All In Good Time - A Time Travel Beatles Fanfiction

Track 10 - Need a Shot of Rhythm and Blues

Beautiful boys with bright red guitars
In the spaces between the stars

Reelin' an' a-rockin'
Wishin' an' a-hopin'
Kissin' an' -prayin'
Lovin' an' a-layin'

— Adrian Henri, Daughters of Albion 

George was slumped over his guitar, all angles and edges, ignoring the pleas of the fans continually popping their heads over the wall on the other side of the terrace.

Lainey pretended to be fascinated by an ocean liner chugging across the horizon. Deep breath, fingers crossed. In a perfect world, George would notice her and start a conversation, and she would sidle over and say something like, Oh, by the way, smoking causes cancer now, who knew?

After a minute or so the music stopped. Lainey turned around.

"America is that way." George pointed vaguely out to sea.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed."

George went back to playing his guitar. Lainey wondered if that had been his way of telling her to go home. Not quite yet, Granddad. She scraped a lounge chair across the stones and sat as close to him as she dared. She watched him silently, his dark hair lifting and falling in the salty breeze, his face calm, lost in his own melodious world.

"What's that song? It's catchy," she asked after a few minutes.

"Carl Perkins. A deep album cut. You wouldn't know it."

Lainey scoffed. "I happen to have heard a lot of Carl Perkins in my day. My father owns a record store. Rockabilly for the win."

There was a glimmer of interest on George's face, the first she'd seen. Aha. Now she was speaking his language.

"Where is it then?" George asked. "I'm off to America in September."

"America is a big place, but it's in Richmond, Virginia. Home of the Old Dominion Barn Dance. Get hot or go home." Lainey stared at him coolly, hoping he couldn't see through all the shit she was talking right now.

"What's the name of the store?" George said, a look of challenge on his face.

She paused, thinking. What the heck was the name of the store fifty years ago before her father renamed it after his favorite Beatles song? "Groove Records," she finally sputtered, mentally patting herself on the back for pulling that name out of her arse.

George resumed his playing.

"Your sister Louise lives in America, right?" she continued, trying to keep him interested.

He didn't glance up. "Paul tell you that?"

She shook her head. "You and I have a mutual friend."

"Yeah? Who's that?"

"Marie Spencer."

The music stopped again. He stared soul deep into her eyes, and Lainey held her breath. It was uncanny how much he looked like her mother with his dark good looks.

"Is she in England too?" he asked finally.

"No. She couldn't make it."

"I came back from Hamburg and she was gone. Never even said goodbye."

"I know. She told me."

George turned away, staring out at the sparkling expanse of sea. "Marie was the first girl I ever loved."

Tears sprang to Lainey's eyes. "She felt the same way about you." Her voice cracked, and George's attention snapped back to her face.

"She all right?"