Irritation and embarrassment flickered through her. Christian really needed to work on his poker face. It was obvious they’d just been talking about something secretive before she arrived.
Emilio patted her forearm kindly as he rose to make a place for her. “Now, don’t you worry, Miss Megan. The blues are mighty powerful stuff. If you sat through that first set and grinned like a clueless airhead, I’d be downright worried about you. Yes ma’am.”
Megan’s irritation evaporated when Emilio took her hand in his oversized grip and squeezed. She smiled when she looked into his grizzled countenance. His big eyes widened and he shook his head with exaggerated befuddlement.
“Lordy be, Chris. Where’d you find this girl? She’s packing some powerful stuff herself, but you’re probably too stupid to know it. If this clod treats you badly, you know where to find me, Miss Megan. I know how to treat a lady like she should be treated.” Emilio kissed her once on the hand gallantly before he left.
Megan was still grinning when she scooted into the booth. “What?” she asked when she took in Christian, who watched her with puzzled fascination, his chin resting in his palm.“He’s a character, isn’t he? Does Emilio pull this stuff with the ladies a lot, or only when the mood strikes him?” she wondered idly as she took a sip of wine.
Christian also took a lazy drink as well, still studying her. “Never.”
“Never, what?”
“Emilio’s never acted like that with a woman.”
“Maybe he did with his wife, but she died years ago,” Seth mused.
Christian gave a conciliatory shrug. Megan studied both of their serious expressions and scoffed. “Very funny. And don’t think you’re going to sidetrack me, Christian.” Her level stare was as firm as her words. “What were you two talking about before? You’re a musician?” she asked Seth pointedly. “And what have you got to do with it, Christian?”
Seth looked amused. “I play the guitar. I told you Christ
ian was jealous. You didn’t tell her a thing about me, did you?” The black-haired man leaned toward his friend. A rare smile begged to escape his mouth.
Christian rolled his eyes. Before he could get off a cutting remark, Emilio’s voice boomed from the mike.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a very special treat for you tonight. Seth Down has agreed to perform with the other members of Harvest Moon. I guess I don’t need to promote Seth too much. His work speaks for itself. Suffice it to say, that I think Seth is one of the most talented guitarists alive on the planet, and he certainly tops a good portion of the great guitarists who have passed, bless their graced souls.”
Christian and Seth shared a brief glance, and Megan thought she heard Christian mutter under his breath, “The old man is full of surprises tonight.”
“Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome Seth Down.” Enthusiastic applause broke out, becoming louder when Seth stood up and unhurriedly removed his jacket.
“Alone?” was the only thing Seth muttered tautly to Christian before he loped up onto the stage and shook the hands of the other band members who filed out onto the stage.
Megan saw the way Christian’s face tensed slightly at Seth’s one-word query.
“Christian?”
He glanced at her, and Megan sensed his conflict. She was reminded of the way he’d looked last Saturday afternoon when he’d talked about betraying someone that he cared about. “What did Seth mean? He seemed like…he needed you…”
Her voice trailed off uncertainly.
For a moment, their gazes locked. Almost in the same movement, he took her hand in his, held onto her tight, and faced Emilio. Megan shouldn’t have been surprised when she realized that Emilio seemed to be pausing in his commentary as he expectantly watched Christian. Emilio turned and spoke discreetly to the lead singer of the group, who nodded and saluted Christian before he left the stage.
“Well, we’ve got an extra treat for you all tonight. You all are probably familiar with Chris, over there,” Emilio waved over at the booth where Christian and Megan sat. “He’s been coming to my club since before he graduated from high school, but if there’s a Chicago cop out there, I can only say that I busted him as soon as I knew the truth. Damn hellion, he was,” Emilio muttered fondly.
Laughter and the general excited buzz of conversation enlivened the audience at Emilio’s words. Megan saw that almost every face in the club was turned toward their booth. She glanced over at Christian in dawning amazement. He slumped back into the booth, his face covered in shadow.
“Sometimes the lines that separate categories of music get fuzzy, and Chris has always been at the forefront of pushing those boundaries. You’re about to hear one of his less popular songs, but if you were familiar with his work, you’d know it’s one of his best. Maybe he’s not what you’d expect at Emilio’s, but trust me, along with Seth here, and the rest of this fine band, you’re about to hear one of the most unforgettable performances you’ll every experience. Oh, and tell your kids to eat their heart out. My nineteen-year-old daughter, Amy, is going to give me the true blues when she hears that I didn’t tell her about this.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Chris Lasher, Seth Down and Harvest Moon.”
Chapter 4
Christian’s hand hadn’t moved from hers until that announcement. When it came he surprised her by kissing her knuckles before he placed her palm gently on the table. Despite her gradual understanding, Megan still felt disoriented when he left the booth. She watched as he walked to the stage with that loose-hipped, confident saunter that had already become so endearing to her. The applause from the audience was thunderous. She wondered how she could have begun to learn the details of his features so well, the way he moved his body with insouciant male grace, his idiosyncratic gestures, and the nuances of his expression—and yet really know nothing about him at all.
He spoke quietly to the three remaining members of Harvest Moon while Seth idly strummed the electric guitar and made a few adjustments to it. After a moment, the drummer, saxophonist, and bass player nodded their heads in agreement and Christian moved over to the microphone. When he cradled it with both hands, Megan immediately knew that the gesture was natural to him, a movement he’d done hundreds of thousands of times before.
“This is a song called Settling Debts that I wrote a couple years ago. Hope you enjoy it.” Christian spoke into the microphone in a low, easy-going rumble. He counted softly and Seth started playing, followed by the drummer.