July 9, 1997

Jen was trying to unlock the door of the Tracker with her hands full of grocery bags when her cell phone rang. “Damn.” Fumbling with her keys and the bags, she managed to grasp the phone and flip it open, dropping her wallet under the car in the process. “Damn it! Sorry, hang on a sec. Be right with you.” Letting the open phone fall into one of the bags, she unlocked and opened the door, put the bags in and went to her knees to retrieve the wallet. Fishing through her purchases, she found the phone again and put it to her ear as she slammed the door closed. “Sorry about that. Hello?”

“Having troubles, Jenny?” Mac’s voice was trembling with laughter as he greeted her. “What are you doing?”

“Getting groceries and trying to lose my wallet.” She laughed with him as she climbed into the driver’s seat. “Mom’s got me making a lasagna for dinner, so I’m hoping you’re free to help us eat it.”

“I’d love to, but there’s been a change of plans.” The squeak of his office chair carried over the line. “I just got off the phone with a studio in New York, and there’s a bit of a spat between the artist and the producers recording At the Beginning. They want you there with copies of the original arrangement and backing track first thing tomorrow. Tessa’s on the phone now getting you on a flight this evening.”

“Seriously?” Her eyes widened. “What’s the problem?”

“They didn’t say, just that they needed you to smooth out some issues.” His tone lightened again, and she could imagine his smile. “You’ve made it, kid. You’re in demand.”

“Awesome. Should I be excited, or is terror the appropriate reaction to that?”

“Either way, you’ve got to go.” Papers shuffled as he flipped through them. “The studio will have a car waiting for you at the airport. We’ve got you booked at a hotel across the street, so all you’ll have to do is walk over in the morning. You’d better get home and start packing.”

“How long will I be there?”

“I have no idea. We’ve reserved the room for four nights, just in case, but it really shouldn’t take that long. Just let us know when you’re ready, and we’ll get you a flight home.”

“Okay.” She started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. “I’ll need to check my files for the original masters. If they aren’t at home, I’ll have to call Brian.” Her brain worked overtime, sorting thoughts. “Who am I working with?”

“The studio didn’t say. Guess it’s a surprise.” There was a muffled voice on his side of the conversation. “Tessa just got you set. Your flight leaves at five, and you’ll be in New York by ten. Lisa should already be home, so she’ll take you to the airport.”

“Three hours. Great.”

“You could sound a little happier about it, you know.” Mac laughed. “This is supposed to be the fun part. Didn’t you have a good time working with the guys in Sweden?”

“Yeah, but I knew them. They went out of their way to make it fun.” She sighed. “This could just be a whiny singer who isn’t getting their way over some little thing.”

“True. But suck it up, buttercup. You’ve got work to do, so get your butt in gear and take care of business.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll talk to you later.” With a growl, she flipped the phone closed and dropped it in the passenger seat. “Well, at least it’s New York and not California.”

*********************

At a quarter to nine the next morning, she was walking through the doors of the building housing the studio. Looking around, she located the receptionists’ desk and approached quickly, a smile on her face. “Hi. My name is Jen Lawson. A Mr. Tom Kendrick is expecting me, but he didn’t exactly tell me where he needed me. Can you point me in the right direction?”

“Sure thing, sweetie.” The red-haired woman behind the desk snapped her gum, checking a list before pointing to the elevators. “Go to the fourth floor and follow the signs for Studio 6-C. As upset as those fellas have been, ya can’t miss it.”

“Loud, are they?” Jen adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “Have they dragged out any bodies yet?”

“Not yet, but it may happen by the day’s end.” The gum snapped again before a delighted laugh escaped. “Good luck with that. Pick up the phone on the wall and dial zero if ya need anything.”

“Will do.” Taking a quick look at the nameplate on the desk, she smiled. “Thanks, Debbie. Have a great day.”

“You, too, hon.” Debbie’s green eyes swept over her from head to toe. “You’re a tiny thing, aren’t ya? Don’t let those men run all over ya, hear?”

“I won’t.” With a grin, Jen turned toward the elevators. “I may be little, but I’ve taken down a few giants.”

The elevator ride seemed to last forever, and as soon as she stepped into the hallway, there was a sign directing her where to go. After two left turns, she figured out what Debbie meant. Two male voices were yelling somewhere down the hallway, throwing around curses that would’ve made her mother’s hair turn white. Pausing outside the door, she took a deep breath to steady herself. “Okay, guys. Time to clean up your mess.” Nodding, she raised her hand and knocked firmly.

“Who the hell is it?”

Taking that as permission to enter, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, one brow arched. “I don’t know. Who the hell are you expecting?” Her reply made both men pause, staring at her as she let the door slam behind her. “Hello? Surely you have something to say. I could hear the two of you clear down the hallway.”

“Uh …” The older, dark haired man stuttered at her. “Do you have the wrong studio?”

“From the sound of it, I don’t think so.” She crossed her arms, looking them both over with irritation. “You’re the guys who made me fly all the way from Orlando just to straighten out whatever you’ve screwed up. Let’s get to it.” With a sigh, she studied the two of them again. “They told me to ask for Tom. Are either of you Tom?”

“No. Tom’s the guy who arranged the studio time.” The younger blonde pointed to himself. “Dan. This loser is Ed.”

“Okay, Dan and Ed. Can we keep the language rated PG, please? And the volume level down at about half?” Moving toward the couch against the wall, she let her bag drop. “Whatever it is that has everybody all torn up can’t be all that bad. And even if it is, the whole building doesn’t need to hear about it.” Turning back to them, she began tapping her foot. “Which of you is the artist?”

“Neither of us.” Ed’s eyes were wide as he watched her. “He’s in there.” A thick thumb jabbed over his shoulder to the booth. “So … who are you?”

“Jen Lawson. You seem to be having trouble getting my song recorded.” With a grunt, she shook her head. “I’ve got no clue why. It’s probably one of the simplest things I’ve ever written.” There was laughter from inside the booth, grabbing her attention to a figure sitting at a piano. “What’s the problem? Can’t we lay vocals over a track, boys?”

“Not that easy.” Dan reached behind him, clicking a button that turned off a light at the top of the board. “Mr. Perfect in there seems to have an opinion about everything and can’t get one line down before he starts complaining.”

“Well, what’s he complaining about?”

“What isn’t he complaining about?” Ed snorted. “The jerk is fighting us on every little thing.”

“Okay, then I’ll talk to him.” Jen stepped toward the booth. “Have the track cued for a listen. We’ll have this worked out in no time.”

“Right. You go on in there, Princess. Slay that dragon.”

“Excuse me?” Pausing with the door open, she turned back toward them, cutting Dan with her glare. “I got you two to shut up, didn’t I?” Moving into the booth, she let the door close behind her with a sigh. “Morons.”

“I agree.” The man sitting at the piano tinkered with the keys for a moment, picking out the lead melody of the song. “Thank you for finally getting them to be quiet. I’ve heard nothing but yammering since yesterday morning.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Shaking her head, she climbed onto the stool in the corner of the room. “What seems to be the trouble? Why can’t we all get along on this?”

“I’ve never refused to record vocals over a track, but once you hear that playback, you’re going to understand exactly why I’m digging in my heels.” Turning on the piano bench, he held out his hand with a smile. “Richard Marx. Nice to meet you.”

“R-Richard Marx?” She froze in shock, only able to stare at him for a number of seconds. His laughter brought her back to reality, a heated blush spreading over her cheeks. “Sorry. I’m kind of new to this, so meeting people I’ve only been able to hear on the radio before now is something I’m trying to get used to.” With a grin, she reached out to shake his hand. “It’s awesome to meet you, Mr. Marx. I’m a huge fan.”

“Drop the Mr. Marx stuff. I’m just Rich.”

“Okay, Rich.” Laughing quietly, she bounced on the stool a little bit. “To be honest, I was totally dreading this. But now … wow, I can’t believe you’re recording my song. This is going to be fun.”

“If we can get past the backing track, yeah.” He glared toward the guys at the board. “You haven’t heard what they’ve done to it yet.”

“That’s right. I haven’t.” Turning to the window, she waved at Dan and Ed. There was a click from overhead, and she knew they could hear her. “Let’s play back the track. I need to hear what we’re working with.”

“Sure thing, Princess.”

“If you call me that again, you won’t be walking straight for a week.” Her tone was cool as she stared at Dan. “Catch my drift?”

“Yep. I gotcha.” He looked down immediately, pressing buttons on the board. “Here we go.”

“Come on down here.” Richard slid over on the piano bench, giving her space to sit. “I’d hate for you to knock that pretty head when you hear this.”

“Is it really that bad?” Before he could answer, music began filling the room. If you could call it music. She blinked in astonishment, taking in about a minute and a half of electric guitars, drums and techno drivel before waving a hand toward the window. For a moment, there was just silence as she stared at the ground, trying to come up with something to say. “Okay. Who’s responsible for that?”

“We are. This is the direction the producers of the movie told us they wanted to go.” Ed nodded proudly. “Rock-ish. Mainstream. Pop.”

“But have they actually heard it?”

“No. Not yet.” Dan sighed. “We can’t exactly send them anything until we have vocals to go over it.”

“And there’s our problem.” She stood, motioning for her seatmate to follow her. “I think we need to have a chat, guys.” Once they were gathered in the outer room, Jen took a seat on the edge of the couch. “Has anyone here heard the original arrangement of this track?”

“I haven’t had the pleasure.” Richard bit back a smile as he watched her. “All I had to do was look at the lead sheet and I knew I wanted to, though.”

“Thank you for that.” Her gaze landed on the producers. “I take it neither of you have heard it, either?” They shook their heads. “I want to say very bad words to you both right now for totally butchering my song, but I think you were probably led astray by the movie studio. Did they let you hear the score for the film?” Again, they shook their heads. “Okay. One last question. Where’s the female voice?”

“Female voice?” Ed spoke up in confusion. “What female voice?”

“This song was written as a duet.” She lifted her bag onto her lap. “The lead character in the movie is Anastasia. A girl. It makes absolutely no sense to have a guy singing the lead on this. She’s supposed to be the lead, he’s supposed to have a strong supporting role.” Looking over to Richard, her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. I really don’t see how this got screwed up so badly. The studio received an exact copy of the arrangement and a demo of how the vocals were to be laid out, as they requested.” Glancing back at Dan and Ed, she bit her lip. “And the current format in no way meshes with the lead-in orchestration from the score.”

“So how do we fix it?” Dan arched a brow at her. “Are you gonna wave a magic wand and make everything better?”

“Well, I’m gonna try to.” With a small smile, she pulled out a packet of discs and sheet music. “First off, you guys need to hear the score orchestration. You’ll understand better where I’m coming from.” Holding out a disc, she gestured to Ed. “Could you play this for us?”

“Sure.” He took it, wheeling around to the board. “What is it?”

“It’s the portion of the score they sent with the submission request.” Sitting back on the couch, she closed her eyes and smiled at the familiar orchestration that had inspired her. “Do you hear it? Can you hear how your track just doesn’t fit?”

“Yeah.” Ed nodded, ending the disc. “What did you have in mind for it?”

“This is the vocal demo that the studio signed for, with my original backing arrangement.” Passing him another disc, she let her eyes dart toward Richard. “This is how I intended for it to sound.” At his nod, Jen took a deep breath as the track started, all three men sitting up straighter in their seats.

“Well, damn.” Dan spoke softly when it was over. “That’s nearly perfect.” His eyes came up to Jen. “Do you have that backing track with you?”

“Yep. I have a pre-mixed version, or I have the individual instrument tracks if you’d rather mix it yourself.” Handing him the discs, she turned to Richard. “And I have the original lead sheets, too. I’m not sure what they gave you, since they made it a solo.”

“Great.” He looked her over carefully. “When I called Tom yesterday, I was wondering how you’d pull it off. Well done.”

“But what about the girl?” Ed looked up from where he was fiddling with the board. “Too bad the voice from the demo can’t be here. She was hot.”

“Oh, she’s here.” With a smile, she shook her head. “I don’t know about how hot she is, but thanks.”

“What?” Turning to her quickly, Dan propped an elbow on the counter. “You’re the demo voice?”

“Of course.” She gave him a confused look. “Don’t most songwriters sing their own demos?”

“Not nearly as many as you’d think.” Richard laughed softly. “I knew you were special from the second I heard Change the World. Congratulations, by the way. That Grammy was well deserved.”

“Thank you.”

“I knew I recognized you!” Ed nudged Dan in the ribs. “She made the cover of People. The bangin’ blue dress.”

“Yeah, lots of people liked the blue dress.” Laughing, she stood and crossed the room to where the two men were adjusting settings on the board, laying a hand on each of their shoulders. “Are we going with pre-mixed, or do you guys want to play with it for a bit?”

“Let us listen to the pieces. I think I can raise a level or two and make the guitar a little more dynamic, bring out the percussion a little more.” Dan’s fingers continued to adjust settings on the board. “We can still give them a little more of a pop sound, but keep it true to the rest of the soundtrack.”

“Okay. If it’s all right, I’ll be the stand-in for the female lead today.” She looked questioningly at Richard, who nodded. “When it’s finished, if the studio has time to find a big name to record it, it should be easy enough to swap out the vocal tracks.” Looking down at her watch, she was surprised to see that it was already nearing noon. “How about we grab a bite while you’re working on the track? Then we’ll hammer out the harmonies while you guys have lunch.”

“Sounds good. Once we get this set, it shouldn’t take too long to get a final take. If we pull a later evening, we can get it finished by tomorrow at the latest.” Dan glanced at her with a smile. “And if they’re smart, they’ll leave it as is, without changing that vocal track.”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but … great. Be back soon.” Picking up her bag, she headed for the door, Richard on her heels. “Joining me?”

“If that’s okay.” With a wink, he held the door for her. “You’re not the only fan in the room today.”

“I find that hard to believe.” She grinned as they made their way downstairs. “I’m just little old me, going to lunch with Richard Marx like it’s any other day.” Shaking her head, she let out a laugh. “God, that sounds so surreal.”

“You’ll get used to it.” He patted her shoulder as they crossed the lobby. “You haven’t even finished school yet, have you?”

“Nope. I’ll graduate next December, but my agent seems to think I’ll be pretty busy before I get done.”

“He’s right. Mac usually is.” At her curious glance, he smiled. “I’ve been following your portfolio for a while. Very impressive.”

“Thanks.” Just as they stepped onto the sidewalk, her phone pealed from her bag. “Sorry, let me get that. I’ve never been in this part of the city, so if there’s a place you like, just lead the way.” He nodded, staying close as they began to walk. Flipping the phone open, she couldn’t hide her smile. “Hello?”

“Hey, Boof. Is this a good time?”

“Oh, this is a great time. You’ll never guess who I’m about to have lunch with …”

----------------------------------------

August 26, 1997

“You were serious?” Jen’s eyes widened as Maggie pulled to a stop in front of the shop. “I thought you were joking.”

“Nope.” Maggie laughed, turning off the ignition. “We had a bet, and I won. Fair and square.”

“But …” Swallowing hard, Jen turned a pleading look on her friend. “But the odds of you winning were next to none. Do you think I would’ve agreed to your terms if I’d thought it could actually happen?”

“It’s not my fault you didn’t put more imagination into your side of it.” The redhead grinned, opening her door. “Come on. You might as well get it over with.”

“Maggie …”

“Get a move on, Jen.” Not waiting, Maggie slammed her door and came around to Jen’s side, pulling her door open and tapping her foot impatiently. “Look, not only did I win this bet, I won it with a vengeance. You’re lucky I’m not making you let me choose it and watch it happen.” At the brunette’s panicked expression, she let out a sigh. “It’s not like I’m asking you to have a sleeve done. Just one tasteful little something or other. You don’t even have to let me see it.”

“My God. A tattoo?” Reluctantly, Jen stepped out of the car. “Really?”

“Yep. It’ll be good for you to express yourself a little.” Maggie smiled, leading her toward the door of the parlor. “These guys have a great reputation for service, so they’ll take good care of you. I barely felt it when they did mine. And they have the widest selection of art in the city. You could get a little music something if you want.” She arched a brow when Jen hesitated. “Are you backing out on me?”

“No. I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

“It’s okay, I promise. I called ahead to let them know how you are, and they swore you’d breeze through it.”

“Damn you, Mariah Carey.” Jen muttered under her breath as she passed through the doorway. “You had to go and pick another one, didn’t you?”

“Did you seriously curse the woman who’s padded your bank account so well?” Maggie let out a laugh. “And let me remind you that she didn’t just record it – as I predicted she would – she named her album after it. Butterfly.” Green eyes lit with glee. “How perfect is that? A double whammy for me.”

“I know, I know.” Heaving a sigh, Jen tried to smile when the girl behind the counter greeted them. “I’m all kinds of thankful. You know that. I just … really?”

“Relax. They’ll take you back in a room and let you look through the binders until you find what you like. You’ll get to customize your colors and tell them where you want it.” Her brow furrowed slightly. “Where do you want it?”

“Wherever it’s least likely to be seen.” Jen gestured to the tank top she was wearing and shook her head, eyes widening. “Mom is going to kill me.”

“Your shoulder, probably closer to the shoulder blade. Your tank tops are pretty much all wide straps, so that should be perfect.” Maggie nodded and smiled as they approached the counter. “Hi, Stef. We’ve got an appointment with Jackson.”

“Hey, Maggie.” Stef, who had a bird with a long rainbow of feathers tattooed on her outer arm and wild pink hair, snapped her gum. “Did you bring us another one?”

“Another one?” Brown eyes jerked quickly over, glaring sharply. “What, do you get a free tattoo for every five referrals, or something?”

“No, no, no.” Maggie and Stef laughed. “I’ve just sent over some of the girls in my drama group. They were all very happy with everything, I swear.” She placed her hand on Jen’s shoulder comfortingly. “Take deep breaths, Jen. You’re not skydiving here. It’s just a little needle with some ink. No big deal.”

“Jen?” Stef’s eyes widened as she looked Jen over from head to toe. “Jen! I thought I recognized you. You’re Jen Lawson, aren’t you?”

“Honestly, right now, I’m kind of wishing I wasn’t.” With a quiet laugh, Jen reached out to shake Stef’s hand. “But, yeah, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Wow, we’ve never had a Grammy winner in here before.” Breaking into a grin, the girl turned toward the hallway to the right of the desk. “Hey, Jackson! Your next appointment’s here!” Facing them again, her eyes glinted brightly. “Oh, you’re gonna make his day. He had that issue of People floating around the shop for months, because girls were insisting on that shade of blue in their artwork. He finally mastered it and named it after you. Jenny Blue.”

“I’ve got a tattoo color named after me?” Blinking in surprise, her attention went to the hallway as an older man stepped out. He was tall and built, his arms covered in ink and a thick gold ring pierced through his right ear. “Oh, wow.”

“You’re just a little thing, aren’t you?” Jackson’s voice was deep, bouncing off the walls of the shop as he looked her over. “Let me guess: hearts or flowers?”

“Well, I’m not into flowers. And I don’t think I’d like having a heart etched on my body for the rest of my life …”

“Jackson, this is Jen Lawson.” Stef patted his shoulder with a smile. “You actually get to do work for your color’s inspiration.”

“Seriously?” His brows rose sharply, grey eyes moving over her once again as a grin began to form. “Well, my God. You’ll want something musical, then, won’t you? I’ve got a great selection.” He stepped aside, gesturing for her to go ahead of him. “Let’s go, sweetheart. The quicker we get started, the quicker it’s over.”

“It’s okay, Jen. He’s the best.” Maggie nudged her forward, giving her a reassuring smile. “He’ll take really good care of you. And I’ll be right out here if you need me.”

“Remind me to never make a bet with you again.” Straightening her shoulders, Jen took a deep breath and began walking in the direction Jackson was guiding her, glancing up at him sheepishly. “I’m sorry. It’s not you. I’ve just never seriously considered getting a tattoo and now I’m here because I lost a bet I thought was a joke.”

“It’s okay. I’m a pro at first timers.” He followed behind her until he could point out a doorway on the left. “Just in there, darlin'. We’ll make this as easy as we can, okay?”

“Sure.” She stepped into the room, taking in all the artwork around her. “Wow. There’s some awesome designs on your walls.” Coming to a halt beside the odd-looking chair in the middle of the floor, she glanced at him. “Have you really done all of these?”

“Most of them, yeah. Some guys come up in here a dozen times, getting ink all over.”

“That’s amazing.” Her gaze landed on a photo of a woman with three little girls sitting around her. “Is this your family?”

“My daughter and her little ones.” A bright smile lit his features as he reached for the design book beside the photo. “Love those girls with all my heart. You won’t find a prouder grandpa than me.” Passing her the binder, he gestured toward the tattoo chair. “Just have a seat there and start looking. With it being your first, I wouldn’t recommend anything large, or with a lot of colors. Maybe three or four colors, five max. Did you have an idea of what you wanted?”

“Not really. I figure I’ll know it when I see it.” Biting her lip, she began flipping through the pages. “Maggie said that my shoulder would be a good spot. Or maybe around my shoulder blade?”

“Yeah, that should be good. Are you wanting it seen, or hidden?”

“Preferably hidden.” She sent him a small smile. “I’ll know it’s there. That’s all that matters.”

“Mmhmm.” He moved over behind her, measuring the strap of her top with his fingers. “You normally wear a shirt like this?”

“This is the least sleeve I wear, yeah.”

“Okay, I can do a good one in that size.” Coming back around in front of her, he propped his hip against the cabinet that held the inks. “What kind of bet did you lose?”

“Mariah Carey was looking at another one of my songs, and I thought there was no way she’d go for it. Maggie bet that she would, and not only did I lose, I tanked big time.”

“How's that?” His brow arched. “She make it the lead single, or something?”

“Not the lead single, but it’ll be the second.” A laugh escaped. “She named the album after it.”

“Well, sweetheart, that’s something to be proud of.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “So now you get some ink, huh? If it’d gone the other way, what would your friend be doing right now?”

“Dishes for a year.” She shrugged at his surprised laugh. “I love to cook, but I hate doing dishes. Sounded fair at the time.” Her fingers flipped to another page, and she froze, her eyes zeroing in on one of the designs. “Oh, wow. This is pretty.”

“Which one?” Leaning forward, he took a look at the image she pointed to. “Not only pretty, but good for a first tat. Maybe an extra color to get the shadowing right, but it’s small and won’t require a lot of fill-in, shouldn’t take long at all.” Tapping his large finger against the page, he cleared his throat. “Do you like the red and yellow? Or do you want something else?”

“I don’t suppose I can come into a tattoo parlor that has a color named after me and not get it, can I?” With a grin, she looked up at him. “How about Jenny Blue and a purple color to accent?”

“Jenny Blue is a little dark, so we could do the outline in it instead of black, with a lighter shade of blue and purple to fill. We’ll still have to use black for the detailing, and a grayish color for the shadowing.” Jackson went over to what appeared to be an artists’ easel and picked up a pencil, sketching quickly on the white paper. “Anything you want to change about the design?”

“Actually, yeah.” Standing up, she moved over next to him, pointing to the innards of his sketch. “Can we …” Before long, he’d finished the design and had sent her into a small room to put on something that looked like a tube top as he gathered his tools and colors. Stepping back out, she adjusted the top. “Okay. How long do you think it’ll take?”

“That depends on you, darlin'. I’ll be as easy as I can, but whenever you need a break, we’ll stop.”

“Then how about I just keep my eyes closed and let you do your thing?” Taking a nervous breath, she headed for the chair, laying forward as if she were preparing for a massage. “Can you play some music or something? To distract me?”

“Sure thing, sweetie.” The sound of a stool rolling over the floor carried around the room, then music began to play. “I’m a fan of the oldies, myself. That okay with you?”

“Yeah. Don’t be surprised if I start singing along.” She laughed as a tune by The Jackson 5 began on the radio. “Anything else you suggest?”

“We’re doing some color, so I’m going to give you some gum. When it loses its flavor, let me know and I’ll get you a fresh piece.” His hand appeared under her, holding a piece of bubble gum. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Popping the gum into her mouth, she began to chew, closing her eyes and focusing on the music. “Anytime you’re ready, Jackson.”

“All right, prepare for a stinging feeling, girl. A little ways in, you may not feel it anymore.” There was a buzzing noise, and she flinched a bit at the sting of the needle against her skin. Before long, she was singing with the radio, her voice carrying over the buzzing tool behind her as she blocked out the unpleasant sensation by concentrating on the lyrics. After a while, the buzzing stopped, and the stool rolled across the floor. “Just changing to the next color. I’ve never been serenaded while inking someone. It’s nice.”

“Well, I’m a little different.”

“I’ll say.” He came back to her, starting up the tool again. “What was the name of the song you lost the bet with?”

“Butterfly.” Her voice shook with laughter as she heard him choke. “Ironic, huh?”

“Whatever works, darlin'.” Jackson’s grin carried in his tone, his hand steady as he began filling in the first wing. “Even if it is literal.”

----------------------------------------

November 7, 1997

“Honey, Tessa and Shan brought fried potatoes and mac and cheese.” Lisa paused on her way toward the table. “Are you setting up on the counter, or do you want them on the table?”

“I’ve got a few warming pads in the cabinet beside the fridge, so if there’s room on the table, go for it. We’ll let the kids eat at the counter tonight.” Jen glanced up from where she was seasoning the second pan of oven fried chicken, smiling when she saw the boys sprinting through the living room to join Chloe outside. Mac, Brian and Nick called out hellos to the new arrivals from where they were talking business on one of the couches. “Who are we missing?”

“Matt got held up with a lesson, but he should be here soon. And Adam is on his way.” Amber stopped at her elbow, taking an appreciative sniff of the chicken cooking in the oven. “I need to get you to teach me how to do that. Fried chicken with no grease? Heaven on a plate.”

“The Fatones are planning on being here, too. Phyllis called to say they were talking to Joey, and they’d be on their way in a bit.” Maggie breezed out of the kitchen, a stack of plates in her hands, glancing down at the rose lying on the counter. “Are you still getting flowers on your windshield?”

“Every day I park on campus. Either someone’s really thick, or he knows exactly what he’s doing and is just very persistent.”

“Are you sure it’s not Jace? That’d make it sweet instead of overly creepy.”

“I don’t think roses on the windshield is his style.” A shrug lifted her shoulders. “If it was Josh, he’d have them delivered here. Besides, there’s really no reason for him to send me flowers.”

“Oh, he has every reason to send you flowers. He’s just becoming a pro at dragging his feet.” Shaking her head, Maggie set the plates on the table. “But I guess you’re right. Just plates? Or bowls too?”

“Plates for now. We might need bowls for dessert, though.” Brown eyes skipped up to check the clock. “It’s a little after six, and this second pan won’t be done until closer to seven. We won’t be ready to eat for a while yet.”

“I doubt anybody’s going to complain, sweetie. The company’s half the fun.” Tessa opened the refrigerator, scoping out the drink supply. “Do you need Shan to bring in a few more sodas? The boys are blowing through them like water lately.”

“Would you mind?” Jen smiled toward Shan, who was giving her barbecue dipping sauce a curious sniff. “They’re in the fridge just inside the garage door.”

“Sure thing, babygirl.” With a wink, he swiped the tip of his pinkie finger around the edge of the bowl, giving it a taste. “Mmm. Just like my mama’s.” As he walked by, he bumped her with his hip. “Do I get my hot sauce tonight, too?”

“Yep. I just made a fresh jar this week.” Laughing, she nudged him with her elbow before he could get past. “And if you hurry with the sodas, I might have a batch of chocolate chunk cookies to send home with you.”

“You hear that, Tessie? Our girl’s taking care of me.”

“She always does, honey. I think you gained fifteen pounds while you were working over here.” Tessa slapped his rear playfully, then pushed him toward the garage. “Now get moving.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The timer sounded on the oven, and Jen quickly swapped out the pans of chicken, sliding the finished pan down into the warming drawer before resetting the timer for the second batch. Opening a lower cabinet, she pulled out the small set of wheeled steps Shan had made for her, moving them so she could climb up to reach her larger serving bowls. Retrieving two, she set them on the counter, then opened another cabinet, searching for the topping spices for the pudding cake that would cook while they were eating.

The front door opened, Matt and Adam calling out hellos just as the phone began to ring.

“Hey, Maggie? Can you hit the speaker button?” Jen’s brow furrowed as she dug further for the cinnamon, looking over her shoulder to see the redhead moving the phone base as close to her as she could, then pressing the button. “Hey, Josh! How’s it going?”

“Uh, hey, Boof.” His voice was startled, and she began to laugh. “How did you … never mind. You’ve always been spooky.”

“Amen to that, brother.” Shan laughed as he carried two twelve packs of soda toward the refrigerator. “She keeps me wondering.”

“Am I interrupting?” A smile brightened JC’s tone. “I forgot it was Family Dinner night.”

“Not at all. Just know that I’m working in the kitchen, so you’re on speaker.” She grinned around at the crowd. “Say hi, everybody.” Various greetings carried around the room and he laughed over the line. “So, what’s up? It’s a little late where you are, isn’t it?”

“It’s never too late for you, Jenny.”

“Good answer, son.” Mac called from the couch, winking toward Jen when she shook her head at him. “You’ve learned early.”

“Enough, guys.” She waved her hand around the room, calling them down. “Keep it up and I’ll only make half of a hot fudge pudding cake and let you all fight to the death over it.” Eyes widened at her empty threat and they went quiet, biting back smiles. “Sorry, Josh. I think they’ll behave now.”

“Hot fudge pudding cake, huh?” He laughed softly. “What are you celebrating?”

“All kinds of things.” Setting down the cinnamon, she reached for her sprinkler container of sugar. “Mom and Mac are getting married. So are Matt and Amber. Maggie got a part in the play she auditioned for. All the kids got great scores on their grade cards. Shan just put the finishing touches on my remodel. And I got a new toy this week. I’ll have to tell you about it later.” A smile lifted her lips as she thought about the shiny blue Corvette sitting in the newly expanded garage. “Take your pick.”

“Wow. Congratulations, guys.” JC’s well-wishes earned a round of appreciation from the crowd. “Want to add something else to your list?”

“Of course. Whatcha got?”

“We’re coming home.”

“You’ll be here for the holidays?” She closed the cabinet doors. “That’s awesome, Josh. When are you coming in?”

“No, Boof. We’re coming home.”

“You … really?” Spinning around, she nearly fell off the steps. “Like, for good? You’re coming home for good?”

“For good, Jenny.” His smile carried around the room. “RCA offered us a deal this week, and we signed the contracts this afternoon. We have until our tour in the U.K. to get everything wrapped up here, then we’ll be stateside by Thanksgiving.”

“You’re coming home.” She had to let the idea sink in, then felt a giddy smile lifting her lips as she hopped to the floor. “You’re coming home!”

“Yep.”

“If you could see the smile you’ve put on this sweet girl’s face, you’d be hauling tail to get yourself here tomorrow, boy.” Shan laughed as she moved toward the phone. “I’ve never seen our babygirl this happy, so you must really be something special.”

“Oh, hush.” Jen reached up to tap him on the shoulder playfully as she picked up the handset, cutting off the speaker function. “Josh …”

“I know, Jen. It’s been a long time coming.” He sighed across the line. “But we finally did it. Unless it’s for a tour or to finish out a contract we signed over here, we won’t have to leave the States again.”

“That’s fantastic.” Leaving the kitchen, she put the phone to her shoulder as she passed Maggie. “If I’m not back, take the chicken out of the oven when it chimes. If you could pull the pudding cake base from the fridge so it can be ready to bake, I’d appreciate it.” Not waiting for her friend to nod, she raised the phone again and practically skipped to her office, closing the door behind her. “I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t either.” The sound of rustling covers almost muffled his voice, and she realized he was lying in bed. “And I can’t wait to get there.”

“You might not recognize the place.” She laughed, sitting down in her desk chair and reclining back. “I’ve made a few changes. You got an upgrade.”

“I did? Really?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure you’ll like it. And tell Chris that I’ve turned his world around a bit.”

“I will.” Biting back a yawn, he let his head sink into the pillow. “He swears he’s going to look for a place as soon as we get back.”

“But …” Her brow furrowed as she debated her train of thought. “Josh, I know how well the album sold over there, but you really haven’t said more about … have you guys been paid anything yet?” At his silence, she cringed. “I’m sorry. I know that’s none of my business. But if you haven’t, then how on earth is Chris planning to find a place? Houses and apartments aren’t free. Well, most of them, anyway.”

“I know, Boof.” He cleared his throat. “He just doesn’t want to feel like an imposition.”

“But he’s not an imposition. He’s family. If any of the others needed a place, I’d invite them in, too.”

“He knows. They all do. But he’s got pride, Jen. He needs to feel like he’s making it on his own.”

“I understand that. I really do.” She tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling. “Tell you what. I expanded into the side yard so that he’s got his own garage and entrance now.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. It’s a full-blown apartment down there. You’ve only got two weeks before you leave for the U.K., so why don’t you guys go ahead and ship the stuff you won’t need to me? I’ll get you both settled in, and he can check it out when he gets here. If he still wants to leave, that’s fine, but he’s more than welcome to stay.” A quiet laugh shook her chest. “It’s not like I’m going to offer it to anybody else, anyway. If he feels like he wants to pay rent, then we can talk about it once you guys start seeing something from your work.”

“I’ll run it by him.” His grin carried over the line. “Honestly, though, all you’ll really have to do is get him there and let him see how excited you are to show him around. Give him the sad eyes, and I’m pretty sure he’ll do whatever you want.”

“The sad eyes, huh?”

“You know I’m not the only one who can’t handle it.”

“I guess we’ll see.” Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine him there with her. “How about you? You’re not going to run out on me, are you?”

“Not a chance, Jenny. I’m counting down the days already.” He twisted around under the covers. “I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me, too.” She swallowed hard. “This … this isn’t going to change things, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we’ve only gotten to see each other for maybe a couple weeks every four or five months. That’s a lot of goodbyes, Josh.” Clearing her throat, she forced herself to continue. “I know you’ll still be busy and won’t be around all the time, but we’ll be more accessible to each other.”

“Thank God.”

“Are you sure about that?” Her teeth worked over her lip. “What if it’s not that awesome to have me around all the time?”

“Boof, I’ve always wanted you around.” His tone lowered, and she could picture his furrowed brow. “You know that, right?”

“I … yeah. But that was before …”

“Before?” Confusion colored his voice. “Before what?”

“Before the kissing started.” She heard him cough back a laugh, and felt a blush starting. “Stop it. You know what I mean. I think we have something, but what if it turns out that we don’t work as anything but ‘every now and again’?”

“Just so you know, I want you around more since the kissing started. But I guess we’ll have to see how it goes.” A sigh carried to her. “For the record, I think we have something, too. And unless you tell me otherwise, I don’t plan to stop getting up close and personal, Jenny.”

“You won’t hear it from me.” Grinning, she spun the chair. “So, what does this mean? Am I still waiting?” Her pulse kicked in her chest, hope flying through her heart. “Or are we going for it?”

“I don’t know, Boof.” The covers rustled again as he shifted. “Johnny hasn’t given us any idea of what’s going to be happening once we get there. All we know is that we’re heading home. I need more information before I can give you an answer. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She bit her lip, holding back a sigh. “I understand.”

“I only want to do the best thing for you. It’s not going to do us any good if I get home and then have to take off again for months at a time while you’re still in class …”

“I know, Josh.” A loud crash came from the other side of the office door. “Oh, God. If that was my chicken, I’m going to be very unhappy.”

“I should let you get back to dinner.” He laughed as she let out a groan. “Take deep breaths. I’ll call again as soon as I know what my travel arrangements are, and when you can expect those deliveries.”

“Okay. Sleep well.”

“I will. Take care, Boof. I’ll see you soon.”

Ending the call, she let her shoulders heave in a sigh before rising from the chair, fighting back the surge of disappointment. “He wouldn’t let me wait this long for nothing. There’s something there, I know it.” Heading for the door, she pasted a smile on her face, then tugged it open. “Everybody alive out here?”