Chris was in the weight room lifting when he heard the crack of lightning and shouts from downstairs. Had the house been hit? He quickly placed the weight bar back into its cradle and sat up, and then launched himself off the bench and ran down the hall to the dining room.
Sparks flew through the doorway into the hallway. Crackling sounds and cries of shock and surprise floated out to him.
He raised his hands in an effort to shield his face from the sparks which bit into him like angry wasps. The three people he cared most about in the world were in that room. He wasn’t about to lose them.
Chris ran blindly into the room. He lowered his arm and peered through glittering silver dust floating all around him, obscuring his vision.
“Evan? Sammy?” His voice echoed back to him, surrounding him, as if several versions of himself were standing all around him. “Angus? Where are you?”
“Over here,” Evan cried out.
“What in hell is going on?” Angus shouted.
Sammy giggled from somewhere on the other side of the room. His giggles turned into full belly laughs.
Well, at least he knew Sammy was okay. Unless he’d finally lost his mind.
“Evan?” Chris called out.
“I’m here,” she answered, and it seemed that she was closer to him than before.
He squinted, trying to see through the swirling silvery dust. It was like a blizzard of sparkling flakes. When he breathed, his lungs filled with them, and his body felt warm and slightly floaty. Suddenly every inch of his skin felt soothed, as if an angel had wrapped her wings around him.
He realized that Evan had reached him, and her hands whispered over his shoulders and arms. He felt her touch on his cheeks, and then her lovely face came into view through the shimmering haze. “I’m sorry, Chris. I’m so sorry.”
And he felt that she was, deep in his soul. Her voice and her words went through him, and he felt her sincerity as if it were his own. “I know.”
The glimmering powder swirled and moved toward the right side of the room, where Chris made out the shape of Angus through the glitter, cranking a huge window open. The dust moved toward the window and then floated through it quickly, as if it had been waiting forever to go, to fly out into the gathering night.
“Wooooohoooo! That was outstanding!” Sammy stood on the table, his arms spread wide, like some kind of big, beautiful bird. He’d changed. He stood taller, he looked ten years younger, and the healthy, muscular body he’d had during his very last concert had been restored. His smile was glowing. His hair was no longer stringy and flat but luxurious, shining and flowing. “I feel great!”
“You look great,” Chris said, awed.
“What was in that box?” Angus approached his boss with incredulous eyes. “It was some kind of magic.”
Evan had a secret smile on her face, like she just realized something amazing.
“Spill it,” Chris said to her. “You know something about that box.”
“I do now.” She looked up at him. “I have a lot of explaining to do. I need to tell you everything. But for now, I’ll just say that I was trying to steal the box because I was told by my con artist mother that it was cursed. But I think I understand now what really happened.”
Angus spoke up. “When your mother, the obsessed fan, gave Sammy the box, she took something from him. His life force. His talent. She took his ability to perform.”
“She cursed me,” Sammy said, realization dawning in his face. “Because I rejected her.”
“That’s not how I remember things,” Angus said. “You two were in that dressing room alone for quite a spell. No pun intended.”
Sammy looked down at his youthful, restored body. “Yes, but afterward she wanted to move in with me. She wanted me to marry her. I couldn’t do that. I hardly knew the woman. And I’m not the marrying kind, I think that’s obvious. Damn, I’m hot.”
Evan snickered. “Yes, you are, Sammy. So Lila gave you the box, which stole your charisma and desire to perform and write songs.” Evan shook her head. “I get it now. She totally conned me, too. When you put that box on eBay, she was afraid that someone would solve the puzzle box and let out your magic—that amazing creative force, that thing that makes you a star. She knew that if someone solved it, you’d be restored to your former self, as you have just been.”
Sammy grinned and jumped down from the table, nimble as a twenty-year-old. “Good thing I’m a klutz.”
“A very good thing.” Evan glanced up at Chris and smiled. “I have so much to tell you, and when I’m finished, you may not want to have anything to do with me. But I need to come clean and tell you everything.”
“I think you need to trust me, Evan. Have a little faith in me.” He reached out and caressed her face. “I think you’ll be surprised.”
“Well, this day has been full of surprises.” She turned to Sammy. “Let’s all sit down. I’ll tell you all everything there is to tell.”
***
When Evan finally finished telling her story, the three men she’d come to love in such a short period of time were silent for a long moment. “Please say something. Anything. Just don’t leave me hanging.”
Chris sat beside her on the sofa. He leaned forward, his hands clasped over his thighs. “If I hadn’t seen what happened with my own two eyes, I might have some trouble believing all of this, even if I’d wanted to. It’s a hell of a story.”
Her heart sank a little. It seemed that Chris believed her words, but his heart wasn’t quite in it. He was still stinging from her rejection and the con she’d played on him. “I know it is. But you saw what happened. I did keep things from you, but everything I just said is the honest truth. I can’t tell you all how sorry I am for deceiving you. You’ve all been nothing but wonderful to me, and I lied to you. Each one of you.”
Angus spoke next. “You lied to us partly out of fear of being exposed, that is true. But you also lied out of concern for us. You’ve worked hard to build a career and a life you cherish, after living such a nomadic, unsavory life with your family. No one can fault you for that. I’d say this is a definite case of the ends justifying the means.”
Sammy said, “I, for one, am happy as hell you lied your ass off. Thank you, Miss Evan, for coming into my life and setting me free. I feel whole again. Healed. I feel wonderful. And I’m planning to get back to touring as soon as possible. I have a lot of time to make up for.”
Chris looked down, was silent for a while.
Evan’s heart spasmed. He was going to tell her that he believed her and was happy that Sammy was back to his old self, but that he couldn’t really ever trust her again. She was a liar and a thief, like his parents had been. She’d just hurt him too much. She took a deep, shivering breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and prepared her heart for the blow that was surely to come.
But what he said next was not what she thought it would be.
Chris stood and walked over to where Sammy sat, on a red and gold velvet wing chair fit for a king, and crouched in front of him. “Sammy, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you for taking me in, for making my childhood the most outrageous, unorthodox, fun, and outstanding childhood any kid could ever have. Thank you for being my best friend, my father, the man who made me laugh and dried my tears. Thank you for healing me.” Chris paused, blinked tears from his eyes, and continued with a quivering whisper. “But most of all, thank you for loving me. I want you to know that I love you, even though I’ve acted like a total turd.”
“Well said,” Sammy’s voice was quiet, his own eyes misty. He leaned down and wrapped Chris in a huge bear hug. “You silly boy. Don’t you know that you’ve been the absolute joy of my life? Don’t you know that having you to love saved me? I am forever grateful for you, Chris. I thank God every day for you.”
The hug went on for a long time, and Evan found herself weeping openly. Her heart felt healed, full, no matter how Chris chose to go forward, with or without her.
When their embrace was finally broken, Sammy declared that it was time for cocoa and cookies before Angus took Chris and Evan back to Miami. He clapped his hands in typical Sammy style, and he followed Angus out of the room, leaving Chris and Evan to themselves.
Evan tried to steady herself for what Chris was about to tell her as he knelt down in front of her and took both of her hands in his large, warm ones. She felt a lump rise to her throat, and tried to swallow it down. If this was the end, she’d have to accept it, and she wasn’t going to make Chris feel bad by crying all over him, even if that’s what she already felt like doing.
She was surprised by the knot of pain in her chest at the thought that he was about to end things with her. She’d never experienced such a roller coaster of emotion in such a short period, and never had she felt so much hope and despair at the same time.
And she wouldn’t have traded it for the world. No matter how things turned out.
He gazed up into her face, his own slightly sad.
“Please say something.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
“When I met you, I felt something for you that I’ve never felt for any other woman before. A kind of electric connection. A spark. It was undeniable and irresistible, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.”
Here it comes. The rejection. Evan nodded, barely able to breathe. “I felt the same way.”
“In my wildest dreams, I would never imagine that you were about to use me to get close to Sammy, to get that puzzle box.” He paused. Something like sorrow passed over his face.
“I am so sorry,” Evan choked out. Her breath hitched, and a single tear escaped one eye.
Chris reached up and gently brushed it away. “I know you are. But Evan, listen. If that hadn’t happened, Sammy would still be stuck in that curse. He’d still be unhappy and so alone. You saved him. You saved me.”
Evan sniffled as Chris brushed away another tear. She couldn’t even speak.
The moment hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity.
Finally, Chris said, “Evan, I love you.”
Evan smiled through her tears, and choked out, “I love you, too.”
“I get it. I get all of it. And I don’t care who your family is or what they’ve done. I don’t care what they made you do. I love you, Evan Meadows.” Chris moved forward and kissed her trembling lips, soft and slow.
When he broke the kiss, he said, “So let’s deal with this mother of yours, because she’s never going to hurt you again.”
Relief and hope rose inside her, and happiness filled her heart so fast she felt it might burst. She’d never felt elation like this before. She could definitely get used to it. “Okay.”
“You ready to deal with her, once and for all?” Chris asked her.
“I am,” Evan said. “No more running. I need to face this, even if it ruins my career and I have to start all over again. I don’t care.”
Chris leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Good. Let’s go take the witch on.”
***
A Year Later Summer leaves whispered as warm wind swept through them and the scent of fragrant wildflowers made Chris momentarily close his eyes. It was a perfect scene: The wedding awning, covered in gorgeous pink and white Gerbera daisies. The soulful voice of Nora Jones singing “Come Away With Me.” The white chairs wrapped in pearly chiffon that caught the brilliant shine of the sun.
Guests spoke in hushed tones as they waited for the bride. Chris glanced over at Sammy, who stood in his white tuxedo, looking happier than he’d ever seen him. His big, brown eyes were shining with mirth. He’d just finished a US tour, and would embark on a European tour in a month. He’d always been a wild, funny man, and now he was a wild, funny, content man. He’d changed. Grown up and grown wiser. But although he’d mellowed, he was still the same lovable, talented lightning bolt that he’d always been.
Chris was thankful for that. He loved the man and was so relieved and grateful that the curse had been lifted. He was older, that was true, but he was youthful and exuberant and showed no signs of throwing in the towel. He would rock the world for a long time to come, just like the Rolling Stones still were still doing.
The hushed murmurs fell silent as the bride appeared, standing at the edge of the aisle made of pink rose petals. She looked radiant, her auburn hair swept into a lovely up-do, surrounded by a delicate crown of baby’s breath. She was beautiful.
“Come Away With Me” faded and the traditional wedding march swelled around them, and the guests on both sides of her watched the bride begin her walk to her waiting groom.
When Lila finally stood beside Sammy, he was smiling proudly, and his eyes shimmered.
Chris looked at Evan, who stood beside Lila in a champagne-colored shift, holding a bouquet of pink daisies. If she would have him, it would be their turn next year.
What a difference a year makes. A year ago, when Lila realized she wasn’t going to get that puzzle box, she’d sent Sammy an apology video, which apparently had been rather racy. He’d promptly invited her to the mansion to further discuss how naughty she’d been.
The rest was history.
“She bewitched me,” Sammy, looking disheveled, exhausted, and ecstatic, said on Skype a week later when he and Lila had decided to come up for air. “She’s a crazy woman. I love her.”
Sammy bought an enormous mansion in Miami, big enough for the entire Meadows clan. They sold the RV and were content using their talents to actually help people without ripping them off. From here on out, they would do only good.
At least, that’s what Lila said, with a glint in her eye.
The puzzle box was at the bottom of a volcano in Hawaii, where it wouldn’t cause any more havoc. Chris hoped.
And he and Evan had just found a sweet condo not far from the Thunder Dome, where Evan continued to use her healing talent to help injured football players. Her secret was safe.
Chris hadn’t injured himself in a while, and thankfully, he no longer needed to fake an injury to see Evan. He kissed her lips each night before he fell into a satisfied and exhausted sleep, and each morning before getting up.
Many times, she’d wear him out again before he left her in a tangle of sheets.
Life was good.
After the ceremony was finished, Evan turned to Chris and smiled. “Will you dance with me?”
A slow 90s power ballad rose through the air. Sammy played a little air guitar before wrapping his arms around his new bride and dipping her. Lila gave a delighted shriek, which dissolved into a string of giggles.
“I’m not much of a dancer. I’ve got two left feet, but I’ll do my best.” Chris slid an arm around Evan’s waist and took her soft hand in his.
“It’s okay. If you trip over them and hurt yourself, I’ve got you covered.” Evan grinned.
And they danced.
The End.
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