Every Beat of My Heart

by Kianna Alexander

  “I didn’t mention it to you and Mom and Dad before, but Lina is bidding on the piano, too.”

  Simone cocked a brow. “She’s a Monk fan? Even if she is, I’ve never known one to geek out for him like you.”

  He rolled his eyes at his sister’s remark. “No, she’s not a Monk fan, her mother is. She wants the piano as a gift for her mother.”

  “That’s noble and all, but we both know you’ll easily outbid her.”

  Rashad sighed. “We know that, but Lina doesn’t.”

  Simone shifted in her seat, tucking her feet beneath her. “I know you have your reasons for not telling her about your backup plan and all, but you do know the feathers are about to hit the fan, right?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on how she takes the news.”

  “Ha! After the way she acted the last time you dated, do you really think there’s a scenario where this isn’t going to go badly for you? You said yourself she had serious trust issues, and you’ve essentially been lying to her the whole time you’ve known her.”

  “C’mon, Simone. I didn’t lie to her about it, I just didn’t tell her.”

  Simone sucked her teeth, folding her arms over her chest. “C’mon, nothing. You’re talking to a woman here, and as a woman, I’m telling you. We consider omission to be just as much of a lie as fabrication, sir.”

  “I don’t see it that way,” he groused.

  “Doesn’t matter how you see it. From her perspective, you legit lied to her. And when she finds out, trust me, she isn’t going to be happy about it.”

  He pressed his open palm into his face. “Shit.”

  Simone nodded. “Yeah, bro. You got serious problems.”

  “Well what am I supposed to do now? How do I handle this?”

  She shrugged. “There’s not a whole lot you can do, since you can’t go back in time and be honest with her from the beginning. At this point, you just have to roll with it. Once you win the bid and she finds out, let her take the lead and just go with what she wants.”

  “What if what she wants is to never speak to me again?”

  Simone’s eyes held sympathy as she answered. “Then respect her enough to honor her wishes.”

  He sank down into the cushion of the matching armchair across from his sister, as his heart sank down into his slippers. As much as he and his friends complained about the absurd nature of female logic, he knew his sister was probably right. He was going to have to choose between Lina and the piano. And since the auction was tonight, he wouldn’t have long to make his choice.

  Thankfully, when he looked at it honestly, it wasn’t that hard of a decision.

  “You going to be okay, Rashad?” Simone’s voice held notes of concern.

  “I’ll be fine. I just need to make a choice, and it may just be the most important decision of my life.”

  “I don’t know if it’s that serious. I know how much you idolize Monk, but it’s just a piano.”

  “It’s much more than that, Simone. It’s my future.”

  Because when it came right down to it, he’d lived his whole life without even knowing Monk’s piano existed, and it hadn’t had any effect whatsoever on his life.

  Yet, knowing Lina had changed his life irreversibly, he didn’t want a future that didn’t include her by his side.

  Chapter 14

  When Cleveland and Wendell opened its doors for the first auction in two weeks, Lina was one of the first people in line. As the black-suited attendant handed her a paddle, he stepped aside so she could enter. Lina made a beeline for the auction room, doing her best to ignore the swarm of people entering directly behind her.

  The moment she stepped into the room, she recalled the last time she’d been there. Her eyes naturally drifted to the spot at the back of the room where she’d laid eyes on Rashad in all his handsome glory. A smile touched her lips as she thought back on his determination to talk to her in spite of her outright disdain. Though she’d been annoyed with him that night, now she couldn’t be gladder he’d ignored her protests. The past two weeks had been such a whirlwind, she felt she was still catching up with herself.

  People started to file in past her, making her realize she still stood in the center of the aisle. She took her seat on the left side of the aisle, the same front row seat she’d taken up last time. Looking around the room, she saw a familiar face: the wealthy older woman who’d bid on the piano the last time. She mulled it over for a few moments before she remembered the woman’s last name, Parker.

  Offering Mrs. Parker a congenial nod, Lina settled into the burgundy cushion and waited for the auction to begin. With any luck, Rashad wouldn’t show up tonight. She didn’t have any ill will for him, her blossoming love for him precluded that. But she really didn’t relish the idea of embarrassing him when she outbid him for the piano. The man had already lost his job, and even though he seemed to be taking it well, she had to assume his ego had taken a hit. He’d shown her a pretty impressive bluff when she mentioned that she’d still do her best to outbid him. That didn’t change the fact that it was very likely that either she or Mrs. Parker would be leaving there tonight with Monk’s piano.

  Most of the early birds were already in their seats, and she did her best to keep her eyes toward the raised platform at the front of the room. Even though the auction wasn’t due to begin for another half hour or so, she didn’t want to miss anything.

  Nevertheless, the instant Rashad entered the room, her head swiveled around to look behind her. It was as if she were subconsciously aware of him before she ever caught sight of him. She watched him stroll up the center aisle, looking as delicious as ever in a pair of navy slacks and royal blue button-down shirt. His eyes were obscured by a pair of dark sunglasses. He’d left his locks unbound tonight, and for whatever reason, seeing his hair swinging free around his shoulders did something to her. She tugged down the hem of her green cocktail dress, crossing her legs in response to the tingle making its way up the insides of her thighs.

  He caught her gaze, that easy smile spreading across his face. Walking toward her, he took off his sunglasses and tucked them away in the front pocket of his shirt. There was an empty seat next to her, and she realized now that she’d basically marked it for him by putting her purse there. She moved her bag out of the way just as he stopped in front of her.

  “Hey, baby. You’re looking radiant as always.” He eased into the chair next to her and placed a soft kiss against her cheek.

  Unable to resist, she let her fingertips play through the length of his hair. “Laying it on a little thick tonight, aren’t you? I’m still going to try to win the bid, Rashad.”

  “Like I said, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Appearing as nonplussed as ever, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his long legs at the ankle.

  She shook her head. He certainly was skilled at keeping his aloof facade intact. Hopefully he’d react in a similar cool manner when she won the bidding.

  She didn’t say anything else, and neither did Rashad, because the auctioneer had stepped up on the platform and approached the podium.

  With his left arm still in a plaster cast, the older man looked a little worse for wear but seemed happy to be back to his job. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Cleveland and Wendell. I’m pleased to be on the mend and back at the podium, so let’s get started, shall we?”

  A smattering of subdued applause filled the space as the wealthy patrons in the room expressed their agreement.

  “At the last auction, there was some rather hot bidding going on our first item, an important Italian piano once owned by Thelonious Monk.”

  The auctioneer gestured to his right, where three men were busy rolling the piano up a ramp and onto the platform. Another man followed them, carrying the matching high-back bench. Once the piano and bench were
in place on the platform, the workers left and the auctioneer began speaking again.

  “There was a call-in bid of forty thousand dollars during the last auction. That would have been the winning bid, but we were unable to reach the bidder for verification. Therefore we will start tonight’s bidding at our last verified price, thirty thousand dollars.”

  Lina raised her paddle without hesitation. Unfortunately, so did six other people in the room, including Mrs. Parker and Rashad.

  The auctioneer continued. “Do I hear thirty-five? I have thirty-five. Who’ll give me forty...?”

  As the amount of the bid increased, Lina kept raising her paddle. She knew her upper limit was sixty thousand dollars, and she’d hoped the bids would stay well south of that. Now it was obvious that wasn’t going to be the case. Doing her best to keep her nerves from getting the best of her, she kept up with the bidding, being sure to observe those around her.

  By the time the bid reached fifty-five thousand, only three paddles remained raised. Lina held hers up, as did Mrs. Parker and Rashad. She could feel the perspiration dampening her hairline. Neither of them seemed willing to back down.

  “Who’ll give me sixty thousand?”

  Mrs. Parker sighed, shook her head and dropped her paddle. “It isn’t worth that much to me.”

  Lina’s head swiveled, her gaze connecting with Rashad. It was down to just the two of them now. Sixty thousand dollars was a lot of money, and frankly more than she wanted to spend. She couldn’t go any higher, but as she stared at him, she prayed he couldn’t read the nervousness on her face.

  The auctioneer looked at the two of them. “Will one of you give me sixty-five?”

  “I will.” The words escaped Lina’s mouth before common sense could halt them. Where she would get another five grand, she didn’t know. Nevertheless, she would figure it out. A smile curved her lips when she saw Rashad’s blank expression. Was he finally conceding defeat?

  Then his expression changed.

  He placed his paddle on the seat next to him, and stood.

  Lina folded her arms, prepared to watch him walk out.

  The auctioneer’s voice boomed in the near silence. “Sixty-five thousand going once...”

  Rashad straightened his jacket, adjusted his tie.

  “Going twice...”

  Lina clutched her purse to her chest. I’m about to win!

  Just as the auctioneer opened his mouth again, Rashad cut him off.

  In a clear, confident voice, he announced a bid. “One hundred thousand dollars.”

  A gasp escaped Lina, her mouth dropping open. Where in the hell was Rashad getting that kind of money? Were his parents financing this? She knew their company was successful, but this was far beyond what she could have imagined.

  The auctioneer’s broad grin belied his excitement. “Going once, going twice, sold to the gentleman in blue for one hundred thousand dollars.”

  Her hands still clenched around the purse, Lina got to her feet. Shock and hurt filled her, and even though she was only feet away from Rashad, she noted that he was going out of his way to avoid making eye contact with her.

  Tears filled her eyes. After everything they’d shared, everything he’d meant to her, she’d thought things were different. Now she understood why he’d seemed so aloof about the auction, he’d known all along he had the resources to win. He’d been playing her all this time.

  In the short time since Monk’s piano had brought them together again, he’d won her heart. She knew she was in love with him, but now she realized he couldn’t be trusted. If he could hide something like this from her, who knew what other secrets he might keep?

  With tears rolling down her cheeks, she stepped away from her seat and marched down the center aisle.

  She could hear Rashad’s voice calling her name, but she didn’t stop or look back.

  * * *

  The bright, sun-drenched Saturday morning sent light streaming through the picture window into Rashad’s den. As he stood there, staring at the spot he’d just cleared and vacuumed for Monk’s piano, he sighed. Despite the boon of winning the bid, and being only hours away from taking delivery on a priceless piece of musical history, his mood was as foul as the weather was beautiful.

  He walked across the room, his bare feet sinking into the plush, cream-colored carpeting. With his back against the wall, he took a seat on the floor. Occupying the spot that would soon be taken up by the piano, and dropped his head into his hands. He’d initially gone to Cleveland and Wendell with his heart set on winning the piano. Running into Lina had been a happy coincidence. Now that it was over, he couldn’t believe the way things had turned out. He never would have thought winning would leave him feeling such a deep sense of loss.

  “You’re a pitiful sight, do you know that?”

  He dropped his hands and looked up at the sound of his sister’s voice. “Simone, not right now.”

  Simone, still in her aquarium-themed pajama pants and T-shirt, strode over and sat on the floor directly in front of him. “Just stating the facts, bro.”

  He groaned. “Why are you torturing me? It’s bad enough I’ve lost Lina.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I’m not one to say I told you so, but...”

  He rolled his eyes. “Please. You are one to say it, and you enjoy it.”

  “Anyway, the brother I know would not be sitting here moping. He would be going after his woman.”

  He let his head drop back against the wall. “I don’t think she wants to talk to me, Simone. I tried talking to her after I won the bid, and she ignored me. I’ve been blowing up her phone, but she won’t take my calls.”

  “Have you gone to her house?”

  “You mean, so she can slam the door in my face? No, I haven’t.”

  Simone rose to her feet, shaking her head. “I know you’re not going to let the possibility of having a door slammed in your face stop you from trying. I used to slam the door on you all the time, and it never kept you from getting all up in my grill.”

  He felt a smile tug at his lips, despite his mood. Simone had always been a pistol, and at every attempt he’d made to protect her, she’d gotten mad and claimed he was in her business. She was right, though, he had to at least give it a shot. He braced himself and climbed up from his spot on the floor.

  She smiled. “There you go, bro.”

  “I’m going over there. But look, the delivery men will be here soon with the piano. Can you make sure they get it in here without damaging it?”

  Simone raised her hand to her forehead in mock salute. “It shall be done, sir.”

  Chuckling at his sister’s weird sense of humor, he turned and went to his bedroom to get quickly dressed.

  Within the hour, he pulled his truck into Lina’s driveway. Her car was parked there, so he assumed she was at home. In any other case he would have called ahead, but since she’d been screening his calls, there really wasn’t any point in doing that.

  He climbed down from his truck, flowers in hand, and shut the door behind him. He strode up the walk and stepped onto her porch. Taking a deep breath, he raised his fist to knock on the door.

  She swung it open before he could.

  Her face, despite her annoyed expression, was still as beautiful as a sunrise on the ocean. She wore a long cotton nightgown, pink with little white ribbons at the front. It was far more matronly than anything he thought she’d own, but he could clearly recall the feminine curves hidden beneath it. Her hair was brushed behind her ears.

  Opening her pursed lips, she asked, “Rashad, what the hell are you doing here?”

  He extended the bouquet of yellow roses and larkspur in her direction. “I just wanted to talk to you, but you’re not taking my calls.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “And y
ou didn’t take that as a hint that I didn’t want to be bothered with you?”

  Noticing she didn’t seem interested in the flowers, he set them down on the windowsill next to the door. “Look, I’m sorry about this whole thing with the piano. The men are delivering it today, and if you really want it, I’m happy to give it to you.”

  She rolled her eyes so hard he’d swear she could see the future. “Seriously, Rashad? You really think this is about the piano?”

  Confusion knit his brow, and he shifted his weight to lean against the brick wall beside the door. “Then what is it about?”

  Standing in the doorway, she shook her head. “You still don’t get it, Rashad. Did you think I wouldn’t notice that bid? Did you really think I wouldn’t be curious to know where you got a hundred grand from, when you just lost your job?”

  His eyes slid closed. It was happening, just the way Simone had forewarned. Damn, I hate when she’s right. “Lina, baby, listen—”

  “No, you listen. What kind of shit are you involved in? For all I know you could be running drugs from South America. Or did your mommy and daddy front you the money? Either way, you’ve been keeping something from me, and you know I demand honesty.”

  His brow hitched up, as a mixture of humor and disbelief coursed through him. “Running drugs from South America? You’ve got one hell of an imagination.”

  Apparently she didn’t see anything funny, because her expression remained just as stormy. “Six years ago, I would have thought it was far-fetched to think my ex-husband would be unfaithful. I thought my friends were making up stories when they tried to tell me about his near-constant cheating. He lied to my face, repeatedly. Thought I was too stupid to figure it out, or too weak to call him on it. So don’t stand here making jokes about my ‘wild imagination,’ Rashad. Don’t insult me.”

  He straightened, feeling properly chastised. “I’m sorry, Lina. I didn’t mean it like that. But you have to hear me out.”

  “Honesty, Rashad. That’s all I asked of you, and you refused to give it.”

  He could see her anger fading as it morphed into sadness. “Baby, I swear, I can explain everything.”