Part 106 (2/2)

so. His last lover had driven him to distraction with obsessive

cleanliness. Johnno was fastidious himself, but when it had come to

was.h.i.+ng all the bottles and cans that had come into the house from the

market, even he had been baffled.

He appreciated the silence-after the housekeeper had left. He thought

idly about spending the evening out, but decided he was too lazy. It

wasn't jet lag as much as it was the strain of the last few weeks. The

legalities and ha.s.sles of the new label, the difficult visit with Stevie

at the clinic, and worse somehow, the time he had spent with Brian,

watching his oldest friend snuggle down deeper into a bottle.

Yet the music Brian was writing was better than ever. Stinging,

lyrical, sharp-edged, dreamy. He wouldn't speak of his feelings, of his

hurt or anger over P.M.”s relations.h.i.+p with Bev. But it was there in

his music.

That was enough to keep Pete happy, Johnno thought as he stripped off

his s.h.i.+rt. As long as Devastation kept rocking, all was right with the

world.

He took out the shrimp salad his housekeeper had made up, uncorked a

bottle of wine, and pushed idly through the mail which had acc.u.mulated

during his absence. When Emma's handwriting caught his eye, he grinned.

Dear Johnno,

I've snuck away from the nuns for a little while. I guess I'll do

penance for it later, but I felt I might scream if I didn't have a

few minutes alone. Most of the sisters are cranky today. Three

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