A Voice to Love (Fallen Tuesday Book One) (A Brothers of Rock Novel) by Karolyn James

going to handle it. I’m going to call him and make sure he knows things
are over.”
    “Why can’t you find a
good man, Amy? You’re so beautiful. You’re so smart. Yet you end up with a
clown like that guy.”
    “I’m fine right where I
am,” Amy said. “I don’t need a man in my life right now. I’m not looking.”
    “Neither was I,” Uncle
Tom winked. “Be careful when you’re not looking… you might just crash into
something.”
    “Noted,” Amy said. She
walked behind the bar and kissed Uncle Tom on the cheek. “I think I’m going to
get going.”
    “You should,” Uncle Tom
said. “I don’t want you walking home so late. I don’t like it.”
    “I’m perfectly fine,” Amy
said. “I told you, I could use the fresh air.”
    “It’s cold out there.”
    “I have my jacket,” Amy
said. “With my fuzzy hood.”
    “You’re going to be the death
of me someday.”
    “Don’t say that,” Amy
said. “Plus, everyone knows this restaurant will be the death of you. Since you
can’t let it go.”
    “Okay, that’s enough.
You’re fired.” Uncle Tom smiled.
    “Have a good night,” Amy
said.
    She went through the
kitchen and put her coat on. She stepped out back of the restaurant and the chilly
air hit her again. It made her shiver, but it felt good. The deep breaths of
cold air cleansed her mind and soul. Within a few steps, the night started to
shake away from Amy. The long shift. The food. The customers. The two plates
that were sent back due to minor errors. An undercooked steak and a lukewarm piece
of chicken. Those were the little things that Amy wanted to be perfect, even
though two plates on a long, busy shift probably wasn’t that bad.
    She walked to the front
of the restaurant and then down the sidewalk. The crisp air soon brought a few
blustery snowflakes. Cast against the streetlights and the dying lights of
businesses as they closed, there was something serene about it.
    In the distance Amy heard
the rumbling of a motor. She stopped walking. With her hands in her pockets,
she moved her left hand up and felt her cellphone on the inside pocket through
all the thick cloth.
    Can’t be…
    The motorcycle got louder
and closer. Amy felt her heart starting to race a little more. Her breaths were
quicker, the puffs of breath rushing from her mouth. She walked faster, looking
down, wanting to be huddled but more importantly, she wanted to be invisible.
That wasn’t going to be possible.
    Amy kept walking and the
sound of the motor kept growing louder. She finally stopped and turned. She
could go back to the restaurant. She could confess to Uncle Tom that she
worried about Denny and his intentions. Maybe she couldn’t tell him why, but
she could at least feel comforted by her uncle. After all, he was the one who
raised Amy after her father died in a car accident when she was just ten.
    Before she could take a
step Amy saw the glare of a light. The sound was most definitely a motorcycle
and that motorcycle had just turned down the street, coming her way.
    “No,” she whispered.
    Panic set in, and for a
moment, Amy thought Denny was going to find her standing alone on a street with
nobody else around just before midnight. Just what he wanted.
    Amy looked behind her and
of all things, she saw an alley. She stepped back until she was in the alley
and protected by its darkness. It worried her that she would rather seek
comfort in a dark alley than possibly see Denny.
    The motorcycle came up
the street and in the flash of a second, it was gone. In that flash of a second
though she could make out the bike and the rider. It was definitely Denny. She
sighed in relief when the sound continued and eventually started to fade. At
least it meant he was just cruising through town and not looking for her. She
hoped.
    Amy waited until there
was no sound and then emerged from the alley. She shivered uncontrollably. Her
toes were so cold that they hurt as she walked. At the end of the block she
stopped