Heather
stood in the shadows, looking out at the clear sky and full moon. She wanted to
blend into the darkness. She couldn’t bring herself to turn and face Frank. It
was impossible to melt away.
“Excuse
me, Miss, but are you all right?”
The
voice, much deeper with a pure southern accent edged with a soft, masculine
ring to it, wasn’t Frank’s.
“Miss,
are you okay?”
She
turned and gazed into a pair of concerned chocolate-brown eyes. “Yes,” she
replied in a trembling small voice.
Frank
walked out onto the balcony toward her. The three of them stood in the
moonlight, looking at each other, not knowing whether to speak. Finally, the
stranger broke the deafening silence.
“Frank,
I was looking for you. My drummer, Jordan, can’t make it tonight, which leaves
me at a great loss. When I saw you dancing, I was hoping you’d be able to fill
in for him. But I can see you have other plans, so I’ll try to find someone
else. It was nice seeing you again.” The man turned to leave.
“Wait
a minute.” Frank turned away from Heather. “You want me to sit in with your
band?” The surprise in his voice expressed visible waves of shock flowing
through his body.
“Yeah.
If I didn’t think you could handle it, I wouldn’t have asked ya.”
“How
soon do you need me?”
“In
about half an hour. You’ll do it?”
“You
bet! Just give me a few minutes here, and I’ll be right there.”
“Okay.
And Frank, thanks.” With appreciation showing in his eyes, the man left Heather
and Frank on the balcony.
“Heather.”
He
lightly touched her shoulder, and she whirled toward him, tears threatening to
fall down her cheeks. “Frank, don’t.”
As
she stood with her back against the railing, the moonlight showed the sorrow
and pain on his face. He reminded her of a little boy who’d done something very
wrong but didn’t realize it until it was too late.
“Heather,
please listen. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I…well, you know.” With renewed
humiliation, he looked away.
In
an attempt to ease his embarrassment as well as her own, she walked over to
him. “There was a time in my life when I fell deeply and totally in love. The
love was never returned. At least…not the way I wanted and needed it then.
Anyway, after the relationship had gone on for two years, I found out he was
married.” Heather turned away. She just couldn’t bear for him to see the shame
and grief ripping at her heart once again. “I made a promise to never let a man
get that close again…physically or emotionally.”
