Читать книгу Just To Be with You - Sheryl Lister - Страница 13

Chapter 4

Janae was surprised when she opened her door to a florist carrying a huge arrangement of pink roses and white calla lilies. She tried to tip the delivery person, but the man told her it had been taken care of. She thanked him and carried the flowers to an end table in her living room. She pulled off the card and opened the envelope.

Thinking of you, Terrence.

A huge grin blossomed on her face. Already, the fragrance of the flowers filled the space. She started to put the card back, but decided it would be better off in the nightstand by her bed. Then her smile faded. As much as she didn’t want to, her mind questioned why he’d sent them. The last man to give her flowers was Carter Harris. They dated for six months before he turned possessive. He used the excuse that he loved her and was afraid she’d leave him. After they’d slept together once, he got worse and she had been ready to end their relationship.

He sent flowers, thinking that she would show her appreciation by not breaking things off and sleeping with him again. When Janae refused, he got rough. But her three brothers had taught her how to protect herself. The surprise blows to his face and groin gave her time to escape to her bedroom, where she locked the door and called Devin. One minute she heard Carter banging on her door and yelling, the next she heard her brother threatening him with bodily harm and to call the police if he didn’t leave. She hadn’t heard from Carter since that incident almost three years ago.

What would Terrence expect in return? He didn’t seem to possess the same arrogance as Carter and had treated her with respect the entire time they were together. But there were many superstars who expected women to fall at their feet.

She released a deep sigh. This was supposed to be a fantasy, and in fantasies, things did not get this complicated. Maybe she should stop this madness before it got started. The last thing she wanted or needed was another man to shatter her heart. Janae knew that however she felt, she did need to call and thank him for the flowers. She hesitated a moment, then picked up the phone.

“Hi, Terrence,” she said when he answered. “It’s Janae. I’m calling to thank you for the flowers.”

“You’re welcome. Did you like them?”

“I did. They’re very lovely.”

“I hoped you wouldn’t get upset.”

“Why would I get upset?”

“Do you remember what you said when I asked for your address?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said with a giggle. “Well, I guess I can make an exception for flowers.”

“Good.”

They both fell silent for a moment. “Well, I know you’re probably busy. I only wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the flowers.”

“I’m glad you like them. Are you going to be busy this weekend?”

“Probably not. Why?”

“The rest of my week will be really busy, so I may not be able to call you until then.”

“It’s no problem. We’ll talk whenever you have some time. Go back to work. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay. Talk to you soon.”

* * *

He disconnected and inhaled deeply. I need to see her. He walked back into the room and met the smiling faces of his friends. “Don’t you people have work to do?”

“We do. So the quicker you spill the beans, the quicker we can get to it,” Brad said.

Audrey rubbed her hands together with glee. “Come on. What’s she like? Is she pretty? Nice?”

Terrence knew they wouldn’t leave until they had answers, so he brought up the picture of him and Janae on his phone and handed it to Audrey.

“She’s gorgeous.”

Brad leaned over her shoulder. “I agree. She’s a beauty. Where did you meet her?”

Terrence shot a quick glance at Donovan, then back to Brad. “At the concert.”

Brad’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought you said she wasn’t a groupie.”

“She’s not,” Terrence snapped.

Donovan jumped in and told them what transpired the night of the concert and the rest of the weekend. “She seems like a really nice person.”

“Does she live in San Francisco, Terrence?” Audrey asked.

“No. San Jose.”

“Hmm, a long-distance relationship can be tricky, especially with all the traveling you do,” she noted thoughtfully.

“I know,” Terrence replied. Although it wasn’t as if he was thinking relationship. He didn’t do relationships. At the same time, he couldn’t get her off his mind.

“Man, I don’t think it’s wise for you to get caught up in this kind of thing. Maybe you should just sleep with her and move on. Like Audrey said, she’s geographically undesirable,” Brad said.

Terrence knew Brad meant well, but couldn’t stop the surge of annoyance that welled up.

Audrey punched her husband in the arm. “That’s not what I said, Brad. I said a long-distance relationship is tricky, not impossible.”

The anger on Terrence’s face was plain.

“Way to go, Brad. And why would you tell him to ‘just sleep with her and move on’? Didn’t you see the look on his face when she called?” She rolled her eyes and jumped to her feet.

Brad’s face reddened, and he tried to backpedal. “I’m sorry, Terrence. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“For a man who’s supposed to be able to read facial expressions and body language as an integral part of his job, you can be so dense sometimes.” Audrey turned to Terrence. “Terrence, if you feel she’s special, then you should go after her.” She shrugged. “That’s my two cents.” She glared at her husband, snatched up her belongings and stormed out.

“What does that mean?” a confused Brad asked.

Donovan chuckled. “Man, you stepped in it this time. What your wife is trying to say is, as a lawyer, you should have been able to look at Terrence’s face when Janae called and know that she’s more than some booty call.” At Brad’s continued blank look, he shook his head. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

“No. What am I missing?”

“In all the years you’ve known Terrence, how has he behaved when it came to women?”

Brad shrugged. “More or less had a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.”

“And, even when he dated?”

“He still seemed somewhat detached. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember seeing him with the same woman twice.”

“When you look at Audrey, what happens to your facial expression and your body language?”

His eyes widened. “I...oh...you’re right. I’ve never seen him look like that before.”

“Bingo.” Donovan stood.

“I’ll be in my office,” Terrence grumbled, annoyed they were talking about him as though he treated women badly.

Brad stood quickly, following them out. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know.”

“Terrence will be fine. You should probably start with your wife, since she thinks you’re dense,” Donovan said with a laugh.

* * *

Terrence sat at his desk staring out the window when Donovan closed the door and took a seat on the sofa.

Neither spoke for several minutes, and then Donovan asked, “You okay, man?”

Terrence slowly rotated in his chair. “I’m cool.”

“I don’t think Brad meant any harm.” He chuckled and shook his head. “But he pissed Audrey off. You know how protective of you she is.”

Terrence smiled faintly.

“What are you going to do about Janae?”

“I’m going to see her.”

“You’re serious about her.”

“I’m not serious about anyone.”

He shook his head. “What do you need me to do?”

“I’d like to go on Saturday.”

“I’ll make sure the jet is ready and get you a car. When do you want to fly back?”

“Depends. No later than Sunday, though. We both have to work on Monday.”

Donovan nodded and stood. “I’ll let you know when everything is finalized.”

“Thanks, D. And tell Audrey to go easy on Brad.”

“I will, and you tell Mrs. Lewis we didn’t do anything to you. She was fussing and asking if we upset you when I came in. I swear you’ve got better protection than the president.” The fifty-something-year-old secretary watched over Terrence like a mama bear protecting her cub.

“What can I say?” Terrence shrugged. “I’m leaving in about half an hour. I want to be home early so I can spend time with my folks.”

“That’s fine. Tell them I said hello. We’ll be closing up shop before that anyway. I’ll be right behind you.” He opened the door and turned back. “I should have everything ready for your trip by midmorning tomorrow.”

“Okay. Later.”

* * *

Terrence hit the play button on his home studio’s audio system, listening once again to the demo he’d received the previous day. Something bothered him about the recording, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. After three repeats, he shut down the system. He knew exactly what he needed to do to relax—cook. A smile creased his face. He would surprise his grandparents by cooking dinner for them.

Due to the lateness of the hour, he settled on a simple meal of grilled salmon, wild rice and steamed broccoli. After he finished cooking, Terrence walked through the breezeway that connected his grandparents’ cottage to his house. When he’d had the house built, they had adamantly refused to live with him, citing his privacy and being burdensome among their reasons. They had finally relented when he told them they would have their own two-bedroom, one-bath cottage, complete with living room and kitchen.

“Grandma. Grandpa. Where are you?” he called out as he entered through the side door off the kitchen. Terrence continued to the living room and found them watching TV.

His grandmother stood as quickly as her seventy-two-year-old body allowed and engulfed him in a tight hug. “Hi, baby.” She reached up and palmed his cheeks. “How are you, sweetheart? You look tired.”

He held on to her, basking in the unconditional love he always found in her arms. “A little tired, but I’m good. You’re looking beautiful as usual.”

His grandfather slowly came to his feet. “Hey, boy. Quit trying to sweet-talk my wife,” he teased.

Terrence laughed. “Hi, Grandpa.” They embraced. “Well, she is a beautiful woman.”

His grandfather gazed at his grandmother with glowing eyes. “That she is. Still as beautiful as the day I met her.”

Terrence was used to the affection his grandparents displayed toward one another. Ray Campbell, Sr. and Eleanor Davis Campbell were as much in love now as they had been during his childhood. For the first time in his life, he began to wonder what it would feel like to have a love that spanned more than five decades.

“Is everything okay, Terrence?” his grandmother asked.

“What did you say, Grandma?”

“I asked if everything was okay. You had this strange look on your face.”

“Everything’s fine. I came to tell you I cooked dinner so you guys can come eat.”

“What a nice surprise.” His grandfather patted him on the shoulder. “You didn’t have to cook dinner for us. We know how hard you’ve been working.”

“I wanted to do it. It’s been three weeks since we’ve been together, and I missed you.” After returning from the latest round of touring, he had been working late, and his grandparents were asleep by the time he made it home.

“Well, what are we waiting for? I’m starved,” his grandmother said, starting off.

After his grandfather blessed the food, the only sounds that could be heard for the first several minutes were forks scraping against plates.

“Son, this is really good. Now, don’t get me wrong, Mrs. Jones is a great cook, but I sure enjoy when you get in the kitchen.”

Terrence’s housekeeper, Mrs. Jones, occasionally stepped in as cook when he went on tour, or on the days his grandmother didn’t prepare meals. “Thanks, Grandpa.”

“I agree. It’s a shame you don’t have a special lady here to share these fabulous meals.” His grandmother forked up another portion and moaned appreciably.

Terrence glanced over at her innocent expression. “Grandma?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” she answered pleasantly.

“We’ve had this conversation before.”

She patted his arm. “I know, dear. But your grandpa and I aren’t getting any younger. We don’t want you to spend the rest of your life alone.” She leaned closer and winked. “And we want a couple of great-grandchildren before the Lord calls us home.”

He looked to his grandfather for help.

“Sorry. I’m with your grandmother. We won’t be here forever, and I’d feel better knowing you had someone to share your life with. Besides, I haven’t had anyone to bounce on my knee in quite some time.”

“I think you’d make a great husband and father. Any young woman would be lucky to have you,” his grandmother added.

Terrence dropped his head. They’d had this conversation many times, even more so in the past year. He wasn’t willing to open himself up for the kind of hurt love could bring—he’d been there, done that. An image of Janae’s shy smile floated through his mind, and along with it, the familiar stirring in his gut—feelings that seemed to have taken on a life of their own. He squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled deeply, trying to force the feelings away. He felt his grandmother’s hand gently cover his own.

“Baby, are you okay?”

Terrence lifted his head and opened his eyes, noting the speculative looks on his grandparents’ faces. He kissed the back of her hand. “I’m fine, Grandma.” He picked up his fork. She continued to observe him, and he sought to reassure her. “Really, I’m okay.” He looked down minutes later to see that they had finished eating. “If you guys are done, leave your plates here, and I’ll take care of the dishes.”

“Are you sure?” his grandfather asked as he stood.

“Yes.”

“Well...okay.” His grandmother caressed his face. “I sense something going on with you, but I won’t pry. You’re our special angel, and we love you. If you want to talk, we’ll be here...no matter what time it is.” She accepted her husband’s help from the chair.

“I know, and I love you both.” Terrence stood, stacked the plates and took them to the kitchen. As soon as they were gone, he braced his hands on the counter, then took several deep breaths. He’d made it his life’s mission to stay away from serious commitment. Now he found himself actually pursuing a woman. What else could he call contemplating flying across the state for the sole purpose of seeing Janae?