Longing for You

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

Theo dug his hands in his back pockets and waited for his brother to answer, but short of a snort, Jonah remained by the wet bar, eyes closed, breath steady. Either he was in complete shock over what Theo asked him, or he was on the verge of saying—

“I can’t.” The words rolled off his big brother’s lips just before he pressed them into a thin line.

“Can’t…or won’t?”

Pushing off the wall, Jonah moved toward the sofa where Theo was standing. “Why the hell are you asking me this anyway? What aren’t you telling me?”

Now came the fun part. The explanation. The confrontation. And hopefully, the resolution. “I just got off the phone with Jeff. He can’t perform tonight.”

Jonah’s nostrils flared as he shook his head. “Why not?”

“Stacy’s blood pressure spiked and she started having contractions. They’ve been at the ER since noon. She’s stable, and the contractions have stopped, but she’s all freaked now. Jeff doesn’t want to leave her because he’s afraid she’ll stress and relapse.”

“Christ,” Jonah grumbled. He looked as though he wanted to rant about Jeff’s situation, yet doing so would make him appear heartless. His brother might be a prick to him every now and then, but he’d never been cruel to a woman.

Then again, the moment Ally moved away, Jonah changed. He didn’t have the same compassion he had when she was around. Guess it was easier to turn off his emotions to everyone than to be haunted by a bad decision he’d made.

“Come on, bro. Will you help me out?”

Pursing his lips, Jonah was about to respond but shook his head instead. He didn’t give Theo a chance to object before he turned into the hallway and disappeared. It was hard to say if he was avoiding the conversation or if he was too overwhelmed to think.

Then again, maybe he was avoiding the urge to punch Theo. There was nothing like a last minute change before a set, and Jonah had a right to be frustrated. Theo hadn’t forgotten the similar instances that happened in New Orleans.

Despite not knowing Jonah’s exact state of mind, Theo wasn’t backing down. He couldn’t. Not if it delayed him from achieving his goals. Jonah set this whole thing up. He was the one who insisted they do this gig before hitting the studio. If he thought they needed the practice, why wouldn’t he help?

As much as he didn’t want this to blow up into a wicked fight, he couldn’t accept his brother’s refusal. After a few quick strides across the sitting room, he moved into the hall, working his way to the bedroom. When he reached the doorway, he noticed his brother standing near the foot of the bed.

Jonah unzipped the suitcase sitting atop the mattress and opened the cover. While he busied himself with the items on the bed, Theo caught a glimpse of the shirts already inside. Guess his brother had been packing before he showed up.

Great. As if he didn’t feel bad enough asking for Jonah’s help, now he was keeping his brother from doing what he needed.

A high-pitched chirp came from his brother’s phone, but he ignored it and tossed socks in his suitcase. Did Jonah plan to ignore him, too? His brother should know better than to try. He would bug him until Jonah had no other choice than to speak to him, just like when they were younger.

Clearing his throat, he waited for Jonah to acknowledge him, but his brother didn’t turn around. He continued stuffing his suitcase, adding his shaving kit next. The tension between them built with every silent second, and when it finally ended, it wasn’t with the words he wanted to hear.

“Sorry, Theo. I can’t do it. My flight leaves in three hours.”

“So what?” he grumbled. “Fly back tomorrow instead.”

If that was the only excuse Jonah had, this battle was won. Though he didn’t like guilting his brother into doing things for him, desperation had a way of making the most virtuous person do contemptible things. Theo’s merits were already sketchy.

Before he could continue hounding Jonah, his brother released a sigh. “I haven’t played in a solid year. This isn’t about rearranging my schedule. It’s about you finding the right guy. Somebody with talent.”

When Jonah peered in his direction, he clenched his jaw and fought the urge to yell his next response. “You can sell that bullshit somewhere else, Jonah.” He folded his arms as he leaned against the doorway. “Tell me you won’t, but don’t tell me you can’t. We both know better than that.”

His brother didn’t respond, so they stood there, exchanging disgruntled glares. He couldn’t believe Jonah was being so stubborn. It was only two days ago when he offered to cancel his trip home to L.A. He was only supposed to be gone for three days anyway. Something else was going on with him.

The longer Theo thought about it, the more frustrated he grew. He moved forward with hesitant steps but kept his eyes locked on Jonah. His brother gawked at him, at least until his phone beeped again. The sound drew his attention toward the nightstand and what Theo assumed to be a text.

Jonah reached for his phone. “See.” His voice rose as he grabbed the phone and shook it in Theo’s direction. “I have other s**t to take care of. I can’t stay.”

Theo drew his brows tighter and advanced on his brother. Wasn’t family supposed to come first? He remembered making that promise to Jonah years ago. Had his brother forgotten the one he made in return?

“You lined this gig up months ago. Convinced me how important it was to prepare for our album recording. You should be responsible for finding a replacement!”

His voice cracked as he hit a higher pitch, and just as quickly as his temper erupted, it defused. He didn’t have the right to blame his brother, and he sure didn’t need to hurt his vocal chords before singing. If he wanted to get through to Jonah, he’d have to do the one thing he hated—admit he needed help.

“Jonah…I wouldn’t be asking if Jeff could make it, or if we had anyone else.”

The next round of silence dispelled his confidence. He should have known better than to think this battle was won. Then again, he hadn’t counted on something else weighing on his brother’s mind.

Time was running out. If Jonah ended up coming through, he’d need to warm up. It was hard to say how long that would take if he hadn’t played in a year. Guess his sound-producing job gave him little free time. Judging by the way his brother turned and stared at his suitcase, it didn’t matter anyway. He was determined to leave.

“Jeff won’t be ready for the recording if he doesn’t show. Why ask for my advice if you guys aren’t going to follow it? A freaked-out girlfriend is a piss-poor excuse to cancel, if you ask me.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that he had to though. For Christ’s sake, she’s pregnant, Jonah. Jeff has a whole mess to deal with. I ain’t touching it, and it shouldn’t matter. Where the hell is your heart?”

“It’s where I left it. Buried at the train station.”

The top of the suitcase flopped closed. Had it been a door, it would have been slammed shut because Jonah’s rigid stance hinted at his frustration. Guess coming back to Savannah drudged up the same feelings for him as it did Theo, regardless if it was over different women. Of course it did. Jonah loved Ally. Had Paula Jacobs not made her threats, things would have been different.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Theo stepped backwards and gripped the edge of the dresser. “How long you gonna live in the past, Jonah? You’re not responsible for what happened.”

“No, I’m only responsible for letting her leave with the wrong impression.”

It wasn’t like Jonah left Ally willingly, but his brother did a damn good job convincing her otherwise. Her mother left him with little choice. Had it been Theo, he wouldn’t have let anything stop him, would have told the girl he cared about that she was the one…

Yeah right. Lying was easy. Believing the lie, not so much. He was as big a coward as his brother back then. By the time they both shoved away their fears, it was too late.

“You thought you were doing the right thing. Why don’t you try looking her up? See what she’s—”

“Don’t go there, Theo. You can’t cross burnt bridges.”

Jonah tugged on the suitcase handle and set the wheels on the carpet. It made the lump in Theo’s throat thicken. His dilemma wasn’t a priority for Jonah. Escaping painful memories was.

Yet before he could accept defeat, Jonah faced him. “Okay, I give. How long’s the set?”

It was as if a light was shining down from heaven and angels were singing in the distance. The glorious moment had Theo clapping his hands and pointing finger guns at Jonah. “Ten songs, big bro. You will not be sorry. I think this is the distraction you need. Wait ‘til you see the Friday night crowd this joint gets. Bodies packing the floor, ready to dance. Honeys at our feet, just dripping for a chance.” He pointed skyward and chuckled. “Hey, that’s not bad.”

Not giving his brother another thought, he rushed out of the room, determined to find a pen and paper. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a pad and pen in the sitting room with the hotel logo printed on both. He didn’t need much, just something to jot down the lyrics forming in his head. Inspiration had bad timing.

At least Jonah came through for him. It would do them some good to play together. He couldn’t remember the last time they hung out or had fun. Probably in New Orleans, before Jonah accepted a job offer to be a sound producer in L.A.

What a night that had been, a drunken night of music, booze, and women, Theo’s three favorite things. Combine the three, like they did that night, and it guaranteed a two-day hangover. If Jonah let loose once he started playing, Theo didn’t doubt they’d have a repeat performance.

Even if they didn’t do something crazy, it would definitely be a night to remember.