Page 23 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
He took my hand for a moment, and I went still as electricity zipped from the point of contact down to my heels, then surged back up to race my heart and cloud my thoughts. His thumb stroked my palm, sending shivers of anticipation through me before he let go—leaving my body humming with chaos. His voice made me tremble as he said, “You might be surprised at what manner of things can be done, if the motivation is there.”
I sucked in a shivery breath, trying to recover my sanity. I recognized the notes of music drifting through the parkabruptly. My uncle in San Francisco loved jazz, calling the specific genre cool jazz, so I recognized the song. Usually played by a band or a bunch of musicians, it took on a very different tone when played by a solo guitarist, the straining notes almost haunting. Despite never enjoying cool jazz or the song before, I liked it in New York. It felt or hit different there?Or maybe I am different.
The lobby. Here. It’s speaking to me.
“I loveConcierto de Aranjuez,” I admitted aloud, not intending to change the topic, but I smiled and shook my head. I would listen to another version of the song when I worked onPoor Relationlater. I needed to publish by the next morning to stay on track. Despite my schedule being self-imposed, I stuck to it and didn’t like to be late with my uploads. The move had thrown me off. I needed to get back to work.
Barrett jerked in his seat. “You recognize the song?”
“I do.” I paused, wondering if I should keep my mouth shut. I really couldn’t, so I asked, “Why is that surprising?”
He smiled again, but it didn’t seem to take him as long or as much strain to do it. “Before you suggest it’s because I think you’re poor, just don’t bother. It’s because literally no one else in my life knows anything about jazz. Me? I’m quasi-obsessed. That’s the word that my brothers would use, anyway.”
I found his freely offered personal insight interesting. “I don’t have that much experience with jazz, if I’m being honest. I’m going to stream this song, though, tonight. My uncle listened to it—he actually introduced me to the music—but my understanding hasn’t expanded since then. Not really. But this song I know. I’ve never heard it played by only one guitar. It’s beautiful how they managed to capture not just the melody, but somehow the rhythm of the song, too.”
“I agree,” he said, and the huskiness of his voice surprised me.
I swallowed fast and glanced around, but I couldn’t see the musician. He—maybe it is a she?—must be relatively close, but I couldn’t spot them.How far does noise travel?
I closed my eyes again, letting the music wash over me with the scents and the warm sunshine, while studiously not thinking about Barrett.
“You’re not sad, not in this moment,” he said softly from far too close to my ear. Heat stained my cheeks as my eyes flashed open and my hands raised in defense to hit nothing but air. His smile was huge when I focused my gaze and glanced his way. “And, you know what? Neither am I.” He took my hand, his skin warm and electrifying as it so familiarly claimed my own. “Let’s keep walking. This is my favorite part of the city, but I have tons more to show you if you haven’t done anything touristy yet.”
I stumbled, then used it as an excuse to stop him. “Hold on. I thought we were talking about why you don’t want me around your brothers.”
He shook his head, his expression genuinely confused. “I never said that, not exactly. You did. You’re remarkably good at determining what people want from you when they first arrive but not afterward. Jeremy told me you read him, too. Afterward, you stop. Look, I’m sorry I prejudged you.” His brows lifted in innocence even as his gaze strayed over my body for a second. “How did you decide I was a snob? What about me screamed that I didn’t want you around because you were poor?”
Should I tell him?Crossing my arms, I actually had to work to keep from puckering my bottom lip in a pout. “I have my ways.”
“And you’re not going to share them?” He stepped closer then continued walking, causing me to have to double step for a second to catch up as he shook his head. “But be careful with that. You’re not right, not this time.”
Fair. Maybe this time.“I’m supposed to see your brothers tonight. Do you want to text them to say I won’t make it?”
“No.” He took my hand. “There’s a lot more park to see, but we aren’t even going to attempt it. We’ll see a bit more today, and then we’ll head to other locations. You ready?”
I caught my breath, shivers still radiating from where his hand so easily held mine captive. “Do I have a choice?”
He considered me carefully, his voice strangely soft as he said, “You always have a choice. I guess my question is do you want what I’m selling?”
It was such an interesting turn of phrase that my lips quirked into a grin despite my intended neutral expression. “What are you selling?”
“Make no mistake, Alatheia, every person on this planet is sellingsomething. The trick is to figure out if you want what they’ve got or if they’re a waste of your time. Every relationship is transactional in some way.”
I pursed my lips but managed not to blurt out my opinion. I disagreed with him. In my future, once I got away from these people, it wouldn’t be like that for me. My friends would want me around just because of me. I could feel my shoulders stiffen as I silently vowed to do the same for them.
“Oops,” he winced. “You didn’t like that. Okay, look, it’s not such a bad thing. Life is about give and take, that’s all I’m saying. Don’t worry about it now. If you want to spend the day with me, come with me. Otherwise, I’ll take you back home.”
I didn’t want our time to end, but I wasn’t willing to admit that much to him, either. Instead, I reverted to answering his question with a question. “I don’t usually talk this much. How are you doing this?”
“I don’t think it’s me, Alatheia.” He took off his sunglasses and his gaze was filled with happiness. “If I’m being honest, I don’t usually notice that being around me makes someone glow,or brings anyone out of themselves. Most of the time I make people shut down, so it’s kind of cool if the vibe between us goes the other way for once. Let’s go.”
Most of the rest of the day passed in a blur to me. Time s Square. Rockefeller Plaza. One World Trade. By the end of the afternoon, as the sun set, we stood side by side in Battery Park staring at Ellis Island in the distance.
“I don’t know anything about my family,” I finally confessed. My throat ached from talking so much, but I was no closer to understanding how he blurred my thoughts than I had been when we met.What is it about him? Is it him? Still, I continued, adding, “I don’t know if they came through that island or if they’ve been here since the revolution or anything.” I looked over my shoulder at him, enjoying his profile in the golden glow. “What about you? Do you know how your family got here?”
He lifted an eyebrow, meeting my gaze evenly with his gorgeous eyes. I liked that he didn’t hide behind the sunglasses anymore. “We can trace my mother’s family back to the Mayflower. My dad’s side is more complicated, but we’ve all been here since the eighteen hundreds,” he said.
What must that be like?I couldn’t even imagine knowing everything about my family, not to mention having a complete history. We’d kept the conversation surface level so far. I didn’t know any secrets about him, and he didn’t know any of mine.Well … he probably knows just about everything I’ve ever told Jeremy and Julian, since they clearly filled him in on all the juicy details.Not that I expected secrecy from them.I never did.My life seemed entirely public fodder, privacy yet another perk reserved for someday when I got free. Whatever people wanted to know, they could find it out—other than about my anime.
