A Voice to Love (Fallen Tuesday Book One) (A Brothers of Rock Novel) (17 page)

"I can leave right
now," Amy said.

"I'll be waiting
right here."

That ended the call. Amy
scrambled around the apartment to get dressed. Luke had taken a seat back at
the dining room table, sipping another cup of coffee. He watched with a smile
and when Amy was finally ready to leave, she froze, realizing she finally had
someone to kiss goodbye. Someone she cared about.
Maybe someone she loved...

Amy hurried back to Luke
and kissed him. She looked him in the eyes and said, "You're not giving
Denny any money."

"I won’t," Luke
promised.

Amy kissed Luke again.
Then again. She finally had to pull herself away from him. One more kiss and
they'd end up back in the bedroom.

The entire drive to the restaurant
Amy felt uneasy. She tried to picture in her mind over and over of the reaction
Uncle Tom would give her. Would he yell? Would he cry? Would he fire her? Would
he call Denny and start some kind of fight?

By the time she walked
through the back of the restaurant, Amy was breaking into full fledged panic.
When she saw Uncle Tom standing in the kitchen, laughing with Jeff, she
suddenly saw herself making something else up. She could keep it a secret a
little longer. She could just tell Uncle Tom that she and Luke were together.
That could be her big thing she needed to talk about.

Uncle Tom saw Amy and put
his arms out to her. "Come here, Amy."

Amy hugged Uncle Tom,
feeling a little uncomfortable doing so in front of everyone in the kitchen.
Uncle Tom rocked a few times and then turned, his arm around Amy.

"Let's go
talk."

"Okay," Amy
said.

Uncle Tom led the way to
the same table they sat at when Amy confessed her desire to have a bakery. Amy
sat and suddenly she had the need to just blurt it all out.

"Do you remember
when you were sick and the restaurant was in trouble?" Amy asked.

"Of course I do. You
were my angel then. You took this place under your wing and kept it
alive."

"I gave money that
really helped..."

"I know that,"
Uncle Tom said. "You put in..." Uncle Tom looked around to make sure
nobody was around or listening. "... eighty thousand."

"That's what I came
to talk to you about," Amy said. "There's something about that money
you should know."

"You didn't rob a
bank, did you?"

Uncle Tom laughed. Amy
didn't. The guilt in her body felt as though she had robbed a bank.

"I didn't rob a
bank," Amy said. "But that money wasn't what you thought..."

"Well, Amy, I want
you to know how much I appreciate all you've done here," Uncle Tom said.
"For this place, for me. I can't go a day without feeling ashamed that I
didn't turn this place over to you."

Amy shook her head.
"Uncle Tom..."

"No, no, let me
talk," Uncle Tom said. The happiness in his face started to fade.
"I'm well off, Amy. I've been saving and becoming a better person with
money after everything that happened. You put eighty thousand into this place
and saved it. Eighty thousand. Yet you were in debt with student loans, credit
cards, and you didn't make a ton of money from here."

Amy felt her face turn
white. He knew something... Uncle Tom knew...

"There's something
about the love of a business," Uncle Tom said. "It's also as strong
as the love of a person. I've wondered how long it would take you to find a man
who would give you everything you deserved. Maybe you have that now with your
guy friend from the band, maybe you don't. But I know this. You look happier,
Amy. I want  you to stay that way. That's why I'm doing something for
you."

Uncle Tom reached into
his shirt pocket and took out a piece of paper. When he unfolded it Amy realized
it wasn't just paper. It was a check.

"No," she said.
"No..."

"This is a check for
eighty thousand dollars," Uncle Tom. "What's owed back to you,
correct?"

Amy swallowed the lump in
her throat. She didn't know how to feel. Relieved? Guilty? Confused?

"I can't take
this," Amy whispered.

"You can and
will," Uncle Tom said.

Amy reached for the check
and when she touched it, Uncle Tom put his hand on her hand. "I'm not a
dummy, Amy. I want you to take this and take care of things. In my heart,
you'll open that bakery next door like you want to do. In my mind, you'll take
care of whatever you need to take care of. The point is, I love you and I
support you. I'm sorry if I've stood in your way. I'm not going to be giving
this place up anytime soon, but I'm not going to stand in your way either. You
take care of what you need to do with this check and I promise you'll have your
own bakery sooner then later."

Uncle Tom looked at Amy
with big, sincere eyes.

He wasn't a dummy, at
all.  Whether he knew the actual truth of the money Amy had given him, she
didn't know, and she knew that she would never know. That's just how Uncle Tom
worked. He was an outspoken man most of the time, but for situations like these
he preferred the strong, silent type. With Uncle Tom and Luke in her life, Amy actually
started to feel protected.

Uncle Tom lifted his hand
off Amy's and then stood up.

"I thought I heard
Jeff call my name," Uncle Tom said.

It was a lie but Amy
appreciated it.

"I love you,"
Amy said.

"I love you too, Amy.
Everything will be fine."

Uncle Tom walked away.
Amy lifted the check and stared at it. It was a lot of money written on that
piece of paper. Eighty thousand dollars. Amy had never asked where Denny gained
all his wealth and she didn't care. At the time she took the money from Denny
she thought it was the right thing to do. Being young, dumb, and thinking she
was in love, Amy didn't think anything bad could ever happen. But it did.

Amy folded the check and
held it. She touched her bag and then found her phone.

Eighty thousand dollars
would most certainly get her bakery set up next door. It would give Amy that
chance to have something of her own. She could then take care of Denny on her
own. Give him money, little by little, proving she would pay him back.

Amy found the number she
needed to dial.

There was a difference
between wants and needs. Luke taught her that with his body and her own.

The phone began to rang.
Amy would need to find the right thing to say.

A voice picked up on the
other end of the line...

"What's up,
babe?"

Amy licked her lips.
"Denny... I have your money."

(16)

It had been three weeks
since Luke saw the rest of Fallen Tuesday. The rest Luke had given his throat
started to pay off as the pain went away. The interviews on the radio shows
seem to be one to two per day, and while Luke figured it was going to become
redundant, the fans made it amazing. From the messages online to the fans that
called in to the radio shows hoping for a chance to speak with Luke from Fallen
Tuesday. The radio interviews turned into hour long events with Luke just
talking about the band, his life, and the future. He felt comfortable talking
about the future because there seemed to be a future in his life. Staying with
Amy was like a dream. Being able to have her with him all the time felt more of
a fantasy, one that brought Luke out of a sound sleep everyday, wondering if
she was still there with him. Out of respect to Amy, Luke had gotten his own
apartment just a mile away from her. He refused to impose on her life, knowing
that she needed time alone too.

When Luke wasn’t on the
phone with radio stations across the country, talking about how well rested his
throat and voice were finally becoming, he spent time meeting with Frank to
find the perfect place to record the next Fallen Tuesday album. The urgency for
an album had been lessened by the record company thanks to the debut album
staying on top of the charts and the video and audio release of the song Fallen
Tuesday sang at the signing and meet and greet. The video became one of the
most viewed videos for the year and the live audio version of the song shot
straight to number one. The Fallen Tuesday fans weren’t going anywhere.

It gave Luke even more
hope. He wanted to write music that was as important as their first album.
Being with Amy, finally admitting his own pain and secret, and watching life
around him in a different way gave Luke a chance to really explore what he
wanted to write about. He didn’t want to write an album about touring and
partying. He wanted to write an album that spoke to the fans and brought them
on the same journey Luke found himself on.

The place he and Frank
finally found was just thirty minutes east of where Luke lived. It was a
beautiful recording studio, mostly used for small jobs, but the size and
ability would be exactly what Fallen Tuesday needed. The moment Luke walked
through the studio, he gave the thumbs up to Frank. That put Frank on the phone
with the record company to set everything up. Luke stood in the middle of the
floor and looked around. The bright lights, the open room, and the pea       ce
made him shiver with excitement. It would still be a month, at least, before
Luke would attempt to sing. Even then, he would have to listen to his body. He
couldn’t risk hurting his throat again. The urge to sing hadn’t gone away, and
if anything, it had only gotten worse. The time spent resting his voice only
made Luke want it more. To watch his dreams slip away forever opened his eyes
to the importance of time and taking care of himself. And there was still a
chance that Luke would never be able to sing or return to his old voice.

Sitting alone in his
apartment, Luke frowned as she looked around. It was plain and boring. He bought
a couch, a table with chairs, a bed, a dresser, and a TV with a stand. That’s
all he needed to survive and part of him didn’t want anything more because he
hoped one day, very soon, he and Amy would have their own place together.
Whether it was in her apartment, his apartment, or a place they decided on
together, Luke didn’t care. He just wanted to have and hold Amy each and every
day.

The band was late. Luke
looked at the clock and couldn’t control his nerves. There was so much to still
plan and execute. When the knock at the door came, Luke jumped up and went to
the door. He opened it and started to laugh. It he hadn’t laughed right then,
he would have cried.

Mack stepped into the
apartment, decked out in black leather, looking relaxed and at peace with the
world.

“Brother,” Mack said, hugging
Luke.

Gray came next, looking
taller than Luke remembered.

“Gray,” Luke said. “How’s
it going?”

“It’s going, my man, it’s
going.”

Jake and Trent came in
last, looking refreshed. Everyone looked refreshed. Everyone looked relieved to
be back together.

“Nice place,” Mack said.
“Little bigger than a tour bus.”

“Yeah,” Luke said. “I
needed my own place for now.”

“Things going well with
the cook?” Gray asked.

“She’s a chef,” Luke
said. “Things are going very well. I’m, uh, really into her.”

“I bet,” Trent quipped.

“Yeah, not like that. I’m
falling for her.”

Mack touched his chest.
“Wow. My heart’s still beating and Luke is in love with a woman. What a world
we live in now.”

“How’s your throat?” Gray
asked. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and looked at it. He shook his
head and curled his lip.

“My throat is better,”
Luke said. “Everything okay with you?”

Gray tossed his cell
phone to the table and nodded. “As good as it’ll get. Tell me about your
throat.”

Luke saw that all eyes
were upon him. “Well, it’s getting better. I mean there’s nothing else I can do
about it. I’ve been resting. No singing. Just doing the radio interviews,
writing lyrics, thinking about the album. Did Frank tell you about the studio?”

“Yeah,” Mack said. “How
convenient that it’s right around here.”

“You guys okay with
that?” Luke asked.

“I don’t care,” Gray
said. “I want to get into a studio and record. I want to play. I want to be
together again, guys. Do our thing.”

“I’m okay with that,”
Trent said. “I’ve been writing a lot of music lately.”

“Same here,” Jake said.
“We probably have enough music between all of us for an album.”

“I love it,” Luke said.
The room quieted down and Luke saw an opportunity to say something that was on
his mind. “Not that I want to go backwards here… but I need to say something.”

“Oh boy,” Mack said.

“Shut up and sit down,”
Luke said.

Mack grabbed a chair and
sat down. Luke looked at the guys he met when he was still technically a kid.
The guys he wrote with, peformed with, traveled with, signed a record deal
with, toured with.

“I wanted to apologize
again for everything,” Luke said. “I was caught up in the moment, the tour, the
fans. I should have known better than to push myself like I did. I just want
you to know that I meant well by it. I thought if we pulled out on the tour
everything would come to an end for us. I wanted to just get through those last
couple shows…”

“You told us this
already,” Gray said. He stepped forward and grabbed Luke’s shoulder. “It’s
okay, man. It’s really okay. All we cared about was you, Luke. We can’t live
with secrets like that, can we?”

“No,” Luke said. “We
can’t.”

“With that out of the
way,” Mack said, “I have to ask a question.”

“What’s that?” Luke
asked.

“Are you staying put
here?”

“I like it here,” Luke
said. “For the obvious reason. Besides that, I really do like it here. It’s
quiet and calm. I’m close enough to an airport to fly when I need. I have a
place to live, a studio to record in, and a woman to come home to.”

“I take it we all need a
place here then?” Mack asked.

“You guys can do whatever
you feel is right,” Luke said. “Frank booked the studio for us. We’re ready to
go when we want.”

“That’s great,” Gray
said. “I’ll sleep in a car if I have to.”

Luke saw something in
Gray’s eyes. Before he could say something, Gray went back to the table and
grabbed his cell phone. He looked at the screen and shook his head again.

“Gray, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Gray
said. “I had a spat with my brother the other day. Gave him maybe too much of a
piece of my mind and he took off. I’ve been trying to find him since then and
can’t. He’ll turn up. He’ll run out of money and want food.”

“You good to be here?”
Mack asked. “I don’t think we’re in any big rush right now.”

“I want to be here right
now,” Gray said. “I want to go see the studio. I need inspiration. I need to
walk away from this.” Gray pointed to his phone.

“Okay, man,” Mack said.
“We got you then.”

“Here’s the deal,” Luke
said. “I have to go see Amy for a little bit. She had a little trouble with
something and we’re working out some details.”

“Trouble?” Mack asked.

“Long story. I’ll tell
you later. I’m heading over to her restaurant. You guys want to come for a
bite?”

“I’m with Gray,” Trent
said. “I want to see the studio. I want to get an instrument in my hands and play
something.”

“You cool with that,
Luke?” Mack asked.

“Of course. Frank said
our stuff would be here by today. You can go check and make sure he didn’t mess
anything up.”

“Excellent,” Jake said.
“Let’s bolt.”

Luke hugged each guy and
watched the four leave the apartment. The smile on his face was wide. They were
a band, they were brothers. They would record again and get back on stage.
Hopefully sooner than later.

But first, Luke had
business.

He took his phone out and
placed a call.

“Hello, this is Luke Nolan…
yeah, okay, great. I just wanted to check and make sure everything was ready to
go. Okay. That works perfect. I’m actually heading there now. I can’t wait to
give this to her…”

**

“I’m sorry it had to be
like this.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yeah, maybe not. Someone
takes money from me, I expect it back.”

“I’ve already told you
everything I can about that. You have your money now, Denny.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t
charge interest. The least you could do is sleep with me one last time.”

“Goodbye, Denny.”

Amy rested her head
against the back of the restaurant. For a split second she had money from Uncle
Tom, an opportunity to grow and start her own business, and a chance to finally
step from the shadows and become her own person. When she called Denny and told
him she had his money he didn’t believe her. He thought it was a trap to set
him up. Their last encounter lasted only a few minutes and Denny said he would
be in touch if and when the check Amy gave him bounced. The check didn’t
bounce. It cleared from Uncle Tom’s bank to Amy’s and then the same to Denny’s
account.

It hurt to give that
money to Denny but it obviously was the right thing to do. Amy didn’t deserve
that money, no matter what Denny had done to her or threatened. She wasn’t
raised to be that kind of woman and she never wanted to end up that way.

Luke getting his own
apartment to show care and respect for Amy made her finally accept that she had
fallen over the ledge for Luke. She’d been flirting with that edge for sometime,
but now she loved him. She admitted it to herself as she stared in the mirror
one night after a shower. Here she was, a head chef at her uncle’s restaurant
just outside Syracuse, in love with the mega rockstar lead singer of Fallen
Tuesday.

Each time she thought
about it, Amy smiled.

Amy heard a knock and
looked over her shoulder. Uncle Tom stood in the doorway.

“You okay?”

“I’m great,” Amy said. “A
little tired. Had a late night here and came in early this morning.”

“Glad we got that order
finished,” Uncle Tom said.

“Me too. Thanks for
letting me stock up on supplies for more desserts.”

“Not a problem,” Uncle
Tom said. “You’re second in charge, Amy. You have an idea, tell me. You have a
suggestion, tell me. You need anything, tell me. We have to keep our doors open
to each other.”

“I know that,” Amy said.
“Thank you.”

“Haven’t heard you talk
about that guy lately,” Uncle Tom said. “That moron with the bike.”

Amy nodded. “He’s gone,
for good this time.”

“Best news I’ve heard in
a long time. How’s your guy friend?”

“Good,” Amy said. “He’s
staying here. In this area, for a while. The band is going to record new
music.”

“Amazing how fate works,”
Uncle Tom said. “You could open a burger and hotdog stand to impress a girl and
end up with a restaurant like this. Or you could meet a musician and fall head
over heels.”

Amy’s cheeks blushed.

Uncle Tom winked and went
back to the restaurant. Amy took more time to herself, relaxing and thinking.
There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that left her uneasy. Maybe it
was the idea that Uncle Tom had given all that money back to Denny. Maybe it
was the idea that Amy actually considered opening a bakery before paying back
her debt. Maybe it was that she didn’t feel like she deserved Luke.

Another knock sounded and
Amy turned, expecting to see Uncle Tom or Jeff needing her. Instead, it was
Luke standing in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Amy had become obsessed
with what Luke wore because of how sexy he looked in everything he wore.

“Luke,” she said. “I
thought you were with the band today.”

“I was,” Luke said. “We
met and talked. They’re heading to the studio for a bit to look around. I
wanted to come here and talk to you first.”

“Here I am,” Amy said.

Luke came to her and
placed his hands to her hips. He kissed her, sending warm chills through Amy’s
body. All it took was a kiss from Luke to make the entire world seem right.

“Have you heard from
Denny at all?” Luke asked with his forehead touching Amy’s.

“Not at all,” Amy said.
“It’s done now. He got what he wanted.”

“I’m sorry you went
through that,” Luke said.

“I’m not. I did that to
myself. I had to fix it.”

Luke moved back but kept
his hands on Amy’s hips. “I said I came to talk to you about something.”

“You did say that,” Amy
said.