Free Tender Deception: A Novel of Romance by Patti Beckman Page A

attention. Tonight, when she saw him coming directly toward her, she had felt a thudding in her chest. Her hands had grown cold. She had dreamed about this moment for seven years. Now she found it hard to believe it was actually happening.
    The years had changed Jimmy LaCross, though probably not as much as they had changed her. He seemed taller than she remembered, and a bit heavier, and there were tiny crow’s feet around his eyes. He was more handsome than ever, with the slightly dissipated look of a professional musician. Her heart had wrenched at the sight of him, and she wished she could reach up and push back the hair that still tumbled carelessly over his forehead.
    Whatever changes time had wrought in both of them, it had not disappointed her. She had often wondered if, when she saw Jimmy again, it would turn out to be a sad illusion. She would see him and realize the dream she had carried in her heart for so many years was only that, just a dream, with no claim on reality. The Jimmy LaCross she’d pictured had only been a childhood fantasy, a teen-age crush that had turned an ordinary boy into a romantic hero.
    But, no. Jimmy stood before her now, very much flesh and blood. And she was not disappointed. The boy she had loved all these years was very much a real person. And what she felt was no illusion.
    There was one important difference. She was no longer a naïve fourteen year old, so overwhelmed by him that she couldn’t find her tongue. She still felt some natural shyness. But she could meet him more on his own terms now.
    She challenged him with a look and a smile. “Perhaps if I give you a clue, Jimmy, you’ll remember.”
    He followed her curiously as she moved off the stool, around the bar to the band dais. She wondered at her own brashness. But the importance of the moment gave her courage. She had not waited seven years and come all this distance to let inhibitions get in the way. Besides, she felt more confident when she was seated at a piano.
    Now, on the bandstand, she ran her fingers lightly over the piano keys. She made herself comfortable on the bench, and began playing one of the traditional New Orleans tunes that the band had played tonight, The Bucket’s Got a Hole in It.
    She sensed Jimmy’s presence at her left shoulder, watching her intently. She swung into a stride rhythm with her left hand. Nature had blessed her with a large reach for a woman. She played tenths with ease. She improvised a chorus with the joy and excitement she felt. When she had finished, she swung around on the bench. “Now do you remember me, Jimmy?” she asked.
    He wore an expression of stunned surprise. “I’ve only heard one female in my life play that kind of jazz piano,” he exclaimed. “A little girl back in my home town—”
    “Do you remember her name?” Lilly asked, raising an eyebrow.
    “Uh—”
    “Try Lilly.”
    He snapped his fingers. “Lilly Parker! You’re Lilly Parker. My Lord, I can’t believe it. Little Lilly Parker, all grown up!”
    He lifted her from the piano stool and gave her a mighty hug. “Why in the devil didn’t you come up the first night and tell me who you were?” he demanded.
    Joy and excitement bubbled inside her. She felt warm all over from his hug. “You’re a popular guy,” she said breathlessly. “I never could get close to you. Anyway, it was kind of fun to just sneak in and listen to you and see if you’d remember me.”
    “Tell me all about Millerdale,” he exclaimed. “How are the kids we went to school with? Is old Jeff Singleton still the town constable? He used to be on my back all the time about the way I’d race down Main Street!” Jimmy laughed.
    Lilly shook her head. “I don’t know, Jimmy. I’ve been gone for several years getting my music degree.”
    “No kidding! You went on to college? How did you swing that? Your folks weren’t any better off than mine.”
    “Music scholarships...government loans. And I worked