A Voice to Love (Fallen Tuesday Book One) (A Brothers of Rock Novel)

by Karolyn James

  **

  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.

  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."

  (16)

  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.

  It gave Luke even more hope. He wanted to write music that was as important as their first album. Being with Amy, finally admitting his own pain and secret, and watching life around him in a different way gave Luke a chance to really explore what he wanted to write about. He didn’t want to write an album about touring and partying. He wanted to write an album that spoke to the fans and brought them on the same journey Luke found himself on.

  The place he and Frank finally found was just thirty minutes east of where Luke lived. It was a beautiful recording studio, mostly used for small jobs, but the size and ability would be exactly what Fallen Tuesday needed. The moment Luke walked through the studio, he gave the thumbs up to Frank. That put Frank on the phone with the record company to set everything up. Luke stood in the middle of the floor and looked around. The bright lights, the open room, and the peace made him shiver with excitement. It would still be a month, at least, before Luke would attempt to sing. Even then, he would have to listen to his body. He couldn’t risk hurting his throat again. The urge to sing hadn’t gone away, and if anything, it had only gotten worse. The time spent resting his voice only made Luke want it more. To watch his dreams slip away forever opened his eyes to the importance of time and taking care of himself. And there was still a chance that Luke would never be able to sing or return to his old voice.

  Sitting alone in his apartment, Luke frowned as she looked around. It was plain and boring. He bought a couch, a table with chairs, a bed, a dresser, and a TV with a stand. That’s all he needed to survive and part of him didn’t want anything more because he hoped one day, very soon, he and Amy would have their own place together. Whether it was in her apartment, his apartment, or a place they decided on together, Luke didn’t care. He just wanted to have and hold Amy each and every day.

  The band was late. Luke looked at the clock and couldn’t control his nerves. There was so much to still plan and execute. When the knock at the door came, Luke jumped up and went to the door. He opened it and started to laugh. It he hadn’t laughed right then, he would have cried.

  Mack stepped into the apartment, decked out in black leather, looking relaxed and at peace with the world.

  “Brother,” Mack said, hugging Luke.

  Gray came next, looking taller than Luke remembered.

  “Gray,” Luke said. “How’s it going?”

  “It’s going, my man, it’s going.”

  Jake and Trent came in last, looking refreshed. Everyone looked refreshed. Everyone looked relieved to be back together.

  “Nice place,” Mack said. “Little bigger than a tour bus.”

  “Yeah,” Luke said. “I needed my own place for now.”

  “Things going well with the cook?” Gray asked.

  “She’s a chef,” Luke said. “Things are going very well. I’m, uh, really into her.”

  “I bet,” Trent quipped.

  “Yeah, not like that. I’m falling for her.”

  Mack touched his chest. “Wow. My heart’s still beating and Luke is in love with a woman. What a world we live in now.”

  “How’s your throat?” Gray asked. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and looked at it. He shook his head and curled his lip.

  “My throat is better,” Luke said. “Everything okay with you?”

  Gray tossed his cell phone to the table and nodded. “As good as it’ll get. Tell me about your throat.”

  Luke saw that all eyes were upon him. “Well, it’s getting better. I mean there’s nothing else I can do about it. I’ve been resting. No singing. Just doing the radio interviews, writing lyrics, thinking about the album. Did Frank tell you about the studio?”

  “Yeah,” Mack said. “How convenient that it’s right around here.”

  “You guys okay with that?” Luke asked.

  “I don’t care,” Gray said. “I want to get into a studio and record. I want to play. I want to be together again, guys. Do our thing.”

  “I’m okay with that,” Trent said. “I’ve been writing a lot of music lately.”

  “Same here,” Jake said. “We probably have enough music between all of us for an album.”

  “I love it,” Luke said. The room quieted down and Luke saw an opportunity to say something that was on his mind. “Not that I want to go backwards here… but I need to say something.”

  “Oh boy,” Mack said.

  “Shut up and sit down,” Luke said.

  Mack grabbed a chair and sat down. Luke looked at the guys he met when he was still technically a kid. The guys he wrote with, peformed with, traveled with, signed a record deal with, toured with.

  “I wanted to apologize again for everything,” Luke said. “I was caught up in the moment, the tour, the fans. I should have known better than to push myself like I did. I just want you to know that I meant well by it. I thought if we pulled out on the tour everything would come to an end for us. I wanted to just get through those last couple shows…”

  “You told us this already,” Gray said. He stepped forward and grabbed Luke’s shoulder. “It’s okay, man. It’s really okay. All we cared about was you, Luke. We can’t live with secrets like that, can we?”

  “No,” Luke said. “We can’t.”

  “With that out of the way,” Mack said, “I have to ask a question.”

  “What’s that?” Luke asked.

  “Are you staying put here?”

  “I like it here,” Luke said. “For the obvious reason. Besides that, I really do like it here. It’s quiet and calm. I’m close enough to an airport to fly when I need. I have a place to live, a studio to record in, and a woman to come home to.”

  “I take it we all need a place here then?” Mack asked.

  “You guys can do whatever you feel is right,” Luke said. “Frank booked the studio for us. We’re ready to go when we want.”

  “That’s great,” Gray said. “I’ll sleep in a car if I have to.”

  Luke saw something in Gray’s eyes. Before he could say something, Gray went back to the table and grabbed his cell phone. He looked at the screen and shook his head again.

  “Gray, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m good,” Gray said. “I had a spat with my brother the other day. Gave him maybe too much of a piece of my mind and he took off. I’ve been trying to find him since then and can’t. He’ll turn up. He’ll run out of money and want food.”

  “You good to be here?” Mack asked. “I don’t think we’re in
any big rush right now.”

  “I want to be here right now,” Gray said. “I want to go see the studio. I need inspiration. I need to walk away from this.” Gray pointed to his phone.

  “Okay, man,” Mack said. “We got you then.”

  “Here’s the deal,” Luke said. “I have to go see Amy for a little bit. She had a little trouble with something and we’re working out some details.”

  “Trouble?” Mack asked.

  “Long story. I’ll tell you later. I’m heading over to her restaurant. You guys want to come for a bite?”

  “I’m with Gray,” Trent said. “I want to see the studio. I want to get an instrument in my hands and play something.”

  “You cool with that, Luke?” Mack asked.

  “Of course. Frank said our stuff would be here by today. You can go check and make sure he didn’t mess anything up.”

  “Excellent,” Jake said. “Let’s bolt.”

  Luke hugged each guy and watched the four leave the apartment. The smile on his face was wide. They were a band, they were brothers. They would record again and get back on stage. Hopefully sooner than later.

  But first, Luke had business.

  He took his phone out and placed a call.

  “Hello, this is Luke Nolan… yeah, okay, great. I just wanted to check and make sure everything was ready to go. Okay. That works perfect. I’m actually heading there now. I can’t wait to give this to her…”