A Christmas Duet

Chapter Seven

It shocked Hailey how well she’d slept; the sofa had been surprisingly comfortable. By the time the fire died down to glowing embers, the heat from the furnace had kicked in, and Hailey woke warm and well rested. Mostly, she felt relieved to be in Podunk and not in Tacoma with her parents. Instead of feeling guilt creep into her soul, there was a wild sense of freedom. Stretching her arms above her head, she arched her back and welcomed the day.

Tossing aside the thick comforter, she quickly surveyed the room to be sure Mr. Raccoon hadn’t found his way back inside. Relieved that she was animal-free, she dressed in jeans and her favorite sweatshirt from a Maroon 5 concert.

Searching through the cupboards, she found a tin of coffee and fervently thanked the good Lord, since she hadn’t thought to pack anything beyond her favorite creamer. The freshly brewed coffee tasted like heaven. Eager to get to her guitar, she skipped breakfast.

She was strumming the guitar’s strings, chasing the melody that had captured her attention, when she heard a vehicle approach. Jay had said he’d return to make a permanent repair come morning. What she hadn’t expected was that he would arrive this early.

When she glanced at her watch, Hailey was surprised to see it was after nine. In her creative zone, she’d been working on the song for the last two hours. It had seemed like mere minutes. The ability to spend this dedicated time doing what she loved most was a dream come true.

Opening the front door, Hailey was there to greet Jay as he exited the truck with the Cantor Store logo painted in bright red lettering on the door. A fir wreath with blinking colored lights was attached to the grille.

“Morning,” she said with a smile, her arm across her middle to chase away the cold.

“Morning. How’d your night go?” He carried a carpenter’s box as he approached the steps.

“Wonderful. I slept like a baby.”

“No intruders?” A smile quivered at the corners of his mouth as he asked the question.

Well, at least he found her situation amusing! She let him inside and closed the door. “If there were any nighttime invaders, I didn’t hear them.” Then, because it had been on her mind, she asked the question that had been plaguing her. She’d hesitated earlier, mainly because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

“Do…Do you think…It’s clear no one has been to the cabin in a while, that there could be…mice?” She swallowed tightly as she waited for his response.

Jay grinned as though he understood her hesitation. “I can’t say, but it’s likely. If you happen upon one, let me know.”

Seeing that she intended to be in Podunk only ten days or so, Hailey decided what she didn’t know wasn’t going to hurt her. She had no intention of becoming the great white mouse hunter.

Having answered her question, Jay disappeared into the kitchen. “This shouldn’t take long,” he assured her.

Hailey followed him inside and leaned her shoulder against the door as he knelt and opened the cupboard below the sink.

“That’s where the rabid beast broke in?” she asked.

“Looks that way. The doors were open, and upon inspection, I could see the space between the logs that had deteriorated. Rocky Raccoon was a rather ingenious fellow, if you ask me.”

“Resourceful, it seems,” she added.

Jay reached for his tools and went to work.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Hailey wasn’t sure how, but she was willing to do what she could, which admittedly wasn’t much.

“Naw, I’m good.”

“Okay.” She lingered, feeling useless.

His head appeared from beneath the sink. “I see you have your guitar out,” he said, sitting back on his feet.

“Yeah, I was working on a song.”

He scooted out and looked up, holding her gaze. “You write music?”

“I try…” She was about to say she wasn’t very good and stopped herself, clamping her mouth closed. It was her own self-doubts speaking, and she refused to give in to negativity.

“Keep going,” Jay urged. “Your music will drown out the noise I’ll make hammering.”

“Won’t that bother you?”

“Not in the least.”

Although she was self-conscious, Hailey returned to her spot on the sofa with her guitar. She’d worked out the first verse and was experimenting with the bridge. The lyrics were already in her head, and she needed to balance the words with the notes.

Completely absorbed in her effort, she didn’t hear Jay until he stood almost directly in front of her.

She found him tapping his foot to the beat. “That sounds great.”

She blushed at his praise. Just from the way he spoke, she could tell he was sincere.

“Do you have a title?”

“Not yet…It’s a Christmas song.”

He sat down on the overstuffed chair across from her. “Would you play me what you have from the beginning?”

Hailey hesitated and then went for it, strumming the song along until she reached the bridge. It was at this point that she’d had trouble. When she looked up, Jay’s appreciation warmed her from the inside out.

“That’s good. Really good. It has the genuine feel of Christmas.”

“Thanks.” His praise fed her heart like a Thanksgiving feast. She’d doubted herself and her talent for so long. “It’s a simple song.”

“Simple, yes, but that’s the genius of it. I was enjoying the melody,” he said, studying her. “Why did you stop?”

“I’m having trouble coming up with the bridge before the last chorus.”

“That can be tricky,” he agreed. “You’re a good songwriter, Hailey.”

She shrugged. “I try.”

“With that kind of talent, I’d be surprised if you haven’t already sold songs. You have, haven’t you?”

This was a common question, once people knew she wrote music. “Have I heard anything you’ve written?”

At her hesitation, Jay asked, “People ask you that a lot, don’t they?”

She answered with a nod. “I’ve sold a few things, nothing major, if that’s what you’re asking. Just advertising jingles for radio and television.” Those small sales had been a great encouragement. She treasured each one, as they had fed her creativity. The money wasn’t enough for her to survive financially, but that was okay. Something she had composed was worthy of being paid for and played, and really, that was what mattered most.

“Do you work in the music industry?” Jay asked, his gaze narrowed slightly.

Hailey was unable to read the look in his eyes.

“I’m the assistant band director at a Portland high school.”

“Nice.” His shoulders seemed to relax. “Sorry if I’m being intrusive, but what brings you to Podunk by yourself?”

“You mean because it’s Christmas and I’m all alone?”

He nodded.

Hailey gave him a brief rundown, without making mention of Zach and his unexpected reappearance in her life. Instead, she talked about the pressure her mother had put on her to marry and provide her with grandchildren. Jay listened intently, and when she’d finished explaining, he was both encouraging and understanding.

“I can sympathize with you. My mother has been after me to marry for years. Thankfully, my sister has taken the burden off me when it comes to grandchildren.”

Unsure why he was so curious about her music, and her reasons for being away from family over the holiday, Hailey decided to ask him a few questions. There appeared to be more to Jay Cantor than met the eye. “You said you played the guitar yourself.”

“I do.”

“Ever composed music?”

He exhaled before he responded, as if hesitating. “I have.”

She noticed he didn’t elaborate with any accomplishments. She could ask, but decided against it. What she wanted was for Jay to fill in the blanks on his own. However, when he wasn’t immediately forthcoming, curiosity got the better of her and she asked, “Were you ever in a band?”

His smile was large and genuine. “I started a rock band in our garage when I was in junior high. We were atrocious, but what we lacked in finesse we made up for with passion. Our efforts nearly drove my parents crazy. I formed another band in college, and we had some success. Later I joined the Rebel Rousers. Ever heard of them?”

Hailey hadn’t. “Sorry, no.”

“Don’t worry, not many have,” he said dismissively, like he would have been surprised if she had. “I left that band a couple years later and then joined another.”

“You’re currently in a band, then?”

He closed his eyes, as if this was the one question he wished she hadn’t asked. “I left when the band broke up.”

“I’m sorry. You must have been with the group for quite a few years.”

“It feels like we were together half my life,” he admitted, and rubbed the back of his neck as if to say it had been a difficult time.

“What happened?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Hailey regretted the question. “I apologize, I had no right to ask you that. Your reasons are personal; I didn’t mean to pry.”

He shook his head. “I don’t mind telling you. It wasn’t an amicable parting. Two of the band members walked out in the middle of a tour. Life on the road is never easy, and we got on each other’s nerves. Over the years I’ve slept in dozens of crappy hotels and eaten enough fast food to last me a lifetime. Being in a band was my dream, but it soon became a nightmare when tempers flared and no one seemed to be able to get along.

“Frankly, I think we’d all burned out. I refused to admit it until Trevor and Alex left. I needed time away to think and deal with the backlash of what happened. I went out on my own and have worked nearly nonstop as a producer for the last couple years. Between my fledgling company and the legal hassles with the breakup of the band, I was working myself into a mental breakdown.”

Hailey knew a producer was the one who put everything together, the musicians, the sound team. She also was aware that they were the ones who collected a large share of the royalties.

“Mom suggested I take a breather and come home for Christmas. It’s been years since I was in Podunk for the holidays, so I took her up on the offer. What I didn’t realize was that she was going to put me to work.”

Hailey grinned. Physical labor was probably exactly what he needed to put his mind at ease over the holidays. “Tell me about the company you started,” she said.

“I called it Cantor Music. Not exactly original, you could say. It’s had a small but growing amount of success in the indie market. Nothing big. I like to encourage fresh talent when I hear it.”

“You’ve certainly encouraged me.”

“Good, because from what I’ve heard up to this point, you’ve got talent.”

She smiled, enthused, and said, “Thank you.”

“I’m sincere, Hailey. Don’t give up on your dream. Too many do and then live to regret it. There’s a price to pay with success, too. That was what being with the band taught me. Success is hard work, sacrifice, and staying true to yourself, which isn’t always easy.”

Hailey knew he was right. Her dream had already cost her the relationship she’d once treasured most. From the painful look in Jay’s eyes, she knew he’d had similar losses himself, including the relationship with the other band members. He breezed over that fact, but Hailey wasn’t fooled. The breakup of the band had deeply impacted him.

“When did all this happen with the band?” she asked.

“A while back, well over two years ago now, but it feels like yesterday.”

In essence, he was saying the pain of it was as sharp now as it was when it happened. That he’d confided in her, shared this pain, and trusted her deeply touched Hailey.

“Do you mind going back to your song a second time?” he asked, abruptly turning the subject away from himself.

“Not at all.”

“Play the first verse again.” He sat back, closed his eyes, and nodded approvingly as she sang.

Once again, she stopped where she had earlier.

“Do you mind if I give it a try?” he asked.

“Sure. Have at it.” She handed him her guitar. He accepted it with the ease and familiarity of a professional. Then he astonished her by playing back her song, note for note.

He ignored the surprise in her eyes. “Sing me the lyrics,” he said, deep in thought.

She complied.

Jay plucked a few notes, paused, and glanced up at Hailey.

“That’s it,” she said, excited by what she’d heard. “That’s exactly the lead-in I was hoping to create.”

Jay grinned and stood to return her guitar. “Have at it,” he said, repeating the same words she’d used earlier.

With those few notes, Hailey knew exactly where she wanted to take this song. Her fingers couldn’t keep up fast enough as she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the melody whirling around inside her head.

When she finished, she looked up to see Jay smiling. “That’s great,” he said. “What a fun song. It’s perfect for the holidays. The tune is catchy; adults and kids alike would enjoy singing it.”

Such praise from a man who’d been a professional musician made her heart swell with pride. “Thank you.”

“Not at all,” he countered. “I love this aspect of being a musician, jamming and feeling my way through a song.”

“We helped each other,” she said.

He stood then and glanced toward the front door. “I best be getting back to town. Heaven only knows what my mother has in store for me for the rest of the day. I spent most of yesterday selling Christmas trees and heaving bales of hay and chicken feed into the back of pickup trucks.”

Hailey hated for him to leave. Seeing how much time he’d already spent with her, it would be selfish to ask him to stay longer. Reluctantly, she walked him to the door before an idea came to her.

Excited, she followed him down the steps. “Would you like to come for dinner? It’s the least I can do to thank you.” Then, because her cooking skills were limited, she added, “I should mention I’m no celebrity chef, but I promise not to poison you.”

“Dinner? Sure. When do you have in mind?” His eyes sparked with interest.

She didn’t want to be pushy, but she wasn’t in town for long. “Is tonight too soon?”

“It’s a date. Would you like me to bring my guitar?”

“That would be amazing. We could jam the night away.” She’d often played with friends while in college. Those late nights were some of the happiest of her college years. Zach hadn’t ever discouraged her from having fun with her friends, at least. He was good that way, although she knew he would rather Hailey had spent more time with him.

“What time?”

“Whatever works best for you,” she told him.

“Six?”

“Perfect.” She would have agreed to midnight if that was the soonest Jay could get away.

“See you then.”

“See you.” She watched as Jay drove off.

Not until his vehicle was out of sight did Hailey panic. She didn’t cook. What was she thinking? The poor man didn’t have any idea what he was letting himself in for.