"It is to him."
"Sounds like you're getting too involved," Lexie said.
"That's what everyone keeps telling me," she said dryly.
"Jax is very good-looking," Emmalyn commented. "Until today, I don't think I've really seen him in the sunlight or for more than twenty seconds. He's always slipping away through the shadows of the courtyard. What's he like?"
"I don't know. He's not very forthcoming."
"He seemed nice helping that man into the cab," Lexie put in.
"He did seem nice, which is strange, because that hasn't been my impression of him before now." She paused. "It doesn't matter. I'm probably making something out of nothing, but you know I like a good mystery, and at the moment, I have two: Walter and his red door, and our mystery man. But I should probably stay away from both of them. Let's get a smoothie. I would love something slushy and cold."
"Me, too. Let’s do it," Lexie said.
As she followed them down the street, she took one last look over her shoulder, not sure why she felt the need to do that since Jax and Walter were both long gone. The sign for the music store made her wonder how they'd both ended up there. But she needed to stop thinking about them and focus on her own life, even if it wasn't nearly as interesting at the moment.
Chapter Four
Sunday was moving slowly, Jax thought. It was only eleven o'clock, and he'd already done a six-mile run, made breakfast, and put his laundry away. For the past two months, he'd been doing a lot of sleeping, reading, and movie binging, with the occasional guitar restoration, but he didn't have a guitar to work on today, and none of those activities seemed appealing. It was still hot, but not as warm as yesterday. There were people at the pool, but not Kaia, who he couldn't seem to get out of his head.
He'd managed to avoid her for months, but now he'd had three conversations with her in the last two days, and that was three too many, because she was an unsettling person. Or maybe it was that he felt unsettled when he was around her. She had an energy, a determination, a fire that couldn't be quenched, and she was also very pretty, a dangerous combination.
Feeling restless, he wandered around his apartment for another few minutes. He needed to stop thinking about Kaia, to focus on someone else, but not a woman, or, at least, not a woman from his life. Maybe one from Walter's past. That seemed intriguing and also safe.
He sat down and pulled out a notepad. He jotted down what Walter had told him about Reina Chapman, which wasn't much, and then he pulled out his computer.
While there was a lot of information about Reina's more famous sister, Anita, there was little info on Reina. That wasn't surprising. Anita had loved the spotlight, and the spotlight had loved her. There probably hadn't been room for Reina, even if she'd wanted to share in that light.
A knock came at his door, and he jumped. It was rare for anyone to stop by. Getting up, he peered through the peephole, his tingling sense of anticipation immediately fading when he saw it was Josie and not Kaia. He opened the door for his landlord. Josie was in her early seventies and wore a colorful dress with a bright yellow sunflower print. Her dark-red hair was pulled back in a loose bun. Her brown eyes sparkled with warmth and unconditional acceptance, as they always did.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Jax, but the tenant above you has a leak in their bath, and the water might come down the wall into your bathroom."
"I haven't noticed anything."
"Do you mind if I let Javier in to take a look? He's upstairs now, but he wanted to check down here next."
"Sure, that's fine."
Relief ran through her gaze. "Oh, good. I want to catch any minor problems before they get too big. Javier might have to open up the wall, but he can get it fixed back up really quickly. Are you going to be home today? It might get noisy."
"I can find something to do." With construction about to happen, getting out of the apartment might be a good idea.
As they awkwardly faced each other while waiting for Javier, he said, "You've lived in Oceanside a long time, right?"
"About forty years, why?"
"Do you remember a nightclub with a red door?"
"That sounds like the Starlight Lounge. But it's not around anymore. Went out of business probably twenty years ago."
"Do you know where it was, if there is another business in the same building?"
"I'm not positive, but I think it's where the bookstore is now. Why are you asking?"
"I met this old guy who's looking for a nightclub that has a red door. Seems to tie into his personal history."
"In what way?"
