Just to Be with You

by Sheryl Lister

  “We live in a four-thousand-square-foot house, Dana. This isn’t large enough?”

  “I want out, Ray. I’m too young to waste my life like this.”

  “Waste your life?” he shouted. “What about your son? You’d just walk out on him?”

  “I never wanted children. Besides, he loves you more anyway.”

  “Mom?”

  “Terrence. What do you need, son?” his father asked.

  Terrence ignored his father and kept his gaze fixed on his mother. “Did you mean what you said, Mom?”

  “Terrence...I...”

  “Did you mean what you said?” he yelled. When she remained silent, he turned and fled, ignoring his father’s plea to come back.

  When the next-door neighbor brought Terrence back to his dad, Terrence’s tearstained face was a mask of stone. He rushed into his father’s open arms, held on tightly and cried.

  “Everything is going to be all right, Terrence. Everything will be fine, son,” his father whispered over and over.

  * * *

  Terrence got so lost in his memories he hadn’t realized Janae was crying until he heard her sniffles. “Hey, I didn’t tell you that to make you cry.” He tightened his arms around her.

  “I know,” she said. She wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him tight. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I wish I could do something to take that pain away from you. I can’t understand how a mother could turn her back on her child like that or walk out on a sick husband. I’m getting angry, and I’ve never met her.”

  Terrence stared at her for a long minute and saw the earnestness in her eyes. He knew she would never leave her child like that. His chest tightened. The fact that she cried for him opened up spaces inside him he hadn’t know were there. Her sweet and loving spirit drew him even more. It would be harder to keep his distance than he’d thought. “I’m okay now. My grandparents came to stay with us and helped with my father.”

  “So he recovered?”

  “That time, yes,” he answered softly. “They found another one ten years later, but he didn’t survive.” Terrence took a couple of deep breaths to steady his emotions. He’d had no intention of sharing all of this with her, but somehow, the words tumbled out.

  “You were only eighteen. He never saw you go to college. Did he get a chance to see you graduate high school?”

  “I was in my second year of college when he died.”

  “You graduated high school at sixteen? Not only are you a gifted musician, but a genius as well, huh?”

  “No, nothing like that. I studied hard.”

  She leaned back and angled her head. “Please. You skipped two grade levels. What was your GPA when you graduated high school?”

  “Four point five.”

  “I rest my case. You must have taken every advanced placement and honors class they offered at the school.”

  He grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

  “So you had both bachelor’s and master’s degrees by age twenty-two, correct?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Like I said, certified genius.” Her voice softened. “Your father would be really, really proud of the man you’ve become.”

  He lowered his head. He felt it again—that tightening in his chest.

  She reached for his hand. “I’m honored that you shared your story with me and want you to know I will keep every word in confidence.”

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “I have no doubts about that, Janae. You’re a very special woman.”

  Several minutes passed before either of them spoke. Terrence glanced down at his watch and realized that over two hours had gone by.

  “Do you need to leave?” she asked.

  “No. I didn’t realize how late it was. I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”

  “Not at all. How long are you planning to stay?”

  “As long as you’ll allow me, but at the latest, tomorrow afternoon. Are there any hotels close to where you live?”

  “Not really. But...there are two extra bedrooms at my house. You’re welcome to use one.”

  “You trust me enough to stay in your home?”

  “Strangely enough, I do.”

  “Thank you, Janae. I promise I won’t do anything to break that trust.”

  “Are you ready to leave?”

  “Sure. Can we stop at a store on the way? I’d like to cook for you.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Terrence.”

  “I want to. Cooking is relaxing for me.”

  She nodded. “All right.”

  While he drove, Terrence had a hard time keeping his eyes on the road and off Janae. When he stopped at a light, he studied Janae’s profile as she sat with her eyes closed, long lashes fanning out on her cheek. His gaze lingered over the delicate curve of her jaw and the lush fullness of her lips. He had become addicted from the first time he’d kissed her. Her sweet kisses drove him crazy with desire and made him forget all the reasons he should stay away.

  A horn blared behind him, and he glanced up to see the light had changed. He shook his head and started through the intersection. He had never been so distracted by a woman. Then again, he had never met a woman like Janae.

  Chapter 7

  “Oh, shoot,” Janae said while searching her pockets. “I think I left the list in the car.”

  “No problem. I’ll run back, get it and meet you at the door.”

  Janae watched Terrence jog back to the car, then continued toward the store entrance.

  “Janae. Is that you?” an older woman exiting the store called.

  “Hi, Mrs. Jenkins.” She embraced the older woman. “How’s retirement?” Mrs. Jenkins had retired two years ago after forty years as an educator.

  “Great, except that Gordon is driving me crazy. I have to come to the grocery store to get some peace.”

  Janae laughed. “I’m sure Mr. Jenkins is glad to have you home.”

  “Hmph. How are your parents?”

  “They’re doing fine. You know Mama can’t seem to fully retire. She’s a visiting professor this semester at one of the community colleges in Santa Fe.”

  “I can believe that. Well, I won’t hold you, baby. It was good to see you. Tell your mother hello the next time you talk to her.”

  “I will. It was good to see you, too. Take care of yourself.” Janae made her way to the door and reached for a basket.

  “Well, well. If it isn’t the little teacher.”

  Janae froze, then turned slowly to face her ex. “Hello, Lawrence.”

  “Oh, don’t pretend to be nice,” he said, sneering. “You got me fired from my job.”

  She silently counted to ten. “Lawrence, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t even know about it until you told me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some shopping to do.”

  “Don’t walk away from me, you little slut!” He latched on to her arm.

  “Let go of me! Have you lost your mind?” She snatched her arm back.

  By now, a few women had gathered and viewed the exchange with interest.

  Janae tried to step around him and go into the store, but he blocked the entrance. “Lawrence, for the last time, leave me alone.”

  He leaned down close to her face. “And if I don’t?”

  “Then you’ll deal with me,” Terrence said with lethal calmness.

  Janae hadn’t even noticed Terrence approaching. This is all I need today. “It’s okay, Terrence. I’m fine. Let’s go in the store.” She tried to push him toward the door, but it was like trying to move a mountain.

  “So, you’re the new boyfriend?” Lawrence looked him up and down with contempt. “Well, I’
ll let you in on a little secret. She’s a frigid bi—”

  Terrence smashed his fist into the man’s face, dropping him like a stone.

  The women standing around applauded. Janae grabbed hold of Terrence as he stood over Lawrence’s prone body and half dragged, half pushed him into the store.

  “Are you all right?” Terrence asked as he inspected her arm for bruises.

  “I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”

  “Why?” He flexed his hand.

  “You could have broken your hand. You need your hands to play your instruments.”

  “My hand is fine. Who’s the jerk?”

  “My ex. Can we talk about this later?”

  “Sure.”

  * * *

  “Later” turned out to be while he prepared dinner. “Okay, Janae. Tell me about the man at the store.”

  She sighed heavily. “We dated for about eight months and had even talked about marriage. Then I was selected for a teaching position we’d both applied for. He wanted me to turn it down so he could have it. So I walked. That was over a year ago.”

  “He’s still pissed about that?”

  “No. His contract isn’t going to be renewed, so he’s blaming me for his being let go. There’ve been serious budget cuts, and several teachers have been on the chopping block across the district.”

  “Has he harassed you before?”

  “About three months ago.”

  “Does Devin know about him?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I think you should tell him what happened today. I’m not comfortable leaving without knowing you’ll be protected. What if he harasses you again?”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m sure it won’t happen again, especially after what you did.” She stood. “Do you need me to help with anything? If not, I’m going to take care of a couple of things.”

  “No. Dinner should be ready in about thirty minutes. Janae?”

  She stopped and turned around. “Yes?”

  “I still think you should tell your brother.”

  She held his eyes for a moment before leaving the kitchen.

  * * *

  Janae sat in her studio working on her latest painting. She appreciated Terrence’s concern, but didn’t want things to escalate any further. The last thing she needed was her brothers going to jail for killing Lawrence, because that was exactly what would happen if any one of them found out he’d put his hands on their sister. What a mess. A small smile formed on her lips when she recalled how Terrence had knocked him out. Hopefully, it would be the end of Lawrence’s harassment.

  She’d only been painting a short time when the aroma of whatever Terrence was cooking hit her nose. It smelled heavenly and made her stomach growl. Janae still couldn’t believe he’d flown to see her. Okay, they were attracted to each other, and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. But the fact remained that he was rich and famous. She was a teacher. He lived in Los Angeles. She lived in San Jose. This relationship was headed down the road to nowhere, and she’d do well to remember that.

  Knowing dinner would be ready shortly, Janae finished the area she’d been working on, then cleaned and stored her supplies. Looking down at her clothes, she realized she had been so distracted that she’d forgotten to put on her apron. She exited the studio and ran into a solid mass.

  Terrence placed his hands on Janae’s waist to steady her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. Is dinner ready? It smells wonderful,” she said when he nodded. “I need to clean up a bit. I’ll be right out.”

  He brushed the loose strands of hair off her face and touched his mouth to hers gently. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Janae nodded and hurried to her bedroom. She leaned against the closed door with her eyes shut, drawing in deep breaths to slow her heart rate. Hadn’t she just told herself to keep her emotions in check? Being near Terrence made all sorts of foolish thoughts run through her mind, but she was determined not to fall under his spell. She washed up, changed her shirt, then noticed her hair had come loose. She pulled off the band and brushed the curly mass before securing it back into a ponytail, then headed to the kitchen.

  “You set the table, too.” Admittedly impressed, Janae realized not succumbing to his charms might be harder than she’d thought.

  He pulled out a chair. “Come and sit. I’ll serve you.”

  She sat in the chair and waited as he prepared and brought their plates to the table. Next, he set a smaller plate of French bread in the center and opened the chilled bottle of wine. He filled their glasses and took the chair across from her.

  Her gaze roamed over the lobster, crab and asparagus over penne pasta. “Everything looks and smells so good, Terrence. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  They blessed their food, and Janae immediately dug in. She moaned. “This is so good. Who taught you to cook?”

  “Glad you like it. My grandmother taught me some things when I was younger, but I basically taught myself.”

  She lifted her glass. “To the cook.”

  He touched his glass to hers and inclined his head. “Sorry the bread isn’t homemade. I didn’t have enough time.”

  “You can make homemade French bread?”

  He nodded. “I’ll have to make it for you some other time.”

  “I’m going to hold you to it.”

  “When we were talking earlier, you mentioned that teachers were being cut because of budget reductions. Is there a chance your contract won’t be renewed?”

  “Not so far. I have a good chance of keeping my position because it’s a specialty area.”

  “What’s your degree in?”

  She took a sip of her wine before answering. “My undergraduate degree is in child and adolescent development. I have a master’s in education, with a concentration in special education.”

  “Seems like someone else is the brainiac,” he said with a smile.

  “I don’t think so.” She laughed. “Unlike somebody else, I had to study my butt off.”

  “Uh-huh. What was your GPA in college?”

  Janae toyed with the remaining food on her plate. “Three point eight,” she mumbled.

  “Magna cum laude. I knew it. Your family must be really proud of you.”

  “They are. You should have seen my brothers. I thought they were excited when I got my undergrad degree, but they made so much noise when I crossed the stage to get my graduate degree that they were almost ejected from the ceremony. I was so embarrassed.”

  “They love you a lot.”

  “Yeah, and are a royal pain in the butt. Now, did you graduate summa cum laude?”

  He stared at his plate before murmuring, “Yeah.”

  “I rest my case, Mr. Brainiac.” She forked up another portion of pasta.

  He shook his head and continued eating.

  After cleaning her plate, Janae leaned back and sighed contentedly. “Thank you so much for dinner. Everything was delicious. You’ll have to give me the recipe.”

  “My pleasure, sweetheart. I’ll make sure you get the recipe. I made enough for you to have leftovers. For some reason, it tastes better the second time around.”

  “That’s great. I can have it for lunch on Monday. Since you cooked, I’ll clean the kitchen. Go make yourself comfortable. You can watch TV or listen to music. I’ll be done shortly.”

  “If I help, we can get done quicker and both get comfortable.” He stood, stacked their plates and put them in the sink.

  She picked up their wineglasses and followed him to the sink. “No. You’re my guest. You only get one guest pass, so I suggest you use it.” Janae pushed him in the direction of the door. “Out. I’ll be done in a few minute
s.”

  “All right, all right. I’m going.”

  As Janae cleaned the kitchen, she started to rethink her offer to let Terrence spend the night. He was too fine, too sexually potent. And hadn’t she learned her lesson from Lawrence and Carter? But it would be rude to retract her offer now. She’d just have to keep her desire under wraps. Easy. No problem.

  Yeah, right.

  * * *

  Terrence didn’t watch much TV, so he opted for music. Browsing her collection, he realized Janae’s musical taste was almost as eclectic as his. He selected a Brian Culbertson CD, kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the couch. In his mind, he went over his schedule for the next few weeks. He had to pull some long hours in the coming week since he would be out of his office for a couple of weeks touring. Then he had the CD release party for one of the label’s artists the following week. Maybe he could convince Janae to accompany him....

  He sat up abruptly. He was making plans as if they were a couple, something he’d purposely stayed away from since becoming an adult. Like he had told Janae, he didn’t consider himself a playa—he was very selective about who he brought to his bed, and he didn’t sleep with every woman he met—but he never made plans beyond the first date. A woman could consider herself lucky to have been asked on more than one date. Meeting Janae had him thinking crazy thoughts about relationships and commitments. But all he had to do was remember his mother’s betrayal to get his head straight again.

  He started to lie back down but sat up when Janae entered. Terrence extended his hand. “Come join me.” He read the uncertainty in her expression, as if she was remembering what had happened earlier on the couch. “We’ll be fine. I promise. I put on the music, but we can turn on the TV if you want.”

  “No. The music is fine. I don’t watch a lot of TV.”

  He lay back and pulled her down, adjusting their bodies so that they were spooned. “Perfect.”

  What was it about this little woman that had him so tied up in knots? Lying with her filled him with such contentment that it scared him. Terrence tried to recall if he’d ever felt like this with another woman. He hadn’t. He couldn’t remember ever sitting and talking for hours with one, either. And he certainly hadn’t cooked for one or shared his history. All the women he’d dated since college had gone out with the man known as Monte—the outgoing music star. Janae was the only woman who’d gotten a glimpse of the real Terrence—the homebody who preferred a quiet evening at home. What did that mean?