by Cathryn Fox
They remained silent except their breaths, long enough that Luke actually considered just staying in bed with her all day long.
“I want to help you,” Luke said.
“Luke…”
“Amy, don’t look away from me.” Luke held Amy’s face in his hands. “I care about you. I really care about you. I’m falling for you. Right now as I speak and from the second you crashed into me outside that hotel.”
“Don’t say things like that,” Amy said.
“It’s the truth. That night, we were in a hotel room because our tour bus got a flat tire. I needed the night to rest my throat but the guys wanted to play. Next thing I knew, fans were showing up and it turned into a damn concert. I had to get out of there because my throat started to really bother me. So I left. I stood in the cold and waited for something to happen. Something to come to me. Then you came… and you’ve become a part of me somehow.”
“Luke, I’m naked right now,” Amy said. “Any guy…”
Luke shut his eyes. “My eyes are shut and I’m still falling for you.”
“Luke,” Amy said with a sigh. “I’m a mess. You’re recovering from a throat issue. You have a band. I have a restaurant to run.”
“We have each other,” Luke said. “Right here, right now. Fallen Tuesday is recording in New York. I’m going to get it done right around here. There’s a studio, I’m sure. If not, I’ll build one. I don’t care. I’m not leaving.”
“You have a house in Los Angeles.”
“No. I have an apartment that’s half trashed and mostly empty. It’s not a home. It’s nothing. When I stepped into that apartment, my heart broke. It was so lonely. I’d rather be here, with you, chilly and naked in bed.”
“Even if I was wearing clothes?” Amy asked with a smile.
“Sure. We can get into bed with you wearing clothes. I’d end up taking them off… but sure.”
Amy put her lips to Luke’s chest. “This is too good for me.”
“No, it’s not. I’m sorry for the guilt you’re carrying. I’m going to take care of that.”
“Take care of what?”
“Denny.”
“What does that mean?” Amy looked at Luke with worried eyes.
“I played drums for Chasing Cross after their drummer left and took a break. It was the offer of a lifetime and I took advantage of it. But I also took advantage of my body. I played two shows a night, one with Fallen Tuesday and then one with Chasing Cross. It was grueling and fun, but it screwed my throat up. I spent three or four hours a night singing and screaming. That’s when it started. I went to a doctor and got the news that I should take a break. But I didn’t take a break. I kept going.”
“I’m sorry you went through that,” Amy said.
“Well, I was paid like I was the drummer for Chasing Cross. I thought I would take the money and buy something I didn’t really need, but to be honest, I hate the money. I hate the idea of that money being the reason why I’m in this position with Fallen Tuesday. I’ll pay Denny back the money you owe. He’ll disappear and you move forward.”
“No,” Amy said. She hurried and sat up, holding the sheet to her chest. “I would never do that.”
“I’m not offering,” Luke said. “I’m doing it.”
“I can’t end up owing you now.”
“You won’t owe me. I’m paying it forward. You shouldn’t have been put in that situation.”
“I refuse to take it.”
Amy started to move from the bed. Luke tried to grab at her but he ended up with the bed sheet instead. It pulled from Amy’s nude body. The sight was beautiful but definitely not the right time to see. Amy retrieved a robe and put it on.
“I’m not a whore,” Amy said.
“I never said that. I’m trying to help you.”
Luke didn’t get it. What was so wrong with helping?
“Your heart means well,” Amy said. “I can’t take your money. You earned it.”
“I hate that money,” Luke said. He moved from the bed and grabbed his pants. “I just said that, Amy. I don’t want that money.”
“Fine,” Amy said. “Go invest it in something.”
“So what are you going to do then? Spend your life looking over your shoulder? Waiting for Denny to text you? To come back? What about your uncle?”
“That’s my life,” Amy said. “Those are my problems. Not yours. You have enough to deal with without my life. I already told you, I’m a mess.”
“Yeah? Well I think I’m in love with this mess,” Luke said. “Okay?”
Amy touched her mouth. “Please…”
“No,” Luke said. “You’re not going to be afraid of this.” Luke walked to Amy. He touched her arms. “Tell me. Tell me how you feel about me. About us. About this between us.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“How you feel,” Luke said.
“I like you, Luke. I can’t believe that you’re a famous rockstar and that you want me.”
“Don’t treat me like that,” Luke said. “I’m not a rockstar right now. I’m a man confessing my feelings to you.”
“You want to give me money. How can I look at you and not feel guilty? Every purchase I make…”
“I want to put the money to good use,” Luke said. “Your happiness is worth it to me. Get this guy out of your life.”
“I told you already, invest it.”
Amy shook away and walked by Luke. She made it to the door and Luke called her name. Amy looked back, her eyes glossy.
“I can’t walk out again,” Luke said. “Not like last time.”
“I have to go tell Uncle Tom the truth,” Amy said. “That’s what needs to be done here. I’ll talk to him and see what he can do.”
“I’ll tell him my plan,” Luke said.
“No. Look what I’ve done. I’ve dragged you into this, like I said I didn’t want to.”
“I’m not being dragged anywhere,” Luke said. “I’m standing right here, waiting for you to tell me how you feel.”
Amy hesitated. With a hand on the door, she threatened to walk out and shut it. Luke knew he could have charged at her and held her there in the room. That moment was gone though. Luke wanted truth. If he was going to be hurt, then fine. He could handle it in that moment.
“I can’t take your money,” Amy said.
“That doesn’t tell me how you feel.”
Luke took a couple steps and then stopped. Amy took her hand off the handle as a tear fell from her eye. She fell toward Luke and he held her. He scooped her up and hugged her.
“It’s going to be okay, baby,” Luke said. “I’m here. I’m not leaving.”
“Luke, I’m scared everything is going to hurt me again.”
“Why?”
Amy looked at Luke. “Because losing you might kill me.”
Luke kissed Amy. He couldn’t contain himself. He didn’t want it to be like this but he couldn’t stop. He had to taste Amy’s lips. He wanted to contain her fear and pain and show her that her life would be good with him.
When the kiss broke, Amy stepped back. “I have to talk to my uncle. I have no choice, Luke.”
“Will you think about my offer?”
“Will you think about what I said?” Amy asked. “It’s your money. Take care of yourself.”
“I want to take care of you,” Luke said.
“I need to take care of myself right now,” Amy said. “You can stay here. I’m not asking you to leave or anything. You do what you have to do here. I just need to talk to my uncle.”
Luke kissed Amy one more time and then he watched her leave the bedroom. He was still hungry but he didn’t bring that up to Amy. A plan began to form in his mind though. He knew Amy was falling for him and he couldn’t believe how he felt about her. For all the things he’d done in his life, good and bad, for the secret he kept that almost took his band down, Luke felt it was time to step forward and start thinking about the future. The future didn’t belon
g in Los Angeles, in a cramped apartment – or even a mansion. The future, according to Luke’s mind and heart, belonged right where he was, with Amy.
Amy knew calling Uncle Tom and asking to meet him would send off about a hundred signals for him. She felt bad that Uncle Tom already had it in his mind that she didn’t want to be part of the restaurant. Not that this confession was going to help the matter at all. Amy wanted to believe that Uncle Tom had the money saved up. She’d seen the receipts and reports. The restaurant did an amazing business. But it wasn’t all to keep. There were employees, expenses, a nice lifestyle that Uncle Tom had earned and enjoyed. The wait staff were paid higher than any other restaurant in town. The sous chefs and chef were brought in with college educations and experience, which came at a cost. It wasn’t cheap to run the restaurant, but nobody minded because all was well.
Uncle Tom answered the restaurant phone after Amy had already tried his cell phone.
“Where’s your cell phone?” she yelled at him.
“In the office,” Uncle Tom said. “Why are you calling? Are you calling in sick? Spending the day with your guy friend?”
“Stop that, no,” Amy said. “I wanted to call and have a meeting with you. In person.”
“A meeting? Huh.”
Amy’s heart was already pounding. “It’s kind of important.”
“That works out for me,” Uncle Tom said. “I was just about to call you and ask for a meeting.”
“You were?”
“Yes. I have something for you,” Uncle Tom said. “I think you’re going to like it.”
Amy bit her lip. She dared herself to ask if he was giving her restaurant. She couldn’t bring herself to do it though. The thought of getting the restaurant just to drain it of money for Denny made her stomach sick. She’d almost rather watch the restaurant burn down at the hands of Denny.
“I can leave right now,” Amy said.
“I’ll be waiting right here.”
That ended the call. Amy scrambled around the apartment to get dressed. Luke had taken a seat back at the dining room table, sipping another cup of coffee. He watched with a smile and when Amy was finally ready to leave, she froze, realizing she finally had someone to kiss goodbye. Someone she cared about. Maybe someone she loved…
Amy hurried back to Luke and kissed him. She looked him in the eyes and said, “You’re not giving Denny any money.”
“I won’t,” Luke promised.
Amy kissed Luke again. Then again. She finally had to pull herself away from him. One more kiss and they’d end up back in the bedroom.
The entire drive to the restaurant Amy felt uneasy. She tried to picture in her mind over and over of the reaction Uncle Tom would give her. Would he yell? Would he cry? Would he fire her? Would he call Denny and start some kind of fight?
By the time she walked through the back of the restaurant, Amy was breaking into full fledged panic. When she saw Uncle Tom standing in the kitchen, laughing with Jeff, she suddenly saw herself making something else up. She could keep it a secret a little longer. She could just tell Uncle Tom that she and Luke were together. That could be her big thing she needed to talk about.
Uncle Tom saw Amy and put his arms out to her. “Come here, Amy.”
Amy hugged Uncle Tom, feeling a little uncomfortable doing so in front of everyone in the kitchen. Uncle Tom rocked a few times and then turned, his arm around Amy.
“Let’s go talk.”
“Okay,” Amy said.
Uncle Tom led the way to the same table they sat at when Amy confessed her desire to have a bakery. Amy sat and suddenly she had the need to just blurt it all out.
“Do you remember when you were sick and the restaurant was in trouble?” Amy asked.
“Of course I do. You were my angel then. You took this place under your wing and kept it alive.”
“I gave money that really helped…”
“I know that,” Uncle Tom said. “You put in…” Uncle Tom looked around to make sure nobody was around or listening. “… eighty thousand.”
“That’s what I came to talk to you about,” Amy said. “There’s something about that money you should know.”
“You didn’t rob a bank, did you?”
Uncle Tom laughed. Amy didn’t. The guilt in her body felt as though she had robbed a bank.
“I didn’t rob a bank,” Amy said. “But that money wasn’t what you thought…”
“Well, Amy, I want you to know how much I appreciate all you’ve done here,” Uncle Tom said. “For this place, for me. I can’t go a day without feeling ashamed that I didn’t turn this place over to you.”
Amy shook her head. “Uncle Tom…”
“No, no, let me talk,” Uncle Tom said. The happiness in his face started to fade. “I’m well off, Amy. I’ve been saving and becoming a better person with money after everything that happened. You put eighty thousand into this place and saved it. Eighty thousand. Yet you were in debt with student loans, credit cards, and you didn’t make a ton of money from here.”
Amy felt her face turn white. He knew something… Uncle Tom knew…
“There’s something about the love of a business,” Uncle Tom said. “It’s also as strong as the love of a person. I’ve wondered how long it would take you to find a man who would give you everything you deserved. Maybe you have that now with your guy friend from the band, maybe you don’t. But I know this. You look happier, Amy. I want you to stay that way. That’s why I’m doing something for you.”
Uncle Tom reached into his shirt pocket and took out a piece of paper. When he unfolded it Amy realized it wasn’t just paper. It was a check.
“No,” she said. “No…”
“This is a check for eighty thousand dollars,” Uncle Tom. “What’s owed back to you, correct?”
Amy swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t know how to feel. Relieved? Guilty? Confused?
“I can’t take this,” Amy whispered.
“You can and will,” Uncle Tom said.
Amy reached for the check and when she touched it, Uncle Tom put his hand on her hand. “I’m not a dummy, Amy. I want you to take this and take care of things. In my heart, you’ll open that bakery next door like you want to do. In my mind, you’ll take care of whatever you need to take care of. The point is, I love you and I support you. I’m sorry if I’ve stood in your way. I’m not going to be giving this place up anytime soon, but I’m not going to stand in your way either. You take care of what you need to do with this check and I promise you’ll have your own bakery sooner then later.”
Uncle Tom looked at Amy with big, sincere eyes.
He wasn’t a dummy, at all. Whether he knew the actual truth of the money Amy had given him, she didn’t know, and she knew that she would never know. That’s just how Uncle Tom worked. He was an outspoken man most of the time, but for situations like these he preferred the strong, silent type. With Uncle Tom and Luke in her life, Amy actually started to feel protected.
Uncle Tom lifted his hand off Amy’s and then stood up.
“I thought I heard Jeff call my name,” Uncle Tom said.
It was a lie but Amy appreciated it.
“I love you,” Amy said.
“I love you too, Amy. Everything will be fine.”
Uncle Tom walked away. Amy lifted the check and stared at it. It was a lot of money written on that piece of paper. Eighty thousand dollars. Amy had never asked where Denny gained all his wealth and she didn’t care. At the time she took the money from Denny she thought it was the right thing to do. Being young, dumb, and thinking she was in love, Amy didn’t think anything bad could ever happen. But it did.
Amy folded the check and held it. She touched her bag and then found her phone.
Eighty thousand dollars would most certainly get her bakery set up next door. It would give Amy that chance to have something of her own. She could then take care of Denny on her own. Give him money, little by little, proving she would pay him back.
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sp; Amy found the number she needed to dial.
There was a difference between wants and needs. Luke taught her that with his body and her own.
The phone began to rang. Amy would need to find the right thing to say.
A voice picked up on the other end of the line…
“What’s up, babe?”
Amy licked her lips. “Denny… I have your money.”
Chapter Sixteen
It had been three weeks since Luke saw the rest of Fallen Tuesday. The rest Luke had given his throat started to pay off as the pain went away. The interviews on the radio shows seem to be one to two per day, and while Luke figured it was going to become redundant, the fans made it amazing. From the messages online to the fans that called in to the radio shows hoping for a chance to speak with Luke from Fallen Tuesday. The radio interviews turned into hour long events with Luke just talking about the band, his life, and the future. He felt comfortable talking about the future because there seemed to be a future in his life. Staying with Amy was like a dream. Being able to have her with him all the time felt more of a fantasy, one that brought Luke out of a sound sleep everyday, wondering if she was still there with him. Out of respect to Amy, Luke had gotten his own apartment just a mile away from her. He refused to impose on her life, knowing that she needed time alone too.
When Luke wasn’t on the phone with radio stations across the country, talking about how well rested his throat and voice were finally becoming, he spent time meeting with Frank to find the perfect place to record the next Fallen Tuesday album. The urgency for an album had been lessened by the record company thanks to the debut album staying on top of the charts and the video and audio release of the song Fallen Tuesday sang at the signing and meet and greet. The video became one of the most viewed videos for the year and the live audio version of the song shot straight to number one. The Fallen Tuesday fans weren’t going anywhere.
