TarotCafeSeries_bundle

by Lynn LaFleur

  “I was right. I don’t like it.” Lloyd set down his mug of untouched coffee. “I thought you were happy here.”

  “I was. I am. But things are…strained between Teanna and me. And I’m worried about you and Ruth getting in trouble with the law or IRS because of me. I care about you too much to let that happen. I think it’ll be better if I go.”

  “I appreciate your concern for Ruth and me, but I don’t want you worrying about us. My only concern is Teanna. She loves you. It will destroy her if you leave.”

  Lloyd’s words sent a knife into James’ heart. He’d rather cut off a finger than hurt Teanna. “I’m not the man she wants me to be.”

  Pushing aside his coffee mug, Lloyd leaned forward. ”You did what was right for you.”

  James respected the intelligent man sitting across from him and valued his opinion. “Do you believe I was wrong to change my identity and walk away from everything?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I believe. It only matters what you believe.”

  “I’d really like to know what you think, Lloyd.”

  He looked down at the table for several long seconds. “I think,” he said, lifting his gaze back to James, “the fact that you’re still questioning your actions means things aren’t settled for you. You won’t ever find peace until they are.”

  With a heavy sigh, James leaned back in his chair. “I thought everything was settled. I thought I’d found the perfect life here with Teanna. But without her, it’s nothing.”

  A sympathetic look crossed Lloyd’s face. “What are you going to do?”

  James shrugged. “I might head north first. I didn’t see any of those states on my way here. Maybe I’ll drive up into Canada too. Eventually I’ll end up back in L.A. to see my brother. After that, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  He leaned forward again and clasped his hands together “I know this is short notice, but I’d like to leave tomorrow.”

  “I won’t hold you back, James. You do what works best for you.”

  What worked best for him would be to stay in Lanville with Teanna by his side. “I, uh, I’ll come by the house tonight, after supper, and say goodbye to Ruth.” His voice turned husky. “And Teanna.”

  *

  Every muscle in Teanna’s body tightened when she heard the doorbell ring. Uncle Lloyd had told her James planned to stop by the house after supper. That’s all her uncle would tell her, so she had no idea what to expect.

  “That’s probably James.” Ruth placed the last plate in the dishwasher. “I’ll finish up here if you want to talk to him.”

  Teanna didn’t get the chance to comment before James stepped into the kitchen. Her heart swelled at the sight of him. She’d never expected her request for him to do what she thought right and fair would cause him to break up with her.

  “Hi, James.” Ruth gave him a quick hug. “Would you like a glass of tea?”

  “No thanks, Ruth.” His gaze slid to Teanna. “Can we talk?”

  Teanna nodded. “Let’s go in my apartment.”

  She shut the door after James stepped into the living room and quickly wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs. She didn’t know what he would say, but prayed it would be that he’d decided to tell the truth.

  Teanna faced him and gestured toward the couch. “Sit down.”

  “I won’t be here long, Teanna.”

  The flat tone of his voice told her before he uttered the words. “You’re leaving.”

  He nodded. “My truck’s packed. I’m heading out as soon as I leave here.”

  She folded her arms across her churning stomach. “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “So you aren’t going back to L.A.?”

  “Eventually. I want to see my brother.”

  His voice was so matter-of-fact, so devoid of emotion, but his eyes gave him away. He felt as much pain as she. “This is it? You won’t be back?”

  “It was your choice, Teanna, not mine.”

  His voice cracked on the last word. He turned his back to her, placed his hands on his hips and hung his head. “Fuck,” he muttered.

  She stepped closer and laid her hand on his back. He jerked and moved forward so she could no longer touch him.

  “Don’t,” he whispered.

  Her throat tightened, her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I can’t do what you want, Teanna.” He turned to her again. The agony on his face caused her tears to form even faster. “I can’t be the man you want me to be. I didn’t become an addict, but I used drugs every week and put away enough Crown Royal to keep the company in business. I lived in a fog for most of the last eight years of my life. I can’t go back to that.”

  “You don’t have to. You’re a different man now.”

  “I don’t know if I am. I don’t know that I won’t fall right back into my old routine if I return to the band.” He rubbed his forehead and blew out a heavy breath. “When I was at The Tarot Café, the hostess gave me a reading. She said it was time for me to take a different path or my health would suffer.” He looked back at her. It hurt all the way to her soul to see the torment in his eyes. “I’m not saying I believe what she said. I believe in Tarot readings about as much as I believe in the Easter bunny. But what she said described my life. I had to change it, Teanna. I had to change it or die.”

  She couldn’t imagine not having James in her life. She couldn’t imagine a day going by without seeing his smile, feeling his arms around her, tasting his kiss. “Whatever problems we have, we can work them out.“

  “No, we can’t.” He stepped closer to her. “I can’t ask you to give up your principles. I love you too much for that. So it’s better if I just go.” He cradled her face and softly kissed her lips. “Goodbye, Teanna.”

  Her heart breaking into a million pieces, she watched him walk out the door…and out of her life.

  *

  May 2

  James pulled into Rusty’s driveway shortly before four in the afternoon. Fatigue pulled at him, making it difficult to keep his eyes open. He’d driven the last leg of his journey nonstop. Once he’d made the decision to head for home, he wanted to get there as soon as possible.

  He climbed down from the SUV and stretched his arms high over his head, then twisted his body from side to side. He wanted a hot shower, a cold drink and something to eat…not necessarily in that order.

  Grabbing his suitcase and guitar, James let himself in the back door. He didn’t hear any noise from inside the house. “Rusty?” he called out.

  Silence greeted him. James stopped in the kitchen long enough to take a Coke from the refrigerator before walking through the house. Today’s newspaper lay scattered across the coffee table in the living room, so James knew his brother had been home today. “Rusty, you here?”

  Still nothing. James made his way through the house and downstairs to the lower level. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and gazed about the large room. He and his band had spent a lot of hours here, fine-tuning their songs before they went into the recording studio or on tour. All the instruments were here, as if the guys had been playing only hours ago.

  James wandered over to the piano. He’d written the words to nine songs, but hadn’t put music to them yet. He ran his fingers over the ivory keys, playing with a melody to the song he’d entitled Between Worlds. He quickly disregarded what he’d played and tried again.

  He’d started over for the third time when he heard a door slam and voices. Rusty had company. James didn’t know whether to hide or stay in plain sight.

  “He might be in the basement,” James heard his brother say. Footsteps pounded down the stairs. Rusty appeared, followed by Will and Neil from his old band.

  Moment of truth time.

  “Hey, James,” Rusty said. He smiled, but his eyes clearly showed worry. “I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”

  “I made good time.” His gaze shifted to the two men. Neil studied him
intently while Will’s face turned pale.

  “Guys,” Rusty said to Neil and Will, “this is a friend of mi—“

  “P.J.” Will breathed out the name as a look of total shock covered his face. “You’re alive.”

  Before James could agree with or deny Will’s claim, his friend grabbed him in a choking hug. “You’re alive!” Will released him and turned to Neil, a beaming smile on his face. “Isn’t it great?”

  “You really P.J.?” Neil asked.

  James nodded. “Yeah.”

  Neil’s fist connected with James’ jaw. James fell backward against the piano, skidded over the bench and landed on the floor.

  Rusty and Will both pushed on Neil’s chest to keep him from getting any closer to James. “What the hell are you doing?” Rusty demanded.

  “You fucking bastard,” Neil spat at James. “We thought you were dead. Where have you been all this time? Drying out at some fancy spa in Switzerland?”

  Holding his throbbing jaw, James slowly got to his feet. “No, I haven’t been in Switzerland. I’ve been in Texas.”

  “What, you got a sudden urge to take in a rodeo or eat some barbecue? We cried over you, man. We agonized over your ‘death’. How could you lie to us?”

  “I’m sorry—“

  “Save your apologies for someone who gives a shit.”

  He turned as if to leave. James quickly grabbed his arm to stop him. “Neil, wait. Hear me out, please.”

  Neil jerked his arm away from James. “There isn’t anything you can say that I want to hear.”

  “P.J.,” Rusty said, “the other three guys will be here any minute. Wait until they get here and tell everyone at once.”

  “Yeah, okay.” He looked at Neil again. “Will you stay and listen to my story?”

  “Only if it’s the truth.”

  “It is. I swear it on my life.”

  *

  May 6

  Teanna turned off the lamp and fluffed her pillow. With a gentle sigh, she rubbed her cheek against the soft pillowcase and closed her eyes. Maybe tonight, finally, she’d be able to sleep more than a few minutes at a time. Ever since James left two weeks ago, sleep had been almost non-existent.

  She didn’t think it was possible to love someone so much. Or miss him so much.

  Her eyes popped open when her cell phone rang. Muttering a curse about inconsiderate people who called after eleven at night, she picked up the phone and looked at the display. She didn’t recognize the number. She almost ignored the call, but knew it would make her crazy not to answer the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi,” James said softly.

  Her heart kicked into overdrive at the sound of his voice.

  “I know it’s late there, but this is the first chance I’ve had to call you.”

  She quickly sat up and turned on the lamp. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m at my brother’s house. I’m calling from his phone. I let my cell battery die.”

  She couldn’t help smiling at his confession. “You do that a lot.”

  Teanna didn’t know what to say next, or what this phone call meant to their relationship. When James had left two weeks ago, she was sure she’d never see or hear from him again.

  “I wanted to let you know there’s going to be a lot of stuff on TV, probably starting tomorrow. Rusty called a press conference today for me and the band. It was pretty…intense.”

  “You told your band the truth?”

  “Yeah. I had to. You were right, Teanna. It wasn’t fair to them or our fans to let them believe I was dead. And it wasn’t fair to you,” he said, his voice softer, “to ask you to live a lie with me. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry.”

  A lump formed in her throat and tears filled her eyes. But unlike the tears of the last two weeks, these were happy ones. “It’s okay.”

  “It’s far from okay. I have a lot to make up to you.”

  “You don’t have to make up anything to me.”

  “Does that mean I can come home?”

  She gripped her phone tighter. “Home?”

  “Lanville is my home now. I want to build a life with you there, if you’ll have me.”

  Her heart soared at the thought of being with James forever, but surely his admitting the truth meant he would go back to his old life. “What about your band? Aren’t you recording and going on tour with them?”

  “No. That part of my life is over.”

  “But you said you held a press conference and admitted the truth.”

  She heard him sigh heavily. “Okay, I didn’t tell the whole truth. First of all, I wore a long blond wig, dark sunglasses and a baseball cap. I didn’t want to reveal the way I look now. I said I’d disappeared for personal reasons. I refused to say what those reasons were.”

  “Didn’t anyone ask you about the accident?”

  He chuckled. “Oh yeah. Over and over. I just said the boat explosion was necessary to help me disappear for a while. My drinking and drug use wasn’t a secret, Teanna. Most people will assume I went into rehab. I’m okay with that. They can think whatever they want to. As for the band, they’ll record without me. Will Bonner is the new lead singer. He’s great.”

  “Yes, he is. I’m sure they’ll be very successful.”

  “They, uh, want to call the band Kendall. Even after I lied to them, they still want to name the band after me.”

  What a wonderful tribute. Teanna could hear in James’ voice how much that meant to him.

  “I’ll still write songs as P.J. Kendall, but as far as the world is concerned, he’s officially retired from singing and living in a mountain cabin somewhere.”

  Teanna laughed. “There aren’t a lot of mountains around here.”

  “Then it’s a perfect cover.”

  She snuggled down into her pillow. “When are you coming home?”

  “Actually, I have an idea. How about if you meet me in Reno?”

  “Reno?”

  “I want to go back to The Tarot Café since that’s where we met and celebrate the start of our life together.”

  More tears flooded Teanna’s eyes. James was such a romantic. “I like that idea.”

  “After a special dinner, we’ll get the best hotel suite at the Tahoe Towers and hit the gambling tables. And make love all night, of course.”

  She smiled. “Of course.”

  “Then we’ll head back to Lanville and plan our future.” His voice once more turned low and husky. “I want to marry you, Teanna.”

  “I want that too,” she whispered.

  “We’ll look for some land where we can build a house. Something sprawling with lots of rooms and lots of windows. How does that sound?”

  Teanna thought of the five acres she already owned, and the house plan she loved…the one she knew James would love too. “It sounds perfect.”

  The End

  About the Authors

  Lynn LaFleur was born and raised in a small town in Texas close to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Writing has been in her blood since she was eight years old and wrote her first “story” for an English assignment.

  As well as writing at every possible moment, Lynn enjoys reading, scrapbooking, photography and learning new things on the computer. She’s a software junky and loves to try out new programs, especially anything to do with graphics.

  After living on the West Coast for 21 years, Lynn now lives 17 miles from her hometown in Texas. She’s a romantic at heart and can’t imagine ever writing anything but romances. A full-time writer, she spends her days creating stories of people who find their happily ever after, sometimes with the help of an alien or psychic or vampire.

  Randi Monroe is part of that rare species—a native Californian. Born and raised in Southern California, she makes sure she never strays far from the ocean, which she considers essential to balance the fire in her Aries soul.

  A romantic down to her toes, Randi wrote her first romance at thirteen, a short story based solely o
n her imagination since she wasn’t allowed to date until she was sixteen. As a Sweet Sixteen gift, Randi’s aunt treated her to her first Tarot reading. From the turn of the first card, she knew the metaphysical would always be a part of her life and her stories.

  When Randi’s not writing scintillating tales of erotic romance, she enjoys painting and sculpting, jogging on the beach with her Great Dane, Shazam, and living happily ever after with her own Prince Charming of twenty years.

  The authors welcome comments from readers. You can find their websites and email addresses on their author bio pages at www.ellorascave.com.

  Tell Us What You Think

  We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at Comments@EllorasCave.com.

  Also by Lynn LaFleur & Randi Monroe

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  Capsized

  Coopers’ Companions 1: Rent-A-Stud

  Coopers’ Companions 2: Michelle’s Men

  Coopers’ Companions 3: Almost Perfection

  Door Prize

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Legendary Tails I anthology

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction IV anthology

  Enchanted Rogues anthology

  Happy Birthday, Baby

  One Night of Pleasure

  Premonition

  Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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