Only Teddy Bear was home when Dani arrived. Good. Facing Vic would just make it harder. The dog ambled behind into her room.
She opened her curtain enough to see the driveway before running through the set list again. She was sure Vic wouldn't even recognize the newer songs. She could just tell him they were Stryper tunes. But the older ones, from before the family came to Christ? The last thing she needed was Vic hearing "Runnin' with the Devil" coming from her room. If he ever found my cassette case, he'd have kittens.
Two times through and she had all the cover songs down.
Learning Bobby's parts on Inferno's originals took longer. Overplay much? "Seriously, you don't have to fill every hole. Oh, well, at least the lyrics stink." She mumbled them, trying to learn them as she played:
I got my mind in the gutter
Got my mind in the gutter
Got my mind in the gutter
And my body ain't far behind
Teddy Bear whined and hid in the closet.
"I'm with you. Who writes this stuff?"
***
Three hours later, Vic still hadn't come home. Wonder if he got stuck at the shop? Could be he was going to pick up the next project for Mr. Wilkins. She decided not to worry about it. Turning the volume on her clock radio loud enough to rouse her without waking Vic and checking to make sure it was on a Christian station just in case he did hear, she set the alarm for nine-thirty. It was going to be a late night.
***
"Got myself in this situation
I'm not so sure about…"
Dani slapped at the snooze button. "Shut up, Amy."
As the clock hit the floor, the Dove award-winner kept going.
"Climbing in where there's temptation
Can I get back out?"
Dani felt through the dark for the clock. By the time she held it up by its cord, Amy Grant was belting the chorus.
"Better wise up
Better think twice
Never leave room for compromise
You better wise up
Better get smart
And use your head to guard your heart…"
Dani finished the chorus for her as she yanked the cord out of the wall.
"It's gonna get rough, so you better wise up."
"Better get my thoughts together before they come undone," she muttered.
She heard Vic snoring in the living room. Must have had a long day. Vic never sleeps on the couch. Good thing he sleeps like a box of rocks. She peeked in on him. He hadn't changed out of his coveralls, the top splotched with grease. He wouldn't allow me on the furniture like that.
Teddy Bear nuzzled against Dani's leg, erupting in a yawn.
"Shhh, go lie down."
Dani used a washcloth to muffle the sound as she picked the keys out of the cookie jar. So far, so good. She couldn't stop the door to the garage from creaking a little, but she was sure that wouldn't stir her brother. She'd seen him sleep through hurricanes when the family was stationed on the East Coast. She backed out quietly, making sure the door didn't slam as she stepped into the garage and turned the light on.
Nothing in the garage but Daddy's Trans Am.
"Where's my car?!" Dani clapped her hand over her mouth as the blood rushed to her face. Who does he think he is? Her hands twitched as she balled her fists. She wanted to scream. How dare he move my car?
She stepped back inside, huffing, puffing, and ready to pound him. Think, Dani, think. You don't want to punch a one-way ticket to the farm. But if I don't get to the show, Shelly will never forgive me. I promised.
She crept into Daddy's room, feeling around on his dresser. In the darkness, her forearm brushed against cold metal. She was sure it was the frame from her favorite picture of Mom in her pure-white wedding dress. Careful not to knock it over, she reached behind and retrieved Daddy's spare Trans Am keys from Mom's old jewelry box.
***
Shelly directed Dani to park next to Bobby's rusted-out junker outside On the Rocks Bar.
"Ain't exactly Sunset Strip," Dani said as she parked Daddy's Trans Am.
A gorilla in leather stood between the girls and the entrance.
"We're with the band," Shelly said, pointing at Dani's guitar case.
"Didn't book Kids Incorporated," Gorilla said.
Dani fished through her pockets for her fake ID as Shelly handed hers to the bouncer and smiled sweetly.
"Yeah, whatever," he said, nodding her in. "But not you. No, ID, no entry."
"I promise I had it," Dani said, drawing an exaggerated eye roll from Shelly.
Thirty seconds later, Shelly came back with Cal.
"Don't care," Gorilla said before he could speak. "No ID, no entry."
Cal shoved a crumpled green wad into the giant's mitts.
Gorilla took a minute to count it before he stood aside. "Happy twenty-first, Toots."
Smoke stung Dani's eyes as she stepped in and tried to adjust to the dim light.
"C'mon, we're on in fifteen minutes," Cal said. "Was beginning to wonder if you'd show."
"Beginning to wish I hadn't," Dani said as a drunk wolf-whistled from the other end of the room. Lord, please don't let Daddy's car get scratched.
Dani tuned up and went to look for the rest of the band. She found them outside the back door, smoking and joking. They must not have seen her.
"We all agreed, no fooling around with the help." First time she'd heard the drummer—Marc something-or-other— string more than three words together.
Cal was the only one that didn't laugh.
"Nothing happened." Jon said, coughing.
"Find yourself a by-the-hour place after the show and have fun." She couldn't see Bobby around the corner, but she knew his voice. "She's a rental anyway."
Dani's neck stiffened. She balled her fists and started toward them.
"Don't talk about her like that," Cal and Jon said, almost in unison.
***
"Just play 'em like I wrote 'em." Bobby leaned against the Peavey amps as Inferno sound checked. "If you can."
Dani turned her back to him. View's better the other direction, anyway View was better the other direction anyway. Marc sat, twirling his sticks and pounding rudiments against his jeans. Having finished her sound check five minutes ago, Dani could relate. She stole a glance at Jon, leaning against the bar chatting with the bartender. If he noticed, he didn't let on.
She knew nobody she knew would come to this kind of place, but she scanned the crowd every few minutes, just in case. What would I do if I saw a familiar face anyway? Hide behind the amps? Sneak out the back door? Shelly would kill me.
She put the thoughts behind her as Jon jumped on the stage, grabbed the mike and shouted something unintelligible to the crowd as the band launched into Cinderella's "Gypsy Road."
After the first song, Bobby skulked off, stopping to say a few words to some old guy on his way to Shelly's table. Is that the same creep from the party? He sure stared at her the same way, nodding dismissively at Bobby. She did her best to focus on the song.
By the third song, Dani lost herself in the performance. The crowd was easily twice as big as any she'd played in front of before and more kept coming. She thought she saw a fight break out. Hard to tell through the layers of smoke and the cheap strobe lights. Whatever it was settled quickly.
The set went smoothly until Jon announced the first of Inferno's originals. Great, the ooh, aah, baby song. My favorite. She played the intro note-for-note like she'd heard it on the demo tape, letting the song build through the first bridge and chorus. Solo time. How mad can he be if I improve it a little? Dani smiled, pointing out into the haze in the general direction of Bobby and Shelly's table as she dove in. Needs something a little more Stevie Ray-esque. She played fewer than half the notes Bobby crammed into the eight-bar solo, but that didn't stop the crowd from jumping to their feet by the time she hit the key change into the final chorus.
As the show continued, mugs of beer and shot glasses of something clear starting piling up on Dani's amp. When Inferno finally took five, she caught the waitress bringing another and tried to wave her off.
"I don't drink."
"Don't care if you flush 'em." The bags under her eyes had bags. "They keep buying 'em, I keep bringing 'em."
"It's how they pay us," Jon chimed in, helping himself to a glass for each hand and stashing the others behind the amps.
"What was that?!" Bobby stood at the edge of the stage.
"I'm just a rental. You can play however you want to next show."
Before he could argue the point, Inferno kicked into its second set. The band locked in with Dani as she let loose, playing the songs the way she thought they should be played.
Jon hit the growing stash behind the amp from time to time, sometimes downing them himself, other times taking one back for Marc. If it affected his voice, Dani couldn't tell. As the night wore on, Cal became more animated in his motions. Probably for the drummer's benefit. He's dragging a little, but at least he's keeping Marc from playing like a runaway train.
During the second set of Inferno originals, Bobby emerged red-faced through the smoke. She played a few bars exactly like Bobby had on the tape until he eased up and turned around. Stepping away from the mike, she shouted, "Don't want you thinking I couldn't if I wanted to!" and switched back to her own rendition.
He flipped a lewd gesture over his shoulder.
Who cares? Shelly can do better anyway.
Three more songs, an overly dramatized exit, and an encore later, Inferno was wrapping up.
"Got my mind in the gutter…"
Jon stifled a cough.
"Mind in the gutter…"
Cough. Cough.
"I got my mind in the gutt—"
Jon stepped away from his mike in a coughing fit.
Throwing a quick glance at Cal—nowhere near a mike—Dani stepped up to Jon's mike and belted:
"And my body ain't far behind."
Pandemonium broke out in the bar as she leaned into the rest of the chorus.
"Got my mind in the gutter,
Mind in the gutter,
Come on down
And get a little dirty with me."
***
Dani wasted no time packing after the show. Her little stunt at the end felt like the right thing to do at the time, but the crowd's response made her skin crawl. Why did it have to be that song? By far Inferno's worst, she hated it more with every catcall and lewd compliment the men in the crowd hurled her way.
Now all she wanted was to get away from here, but Shelly was nowhere to be found. Typical.
Outside, Jon leaned against a new Fiero, swigging a Corona and talking with Paunchy Mullet. How many had he had? Nine, at least.
Jon called her over. "Want you to meet our promoter."
"Tom Basil."
Dani liked Paunchy Mullet better. His leer reminded her of Teddy Bear's every time Daddy fired up the grill.
"Dani Grass, eh?" Mr. Basil said.
"Grassigli."
"Not no more. Grass is better." Easily in his thirties, Mr. Basil made no attempt at subtlety as he sized her up. "This, I can sell."
"This ain't for sale." Dani headed toward the Trans Am to load her gear, keeping an eye out for Shelly. Bobby's junker was gone.
Jon was still talking to the promoter after she'd finished loading.
"Business is business," Basil said.
Dani considered lighting out but couldn't bring herself to. Fastening the top button on her blouse, she approached as Jon slurred, "But he's my best friend."
Basil shrugged. "Bobby couldn't carry her gear."
"Wouldn't want him to," Dani said. "But is Shelly with him?"
"Last I saw." Jon threw the empty bottle against the back wall and slid into his car.
"You're not driving?"
"What're you, my mother?" Jon sported a sloppy grin.
She looked over at Mr. Basil. "C'mon, you can't let him…"
"Not going my way." Basil nodded toward a black Cadillac. "Give you a lift if you want one, though."
Dani turned her back to the older man, exhaling sharply. She knew she shouldn't be alone with Jon, especially when he was three sheets to the wind. She knew Vic wouldn't approve. Daddy would blow a gasket. Kari would kick her off the praise team for good this time if she found out. But he's not going to call a cab. She motioned toward Daddy's car. "Hop in."
***
The sun peeked over the horizon as Dani pulled into the garage. She wasn't sure whether the tingling she felt down to her toes was fear that Vic might be up or the lingering effects of her first kiss.
She hadn't intended to let it get as far as it did, but she'd had no idea how hard his life was. Imagine being thrown out on the streets like that by your own parents. And he said he'd never seen anyone so pretty. Daddy was the only one who'd ever said anything like that to her. Maybe it was the booze talking. It still felt good. He said he'd always wanted a girl like her, a girl who didn't give it up easy. She felt a flush rise to her cheeks. At least I didn't go into his trailer. She couldn't deny part of her wanted to when he asked. Wonder if he'll call. She caught herself making that silly lip-biting grin again.
He hadn't made it easy to say good night.
Careful to close the car door quietly, Dani straightened her blouse and soft-pedaled into the house.
Vic. Head in hands. Sobbing.
Vic never cries.
She'd prepared her defense the whole drive home, just in case he was up. Don't answer any questions. Change the focus by yelling about her car being taken away. Start an argument about something else. If all else fails, cry about missing Daddy.
She hung her head.
"I'm sorry."
He just sat there, shaking.
Dani bit her lip, fought back tears. "I said I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
Nothing. Dani sat opposite him, reached for his hand.
"I've been nothing but trouble."
Sweet Trouble. That's what Mom had always called her. Nothing sweet about this, though. Vic's been nothing but good to me. She could feel mascara running down her face as she stopped trying to stem the tears.
A full five minutes later, Vic lifted bleary eyes.
"It's Dad."