“Do you know anything about a guy named Lawrence?”
“Piece of trash. Why?”
“Had a run-in with him on Saturday.”
“What the hell happened?”
“I’m not sure. I went back to the car for something. When I walked up, I heard Janae yell and saw her snatch her arm away and...”
“You let him grab my sister?”
“No.”
“Then what happened?”
“She told him to leave her alone, and I told him he’d have to deal with me if he didn’t. I took exception to his response and clocked his punk ass.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing worth repeating.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Can’t talk when you’re unconscious.”
Devin chuckled softly, then turned serious. “Thanks for taking care of my sister.”
“I called you because I knew she wouldn’t. I travel a lot with my job, and I don’t want her to be unprotected.”
“So I take it she has no idea you’re calling me.”
“Correct. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention it. I don’t think she’d be too happy.”
“Only because you protected her. And what kind of traveling? You do have a real job?”
“I assure you I have a real job that pays decently.”
“Okay. You get a pass this time, but if you hurt my sister...”
“Understood. Later.” He tossed the phone on his bed and scrubbed his hand over his face.
No, he wouldn’t intentionally hurt Janae, but he couldn’t see it ending any other way. Again, his best bet would be to stay away from her, but that was like asking him to stop breathing.
* * *
“I’m glad you decided to go shopping and to dinner with me tonight, Janae,” Karen said as they walked across the school parking lot toward the office the next morning.
“As long as you don’t start inviting strange men to join us like last time.”
“What are you talking about?”
“San Francisco? Don’t act like you don’t remember.”
Karen burst out laughing. “Oh, that. Well, you should be thanking me for hooking you up.”
“We’re not hooked up.”
“But you could be.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why is it so hard for you to believe Monte could have feelings for you? You’re a great person.”
“I know I’m a great person. That has nothing to do with it. You can’t really believe that he’s going to keep coming up here, especially with him traveling all over the country touring, not to mention what he has to do for the clients at his label. He’s cool and all, but I think we’ll probably end up as friends. Besides, I’m sure he has no problems getting any woman he wants.”
“Hmph.”
“So back to the original question. You aren’t going to be inviting strange men to our dinner table tonight, right?”
“I guess not,” Karen grumbled. “But I’m gonna get you a man one of these days.”
Janae shook her head, then opened the office door. “You really need to be concentrating on your own business and leaving mine alone. My life is fine the way it is.” They got mail from their boxes and left. “I’ll see you later, crazy woman.”
“Okay. I have a short meeting after school, so I’ll come to your class.” Karen headed in the direction of the copy machine.
“All right.” Janae thought about that speech she made and knew, in her heart, that she’d lied. Terrence had gotten to her. What started out as a nice fantasy had now turned into something else altogether.
* * *
“Hello, sir. May I help you?”
“Hello, I’m looking for Ms. Janae Simms’s classroom.”
“Class is in session right now. May I ask what this is concerning?”
“I met Ms. Simms recently. She mentioned that she taught special students, and I’d like to observe.”
“I see. Are you thinking of enrolling your son or daughter in her class?”
Before he could answer, he glanced over to see Janae’s friend approaching.
Karen walked over to the secretary’s desk. “It’s all right, Terri.”
“You know Mr. Campbell, Karen?”
“Yes.” She extended her hand. “Hello, Mr. Campbell. It’s nice to see you again. I didn’t know you’d be coming to observe so soon.”
“I have to leave town earlier than expected and wanted to do the observation before I left,” he answered, playing along.
“Did you sign in and get a badge?”
Terrence signed the register, and the secretary handed him a badge.
“Terri, I’ll point Mr. Campbell in the right direction on my way back to class.”
“Thanks, Karen. Good luck, Mr. Campbell.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as the office door closed, Karen rounded on him. “Okay, what gives? Are you playing a game with my friend?”
“No. I assure you I’m not.”
“All right. I’m warning you. Like I told your boy a couple of weeks ago, if you hurt my girl, I’m gonna have your butt tossed off one of those bridges in San Francisco.”
He chuckled softly. “I’ll try to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Just so we’re clear. So you really like Janae?”
“I do.”
She stopped walking and peered into his face as if searching for the truth. Satisfied, she pointed. “Go through that door. Her room is the second one on the left.”
“Thank you, Ms. Morris.”
Terrence stood outside the door for a moment and watched as Janae stood in front of the class holding up a piece of paper. He quietly stepped through the door.
Janae turned his way, and her eyes widened. “Hold on a second, class. Mrs. Brown, can you and Ms. Russell divide the students into their groups?” She walked over to Terrence. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
He smiled. “I came to see you. Don’t mind me. I’ll sit over here, out of your way.”
“What am I going to do with you?”
His eyebrow lifted, and a wicked grin played around the corners of his mouth.
“Go sit down,” she said, shaking her head.
She went back to the table, where three of the students sat waiting. She put a sheet in front of each one and picked up a small paint tray. “Okay, Gabriel. What color do you want first—green or orange?” He pointed to orange, and she put an orange dot in three of the petals on the flower. “I want you to only fill in the ones with the orange dot.” She demonstrated what she wanted him to do, then repeated the process with the other two students.
“Ms. Simms, Ms. Simms,” a student yelled from the other side of the room. “I can’t do it. Nooooo, I don’t wanna touch it!” The girl shook her head vehemently and put her hands behind her back.
“Kayla, I think you can do it. Remember when we painted the boxes last week?”
“Yeah,” she answered timidly.
“You did such a good job, and I know you can do it again. We’re only going to paint using one finger. Last week, you painted four spaces, and today we have seven. That’s only three more. I know you can do it. Ms. Russell will give you a wipe as soon as you’re finished. Okay?”
“Okay,” Kayla said quietly. “Miss Russell, you gonna give me a wipe?”
“Yes, Kayla. I have them right here.”
“We’ll hang them up to dry when everyone finishes,” Janae said.
After her group finished, Janae walked around the class to see the progress. As everyone finished up, the fire alarm sounded.
“No, no, no. Too loud. Too loud!” A student ran around th
e room screaming and covering his ears.
Janae stepped into his path. “Roberto, stop.”
When the boy raised his hand as if he was going to hit her, Terrence was almost on his feet, but remembered she did this every day. He glanced over to see the two assistants gathering the other students and lining them up.
“I know it’s loud, Roberto,” Janae continued in a calm, even voice. “What do you need to do when it’s loud?”
Roberto jumped up and down in front of her with his hands over his ears. “Get the headphones.”
“Right. Do we scream?”
“No.”
“Go get the earphones, and then you can help me carry the signs.”
Roberto rushed over, put on the headphones and came back to her. He reached for her hand. Janae handed him one of the signs.
She looked over at Terrence. “Sorry, but you have to come, too. It’s a fire drill.”
He got to his feet and followed the class out to the yard, waiting with them until the all clear was given, marveling at the way she handled the students. Terrence found that every facet of her personality—from her soft voice and compassionate heart to her sweet and tender touch—enticed him, and he fell a little harder.
Chapter 10
Terrence waited while Janae walked her students out to the front when the bell sounded. His back was to her, looking at something on the wall when she returned.
“So, are you in town on business?” she asked.
He turned, a slow grin curving his mouth. “I most certainly am, Ms. Simms.” He sauntered over to where she stood. Cupping her face, he lowered his head. “Very personal business.” He captured her mouth in a heated kiss. Her mouth was as lush as he remembered. He’d dreamed about this mouth for days. When the kiss ended, she slumped against his chest.
He held her in the circle of his arms, wondering how she fit so perfectly. All talk about keeping her at a distance didn’t seem to work, no matter how hard he tried. Terrence leaned back. “What are you doing this evening?”
“Karen and I are supposed to be going to dinner.”
“Do you think she’ll mind taking a rain check? I have to leave tomorrow instead of next Wednesday. I’ll be gone for the next two weeks, and I want to spend a little time with you.”
Janae backed out of his embrace. “I’ll call her and ask.” She went to the phone on the wall near her desk and dialed. Hanging up the phone, she said, “There’s no answer. She’s probably on her way here.”
Terrence sat on the corner of a desk. “You’re amazing with these students. You’re compassionate and inspiring. I’ve never seen anything like it. Their families are fortunate to have you.”
“I don’t know about amazing.”
“You are—gifted and amazing. By the way, the painting looks great in my office, although I was only there long enough to hang it.”
“Well, hopefully when you get back, you’ll have some time to enjoy it.”
“Maybe you’ll have some time to come and enjoy it with me.”
She regarded him intently. “Terrence, what’s going on here?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“This, this...I don’t know.”
Terrence let out a deep breath. “Honestly, I don’t know. All I know is that I enjoy being with you. And the more I’m with you, the more I want to be with you.”
“This is not some kind of game, is it?”
“I promise you, it’s not.”
Before she could respond, Karen entered.
“Hey, guys. I’m guessing we’ll be doing dinner another time, Janae?”
“Can we go tomorrow?”
“Sure. Andre is working tomorrow night. It’s a good thing we carpooled today. You don’t have to worry about your car.”
“I appreciate your flexibility, Ms. Morris,” Terrence said.
“Call me Karen.”
“Okay, and you can call me Terrence.”
“You kids have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow, Janae.”
Janae went to her desk. “I have a couple of things to do, and then we can leave.”
“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
“By the way, what did you tell them in the office? They don’t usually allow people to visit during school hours, unless it’s a parent.”
He shrugged. “I told her I wanted to observe, and she assumed I had a child with special needs. Karen happened to come in and helped me out.”
Janae shook her head and laughed. After several minutes, she locked her desk and stood. “I’m done. Let’s go. You’ll have to stop by the office, sign out and return the badge.”
After taking care of that, Terrence seated Janae in his rental, hung his jacket over the backseat and got in on the driver’s side. “It’s still a little early for dinner, so what do you want to do for the next hour and a half or so?”
“Where are we going for dinner?”
“I looked up restaurants on Google on the way here and saw that Morton’s is not far, so I made reservations for five-thirty.”
“You were that sure I’d go to dinner with you?”
“I hoped.”
“Since the restaurant is downtown, we can go to a nearby park, if you like.”
“Sounds good. Lead me there.”
Following her directions, they arrived at the park twenty minutes later.
“I can’t believe you found a parking space across the street from the park. I never get that lucky,” Janae complained as he pulled into a vacant spot.
Terrence chuckled and helped her out of the vehicle. He grasped her hand. “Shall we?”
They strolled along the path in silence. A slight breeze kicked up.
“The temperature here is similar to L.A.,” Terrence said.
“That’s one of the reasons I decided to stay here. We don’t get too many extremes in temperature. So is your hand okay from the...you know...?”
He flexed his hand. “Yep. Good as new. Any more problems?”
“No.”
“Did you tell your brother?”
“Absolutely not. I don’t have any money to bail Devin out of jail when he kills Lawrence, so let it go.”
Terrence sighed deeply. “Janae—”
She stopped walking and pulled her hand from his. “Drop it, Terrence.”
He stared at her for a long moment before nodding. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Janae buried her face in his chest. “I’ll be fine. My brothers taught me how to protect myself, and if I think I’m being threatened, I won’t hesitate to call someone.”
“Okay.” They continued walking for a while, then came to a bench. “Let’s sit.” Once seated, he pulled her close and placed his arm around her shoulder.
“You’re leaving tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’m going to spend a few days in Dallas. I have an interview at one of the radio stations. There’ll be a small studio audience, and I’ll sing a few songs and answer questions.”
“That’s pretty cool. How many people are usually in the audience?”
“Maybe thirty or forty. It gives me a chance to connect in a more intimate setting. I’ll also be visiting another musician friend. He and I are going to collaborate on two songs for his upcoming project.”
“You’re going to sing?”
“No. I’m writing with him.”
“What’s his name?”
“Michael Blaque.”
“Michael B? Ooh, I love his music. But not more than yours, of course,” she amended sweetly. “Now that I have the hookup, I can’t mess up getting advance copies of your upcoming projects.”
He looked down at her and b
urst out laughing. “Oh, so that’s the only reason you’re hanging out with me.”
She patted his cheek. “Hey, you’re nice enough, but I love the music.”
“Wow,” he said, laughing. “You’re rough on a brother.”
Janae tried to keep a straight face, but failed. She laughed until tears ran down her face. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Seriously, though. I think you’re a really, really nice guy.”
He stroked a finger down her cheek. “And I think you are the most amazing woman I have ever met.”
The serious set of his features gave her pause. Please, please don’t let me fall in love with this man. “Please. You’ve met millions of women, and I’m sure lots of them were more amazing than me.”
He shook his head. “No. Not one.” Lifting her chin, he kissed her softly.
Her body trembled, and Janae tried to compose herself.
Terrence hugged her closer. “Are you ready to head over to the restaurant?” He stood, extended his hand and pulled her into his arms. “One more,” he whispered, lowering his head.
* * *
On the drive, Janae got so lost in her thoughts she didn’t realize he’d stopped the car until he stood with her door open.
“Janae? Are you okay?”
She accepted his hand, slipped into the jacket he held and smiled up at him. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
The hostess led them to a small booth and provided them with menus. A server appeared to take their drink order.
“What looks good?” he asked.
“Everything,” she answered. “But I’m thinking of the jumbo crab cakes. What about you?”
“The rib eye steak. Would you be okay sharing a couple of the sides? They’re usually large enough for two.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll let you choose.”
“Okay. How about a baked potato with the works and the grilled asparagus?”
“Those were the two I thought about.” He smiled. “Do you want an appetizer or something to start?”
“If I do that, I won’t have room for my food. I’ll wait.” They didn’t have to wait long for the food, and Janae’s stomach growled as the server placed the plate in front of her.
Just to Be with You Page 10
