“Monte, he’s here,” she said with a frown. “He has a little entourage with him.”
“I don’t have time for this today,” he muttered. “Can you have Donovan come over?”
“Sure. Do you want to wait until Donovan arrives before you see him?”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
“No problem.” She turned toward the outer office. “It will be just a minute. Please have a seat,” Terrence heard her say as she closed the door.
Donovan knocked on Monte’s door minutes later, entered, then closed it behind him. “What’s with the circus?”
“I have no idea.”
“Did you ever figure out what was bothering you about his demo?”
He nodded. “Let’s head up to the studio. There should be one that’s not in use right now.”
“The studio?” Donovan asked, puzzled.
“Yep.” He opened the door. Extending his hand, he greeted the young man. “Mr. Thomas, thank you for coming.”
“DT Spin. Yeah. Thanks, Monte. Are we ready to do this? ’Cause I’m ready to get phat paid.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Terrence could see Donovan stifling a laugh and Mrs. Lewis rolling her eyes. “There are a couple of things we need to do first. We’ll be going to the studio. Due to the limited space, your group will need to wait for you in the lobby.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure.” He turned to his group. “Y’all go ahead and wait.”
Once in the studio, Monte directed the young man into the isolation booth and gave him instructions.
“Uh...uh...I didn’t know I was gonna have to sing today. I thought we was just gonna go over the contract and stuff, you know.”
“This is the starting point for all potential clients.” Terrence joined Donovan in the control room. “Ready?”
He nodded. The music started.
Darren Thomas sang the first verse, and Terrence stopped the recording.
“Something wrong, Monte?” he asked.
“Can you explain why your voice doesn’t sound like the demo you submitted?” At the young man’s silence, he asked, “Is this actually your voice?”
“Um...it was kind of fixed a little, you know. Ain’t that how it’s done now?”
“Please come into the control room.”
Donovan gave up his seat.
“Some places may do that, but not here at RC Productions. Also, you were ten minutes late for your appointment. That is a blatant disrespect of my time. I don’t think you would be a good fit for us, but I can provide you with a list of other companies who may be a better fit.” He stood and offered his hand.
Darren Thomas came to his feet slowly and extended his hand.
Terrence reached up and pulled a sheet from a wall file. “Here’s a list of other recording labels. Good luck to you, Mr. Thomas.”
“Yeah, thanks.” He took the paper and shuffled out of the room.
Once the door closed, Donovan let out the laughter he’d been holding in. “Man, I can’t believe he thought no one would figure out he had his voice altered on the recording, if it’s even his. His voice isn’t even passable. Terrence, why did you give that boy a list? What you should have told him was to find something else to do.”
He shook his head. “Hey, there are some folks turning out that kind of music. But I have to agree with you—the voice wasn’t even close to passable.”
“Since we’ve been so busy this week, I didn’t get a chance to ask how your weekend went.”
“It was good.”
“That’s it? It was good? Come on, T, you can do better than that. I know for a fact you didn’t come back until Sunday, so it must have been better than good.”
“I enjoyed spending time with Janae. We pretty much talked the whole time.”
“Talk? That’s all? You didn’t...?”
“No, we did not, D. Didn’t I tell you she wasn’t some groupie or booty call?”
“Yeah, man. You’re really feeling this girl, aren’t you?”
He leaned back in his chair. “Yeah. But I need to keep things in perspective.”
“What does that mean? Never mind. I already know. When are you going to let go of the past? It’s been over twenty years, Terrence.”
Terrence stood and started from the room. “I have let go of the past.”
“Yeah. Right,” Donovan muttered. He pushed off the wall and followed him.
“Is everything all right, Monte? You look upset,” Mrs. Lewis noted as soon as he entered the office. “What did you do to him, Donovan?”
Donovan laughed. “Why do you always think I’ve done something to him? I didn’t do anything. Monte, will you please tell your secretary that I didn’t do anything?”
“I’m fine, Mrs. Lewis. Just have a lot on my mind right now.”
“Okay, son, if you’re sure. How did things go with that Spin character?”
“Mrs. Lewis, that boy needs to find something else to do,” Donovan cracked.
“That bad, huh?” She laughed softly.
“Worse,” Donovan confirmed.
Terrence shook his head and went into his office. This thing with Janae had gotten out of control, and he had no idea how to stop it. How in the hell was he going to stay away from her?
Donovan entered a few minutes later. “We cool, man?”
“Yeah. What day are we leaving next week?”
“I’m thinking Wednesday. You have shows on Friday and Saturday, so it’ll give you and the band some time to rehearse. We’ll leave Philadelphia on Sunday for D.C., since you have that radio interview on Monday morning. Kenny heard about you coming that way, so he wants to try to hook up.” Kenny Mills was another one of their friends from college.
“That’s fine. See if he’ll be available for dinner Monday. Are we flying back on Tuesday?”
“That’s the plan. I know we have to get ready for Kaleidoscope’s CD release party on that Saturday, and you need some downtime. I’m really looking forward to hearing some good jazz and R & B.”
“Me, too. I think the finished product is really good. Have you heard it yet?”
“No. I heard a little when they were mixing in the studio, though.”
He reached in a drawer, pulled out a CD, then handed it to Donovan. “You can listen to my copy.”
“I’ll bring it back.” Donovan stood. “I’m going back to my office. You want to go to lunch later?”
“Around twelve-thirty okay?”
“Fine.”
* * *
Terrence dropped down on the side of his bed and kicked off his shoes. He was tired and hungry. He and Donovan had had to cancel lunch to take care of some issues with one of their clients. Then there had been back-to-back meetings until seven. All he wanted was a hot shower, some food and his bed.
Standing, he stripped out of his clothes and headed for the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, he jogged downstairs, revived but starving. In the kitchen, he spotted a foil-covered plate on the stove. He peeled back the cover, the aroma of chicken teriyaki stir-fry over rice filling his nostrils. He heated the meal, poured a glass of iced tea and took a seat at the kitchen table. While eating, he leafed through the stack of mail. Most of it was junk.
“Hey, baby.”
Terrence turned at the sound of his grandmother’s voice. “Hey, Grandma. How was your day?” He stood, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple, then reclaimed his seat.
“Oh, not too bad. You look like you had a long day.” She took a seat next to him.
“It was. Where’s Grandpa?”
“I left him watching TV. I heard you drive up, but wanted to give you a few minutes to settle in before I came over.”
He looked up from his food with concern. “Is anything
wrong?”
“No. You had a delivery today. Were you expecting something?”
“No. Nothing. What was it?”
She got up from the table, went into the other room and came back with a package. “I thought maybe you ordered a picture or something. Seems like the only thing that would fit into this. And it’s not too heavy.”
“What does it say on the return address?” he asked around a mouthful of food.
“Nothing.”
Terrence swallowed, took a sip of his tea and got up to open the slim box. He unwrapped the package and gasped.
“Wow. That’s a stunning piece,” she said, coming to stand next to him. “It must have cost you a pretty penny. I thought you said you didn’t order anything.”
He couldn’t believe Janae had sent him the picture she’d done of the snowcapped mountains.
“Terrence?”
“Huh? What? I’m sorry, Grandma. Did you say something?”
“Yes. Plenty. It’s a beautiful painting. Where did you order it from?”
“I didn’t order it.” He rummaged through the wrapping for a note. He found the small piece of paper.
Because you seemed to enjoy it so much.
J.
He closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the unwanted feelings that coursed through his body. That squeezing thing began in his chest again, and he sucked in a deep breath.
“Terrence, are you okay?”
“Yeah. Fine.”
“So are you going to tell me where you got the painting?”
“From a friend I met recently.”
“Must have cost a fortune.”
“No. She painted it herself,” he said absently, still staring at the picture.
“You went to an art gallery showing?”
“No.”
“Okay. I’m confused.”
Terrence placed the painting on the table, then dropped back down in the chair. “I went to visit a friend last weekend and was admiring it. She must have noticed.”
“She? Oh, is this the woman I heard in the background when I called you on Saturday?”
“Yes.” He hopped up from the table and began to pace. “But she already gave me one,” he mumbled.
“Did you say she’d given you one already?”
He spun around. He momentarily forgot about his grandmother sitting at the table. “Yes.”
“I didn’t see it. Where is it?”
“My bedroom.”
“Oh. Is it something an old woman can see?”
He chuckled. “Yes, Grandma. Come on.” They walked back to his bedroom, and he pointed at the painting.
“This is absolutely breathtaking,” she whispered with her hands clasped together. “Is she showing in a gallery somewhere?”
“No. She doesn’t want to. Grandma, she has a good twenty or thirty finished pieces, and all of them are of this caliber,” he answered without thought. Turning, he met his grandmother’s piercing stare.
“You sound like you’re quite taken with her.”
Terrence had no idea how to explain what he felt. The feelings were completely strange to him, a man who’d never allowed his emotions anywhere near a woman.
“Well?”
“Something like that, I guess.”
“Oh, goodie. Does this mean—?”
He cut her off quickly. “No, Grandma. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Hmm. So what’s her name and where did you meet her?”
“Her name is Janae Simms, and I met her...at the concert in San Francisco.”
“Really? You don’t usually hang out with the groupie crowd.”
“Believe me, Grandma. She’s not a groupie. Janae’s a really nice young lady.”
“Must be, to give you these kinds of gifts. Well, I’m going. I figure you want to call your young lady to thank her.”
“I do. Good night.” They embraced. “Tell Grandpa good-night.”
He followed her back downstairs and waited until she’d gone through the breezeway before sitting at the table. His gaze strayed to the painting again and lingered over every detail.
The fact that Janae had given him a second painting worth several hundred dollars without asking anything in return blew him away. It also dented the armor he’d worn around his heart for most of his life. To protect his heart, he needed to put some distance between them. But he couldn’t resist her. Hadn’t been able to since the first time he laid eyes on her.
Terrence held the phone in his hand for several minutes before making the call.
Chapter 9
Janae held the phone away from her ear, rolled her eyes, then placed it back. “You guys do realize that I’m an adult now, and I’m entitled to my own life.” All three of her brothers had decided to do a conference call. “Devin, you really didn’t need to call Erik and Justin.”
“Well, if you were more forthcoming with information, I wouldn’t have had to,” Devin replied.
“Yeah,” Erik added. “You can’t even tell us his last name.”
“I don’t ask you guys the names of the women you date and what you do with them,” she huffed. “Justin, can you control your brothers?” Justin was the oldest and lived with his wife and baby daughter in neighboring Nevada.
Justin chuckled. “All right, guys. Go easy on your sister. How long have you known the guy, Jan?”
“His name is Terrence and only a couple of weeks. So it’s not like he’s ready to propose or anything. We’ve hung out a couple of times. It’s nothing serious. He’s a friend. Y’all need to back off.”
“He sounds like a nice person, so why are you guys so riled up?” Justin, as the oldest, had always been calmer, even more so since getting married.
“He said his name is Terrence, but I don’t think that’s his real name. He seems familiar, but I can’t seem to place him,” Devin said.
“If Jan tells us his last name, I can run him through the system to see if he’s legit,” Erik added.
“That’s exactly why I’m not telling you!” she yelled.
“Hey, hey.” Justin jumped in. “Calm down, Janae. Devin and Erik, you need to dial it back. As she pointed out, Jan is an adult now. Doesn’t seem like this guy has done anything wrong, so give him a chance. Okay?”
Devin and Erik grumbled.
“Okay?”
“Fine,” Erik said.
“Yeah, I’ll stay out...for now,” Devin emphasized.
“Thank you. Now tell your sister you love her.”
Justin chuckled at their grumbled responses before saying, “Now, Janae, this only holds if he doesn’t hurt you. If he does, all bets are off. Understood?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Justin. Hold on, guys, I have another call.” She clicked over. “Hello?”
“Hey, Janae. It’s Terrence.”
“Hi. Hold on, Terrence. Let me get my brothers off the phone.” She went back to the other line. “Guys, I need to take this call. I love you all.”
“We love you, too, baby girl,” Erik said.
They rang off. “Okay, I’m back. How are you?”
“Good. You were talking to all your brothers?”
“Yeah. They still act like I’m a kid. Justin, my oldest brother, is trying to get them to back off. What’s up?”
“I wanted to thank you for the painting. You shouldn’t have.”
“Why not? You seemed to really like it.”
“I love it. But you already gave me one. Since it’s smaller, I think I’ll hang it in my office.”
“That sounds nice. Terrence? You still there?” she asked when he fell silent.
“I’m still here. I’m just thinking that I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Definitely good.”
“Well, I’m glad. How was your day?”
“Long, but productive. What about your day?”
“Had a boring staff meeting to attend after school, but other than that, not too bad.”
“Try three meetings back-to-back.”
“No, thank you. I’ll let you have all that. When are you leaving for your next set of concerts?”
“Next Wednesday. Wanna come?”
“I don’t think so. I have work, but thanks for the offer.”
“Never hurts to ask. When’s school out?”
“Two weeks, thank goodness. And I’m not teaching this summer.”
“So you’ll be a lady of leisure.”
“Something like that. I’m going to visit my oldest brother and his family in Nevada for a weekend. I haven’t seen my niece in a while. Then I’ll go to New Mexico to see my parents. Are you going to be traveling more in the summer?”
“I have a few dates scheduled and two cruises, late summer and early fall.”
“Sounds exciting, especially the cruises.”
“They’re a blast. You should try one sometime.”
“Maybe I will. Well, I know you’re probably just getting home and need to eat. I’m glad you like the painting.”
“I’ve been home about half an hour, and I did start dinner.”
“Go finish. We’ll talk again.”
“Okay. Thank you again...very much, Janae.”
“You’re welcome. Night.” Janae disconnected, then held the phone against her. I’m getting in too deep with this man.
* * *
Terrence reheated his food and finished his dinner. Then he remembered he was supposed to call Janae’s brother Devin. He rinsed the dishes, put them in the dishwasher and went to his room. Picking up his cell, he scrolled through and found the number he’d gotten from Janae’s cell when she left it on the kitchen table.
“Hello?”
“Devin, this is Terrence.”
“Terrence? How did you get my number?”
“From your sister’s phone.”
“What can I do for you?”
Just to Be with You Page 9
