Chapter 10

John walked into the rehearsal barn after Lily and Frank, carrying his guitar case and gig bag. He'd practiced the set again that morning after breakfast with Frank playing along on the digital piano he kept in his home office. While they went through the arrangements and harmonies, John had made notes to remind himself of what to do.

Lily spent the whole time painting her toenails and fingernails, clapping for each song with a huge smile on her face. John thought she seemed more relaxed than he'd ever seen her. Her happy, energetic mask was gone allowing her natural warmth to shine through. If Frank noticed he didn't say anything, but their frequent glances implied he saw it as well.

Roger greeted them just as warmly as he had the previous week, giving John a knowing smile they shook hands. "Looks like you'll be a permanent fixture around here," he said.

John nodded as they shook. "At least for the next five weeks."

Leaning closer, Roger whispered, "Frank's different now. In a good way."

"So am I." John felt the emotion build until Roger released his hand.

"I hope you stick around." Roger moved to hug Lily and whispered, "I hope you do too."

"You can't get rid of me that easy," Lily laughed. "I'm helping them sell their software."

John left them speaking quietly as he turned towards the practice stage. Luke was restringing his guitar when he approached. There was a look on his face that made John a little wary.

"So how'd it go with Sammy last week?" Luke asked with a wry smile.

"Just fine, why? You hear something?"

"More like didn't hear something. She was bitchin' to June about you not calling her all week."

John frowned and realized he probably should have at least called to thank her for the use of her couch and the ride to dinner. "I probably would have if I was on vacation this week like I planned."

"Yeah, Roger mentioned you guys pitching in to help Frank. I told June that was probably why."

John set up his gear next to Luke, including the new guitar stand they'd picked up on the way to rehearsal. After tuning up and adjusting the amp, he pulled out his notes and began working through the first song, After the Dance.

Frank normally sang a rich baritone, but for this song he spent the verses up in a light falsetto that sounded a little like Michael McDonald. They had worked out harmonies for the chorus and bridge that made Lily swoon. He sang a bit of it while rehearsing the chord changes.

"I want you, and you want me. So why can't we get together after the dance."

Luke smiled and worked a little faster, tuning quickly and stretching the strings before joining John on the bridge. John looked up and watched Luke's fingers, switching to lead the melody while Luke played an upbeat rhythm. It only took a few minutes before they worked out their respective parts and were joined by the other band members.

It was easy to get lost playing music. John soon felt like he was floating away as they worked through the set. Most of the music Frank and Roger picked were upbeat love songs, the message was clear to John and Lily if not anyone else. Singing the harmonies with Frank made them even more special and Lily's eyes sparkled as she watched them rehearse.

June, Beth, and Sammy all came in later in the afternoon to join the others as they listened. The last song of the set was an snappy arrangement that Frank started solo for the first line.

"It's very clear our love is here to stay." Frank sang with his eyes shut and a sweet smile on his face. The rest of the band swung in together behind him with John singing harmony when they got to the Rockies and Gibraltar. Then for the first time since joining the band, John sang the verse the second time through with Frank adding a few harmonies along the way.

Lily covered her mouth as she watched, shaking her head and laughing at them as they hammed it up towards the end. The girls were all laughing and clapping when the men put down their instruments and stepped off the stage.

"Whatcha think? Good set?" Frank asked them with open arms.

"I think you need to let John sing more often," Sammy said with a sly look his direction. Her smile seemed hesitant, so John gave her a reassuring grin as he walked towards her.

"No, my nerves are shot just doing that one verse. Frank's got a better voice anyway." John stopped without touching Sammy, unwilling to encourage her more than he already had.

"I heard you had a busy week," she said with a light tone.

John glanced around and caught Lily suppressing a grin as she watched them. "Yeah, it's not the vacation I planned, but I'm excited about what we're doing."

"I'm glad you'll be stickin' around." Her eyes betrayed her hopes more than her words did.

John took a deep breath and nodded, wishing he knew how to let her down easy. Her roommate Beth was giving him the stink eye so he decided to go pack up his gear. "I gotta get ready to move out. Are you coming up tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Sammy stepped back with a thin smile and joined Luke, June, and Beth as they chatted.

While he was wrapping his cables and putting his gear away, Lily came up to stand next to him. "I'll talk to her tonight."

"You sure that's a good idea?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but I'd like us to all be friends. She seems nice."

"Fair warning, she's got the idea that you're stringing me along while you're working on Frank."

"Yeah, she doesn't seem too keen on me." Lily shrugged and sighed. "All I can do is tell her the truth. I can't make her believe it. Need help getting things to the car?"

Lily took the lighter items while John picked up both of Luke's amps and followed her outside. Sammy watched them with a neutral expression, but the hairs on the back of John's neck stood up. There was going to be trouble before the night was through.

The club was mostly empty when they arrived to set up and do a sound check. On the ride over, John debated with himself about getting involved with Lily's plan to talk to Sammy. In the end he decided that his involvement would only make things worse, but it still made him feel like a coward.

Curtis, the club's sound guy, got the mics positioned while John set up his gear. The new guitar stand made things much easier and the digital tuner he got at the same time worked well. They launched into a short version of After the Dance while Curtis mixed their sound.

John and Frank ended up next to each other in the back of the booth. It wasn't something John tried to make happen, but that didn't stop him from leaning closer and rubbing Frank's thigh under the table. While the waitress took their orders, Frank returned the touch with a quick pat and smile.

Luke and Allen had both heard about the layoffs and new company from Roger, so when they asked for more details Frank described what they'd been doing all week. There was no way to hide his joy and hope as he spoke.

John had mixed feelings about the way Frank reported his management role to the band using such glowing terms. Roger even got on the bandwagon and reported hearing about how well John was doing from the other team members. When Lily started in next, John couldn't help laughing. "Stop! You're giving me a big head."

He felt Lily's toes under the table on his leg when she said,"It's no more than you deserve."

Frank cleared his throat said, "Seriously, I can't imagine where we'd be without your help. Raj may have had the idea and everyone is working their asses off, but you're making it all come together somehow. I never could figure out how to manage the team the way you are. It seems effortless, but I know it's not."

Lily pulled the tablet out of her purse and began an impromptu demonstration. Both Luke and Allen seemed impressed and asked good questions while Lily and Frank provided the answers. John was happy to sit back and sip his beer as the conversation flowed around him, feeling Frank's arm purposefully brushing against his.

The club filled up as the evening progressed. The band mates all had a few beers, but only enough to loosen up and relax. Anne and Maria arrived and kissed their husbands, Roger and Allen, before joining the group at their table in the back. June arrived with Beth and Sammy just before the band started moving towards the stage. Luke ran over to give June a kiss, then the women joined the Lily and the others at the band's booth.

John had just gotten his guitar strap over his head when he heard Frank moan and mutter something. Emma walked over to the stage while their parents Grace and William wandered toward Lily and the rest.

"Sorry," Emma said to Frank. "When I mentioned I was coming tonight, Dad insisted he and Mom come too."

"Well, nothing we can do about it now." Frank rolled his eyes and glanced back towards John shaking his head.

"Hi John! Break a leg," Emma said with a wave and a smile, then left to join everyone else at the band's booth.

They swung into the set following Frank's smooth greeting and the music clicked like it never had before. Allen and Roger were locked in tight on the bass and drums, laying a solid foundation to improvise over. Frank's fingers danced across the keys as he crooned, his mellow voice singing of love and loss. Luke and John plucked and strummed over it all, offering melody and counterpoint, harmony and syncopation until the crowd had no choice but to get up and dance.

John sang harmony with all his heart, trying to match the passion he heard in Frank's voice. There were moments when the two of them connected that felt as hot and smooth as sex when they wove the words together. It was addictive. Between songs John would stand close and brush against Frank's back to feel those amazing sparks again when they touched.

The last song was their duet, Our love is here to stay. John wailed on his guitar as he improvised around the familiar melody, his fingers flying one way then suddenly reversing direction to walk back down the neck. The notes seemed to fall randomly until a pattern suddenly emerged as he repeated the primary melody over the new arpeggiation.

Luke kept calling out, "Yeah!" His own guitar provided the multi-layered canvas of notes that supported his runs.

John looked up to find Frank grinning back at him like a mad man. When he stepped up to the mic and sang his verse to Frank, he poured his heart into it. Frank played on without looking down at his hands or music. The chorus came around and Frank only glanced away long enough to sing his harmony into the mic, then gave a happy laugh as they slowed the song to its finale.

The crowd went insane. The people who were dancing in front of the stage stopped to clap and whistle. Frank stood and gave John a huge hug while Roger, Allen, and Luke surrounded them with their arms as well. The men laughed and clapped each other on the back as they stepped off to join their friends.

"That was fucking amazing," Luke said as he put his arm around John's shoulders. "You're getting your chops back, dude. I was blown away by that solo after the first verse. Holy shit!"

"Thanks," John said, feeling the rush from the memory like electricity on his skin. "It wasn't just me, though. Everything came together tonight. Roger and Allen, man, you guys had it locked it tighter than I've ever heard you play. Luke, you were a monster like usual, but you have this knack ... It's like you can find hidden notes and harmonics that made those songs ring like a bell."

Lily came to John with her arms open wide, her wide grin as she searched his face showed exactly how she felt. "Oh my God, you were amazing!"

Luke stepped aside to hug June just as Lily reached him. Lily didn't hesitate, just rose to her toes and kissed him deeply with the kind of passion that forced him to adjust his stance. When she stepped back, Frank spun her around and kissed her the same way, pulling John's kiss fresh from her lips to his.

Both of them kissing Lily that way drew every eye at the table. Emma had a knowing smile, Roger only raised an amused eyebrow, but Sammy had a glowing hate in her eyes as she glared at Lily. When she glanced at John, it felt like he'd been splashed with cold water from the pain he saw in her face.

Frank leaned back from his kiss and took John's hand to drag them both down next to him in three empty chairs that faced the booth. "That was our best set ever!"

"Yes." Grace was looking between Lily and John with a startled expression.

William sat back with a blank-faced stare at Frank. "Unbelievable."

Frank was still too fired up to notice the ripple the shared kiss had caused. Luke and Allen grinned like they had finally figured out what was going on, but June and Beth were passing looks with Sammy that didn't share the men's approval at all. It was Roger's wife, Anne, who broke the tension John felt.

"Here's to the band," Anne said as she raised her wine.

"Here, here," Emma said as she raised her own. The glasses all came up, but not everyone around the table drank before they came back down again.

In the silent moment that followed the toast, William leaned in and said to John, "I hear you pulled my son's fat out of the fire this week." It might have come off as playful or funny if he'd smiled or said it with a light tone. His raised eyebrow and frown of disgust made it clear what he intended.

John blinked at the statement and glanced at Frank. Gone was the excitement from a well-played set. In it's place, Frank had clenched his jaw as his skin flushed a deep red.

"Dad!" Emma looked in shock at her father's snide comment.

"What? That's what you told me!" There was no apology in his tone, no offer of misunderstanding.

"That's not what I said and you know it." She reached across the table to grip Frank's hand.

"It's okay, Emma. You'd think after thirty-five years I'd be used to him by now." Frank turned to his father. "You can't let me enjoy anything, can you? Every time I find something to feel good about, you have to stomp it into ashes."

"Oh give me a break," William said as he stood and gestured to the club. "This? This makes you happy? I'd hoped you'd grow out of this nonsense at some point. I'm glad all those music lessons paid off." His eye roll and head tilt delivered the harsh sarcasm more than his tone did.