.
“She won’t bother you again.”
Jack sighed. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem.” She smiled. “Can I bring you anything?”
“Cheesecake,” I said.
She grinned. “I can do that.”
“I’ll have coffee, please,” Jack said.
The waitress nodded and walked away.
“Do you think she’ll come back?” Jack whispered.
“Why are you whispering?”
“In case she’s, I don’t know, a witch or something.”
I burst out laughing. “Is whispering a thing… with witches?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not taking any chances.”
“Well, she won’t be back.”
“How do you know?”
I patted my chest. “Because, I’m Hadley Freakin’ Simon and I took care of it.”
He leaned over and kissed me… hard. “I love you. Holy fuckin’ hell, she was nuts.”
“I’m sorry, honey.” I smiled and stroked his cheek. “My big, bad, sexy man can’t handle one crazy, fifty-something lady? It’s okay, your woman’s here to protect you.”
He chuckled, leaning forward to kiss me again. “You’re cute, you know that?”
“I sure do.”
He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Always, honey.”
He kissed me again and the waitress returned with our dessert. By the time we were ready to pay for the meal, I could barely keep my eyes open.
Jack held me close as we headed back to our room and I couldn’t help but notice Cathy wasn’t lurking anywhere. Well, anywhere that I could see, anyway.
Maybe she was a witch.
Arriving at our room, Jack closed us in to the quiet, and I undressed quickly and practically fell into bed.
“You want to take another pill?” he asked.
“No, I’m good,” I said, biting back a yawn. Just exhausted.
“Take your prenatal.”
I groaned. “Okay, I’ll do that.”
He handed me the pill and I took it, then crawled back under the covers. I felt the bed dip when Jack climbed in beside me, but don’t remember anything after that.
* * *
Ohmigod, I was dying. I was sure of it.
I sat up, disoriented for a second, then remembered where I was, and made a mad dash for the toilet. I should have forgone the prenatal… or taken it sooner. God! My stomach was on the rampage.
“Baby?” Jack whispered from the doorway.
“It’s okay, I’m okay. The baby’s just trying to kill me.”
He gave me a sad chuckle and hunkered down beside me. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“It’s okay.” I dropped my head to my arms on the seat. “It’ll all be worth it.”
“Yes, it will be.” He rubbed my back for a second and then stood. “I’ll get you some ginger ale.”
“Thanks.”
I pushed myself away from the ground, washed my hands, and sat on the edge of the bed. Jack handed me a pill and a can of soda and I smiled up at him. “Don’t let me stop you from shoving a pill down my throat next time, okay?”
He smiled. “I got your back, baby. Don’t worry.”
“I think I got cocky.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “I ate all of dinner and that to-die-for cheesecake and thought I was in the clear.”
“We’ll know better next time.”
I yawned. “I’m going to brush my teeth, then I’m going to die.”
Jack waited for me to return, then climbed in beside me and pulled me close.
“You sure you want to risk this?” I challenged.
“Yeah, baby. I’m good.”
I kissed his chest. “Okay, honey. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
I closed my eyes and succumbed to sleep.