I had crazy dreams... Some of them included more touching and moaning. One of them involved me in a white dress and Danny shirtless with white pants on a beach surrounded by our friends and Jane. Another had me dressed as Ginger Rogers and Danny was Fred Astaire and he was gliding me around a giant piano that, curiously, he was also playing.
I opened an eye and felt something hard under my cheek. The phone. I checked for drool and that everything seemed to still be in working order. I lifted my head and that was when the trouble started. It weighed so much my neck was barely able to lift it up. Something had crawled in my mouth and died and my limbs felt like they were covered in concrete. I looked up and saw that it was 10:00 and that someone had been in my apartment.
I shot up, my heart pounding. The clothes I had shrugged out of in the middle of the floor were folded and put on a chair in the corner. There was a glass of water and a bottle of Aleve on my nightstand with a card next to it.
Honey,
I know how rough a hangover can be so I brought you some anti-hangover supplies: water, Aleve, and some fruit and eggs in your fridge. I want to stay and cook you breakfast, but I need to be home when Janey gets up and I don’t know how long you’ll sleep.
Last night was so nice. I really needed to hear your voice. We’re going to fix this somehow. All those things I told you I wanted with you still hold true. So bear with me, please. And don’t be upset if I call you late at night again. I was able to sleep for a little while after and that was a huge gift. It’ll have to do until I have you back in my life and my bed for good.
Come over when you are ready. Jane and I will probably be at the ranch until 2:00. Please plan to stay for dinner.
I love you,
Danny
aka Recovering Jackass
I felt much better already. Somehow I managed to get myself up and around, showered and dressed without too much pain. When I made it out to the kitchen I was stunned. Danny had filled my fridge with food, not just a few hangover supplies. There was a truckload of fruit, juice, milk, eggs, a cooked chicken, vegetables... All the things he remembered I liked. I blinked back tears of gratitude.
Cosmo was talking to the pool guy when I stepped outside. He called up to me, “You’re coming tonight, right?”
I nodded. “As long as you keep that beer far away from me!”
He laughed. “Yeah, but your man came and took care of you.”
I blushed, realizing Danny must have gotten Cosmo to let him in. “Thanks, Cosmo.”
He waved and got back to his conversation. I went down to my car and slipped behind the wheel. I decided to go by the dance supply place and buy Jane some shoes on the way to Danny’s and then I also picked up a copy of Silk Stockings on DVD. I thought maybe she wouldn’t mind if we used it for our Romance choice if I told her that was the kind of dancing I would be teaching her. I happened to grab the local entertainment pages on my way out of Amoeba and took a gander at the theater section. Romeo and Juliet was playing in town! I called to see if there were tickets available for Sunday’s show and the guy told me there were plenty. I figured I would ask Danny if he wanted to go, thinking we could take Jane with us.
I pulled up to Danny’s the same time that he and Jane did and met them on the driveway. His smile was much, much lighter than it had been all week and Jane was luminous in her riding gear.
“Hey Jesse! I rode Misty today and it went great! Anne says if I keep progressing, we’ll enter a show in October!”
“That’s so great, Jane! You’ve worked really hard for this.”
She was beaming as she bounded into the house.
Danny motioned for me to go ahead of him. I felt the slightest touch of his hand at my lower back and it made all the muscles in that vicinity clench in pleasure. I glanced at him over my shoulder and he smirked.
“Nice choice in dresses today,” he whispered in my ear, further giving me chills. I’d put on an ankle length black halter sundress and pulled my hair up into a loose bun. I smiled back at him and then we were in the house.
“So, Jane. I stopped at the dance supply place and here are your jazz shoes. Let me know how they fit. I can always take them back if need be.”
Danny smiled and then said, “Oh, how much do I owe you for them?”
I raised an eyebrow at him and said quietly, “I think a fridge full of groceries more than suffices.”
He blushed and looked to see if Jane had heard, but she was happily putting her shoes on. She stood and did a spin in place.
“How do they look?”
I smiled at her and Danny said, “Gorgeous, twinkle toes. Why don’t you put them in your room.”
She ran to me and threw her arms around me. “Thank you, Jesse. I can’t wait for class on Tuesday!”
“Me either,” I said to her, holding her tight. I was growing to love this little girl, not just because she was Danny’s, but also because she had such a loving energy around her. She was thoughtful, bright, and sensitive. She made me feel protective.
We worked for a while on some of Danny’s math, I proofread his essays, and we finished the PE work. Then it was time for the movie. Jane loved my movie choice and Danny had no say again. I wasn’t thinking about the love affair in the movie getting to me as much, but my heart was swooning. Danny was affected as well. He sat between us and I noticed him fidgeting a lot, almost like he was trying not to touch me and he looked over at me several times. Towards the end he was even rubbing his chest so I leaned over and whispered, “Are you ok, Danny?”
He just looked at me and gave me a pained smile. “Yes and no.”
I knew exactly how he felt.
Jane liked the movie, loved the dancing, and said she was going to research Cyd Charisse after dinner. Nora made salmon with vegetables and we all ate together. Danny was quiet while Jane chatted with Nora and I. I kept looking at him, but he was just smiling and eating.
“Dad, Nora said I could have a sleepover at her house tonight, so you can go out.” His eyes shot to her and he frowned.
“What do you mean, go out? I’m not going out.”
She rolled her eyes. “Dad! Just because I live here doesn’t mean you have to be home every second. Besides, you need to be alone with Jesse. It's obvious you have things to say to her.” She chewed her food and drank her milk all while staring down her father.
He was frozen with his food halfway to his mouth and I just knew I was beet red in the face.
When he finally could compose himself, he said, “And what is it I need to say to her?” He looked to me but then right back to Jane.
She exhaled on a groan. “Daddy! I’m not blind! It’s so obvious you’re in love with her! And since you keep moping around here, I decided I would just tell you to do something about it.” She turned that fire on me and narrowed her eyes. “When you said you were in love with someone, you were talking about my dad, weren’t you?”
I could only nod and further turn crimson.
She nodded back. “See? Daddy! Wake up! She’s not going to wait around forever and you’re not getting any younger.”
We all burst out laughing at that, Nora especially. “Oh, girl, you tell him!”
Jane wasn’t laughing though. Danny cleared his throat and put down his fork.
“Baby, I do love Jesse. Very much. But she and I decided that we needed to put you first, that whatever we felt for each other had to be put aside so we could be here for you.”
Jane looked at him like he was completely mental. “Daddy! You are here for me! You’re always here for me. You flew to New York for me! That doesn’t mean you can’t have a life. And Jesse will take care of you. Nora and I can’t do it all by ourselves.” This little girl couldn’t get any more precious in my eyes.
Danny's eyes teared up and Jane went to him, crawling into his lap. He held her tight, looking to Nora and I helplessly.
“Baby, I didn’t want to hurt you. You’ve been through enough.”
Jane pulled back and said,
“So have you. I want you to be happy too, Daddy. So you need to take Jesse out on a date or something. Tonight. Nora and I want to have a girls’ night.” She winked at Nora, who looked very satisfied with these events. I couldn’t help but think that she was partly responsible.
“Janey, what would you say if I wanted Jesse to live with us?”
She shrugged and said, “I’d say how soon can she move in?”
Danny’s eyes grew wide and then he hugged her to him. He looked to me, his expression so full of emotion I didn’t know whether he was going to laugh, cry, or keel over. I’m sure I looked the same. I couldn’t stop staring at Jane, wondering how she could so easily accept me.
“So will you two get out of here? I’m not sure how much more obvious I can make it that y’all need to go out and have some fun. Geez, you both look weird.” She untangled herself from Danny, kissing him on the cheek. “I love you, Daddy. Now go!” She started skipping out of the room, calling over her shoulder, “Nora I’m going to get my stuff and I’ll be over. I hope you have ice cream because I think we need to celebrate.”
The three of us laughed. Then Danny turned a suspicious eye on Nora. She stood from the table, starting to clear the plates.
“What the hell just happened, Nora? Did you put her up to this?”
Nora just raised her eyebrows and said, “What? She’s not stupid, she saw what the two of you been trying to hide. I’m just glad she called you on it. Now maybe you’ll get your head out of your ass, Danny, and do what makes you happy. She really likes Jesse and wants you to be happy, so be happy for crying out loud!" She shook her head and walked to the kitchen, mumbling about "people make things more difficult than they need to be."
Danny and I just stared at each other across the table. Slowly his lips pulled into a devious smile. “So,” he said. “When are you moving in?”
STAY TUNED FOR THE SECOND ACT!
Acknowledgements
I would never have been able to write this novel without the support and patience of my husband and my children. Thanks, guys, for being patient while mom hid in her room going over and over this little piece of insanity.
To my newest friends and mentors: Ellay Branton, who also designed my beautiful cover, and Kimberlie L. Faye. Without your daily pep talks I’m sure I’d be hiding under a rock somewhere! Sex, Gods and Rock n’ Roll!
To Lindsay, my tireless editor! I so appreciate your comments, your feedback, and the fact that you are there whenever I need you! You rock!
To Bob, the wizard of formatting. Thanks for making all of my babies look professional and amazing!
To my fellow authors in the indie community I say thank you for setting a good example, for answering my crazy questions, and for going out of your way to give a newbie a hand. Cynthia St. Aubin, Kerrigan Byrne, Tiffinie Helmer, T.E. Ridener, Renee George, Dawn Montgomery, Lauren Stewart, Sherry Ewing, H.A. Fortman, and Jasmine Haynes thank you thank you thank you!
To the Bloggers who have gone out of their way to support me, I cannot thank you enough for taking this ride with me! I especially want to thank Tamye Davis Whitener and Cyndi Becker for being my cheerleaders and helping me navigate the whole promotional side of this authory gig!
Thank you to my new support system in the San Francisco Area Romance Writers of America chapter for your wisdom and positive encouragement! I count myself lucky to be amongst accomplished and generous women and men like you! It’s an exciting time to be a writer, and I look forward to learning from and supporting you all!
And thanks to those who have been there to remind me throughout my life that I need to do what is right for me and who have encouraged me when I felt like I wasn't strong enough, skilled enough, or smart enough to do the job.
Connect With R.L. Merrill
I would love to connect with you! Here’s where you can find me lurking: Facebook at: www.facebook.com/rowritesrocknromance
Email at [email protected]
Twitter @rlmerrillauthor
And my groovy website: www.rlmerrillauthor.com where you can find my newsletter-y thingie and stay up-to-date with the latest from my world of Rock n’ Romance! You can even pick up passwords to unlock short stories set in the Haunted and The Rock Season worlds.
Reviews
Reviews are incredibly important to authors. If you enjoyed Teacher, please leave your review for others at Amazon, GoodReads, or whichever rooftop you’d like to shout it from!
Coming Soon from R.L. Merrill
Haven
School Counselor Delaney Frost is at a crossroads. A combination of perceived failures in both her personal and professional lives have left her a shell of a woman. One night, in a desperate attempt to pull herself out of a depressing existence, she finds a job posting for Haven Academy and sends off her resume. A meeting with their attractive representative leaves her unsettled, paranoid, and utterly intrigued. Should she take a chance on what could be a dream job halfway across country to work with children who are victims of trauma? Take the word of this handsome stranger she is inexplicably drawn to that this place is everything she's always wanted? Saying yes means learning more about herself and this mysterious academy where the children are like none she has ever met. But when Delaney and her boss are sent to rescue a young girl from an abusive megalomaniac, she is forced to accept that within her she possesses a power so rare and precious that it can be used to heal others, or, if not careful, for more nefarious purposes. Haven is a story of one woman's quest to overcome her demons and to discover whether love can truly heal all wounds.
Author R.L. Merrill takes a trip into a paranormal world where tragedies leave the affected changed…Different…More. Discover a place where being More is welcomed and nurtured, and how those gifts are used to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
Fated: A Haunted Story
Sammara Gunderson is one of Feedback Magazine’s most promising reporters, a fact that has landed her choice assignments with the likes of some of Rock music’s heaviest hitmakers. She’s even the go-to interviewer for lead singer Danny Black from the chart-topping band Blackened. But Maggie’s Bones has always been a favorite of hers, a band she is drawn to for reasons she can’t quite comprehend…That is, until she meets them and is sucked into the force-field that is Mage.
Mage is prone to visions, or at least that’s what his bandmates believe. He always seems to just know things. He’d even gone so far as to say he knew who his wife was, she just didn’t know it yet. Once he sets his eyes on Sammara, he believes his search is over. Unfortunately, Sammara’s got some heavy baggage, and it’s up to Mage and his band to help this lost soul find her way.
Revisit your favorite characters from Haunted in this new story and discover just what it is about the boys from Houma that makes them resonate with readers!
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Acknowledgements
Connect With R.L. Merrill
Reviews
Coming Soon from R.L. Merrill
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