Page 36 of The Roadie
“Of course, but it’s not that grand.”
“Yeah, right.”
She took his hand and led him through the rooms without fanfare, but he still commented on the Wolf appliances in the kitchen and the size of her bathrooms and the marble accents. “Let me show you the view. It’s what I love most about this place. It’s why me and Audra chose to live in this building and picked these two apartments. We grew up not far from here and spent weekends in Central Park with my dad.” Sadness overshadowed the joyful memory, and she let out a small sigh.
She had told Brett shortly after they’d met that her mother passed when she was very young, but she didn’t elaborate. She really didn’t like to talk about it, but it also made her feel guilty, as if she had forgotten about her mother. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. She missed her mother every single day. “After my mother passed, my dad made it a point to spend time with me and Audra, so he took us to Central Park every Sunday. Even though he was a workaholic, he always made time for us.”
Brett put a soothing arm around her shoulder and rubbed the pad of his thumb up and down the spot just above her collarbone. His brows pinched together, and his face turned somber. “I’m so sorry. It must have been tough for you losing your mom so young.”
Pain still tugged at her heart, and she pressed her lips together. It was suddenly hard to find her voice. “Yeah. That’s why Audra and I are so close with our father. And each other. For the longest time it was just the three of us. The park holds a lot of special memories for me.” She forced a smile. “Come. Let me show you how beautiful it is.” She took his hand, brought him to the living room and ripped open the drapes to reveal a pristine view of Central Park in all of its magnificent glory. The lush treetops stuck out amongst the harsh concrete buildings and bustling traffic below. It was a forest of green in the mist of dingy gray.
“My God. This view is amazing.”
She unlocked the sliders and Brett rushed onto the balcony and gripped the railing in his fists. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen Central Park from this high. Is that . . .” He shielded his eyes from the sun. “Water? Is there a lake in the middle of all those trees?”
“Yes. The Pool. It’s at the north end.” She gazed at the gorgeous view, never tiring of the picturesque scenery. “I wish it was fall so you could see all the brilliant colors from up here.”
His eyes widened, as if imagining the transformation. “I don’t get to see fall very often. It must be gorgeous from this vantage point. I had no idea that Central Park was so densely populated with trees.” He lifted his shoulders. “I’ve never been there.”
Her head snapped in his direction. “Are you serious? You’ve never been to Central Park?”
“I’ve been to New York a lot, but basically just passing through while running Bulletproof’s tours. I’ve been to Madison Square Garden, naturally, and have done the traditional things like Times Square and the Empire State Building. I’ve been to the East Village and checked out the local music scene, but never Central Park.”
“I’m going to have to show it to you, then.” She said it as if they could visit Central Park any time, but he was going back to California, and reality crashed down on her. That’s exactly why she didn’t want to get involved with him. Her feelings for him had deepened over the last few weeks. She’d grown accustomed to seeing him every day. And then he said the “L” word. Again, she needed to remind herself that he said he lovedthingsabout her, not that he was in love with her. It didn’t mean anything, and that made her sadder. “When do you have to go back? Can you stay the night?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I’d love to. And I’d love to see Central Park, but I promised your nephew I’d listen to him play the drums. And I don’t want to break my promise. I really like him. He’s such a cool kid.”
Her heart just melted. Family was everything to her, and she loved Mason as if he were her own son.
“He’s very talented. Like nothing anyone has seen at his age,” she told Brett, as they walked down the hall.
The door to Audra and Jimmy’s apartment flew open the moment Kira knocked. “What took you so long?” The excitement in Mason’s voice possibly outshined the light in his eyes. He tugged on Brett’s arm and pulled him through the apartment, anxious to show off his drumming skills.
“Come on in,” Audra told Kira, who was still standing in the doorway. “I haven’t seen Mason so wound up since we bought him his first full-size drum kit. He really likes Brett. So do I. He fit in with everyone so well on the tour. And you look so happy. Don’t let him get away, Kira. Make it work.”
Kira wished she knew how to make a long-distance relationship work, but she didn’t. It never had before, and the reminder hit her like a slap in the face.
Audra noticed Kira’s frustration right away and placed an arm over her sister’s shoulder. “You guys will figure it out. Don’t dwell on his return to the West Coast. Just take it one day at a time. Now, let’s watch the expression on Brett’s face when he hears what my husband and my son can do together on the drums.”
A thunderstorm of heart-pounding beats hit Kira the moment Audra opened the door to the drum room. It was still overpowering to witness the father and son duo drumming together.
The drum sets were set up on opposite sides of the room facing one another, and Brett stood in the middle against the far wall watching them both. The sparkle in his eyes and the wonderment in his smile were visible clear across the room as he shifted his gaze between Jimmy and Mason. He looked at Kira when she stepped into the crossfire of drumbeats to get to the other side of the room. His brows were raised high on his forehead and he nodded, clearly floored at the show taking place in front of him. When she got to his side, he put his lips to her ear without taking his eyes off the pair of drummers.
“I’ve never seen anything like this!”
Kira’s heart filled with love as she watched her nephew. Mason stomped his double bass and hit his toms and cymbals with strength and force unprecedented for someone his age. If she closed her eyes, she would have thought she was listening to a rock star that had been on stage his whole life, performing at the top of his career, instead of a 10-year-old child.
She turned toward Audra, who was standing a few feet away beaming with pride at her husband and son. Kira loved that Audra and Mason referred to one another as mother and son now. The titles were fitting and well-deserved. She wondered what it must feel like to have a family. For a few brief moments, she imagined a ring on her finger and a few more kids in this room right now. Maybe they’d learn to play instruments or work at the label. Or next to Brett on tour. Her eyes suddenly filled with wetness, and she uttered a small happy laugh. It was a crazy little fantasy, but, for a hot second, it felt so real. And she was happier than she’d ever been.
The two drummers suddenly stopped playing, and Kira was snapped back to reality. Brett started clapping and let out a loud, “Woo hoo!” She blinked rapidly in order to dry her eyes and put her hand to her chest, pretending that she was overwhelmed by the talented display.
Audra nudged her arm, wearing her own teary-eyed smile. “I know. I feel the same way. It still chokes me up to watch Mason. He’s so gifted.”
Father and son looked at one another with billion-dollar smiles that nearly blinded everyone in the room. They shared a rapport that needed no words.
Jimmy went solo while everyone watched. He sat in the center of his Tama kit, almost completely circled by toms, snares and cymbals in various sizes. His thick arms were a whirlwind of colorful tattooed muscle as he hit the skins fast and hard, while his feet slammed into the pedals that struck his twin bass drums. He had a faraway look in his eyes as if in a trance, with a smile glued to his cheeks. He looked as if he were lost in some magical place. His sticks slammed onto the side cymbals and then he silenced them with his hands. He stood up, causing the stool to roll out behind him and hit the wall, and pointed his drumsticks at Mason, who let out a lighthearted giggle, clearly having the time of his life.
Mason retaliated with a beat as quick and fast as his father’s. His amazing bout of showmanship mimicked Jimmy’s. He wore the same animated smile, filled with carefree uninhibited joy. The kid was a superstar. A third-generation drummer destined to surpass the talent of both his father and his grandfather. He smashed his cymbals a half dozen times, then stood up while the shimmer filtered through the air.
