The Rock Star's Wedding

Part 9

NINE

"Do I get to hold your hand?" Jay asked, nodding toward the couple in front of them.

"No, because we're not a couple," Xan said, pasting a smile on her face as she gave her name to the hostess. The woman found Xan's name easily and ticked her off, but Jay presented a bit of a problem.

"I'm sorry, Mr Felix, but you're not on the list," the wide-eyed woman stammered. "I'll see if I can find the manager."

Xan leaned forward and said something she never thought she'd say: "It's all right, he's with me."

"Your...partner?"

Jay glowered. He really didn't like that word.

Xan laughed. "After a fashion. Jay owns Romance Island Resort, but I'm the manager. Seeing as he was in town, I invited him along as my date, so he could meet some of the other hotel owners and managers here."

"Oh, in that case..." She waved them through, turning her attention to the next group of guests.

"Do you kiss on a first date?" Jay persisted.

"This isn't a date."

"You told her it was."

It was like bringing along her brother, if she'd had one. Xan's respect for Jo jumped up a notch.

Xan scanned the guests who'd already arrived, searching for Jerome. She didn't want to see him, but she wanted some warning before he came near her again. After a few minutes, she was satisfied that he hadn't managed to gain entry to the party.

"What do you want to drink?" Jay asked, gesturing at a waiter with a loaded tray. He'd already claimed a condensation-coated beer.

"Juice," Xan decided, reaching for the glass. She wanted her wits about her for a bit longer before she started drinking anything stronger.

She expected Jay to wander off in search of fangirls, but he stuck to her side much like the devoted date he wasn't. Not that he needed to – a white picket fence separated the crowd in the beer garden next door from the thirty or so guests in the private party area. The public stood six deep at the railing overlooking the mangroves, while there was seating for all the guests at their stretch of railing.

When Jay was halfway through his second drink, he asked, "So, where's the mistake?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I haven't seen him yet."

As if someone in the hotel had heard her, all the outside lights went out.

"Well, that helps," Xan muttered.

She knew what was coming, though. The buzz humming through the crowd spilled over into the party area as the first sliver of reddish moon appeared on the horizon. Gasps and whispered superlatives followed as the moon rose higher, as if too much noise might make the celestial body sink out of sight.

Minutes passed and the blood orange staircase emerged across the tidal flats, forming a path up to the moon the water reflected.

"Beautiful," Xan sighed. She'd seen Staircase to the Moon so many times from this very beer garden, as well as from Romance Island, but it never ceased to enchant her.

"Yep. Nature's b****y awesome up here," Jay said. "It's more of a real staircase here, too. At the island, it's more like one of the resort paths, with maybe a couple of steps when there's waves."

Maybe bringing Jay along wasn't such a bad idea after all.

As the moon climbed the sky, it paled from red to white, the staircase all but vanishing. The lights came back on and a small army of waiters appeared, bearing trays of food and drink. In front of the railing, chairs were shifted to make space for a stage.

Xan had forgotten about the live band that played here on Staircase nights. Her night improved another notch, so she reached for a cider instead of juice this time.

Jay clinked his drink against hers, then pointed at the band setting up. "Do you know them? Are they any good?"

Xan shook her head. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Jay dragged a table and two chairs over to a spot beside the picket fence with a good view of the band. He claimed one seat for himself, gesturing for her to take the other. Xan gratefully accepted.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, until Jay finished his drink. "Want me to get you another one?"

Xan had plenty left, so she shook her head.

Jay took off in search of his next drink. Over on the stage, the band launched into their first number. They weren't bad, even if they were covering another band's familiar song. But that's the way the world worked, wasn't it? As an unknown band, they'd have to play what was popular, instead of their own, original songs, until they'd built up enough of an audience who appreciated their unique style and wanted nothing else.

She heard Jay sink into his chair. "How long did you have to play other people's songs before you had enough fans to play your own?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the band.

"One fan's enough for me, if it's you," Jerome replied. "Have you thought about what I said?"

Xan swore. "What are you doing here?"

"I said I'd be here. And I'm here for you, Xan. Here to win you back. Here to make you see the truth about how I helped your friend Kelly and I'm the only man for you."

Xan turned away. "Go away, Jerome. I told you I'm not interested. If the only man for me is a cheating paedophile, then I don't want any man at all."

"You don't mean that. Tell me you don't mean that."

"She usually says what she means. Xan doesn't mince words," Jay jumped in. "And that's my seat, mate." He set his beer on the table, placing a bottle of cider pointedly in front of Xan.

"I don't see your name on it," Jerome snapped, jutting out his chin.

Xan rose. "Take mine, Jay. I'm not staying."

Both men protested, but Xan didn't want to listen. She couldn't be bothered with pissing contests. She found another table near the railing and claimed that for herself and her cider.

Less than a minute later, Jay joined her. "Was that the big mistake?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"He's a f*****g idiot."

Xan silently agreed. That also made her one for falling in love with the bastard, but everyone made mistakes. At least she hadn't married hers.

The band struck up another tune. Xan liked this one.

Evidently, so did Jay. He dumped his beer on the table. "Excuse me, I believe they're playing my song."

Xan watched in fascination as Jay strode right up to the stage, so the lights showed his face, and gestured for the microphone. After a brief discussion with the singer, Jay jumped onto the stage, mike in hand.

"Let's try that again, shall we? Just like in the Arena – with energy!"

The grinning band members turned up the volume, produced a second microphone, and proceeded to back Jay up as he belted out the lyrics with his eyes closed.

At the end, Jay looked right at Xan, who clapped her approval for the performance. He gave an exaggerated bow, then held a quick, whispered conference with the band before they launched into another number, with Jay as their frontman.

Some of the guests recognised him. Both in the beer garden and the private party, people lifted their phones to photograph Jay's impromptu live performance.

Xan's phone stayed in her handbag, where it belonged. Though she'd never tell him, Chaya had always been one of her favourite bands, so she sat back, sipping her cider, content to just enjoy the show.