What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 5)

by Cathryn Fox

  “I’m walking home from work at night,” the woman said. “Easily spooked I guess.”

  “Easily spooked… or is someone trying to spook you?”

  “Like the stranger touching my shoulders?”

  Luke opened his hands and moved them. “Sorry about that. Wasn’t sure if I was going to get trampled.”

  The woman laughed nervously. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

  Because she was paying attention to someone else…

  Luke looked again and saw nothing. Not a trace of a person nearby.

  “Where do you work?” Luke asked.

  “Tommy Two’s.”

  “What’s that?”

  The woman looked appalled. “You don’t know Tommy Two’s?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t,” Luke said. “I’m from out of town. I’m…”

  Luke decided not to tell this pretty woman that he was the lead singer of a band. It suddenly seemed cliché and pointless. He felt that if he said it a certain way he’d make it seem like he was seeking a quickie with a groupie.

  “I’m sorry,” the woman said. “I shouldn’t have… my uncle owns the restaurant. I kind of just assume that everyone knows the place.”

  “Maybe I’ll eat there before I head out of town.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “I have a place in Los Angeles.”

  “That’s far from here. What brings you here?”

  “What did you say your name was?”

  “Is that your way of asking it?”

  Luke laughed. “Caught me.”

  The woman smiled, a real smile this time.

  Damn… she’s…

  The rumble of a motorcycle echoed again and Luke couldn’t believe the woman’s reaction. The smile on her face disappeared. She hugged herself and checked over her shoulder again. She looked completely petrified.

  “Hey, you look cold,” Luke said. “Want to step inside…” Luke stopped himself. “Wow, that probably sounds horrible.”

  “Actually, it’s a great idea. Can we?”

  Luke couldn’t believe it. He quickly turned and pointed to the door. Luke had it propped open and he ushered her inside. She then grabbed the handle and pulled the door shut with an echoing thud.

  “That locks from the inside then?”

  “You mean, can someone open from the outside?”

  The woman nodded.

  “No. It’s locked. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  The woman cupped her hands and let out a long breath into them. She ignored Luke’s question.

  “It’s Amy. My name.”

  “Amy. I’m Luke.”

  They shook hands and Luke couldn’t help but stare. He had a name to the face and those beautiful eyes. Luke’s handshake lingered longer than necessary, but whatever, he was a rockstar. He could linger. He could flirt. He could do whatever the hell he wanted.

  “Kind of cold to be walking home,” Luke said.

  “No car,” Amy said. “Tonight, I mean. Well, sometimes I walk home no matter what. But tonight I don’t have a car.”

  “Why not?”

  “Getting my window fixed.”

  “Window? Were you in an accident?”

  “No. My car was broken into by… someone.”

  Luke could read this woman’s expressions like he’d known her all his life. She was half-assing the truth.

  “Just someone?”

  “You know how that goes,” Amy rolled her eyes.

  “To a point,” Luke said. “The way you said it though, thought maybe you knew who.”

  “Cops told me it was just a break-in,” Amy said. “No big deal. I’ll have it back tomorrow.”

  “So for tonight, you’re stranded.”

  “No. I only live a few blocks from here. I could be home by now.”

  “If you didn’t crash into me.”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “You were hauling ass there, weren’t you?”

  Amy motioned to the door. “I should get going.”

  “Yeah, that works.”

  “Thanks for the conversation and warmth here.”

  “Not my hotel,” Luke said.

  Amy smiled. She took one step toward the door and Luke slithered his way between her and the door. He sensed the worry hit her.

  “I’m not a bad guy,” Luke said. “I was just going to offer to walk you home.”

  “Then a stranger would know where I live,” Amy said.

  “That’s true.” Luke looked at her green eyes again and lost it. A voice inside him said not to let the woman walk away, especially alone. “Why were you worried about that motorcycle?”

  “What?” Amy asked, surprised.

  “The second there was the sound of a motorcycle you looked scared. Why? Is someone following you?”

  “No,” Amy said. “I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t think so? What does that mean? Would someone follow you?”

  “I’m just a few blocks away,” Amy said.

  “Okay, then let me get you a ride.”

  “No. Luke, that’s okay. I’m sorry if I’m acting… it’s been a long night. I’m the chef at Tommy Two’s. We had a long night. I just kind of want to be home.”

  “Let me get you home then,” Luke said. “I’ll call for a ride.”

  “I’m not taking a cab three blocks.”

  “Take a limo then,” Luke said.

  He smiled. He felt alive, bold, and in need for this woman. It was such a strange feeling to have. The word hunger rang in his mind over and over. He caught himself making fists as a way to seek relief. He didn’t want to come across as some cocky, pushy rockstar.

  “A limo? What, are you rich?”

  “Maybe,” Luke said. “Famous, too.”

  “Famous?”

  “I’m here for a show, Amy.”

  “What kind of show?”

  “I sing in a band. Well, I am the singer. The lead singer.”

  “You’re in a band?”

  “Fallen Tuesday. Ever hear of us?”

  Amy gasped. She stepped back to the steps and put one foot on them. She stared at Luke, trying to make the connection.

  “I’m not lying,” Luke said. “We had a little tour bus incident so we’re here for the night.”

  “Why were you outside alone then?”

  “Honestly? I needed a break. We’re upstairs playing and people are everywhere. Want to come up? Have a drink?”

  Amy looked up and then back to Luke. “Are you serious?”

  “Why would I lie?”

  “You’re a rockstar,” Amy said. “That’s what this is then. I’m running from a biker and crash into a rockstar.”

  “So you were running from someone?” Luke asked with an eyebrow raised.

  He grabbed his cellphone and opened it. He dialed a number. Amy started to wave at him.

  “No, don’t…”

  “Frank, it’s me,” Luke said. “I have a friend who needs a ride. Get a ride here.”

  “Luke,” Amy said through gritted teeth.

  Luke hung up the call and smiled at Amy.

  “You didn’t have to do that, I’m not impressed.”

  “I’m not trying to impress you.” It was a partial lie. “I want to make sure you get home safe. I’m not going to pry into your personal life, but if you’re walking home alone at midnight and there’s a guy on a bike following you, that bothers me.”

  “I thought rockstars were bad boys.”

  “Don’t assume, not about me,” Luke said. “Are you sure you don’t want a drink or something?”

  “I just really want to get home. I can walk.”

  Luke pushed at the door and it opened. The rush of cold air made him shiver. He held the door and waited for Amy to exit. He went on behind her and made sure the same rock was there to keep the door from closing. Amy started to walk like she was leaving. Luke hurried up to her and tugged at her arm.

  “Wait a minute,” he s
aid. “What are you doing?”

  “Walking home. You opened the door. I thought…”

  “I wanted to wait out here for the limo,” Luke said.

  “I don’t need a limo.”

  “Nobody needs a limo,” Luke said. “But the record company is paying for it. Might as well use it.”

  “I’m not impressed.”

  Luke smiled. “You already said that.”

  “So? I’m still not impressed.”

  Luke noted how close they were to each other. Maybe a foot separating, maybe less. Their breaths tangled in mid air. The sight teased Luke, reminding him just how long it had been since he had someone he could care about.

  “I hope whatever you’re running from isn’t that serious,” Luke said.

  “What if I said it was?”

  “I’d hope you were joking,” Luke said. “But if you’re not, then you should get help about it. It just doesn’t seem right.”

  “What doesn’t?”

  “A woman like you… so pretty… walking alone, afraid. It doesn’t suit you.”

  “Smooth,” Amy said. “I guess that’s expected from a rockstar.”

  “No, that’s just me talking. This… this is smooth.”

  Luke leaned closer to Amy as though he was going to kiss her. Instead, he pointed behind her. She turned as the limo came into the parking lot.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Why would I be kidding?”

  “This doesn’t seem real,” Amy said.

  Luke took a chance and touched Amy’s hand. He held her hand and guided her to the limo. It felt good, it felt fun, something Luke hadn’t felt for a woman in a long time… then it occurred to him that there was no difference between Amy and any other woman Luke got to meet on some random night. Well, there was one difference, Amy was going home. Without Luke. Luke was sure he could probably change that fate, but by the time he really considered it, Amy was gone. That’s when Luke lingered, thinking about her.

  A thought came to him.

  What the hell am I doing?

  Amy couldn’t bring herself to fold her fingers around the hand of the man guiding her to the limo. Amy knew Fallen Tuesday, but she didn’t know the band members exactly. For all she knew, this guy was just someone looking for fun. Someone spinning a story to get in a woman’s pants. It was midnight and he was standing outside the hotel. However, Amy sense honesty in Luke. He wasn’t dressed like a rockstar, but his body language spoke otherwise and Amy hated to admit it, but he was really hot.

  Amy closed her eyes and took a few more steps closer to the limo. The driver’s door opened and the driver got out.

  “She’s a friend,” Luke said. “She needs to get home.”

  “Of course, sir,” the driver said.

  “She only lives a few blocks away,” Luke said. “Listen to me though. This is important. When you drop her off, make sure she gets into her apartment. She’ll flick the lights twice to let you know she’s safe.”

  “Luke, stop,” Amy whispered. Now she closed her hand over his, tugging on his hand, not wanting to cause unnecessary worry for anyone. She couldn’t believe that she had been so quick – and so dumb – to just offer up the fact that she was in trouble.

  She hated Denny more than ever.

  “Is everything okay?” the driver asked.

  “Fine,” Amy said.

  “Everything is fine,” Luke said. “I just need to know she’s safe. That’s all.”

  “Of course,” the driver said.

  Luke opened the door and let Amy’s hand go. She suddenly felt cold. She wanted Luke holding her hand again.

  “Here’s your ride,” Luke said.

  “I’m really not impressed,” Amy said.

  “I need to know you’ll get home safe.”

  “You don’t even know me. What if I deserve to be chased down?”

  “By some guy on a bike at midnight? I doubt it.”

  Luke smiled. He looked so sincere. Amy didn’t smile back. Maybe she did deserve to be chased down by Denny after all that had happened…

  “Go on,” Luke said. “If you don’t hurry, I’m going to drag you into the hotel. You want to end up spending the night with a bunch of rockstars?”

  “Rockstars,” Amy whispered. She put one foot in the limo. “Listen, Luke… thank you for this. For insisting on helping.”

  “You’re not the type that takes help,” Luke said. “Am I right?”

  “I like to go after things on my own.”

  “Got it. Good to know.”

  Amy got into the limo. Luke crouched down. “Are you sure I can’t go with you? Just to make sure you’re okay?”

  “Stranger… no.”

  “We could fix that stranger part.”

  “Before or after you play a show and move to the next city?”

  Luke opened his mouth and had nothing to say. Amy had won that battle. Hell, judging by the look on Luke’s face, Amy wondered if she hadn’t won whatever flirting war they had been engaging in. There was something fun about it, considering Luke was a stranger, who happened to be a good looking rockstar. But something about it was just as sad. Amy wasn’t sure why.

  “Get home safe, Amy. Whatever’s following you… know you deserve better.”

  “Got it,” Amy said. “Thank you again.”

  The door closed and the limo driver asked for the address. Amy spoke it and then she looked out the window. Luke hadn’t moved. He stood with his hands balled into fists as the limo drove away.

  Chapter Six

  Amy woke the next morning and poured herself a cup of coffee. She opened the apartment door and looked around before looking down for her newspaper. Every morning had become this. She hated that she could not relax, even at home. Amy grabbed the paper and then sat at the table with her coffee and opened the newspaper. The early morning hours had brought a light dusting of snow and the moment Amy saw the flaky white powder on the black iron rail of her balcony she thought of Luke. She had no idea why. She wished there was a way to thank him again, although she had said it… how many times? It just didn’t feel like enough.

  “A rockstar,” she said and laughed.

  She shook her head wondering how she would be able to tell such a story and actually have anyone believe her. It seemed impossible. A part of Amy didn’t even believe it herself. No matter what though she had made it home safely. She had flicked the lights twice, and then the limo pulled away and Amy rushed to take a hot shower to cry, and wonder what kind of fate had entered into her life.

  Amy shifted her mind into a different gear after her first cup of coffee. She read the front headlines of the paper and then skipped to the obituaries. She’d done the same thing since she was a little girl. She liked reading about other people’s lives. Everything about a life was summed up into one paragraph.

  Just before eleven her cell phone rang.

  It was Uncle Tom.

  “Tell me you’re not at the restaurant,” Amy said.

  “We’re open, aren’t we?” Uncle Tom asked.

  “I’ll be in soon,” Amy said.

  “Actually…”

  “What?”

  “Why not take a day off? You need to go get your car, right?”

  “Yeah…,” Amy had almost forgotten.

  Her car. The main reason she had been walking last night. The car that Denny smashed the window in on.

  “Get your car, take a ride, grab a bite somewhere else.”

  “Grab a bite?” Amy asked. “Are you trying to sound cool, Uncle Tom?”

  “You can’t live here like I do, Amy. It’s no good for a person.”

  “Says the man doing it,” Amy said.

  “I’m stuck here. I’ve made my commitment.”

  The word commitment seemed to be such a big deal for everyone lately. Amy had given her commitment to the restaurant. Her commitment came with a steeper price than anyone knew.

  She needed to get out of that other commitment.
/>   “Will you at least promise to call me if you need me?” Amy asked.

  “Yes,” Uncle Tom said. “We’ll manage without you. And that doesn’t mean we don’t need you, Amy. Okay?”

  “I never said that.”

  “I know. But I can sense it. You think if you’re not here and the restaurant functions, it’s a flaw to your character. In reality, it shows just how strong of a leader you are. This place runs the way it does because of you. We can function without you for a day because of how good of a job you do.”

  “Wow,” Amy said. She blinked as tears filled her eyes. “Thank you.”

  “You know why I can’t step away, Amy.”

  “I know,” Amy said. She wiped a tear off her cheek. “I know, Uncle Tom.”

  “My gosh, I hope you don’t hate me for that.”

  “Never,” Amy said. “We all have our commitments that we can’t let go or get out of, right?”

  “I guess so. Must be a family flaw. Listen, enjoy your day.”

  “My phone is on,” Amy said. “If you need anything…”

  Uncle Tom said his love and then hung up. She couldn’t remember Uncle Tom ever talking like that. She replayed the conversation in her mind and stopped when she got to the part about her car. She got her laptop and opened it, beginning the painful process of looking at her personal finances. Amy was struggling to pay off the last couple pesky student loans from culinary school and a few credit cards that had once been maxed out. Then there was the other debt…

  There was enough in her bank account to cover the insurance deductible, but everything else would be very tight. She’d get paid in two days, but all that would do would ensure her ability to live her simple life for another two weeks. It didn’t come close to the money she owed Denny.

  There was a secret spreadsheet for that. There also was a secret savings account that caontined a whopping three thousand dollars. Maybe to someone else, three grand in a savings account was great. It was a down payment on a car. It was a really nice vacation. Or it could be a start at a healthy future. For Amy, it felt like guilt ridden sweat money. And it was far from the eighty thousand dollars that she owed to Denny.

  Her busted car window was a warning.

  Amy decided to tackle one problem at a time. She closed her laptop and dialed the auto garage to check on her car. As promised, the car was ready to be picked up. She needed to walk to the garage though. It was six blocks away. The thought of walking worried Amy. Thankfully, it was mid morning. There would be cars and people everywhere. There was nothing to worry about, Denny wasn’t that crazy.