**
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.
(6)
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 promis
ed, 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.
Was he?
Amy wasn’t exactly sure. It had been at least a month since she'd seen Denny. When they were in their maybe-we're-in-love stage, it was easier for Amy to watch Denny and judge his reactions. Recently, he had been quiet and reclusive so Amy had a sense of peace. Then came that morning she woke to find her car window broken and the inside trashed. It was a clear message that the debt hadn't been forgotten yet.
After changing into something more appropriate for the day, Amy took her chances. She left the apartment and began to walk. Leaving her building, she scanned the parking lot, checking for any signs of Denny. Seeing the empty parking spot with her apartment number on it was just another reminder of everything that had happened with Denny, and the potential of what could happen. Suddenly, she wished she had someone to protect her. Someone like Luke? Amy rolled her eyes and kept walking. If she was going to let her mind wander like that she was better off picturing someone more realistic.
Once at the car repair garage, Amy got her car back. The glass had been cleaned up, the window replaced, and they were even nice enough to try to put everything else together for Amy. All the papers were placed back in the glovebox. All her CD’s that had been scattered throughout the car were organized on the passenger seat. Amy thanked the man behind the counter for the extra work and then took her car. To her surprise, driving didn’t make her feel much safer. Driving gave her a small sense of freedom, but she had no place to go. She knew better than to show up at the restaurant right then. Uncle Tom would probably try to honestly fire her. Amy had nothing to do, so she decided to go back to her apartment. A day off was well spent at home, relaxing. All the stuff she wanted to do the night before she could do now. A cup of hot tea. A chick flick. Resting on the couch. She knew she’d keep a notebook handy to jot down ideas for the restaurant because she couldn’t help herself. But there was something else she wanted to do too.
Amy parked and rushed into her apartment. She tossed her keys to the table and opened her laptop. In a matter of a few minutes Amy leaned back and smiled as music began to play. She now officially owned the smash hit album from Fallen Tuesday. The second Luke’s voice came in on the song, she smiled. It really was him the night before. She shook her head in amazement. She had spent time with a rockstar…
Amy’s cell phone buzzed and she saw a text from Julie, one of the waitresses from the restaurant and someone she considered a good friend. Maybe not a best friend - the kind she’d share the truth about Denny with - but she was a good friend.
The message read…
Emergency. Hurry. Open your door, help me.
Amy stood and looked down at the phone. Her eyes scrambled on what to do first. She turned the music off and rushed to the door. She forgot her keys but opened the door anyway. There stood Julie with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses.
“Surprise,” she said.
“What are you doing?” Amy screamed.
“Getting in trouble I guess… you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“You scared me,” Amy scanned the hallway.
“I brought wine.”
“It’s barely past noon.”
“But it is past noon,” Julie winked. “What are you doing on your day off?”
“How did you know I had a day off?”
“That’s kind of headline news around the restaurant world. Can I come in?”
“Of course,” Amy said. She let out a long breath.
Julie took over the apartment like it was her own. She put the wine and glasses down then looked at the computer. Before Amy could take a step Julie had the music playing from the laptop.
“Sitting alone, listening to music?” Julie asked.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Fallen Tuesday… I’ve heard them before. On the radio, actually. They were on the radio last night.”
Amy smiled. They could have been on the radio last night. They were, after all, local. Amy felt color rush to her cheeks.
“They’re good!” Amy’s voice went up a few notes. She coughed and said, “I mean, I like them.”
“You seem a little giddy there,” Julie said. “How was your night last night?”
“Interesting,” Amy said.
“Why’s that?”
“You wouldn’t understand…”
Amy thought about how to tell Julie everything and make her actually believe it. Julie looked up from the laptop and stared at Amy.
“I wouldn’t understand?” Julie asked. “Try me…”
Amy smiled.
If you say so.
A Voice to Love (Fallen Tuesday Book One) (A Brothers of Rock Novel) Page 6