Big
Fat Happy Sunshine Day
Overcrowded Room
--Chapter Three--
.:Jake's Bar:.
"Brace yourself," Carly muttered, trotting over to the bar counter atop her sapphire Jimmy Choos and quickly leaning over it to speak to her sister. "You know how I told you not to worry, and that Jason Morgan would never set foot in Jake's?"
The brunette quirked a brow humorlessly, staring at her suddenly uneasy sister. "…Yeah?"
"Well, this is it," they heard Nikolas announce as he stepped into the main room of the dark bar with his hands outstretched. "Welcome to Elle's place – formally known as Jake's Bar."
Carly cringed when Elizabeth let out a groan. "Oh, man, not possible! Damn it, Carly!"
"What the hell was I supposed to do?" she asked, throwing her hands in the air. "Junior and Nikolas both told him that they were coming here tonight, and practically dragged him along by the leash."
"Fine, fine," her sister muttered, rubbing her temples. "Okay…how do we get him out?"
"Out?" Carly repeated. "Oh, honey, he's not going anywhere."
Elizabeth let out a defeated sigh, standing on her toes and watching as Nikolas showed Jason around. "Figures that he'd come in a suit. Why does he always have to look like he stepped off the cover of GQ?"
"Careful," her sister smirked. "That sounded dangerously close to a compliment."
The brunette rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Carly. Why is he wearing a suit?"
"…Because Nikolas is wearing a suit, and Junior will be wearing a suit, and I'm wearing a dress," Carly suggested. "He probably didn't know that he could show up in jeans and not be tossed out."
Elizabeth laughed at that. "Damn – so you mean I'm going to have to work harder to find an excuse to toss him, right? Shoot, where's Luke when you need him?"
The blonde smirked at the mention of her uncle and the father of Elizabeth's best friend. "You never know – Luke might end up deciding that he loves Jason, and then where would you be?"
"The looney bin," Elizabeth muttered, tucking her bangs behind her ears and knowing that they'd only slip back in front of her eyes two minutes later. "Okay, fine, if he's here, then he's here. There's nothing I can do about it, so why even pay attention to him?"
"Exactly," Carly nodded, encouraging her sister's resolute and upbeat attitude. "Let Nikolas worry about him – you just focus on your customers and your band."
"Oh, crap," Elizabeth hissed, smacking her hand to her forehead. "I forgot! Carly, I can't play in front of him!"
"Why not?"
She glared at her sister, wondering not for the first time if there was actually some truth to all the blonde jokes. "Because I'll be on stage, trying to psyche myself up to play, and then I'll look over there and see…see…that, and he'll give me a look that would probably make the flesh melt off my face, and then I'll be onstage with my guitar but no face and everyone will be like, hey, this place must not have any standards if they let lame Exorcist-style gags slide here and-"
"Breathe," Carly cut in, clamping a hand over her sister's mouth.
"I can't," came the muffled reply.
"Through your nose," she clarified, keeping her hand firmly in place. "And just listen to me. Since when do you care what people think about you? Let Jason sit there and swirl his wine or whatever the hell he does when he's around normal people, and just do your thing. Don't even look at him – leave that unfortunate task to me and Nikolas. Okay? Feel better?"
"I would if you took your hand off my mouth," Elizabeth mumbled against her sister's fingers, taking a deep breath when the blonde obliged. "Okay, okay, I won't look at him. This will be fine."
"This will be fine," Carly repeated, reaching for her hand and giving it a tug. "Now lemme see what you're wearing."
The brunette took off the apron she normally wore behind the counter and hopped out before her sister, twirling once as Nikolas continued to show Jason around while the rest of the crowd steadily filtered in.
"Ooh, I like," Carly grinned, looking her stepsister up and down. Elizabeth was wearing a bright red shirtdress with entirely straight lines that didn't do much for her figure. However, the stiff dress had tiny little sleeves that showed off her ballerina arms and it ended high on her thigh, flashing quite a bit of leg. She wore piano socks that she had pulled up a few inches over her ankle and a pair of bright red retro pumps – her favorites – finished off the look. Her hair was down and open, cascading past her shoulders in an hourglass wave, and her side swept bangs just barely touched down on her dark brows. An armful of black string bangles completed the ensemble, and her make up was very simple since she had only painted her lips a dark red and done her eyes up to be dark and smoky.
"Very cute," she nodded proudly. "I call it…punk rock chic."
Elizabeth grinned at the compliment but the smile soon dropped off her face when Nikolas led Jason over to them.
"Hey, Elle," he smiled, moving aside so that the first band could begin setting up on stage. "Told you I'd drop by. You still got that single-malt with my name on it?"
"Yup," she nodded, her dark eyes already lifting to meet Jason's. "Jason. Hello." He only tipped his head in reply and Elizabeth played with a lock of her hair, tilting her head slightly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight. I thought you said this wasn't your scene."
"No," he responded casually, not bothering to look at Carly who glared at him in warning. "I think you decided that, Elizabeth."
His crooked grin caught her off-guard, but Elizabeth didn't allow herself to stop long enough to wonder if he was flirting with her or just being a jackass. "Well, this is it," she smiled forcefully, gesturing around the now congested club. "Grab a table, sit, have some drinks. Junior and Lucky are supposed to be dropping by, so keep an eye out, will you, Carly?"
Her sister nodded and Elizabeth turned to the gentlemen. "I have to go introduce the bands, so I'll catch up with you later."
Jason watched as she walked away stiffly, pausing whenever she met someone she recognized. From the looks of it, she knew every single person in the entire damn room. Still, her social butterfly ways gave him ample time to admire her backside in that teasing dress, but before he knew it the lights were being dimmed and Carly was pushing him toward a table.
Elizabeth stepped onto the stage, which Jason considered a small triumph given those shoes that she was wearing. The petite brunette approached the microphone amidst cheers and hoots from her patrons, and flipped her wild hair over her narrow shoulders.
Jason watched as she welcomed the crowd with a bright grin, joking around with them as she got them all warmed up for the ensuing "Battle of the Bands". From the sounds of it, she had invited all the garage bands within a twenty-mile radius and told them that they could blow the roof off of her little club. She introduced the first band and stepped down, quickly making her way over to her floor manager and quietly exchanging a few words with him as the band started off.
He expected her to find her way to their table, but once Elizabeth finished giving instructions to her floor manager, she grabbed a few hostesses and did the same. And then the bouncers waved her over to address a certain problem, and she was busy with that.
Jason winced at the music, which had to be an unholy cross between punk rock and extra loud. Elizabeth remained busy through their first set, so Carly was the one that quickly ran up and exuberantly introduced the next band. His friend appeared to take over the job as her sister remained busy with her staff and guests.
About half an hour later, Jason looked around the club and found that Elizabeth had disappeared. He glanced over at Nikolas, who was enjoying his single-malt while everyone else drank beer and fruity mixes, and then heard Carly's voice from the stage.
"And now, give it up for your favorite punk rock chicks and mine, the girls of Sweet Revenge! Woot!"
He winced at her high, piercing register but soon forgot his discomfort when the spotlight focused on stage. That was when he saw her – Elizabeth, holding a dark blue electric guitar and standing right in the center of the stage. A tall blonde that he recognized to be Lulu Spencer, Lucky's twin sister, stood next to her holding the bass while another girl handled the keyboard and yet another sat behind a silver drum set with a black lip print painted on right above the band's name.
"That's Lainey, the one on keyboard," Nikolas pointed out. "She's a psych major at PCU, works part-time at General Hospital. The one on the drums is Kelly Lee, one of the new managers at L&B. And you remember Lucky's sister, Lulu."
Jason nodded, his eyes still glued on Elizabeth. She and Lulu were exchanging sly glances as the song began, and soon Kelly picked up on the drums. Nikolas was saying something else, but Jason couldn't make it out. In fact, he couldn't even make out the song that Elizabeth and her friends were currently playing. All he could see was the petite brunette standing on stage, dressed in that alarmingly charming shirt dress, moving her hand up and down the shaft of her electric guitar.
He leaned back in his seat, finally snapping out of it when a hostess set a cold beer down in front of him, along with a glass. Jason didn't even bother waiting for her to serve him; instead, he simply cracked open the bottle and took a long pull as Carly shot him a quizzical look.
On stage, Elizabeth sang along with Lulu as Kelly slammed away on her drums, doing her best not to look at Jason. Carly was whooping and singing along with the rest of her friends, and for that Elizabeth was grateful. Her stepsister always brought a certain elevated sense of enthusiasm to Jake's on the rare occasions when she allowed herself to let loose. She had been more prone to doing that since her breakup with fellow businessman Jasper Jacks of Jacks and Sons, Ltd.
Elizabeth suspected that it was because Carly had been involved in that serious relationship for such a long time that now that she was free, she didn't want to act like a heartbroken schoolgirl. Instead, she wanted to get out and have some fun. Not to say that Carly was heartbroken over the breakup; she and Jax remained good friends, but they had simply fallen out of love over a long period of time.
And it looked like Carly was having a good time tonight. She enjoyed her little gig as the master of ceremony, and it appeared that the only downer for her was having to sit next to Jason Morgan.
Finally braving a glance in his direction, Elizabeth was surprised to see that Jason didn't look as if he'd rather be having his prostate examined instead of being here. He looked a little uncomfortable in his casual suit, and seemed to have realized that her little club wasn't a very formal spot.
She hit the chorus with Lulu, easing up on the guitar as Kelly took over with her loud, insistent drum solo. Soon enough, she and Lulu were joining back in with renewed fervor as the song took a more fevered pitch. Elizabeth glanced over in time to see Jason wince and then slide off his seat, attempting to squeeze his way through the crowd to the back door of the building.
He didn't return until they had finished their set. Elizabeth barely glanced up when he slipped back into the room and instead handed her guitar to Lulu as the crowd broke for intermission. During the song, one of her floor managers had signaled to her and the brunette quickly ducked off stage to see what the problem was. She remained busy with him until intermission was almost over, and then headed toward Carly's table.
Her best friend Lucky Spencer had already arrived and was seated between his cousin Carly and Jason. The young man looked up with a grin as she approached, shooting out of his seat and over to her side where he dealt her the customary blow to the shoulder.
"Great job, Elle," he beamed as she rubbed her sore arm. "I told you that the chorus was fine and you had nothing to worry about."
"You guys sounded fabulous," Carly emphasized, leaning back in her seat. "And Kelly's solo was great."
"She practiced really hard to get it right," Elizabeth nodded, grabbing Lucky's hand. "Hey, come with me, I have to show you something. We'll catch up with you guys in a minute, okay?"
Lucky followed his best friend over to the back of the room where she pulled him behind the dark bar counter. "What are we looking for?"
"You see that guy?" she pointed discreetly. "The one with the ponytail and the scruff?"
"Yeah."
She punched him in the arm, their favored way of punctuating their conversations. "He's from a record label!"
Lucky's eyes widened. "Woah – he's a scout?"
Elizabeth nodded emphatically. "Yup. He called me up and told me that he'd like to come, and he's looking for new talent. I told him to watch for September and Of Luxembourg."
"Do the guys know they're being scouted?"
"I told them to make sure they give it their all tonight, because they never know who might be watching," she replied mischievously. "September was the second band up – I think they did great, don't you? I can't wait to see how the others do; they're coming up in about twenty minutes."
"Exciting," Lucky murmured, raking his gaze over the crowd. "Man, the place is packed tonight, Elle."
"Isn't it?" she asked excitedly. "I'm seeing people here tonight that I thought dropped off the face of the planet!"
"Yeah, like Sly over there," Lucky pointed out, gesturing to the Eckertt boy. "And there's Lydia What's-Her-Name-That-I-Can't-Pronounce-But-Sounds-Like-A-Tolstoy-Character."
"Ooh, and Ida!" Elizabeth added gleefully. "Man, I was wondering where the heck she disappeared to."
"And Junior just got here," her best friend informed her, pointing to their table. "He's just sitting down next to Nik. You know, come to think of it, I'm kinda surprised that Jason showed up."
She glanced at him curiously, wondering if he knew more about Mr. Big Fat Happy Sunshine Day than she did. "…Why?"
Lucky just shrugged. "This isn't really his type of place. He likes quiet, dark little hangouts without a lot of people."
"Like a rat," Elizabeth replied sourly.
Her best friend laughed. "Nah, he just likes to keep to himself, I guess. He's got pretty specific tastes when it comes to where he hangs out."
"Yeah, places where the Smoking Section is filled with the scent of charred thousand-dollar bills," the young woman replied dryly. "I wish he'd go find one of those right now."
"Ouch," Lucky muttered, jostling her with his shoulder. "That's probably the harshest thing I've ever heard you say about someone, Glenda."
She rolled her eyes, hating when he referred to her as the Good Witch from the land of Oz. "Let's just say that's he's not exactly my cup of joe. He's not even my cup of turpentine."
Her best friend laughed at that. "Damn, Elle, what did he do? Run over Noodle with his car, back up and then do it again?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "No. He's just…he's so…it's like…ugh! I can't explain it! I just don't like him!"
"Well, clearly, you have very solid reasons for feeling that way," Lucky patronized, patting her hand and quickly stepping away when she tried to hit him. "Ow! Damn it, Elle."
"Go ahead, Lucky, take his side."
"Aren't we all of four years old," he mumbled, settling down next to her again. "Look, all I'm saying is that maybe you're just misunderstanding him."
"Technically, that's not a word, Mr. President."
He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Why not just go out there and forget whatever he did that made you not like him? Why not just be nice to him? I'm sure he'll return it. Turn the other cheek, you know?"
She stared at him blandly. "Aphorisms? Your dad would be so ashamed, Lucky." He elbowed her roughly and Elizabeth rolled her eyes, acquiescing. "Fine, fine, I'll be my normal rainbows-and-butterflies self. Will that make you happy?"
"Sure, why not?" her friend responded, looping his arm around her waist and making his way back to their table. Carly and Nikolas were teasing Jason about something when the twosome approached. Lucky took the seat he had abandoned earlier while Elizabeth was left standing, which was fine with her because the next band was about to start playing. She quickly introduced them and by the time she got back to her table, she noticed that Kelly had already pulled Lucky away to dance.
Elizabeth grinned when Lainey passed her by, winking as she grabbed Nikolas' hand and pulled him up as well. The brunette turned and met Lucky's gaze on the dance floor, sighing when he glared at her.
Forcing herself to be positive, she turned back to the reticent businessman who was playing with his beer. She'd be nice to him, just like Lucky said. The poor man was sitting all alone at the table, since Carly had just run off to check her cell for the eightieth time, and his friends were all dancing. He probably didn't know very many people at the club, anyway. And that was what being a good hostess was all about – being nice to even the most unsavory patron.
"Jason, would you like to dance?"
He looked up, wide-eyed, at the sound of her sweet voice, then abruptly shook his head. "Oh – no, no thank you."
Carly approached just then, having heard the exchange, and quickly set her purse down on the table when she noticed the look in Elizabeth's eyes. "I would!" she announced gaily, holding her hands out to her stepsister and pulling her out onto the floor.
Elizabeth glared at the oblivious businessman but soon the music caught her and swept her away, and she and Carly danced alongside Lucky and Kelly while Jason remained sitting at their table. AJ returned, having met one of his acquaintances, and took the seat next to his colleague.
"See, this isn't so bad, right, Jason?" he asked over the music, taking a sip of his vodka. "…Jason?"
His friend instantly snapped around in his seat, slightly embarrassed at having been caught staring as Elizabeth and her sister as they danced together. But fortunately, AJ hadn't noticed in the dim lighting.
"I don't come here as often as I'd like," AJ continued, winking at a young woman that smiled at him from across the room. "But Elle runs a great place. She's really got a mind for this sort of thing. She's a great people-person, and the younger crowd just adores her."
Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Carly cast a fleeting look at her two colleagues. "Don't pay any attention to him, Elle," she instructed her sister over the loud music. "Don't even worry about it."
"Who's worrying?" Elizabeth feigned, trying not to glare in Jason's direction. "If he wants to sit by himself all night, it's his problem. I'm not going to spend one more second thinking about Jason Big Fat Happy Sunshine Day Morgan again."