Tessa's Turn

by Jill Sanders

  He shook his head slightly and closed his eyes. “I have the ranch to think about.” She knew she shouldn’t pressure him; it was his decision. She was just back up and the person who had written the songs. He was the star; the one women would be flocking to see.

  She felt a little pinch of jealousy in her gut and rolled over to lay next to him, her eyes glued to the ceiling fan.

  Over the past two weeks, she’d thought about telling him how she felt so many times, but each time, she’d held her tongue. She wasn’t sure if it was fear of rejection or fear of forcing him to repeat those words back to her out of obligation.

  After all, if she hadn’t asked him to sing, he wouldn’t have made a record deal and be here. Did he feel he owed her?

  She didn’t think she could deal with him feeling obligated to love her in return. Even worse, she didn’t think she could handle his rejection.

  Finally, several hours later, she fell asleep to the sound of his soft breathing.

  The next morning, they stood in the studio and Tessa tried not to pass out. She was sure she would hyperventilate when she saw the woman standing next to Charles.

  “Okay, so I had a hard time picking between ‘Follow Me’ and ‘The Fall,’ so I had Crystal decide which one she wanted to do as a duet with Luke.”

  The entire room was silent, and then Crystal Rose walked forward and smiled. “The Fall.”

  The band members broke out in a cheer.

  “You’re kidding,” Tessa said. “A duet with Crystal Rose?” She blinked a few times. “With Luke?”

  “Well, we actually decided to use his full name on the record. But, yes. Lucas James with special guest Crystal Rose, singing ‘The Fall,’ written by Tessa Keys.”

  Luke’s hand was on her back when her knees buckled.

  Tessa had grown up listening to Crystal Rose. The woman had been one of her mother’s favorite country singers.

  Tears streamed down her face as she was pushed into a chair and handed a glass of water.

  “Are you okay, sweetie?” Crystal asked, right next to her.

  She couldn’t answer through the boulder in her throat so she just nodded, took a drink of water, and closed her eyes. “My mother loved you.” She looked up into the woman’s blue eyes and felt her heartbreak.

  “‘The Fall’… is that about your mother?” she asked.

  Again, Tessa nodded. “She died a few months back. Cancer.”

  “Oh, sweetie. I’m sorry. I lost my mother eight years ago to breast cancer. I know how raw you’re feeling now.” She smiled slightly. “I promise to do her proud. I just fell in love with the song.” She took Tessa’s hand and Tessa felt her entire body shake. “You’ve got a real talent. You know that?” Tessa nodded again. “Your mama would be proud.”

  That was when Tessa lost it. The tears flowed so fast that even the tissues Luke handed her couldn’t dry her eyes.

  “I’d be honored,” she finally said once her eyes dried a little. “I’ve always loved hearing you sing.”

  “If it’s okay, Lucas and I wanted to add a dedication before the song?”

  Tessa looked to Luke. “We’d like to dedicate it to Leslie Keys and Maya Rose, Crystal’s mother.” He added.

  Tessa smiled and took Crystal’s hand. “That’s perfect.”

  For the following two days, she sat in the booth and listened to Luke sing with one of the greatest female country artists of all time. She couldn’t count the number of times her body was covered in goosebumps or the boxes of tissue she went through.

  When they drove home the next day, she was both exhausted and thrilled. They had promised Charles an answer about touring within a week. He had already promised three full months of touring with several stops in every state in the south.

  For some reason, Luke still didn’t want to talk to her about it, so she kept avoiding the conversation.

  As they drove through town, she couldn’t get a handle on how much had changed in her life in the past few months.

  “If it’s okay with you, I’ll drop you off and head home to check on my animals. I’m sure Chase and Grant have been taking good care of them, but I’d like to check up on them anyway. Besides, I think Lucky wants to get home.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to go in, have a hot bath, then pull on some fresh pajamas and sleep until tomorrow night.” She sighed.

  He chuckled. “Wish I could join you.” He pulled in next to her car. “How about tomorrow night I stop by?”

  She sighed. “I’m working at the diner. I have to make up for lost time.”

  He pulled her close. “How about lunch the following day?”

  She nodded. “Sounds good.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Night.”

  Later, as she soaked in the hot water, her mind played over how wonderful everything had been. How meeting Luke had changed her life so much in such a short time.

  Then she thought about what her life used to be like and she shivered. Why had she let the opinions of children determine how she felt about herself?

  Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the hurtful words the kids used to say to her. None of those words would cause her to even bat an eye now. She was so much stronger. She had so much love in her life. So much friendship. She’d seen so much kindness. Life was worth so much more than words or momentary feelings.

  Pulling herself out of the tub, she pulled on her PJs, sat at her desk, and started writing. She was tired of hiding the secret she’d kept for too long. It was time to tell the world why she’d jumped off a bridge.

  Luke knew Tessa was probably wondering why he’d ditched her, but the truth was, he needed some time alone to think about his future.

  They actually wanted him to tour the country. Which meant his name and face would be plastered everywhere… including Austin. No more running or hiding from his past.

  He’d always known that someday he’d have to come out of hiding and tell his family and friends where he was, but he’d hoped for a little more time.

  He wasn’t sure how his family would react to his new career choice. When he pulled up to his house, he sat in the truck for a few minutes. It was about an hour before sunset and he took his time looking around.

  The cattle looked happy and fat grazing in the fields and the horses looked content next to them. His little house looked like a slice of heaven. There were still a lot of improvements he wanted to do, but for the most part, there was no place on earth he would rather be… well, maybe in Tessa’s arms.

  An image of her popped into his head, forcing him to close his eyes. She was beyond anything he’d ever imagined.

  His mind flipped, and he tried to conjure an image of Kristen, but he just couldn’t. All he could remember was feeling pressured. Forced into a life he didn’t want. Always doing something someone else wanted. Not having enough time to really decide what he wanted, or who he was.

  Well, he was making his own decisions now. He pounded his fist on the steering wheel. And by damn, he wanted to continue singing. If touring was part of it, so be it.

  He jumped from the truck, even more, determined than when he’d packed up his truck and moved to a small town in middle-of-nowhere Texas.

  He checked on the animals and by the time he made it inside and showered, it was past ten and he didn’t want to wake Tessa. He decided to surprise her after work the next night and jumped into bed.

  The next day, he caught up on his chores. Then he showered off and dressed in his best pants and dress shirt. He was excited and nervous to tell her, but he’d seen it in her eyes every time she’d tried to talk to him about touring. She wanted it as bad as he did. He’d just let fear rule him. Until now.

  He glanced down at his watch and frowned, then headed towards Holly’s instead of parking outside Mama’s. He’d taken too long in the shower. She had gotten off work almost half an hour ago.

  When he parked on the street in front of Holly’s and got out, he heard her voice and frowned even more. She was talking t
o a man. Turning the corner, he saw two dark figures at the base of her stairs.

  Chapter 16

  She had forgotten what it was like to be on her feet for eight hours a day. Her back and neck were sore and the arches of both feet were killing her. She had grease and mustard stains on her uniform.

  She’d answered all of Mama and Willard’s questions about their trip. When she mentioned meeting Crystal, it was like the entire diner stopped. She’d had to repeat the story to the entire dining room. At first, it had made the day go by faster, but after she’d told the story half a dozen times, she had a headache and her throat was sore from talking too much.

  Luke didn’t show up before she clocked out, and she ended up getting a box of chicken fingers and fries to go so she could eat them in the comfort of her own apartment. She’d missed the place, but not as much as she’d thought she would.

  There was still a lot she planned on doing, but writing songs was more important. She’d plugged through one last night she’d titled “The Bridge” and planned to write another one tonight. She’d daydreamed about it all during her shift.

  She was so excited to dig into it that she didn’t realize someone was behind her until she reached the stairs to her apartment. Spinning around, she spotted John Drake a few feet away from her.

  “Oh,” she gasped, then laughed. “You scared me.” She relaxed a little. “I guess I didn’t hear you.”

  “Is it true?” he asked, moving closer to her.

  “What?” She hugged the bag of warm food next to her chest.

  “That Crystal Rose is singing your songs? That’s pretty big time.” He stopped less than a foot from her.

  “Um, yes, she sang one with Luke.” She moved back a step when she realized the foul smell of alcohol was coming from him.

  “So, you’re kind of a hotshot now.” His hand moved out and brushed her hair. She coiled back quickly, and his eyes flashed with anger so quickly that she thought of tossing her food at him and making a run for it.

  “You think you’re too good for me?” he shouted. His hand twisted around and took hold of her neck, squeezing hard until she felt her throat close up. Her entire body froze in fear.

  Then, without any notice, a dark shadow flew down the alleyway. A fist came out of nowhere and slammed into John’s face, sending his jaw twisting at an odd angle. Blood splattered over her face and his hand released her neck, sending her sprawling back onto the steps.

  She landed hard on her butt, half on and half off a step, sending pain shooting up her back. She lost the bag of food somewhere and heard the contents of her purse spill out on the alley floor.

  She searched the dark and saw Luke on top of John. Luke had the man pinned down as his fists continued to slam into John’s face.

  “Stop,” she said, but her throat was too raw, and no sound came out. She tried again and again until she finally managed to scream. She moved behind Luke and grabbed for his arm. When she touched him, his head turned, and his eyes focused on her.

  “Are you okay?” He moved quickly and was standing in front of her.

  She nodded since she didn’t think her throat could handle talking at the moment.

  “Hey!” someone shouted from the mouth of the alley. “What’s going on?”

  It was Holly. “Someone attacked Tessa. Call the cops,” Luke yelled back.

  “Oh no! Is she okay?”

  “I’m checking. Run in and call the police first. We’ll be inside in a minute.”

  She heard Holly run inside, and less than a minute later, several more people rushed outside. Soon, she was surrounded by people ushering her into the brightness of the coffee shop.

  She had a cup of hot tea in her hands and a soft blanket wrapped around her. Luke had stayed outside to watch and make sure John didn’t get up and leave.

  She was asked so many questions, her head spun. She just shook her head and swallowed the tea. Her throat was on fire and she couldn’t control the tears that slid down her cheeks.

  She saw the flashing lights outside and worried that Luke would end up in the back of the police car, instead of John.

  When she tried to get up to make sure he was okay, she was pushed back down by Holly. “Stay put. Luke is taking care of it. I’m sure Wes or someone will be in shortly.”

  “But…” she tried to say, but nothing but a squeak came out.

  “Shush, I’ve called Missy over here to check up on you, since I didn’t think you’d want to spend any more time in the clinic. Not after all the time, you spent there as a kid…”

  “What happened to her when she was a kid?” Luke’s voice broke the silence of the room.

  “Oh.” Holly jumped a little. “Um, nothing…” Holly glanced at her and for the first time, Tessa realized that her friends had kept her accident from Luke. Which meant… they all knew. They all knew that it hadn’t been an accident.

  Everyone in town knew she’d tried to kill herself that day so many years ago, and they had cared enough about her that they had kept the knowledge from her.

  More tears came out of her eyes and she buried her face in her hands. Then she was picked up gently and carried outside. Instead of heading up the back stairs to her apartment, Luke carried her to his truck and set her gently down in the front seat.

  “Here,” Holly said. “I packed my last blackberry pie and a carton of ice cream. The cold will help her throat. If it hurts her too much…”

  “Yeah,” Luke said, nodding. “I’ll bring her to the clinic.”

  Holly reached up and hugged Luke. “Thanks for being there. I don’t know what we would have done if anything…”

  Luke cleared his throat, stopping Holly.

  “Thanks,” she repeated.

  “Anytime. She’ll be out at my place.”

  “When Missy shows up, I can have her stop by there instead?”

  “Sounds good.” He walked around his truck. Tessa met Holly’s eyes and mouthed, “Thank you,” to her friend. She was pretty sure Holly understood just what she was thanking her for because tears slid down her face as she nodded and blew a kiss to her.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” Luke asked, half an hour after he showed several people out his front door.

  It was close to midnight, but he was still so wired, he doubted he could sleep for the next few hours.

  Tessa’s eyes met his. “I’m not…” Her throat sounded hoarse.

  “You don’t have to talk just now. Just nod your head if you promise to tell me why you spent a few weeks in the hospital.”

  She took a deep breath and then nodded.

  “Were you sick?” he asked, moving closer to her.

  She shook her head no and opened her mouth to talk.

  “No, just nod or shake your head for now.” He handed her a large bowl of ice cream and she chuckled and mouthed, “Too much.”

  “I’ll eat half of it.” He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms and reached for the spoon. He scooped a bite and brought it up to her mouth.

  “Was it an accident?” Again, she hesitated, then shook her head no. “Okay, you promise to tell me what happened once you get your voice back?” She nodded. “Good, then how about we watch a movie since we can’t talk, and I’m still so wired.”

  She nodded, and he reached for the remote. “Do you like scary?” he joked, only to have her nod. “Really?” She nodded again. “Hmmm, how about we settle for comedy?” She looked up and him and cringed. “Really?” She nodded. “Okay, how about sci-fi?” She nodded several times and smiled. “My favorite genre.” She reached up and placed a kiss on his lips. Then she took the bowl from his hands and set it aside. She moved up until she was straddling him. Her eyes locked with his.

  He was pretty sure she mouthed, “I love you,” but he had to blink a few times to make sure.

  “What?” His hands dug into her hips. “Did you just…” She nodded. “Um…” He was speechless. “Really?” She nodded again, a smile forming on her lips. Slowly
, she mouthed those three words again.

  “I…” She pushed her finger over his lips, stopping him as she shook her head.

  “Later,” she mouthed.

  With her finger over his mouth, he nodded. Then she leaned down and replaced her finger with her mouth. She tasted sweet and felt like heaven.

  He tried to pull away since his mind was whirling about the fact that she’d just been attacked in an alley, but she was having none of it. She yanked his shirt over his head and reached for his jeans. When her fingers wrapped around him, he jerked off the sofa, taking her with him as he reversed their positions. He pinned her underneath him, kissing her until her legs wrapped around him. She pushed and pulled his jeans down his hips as he popped a couple buttons off her uniform until the dress lay wide open, exposing her silk panty and bra set.

  Her skin was pale and so soft looking; he was pretty sure he could never get over the feel of it next to him. He tensed when he saw the large red and purple marks around her throat.

  She reached up to cover the marks. “I’m okay,” she said and reached for him.

  “No, you’re not.” He tried to pull back, but she locked her legs around his hips and held him in place.

  “He could have… If I hadn’t shown up…” He closed his eyes to get his anger back under control.

  Her fingers ran lightly over his shoulder, causing him to look down at her.

  “You were there.” She smiled up at him. “By tomorrow, I’ll have my voice back.” She tugged on him until he came back down to her. “I’m okay, really.” She pressed her lips against his.

  “You deserve better. Better than living in a place you have to enter through a back alley.” He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

  “Luke?” she said softly.

  “Yes.”

  “One thing.”

  “Anything,” he said, looking back down at her.

  “Shower,” she said and then kissed him. “You, me. Now.”

  He chuckled, then in one quick motion, picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.