The Air Singer (The Cantors) (12 page)

Roland sat on Tally’s front porch. He nervously waited for her and Oliver to return. After yesterday, he didn’t know what to expect from his singer. He hurt her, the last thing a paladin should do to a singer. He worried that she would see through his act, but the look on her face before he left proved different. In a month or two, the last few days would just be a memory and they might get back to the easy relationship they had before he took her riding.

Who
was he kidding? Nothing about this relationship could ever be classified as easy; Manageable, but never easy. His only hope at this point was that Oliver had some miracle yoga move that wiped her short-term memory clean. Until then, he would make every effort to keep his distance.

W
hen Oliver’s car pulled up, Roland braced himself for anything. Anger, sadness, indifference: he deserved it. She exploded out of the car and ran to the porch. “I did it! I freaking did it!” She unlocked the door to the cabin and rushed in. 

Still standing
on the porch facing the car, Roland’s expression did not hide his confusion. Oliver snickered as he walked up to the porch and reached his friend. 

“
What exactly did she do?” Roland asked.

Oliver patted him on the shoulder.
“Ran to the top of the rim. I think she liked the view.”

Roland turned his head to look at Oliver. “She’s this excited over the view from the rim?”

Oliver nodded his head and stuck out his lower lip. “Yep, it is quite a view, especially when the wind died down.”

“There was no wind today.”

Oliver glanced sideways at his friend. “There was at the top, twice.”

Roland let the truth settle for a moment
. Tally discovered her power! She finally harnessed her ability. Spinning on his heels, he charged into the cabin after her, leaving Oliver on the porch laughing.

He found Tally lighting a candle on the kitchen table
. Looking up, she offered him a smile. “Can you believe it? I did it!”

“I heard.
” Roland stayed on the other side of the table. He loved seeing her happy and didn’t want to take any chances.

“I don’t think we need the candle anymore.” Oliver remarked as he came into the room. “You created your own wind tunnels less than an hour ago
. Blowing out a candle would be less than satisfying at this point.”

Tally looked up. “Not for me
. This candle tormented me every day for a month.” She looked over at Roland who had moved to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Roland agreed. “She’s right
. The candle has it coming.”

Oliver threw his hands up in surrender.
“Fine. Blow out your little candle.”

Tally rubbed her hands together and allowed herself to feel
. It wasn’t sorrow or anger that overwhelmed her this time. This time it was pure adrenaline; excitement over her achievement. The familiar vibration returned and her vision blurred. The flame taunted her, dancing on its wick. She allowed the vibration to grow. Suddenly the front door slammed on its hinges and a gust of wind carrying dirt and pine needles raged through the cabin. The candle went flying as the table began to lift off the floor and head toward Tally. Roland dropped his glass, jumped from the kitchen, and tackled Tally onto the floor just before the table crashed into the wall behind her. He lay on top of her, shielding her from the flying furniture and leaves.

Tally
threw her shields back up. The wind disappeared as quickly as it came. The solid muscle that was her paladin, pinned her body to the floor. The memories of his rejection rushed to the forefront of her mind. He said he’d always protect her and it seems he meant to protect her from herself as well.

Tally moved her head to rest where his shoulder met his strong neck
. The warmth of his skin was comforting and he smelled of sandalwood and leather. She could not resist inhaling his scent. 

A
trace of air tickled Roland’s neck as she breathed. It set his skin on fire and the familiar stir in his chest returned.

Too
close. I am too close. Get up!

He lifted
off her without a word. After surveying the damage, he offered to help her up.

Tally took his hand and rose to her feet
. As soon as she was upright, he pulled it from her grasp. He stepped away as if to keep an imaginary line between them. “Is everyone okay?”

Oliver peeked from the other side of the
sofa, which had been blown against the fireplace. “You sure showed that candle.”

The three of them broke out in laughter.

“I think we need to work on control now.” Roland suggested.

“I think we need to celebrate!
” Oliver announced. “I know I could use a night out and I’m not the one in training. Tally, you must be dying to let loose for a night.”

Tally’s face lit up.
“Absolutely! Let’s go tonight!” She needed to let off some steam and after the last few days. A night on the town sounded perfect.

Roland held his hands up
attempting to be a voice of reason. “We need to clean up this mess first and report your progress to Anna. She will be thrilled to hear about your development.” 

Tally pushed her lip out in a pout. “It could take all night to clean this up.
” She kicked the candle across the floor. “It can wait until tomorrow.”

“We still need to tell Anna.” Oliver agreed with Roland. “Why don’t you
two head to the facility and I’ll start sweeping up. By the time you get back, I’ll have most of it done.”

“Fine
. Let me brush my hair out and we can go to the facility.” Tally stepped over the remains of the kitchen table and headed to her bathroom. She found her power. Now she worried about killing herself with it. If not for Roland’s quick reflexes, she would’ve been found hours later crumpled on the floor with that damn candle hidden in the piles of pine needles around her.

If she had been thinking, she wouldn’t have stopped the
whirlwind so quickly. She might have stolen a few more moments pressed against his body. She could still smell the sandalwood.

Stop torturing yourself
. He’s your paladin. That is all he wants to be.

She grabbed a brush from the bathroom vanity and j
ust before closing the bathroom door, overheard Roland speaking to Oliver.

“Why don’t you take her to see Anna?”

“I’m not her paladin and you are the one that’s been working with her for the past month. I just got lucky. You should have the honor.”

Roland looked behind him to make sure that Tally had not returned. “Look, I don’t want to take her to Anna’s
. It’s not a good idea for us to be alone right now.”

Oliver turned to face his friend. “Why wouldn’t it be a good idea for a paladin and a singer to be alone together?”
Oliver’s eyes widened. “Did something happen between you too?”

“No!” Roland lowered his voice. “No, it’s just that until we establish our working relationship, I think we need healthy boundaries.”

“Healthy boundaries? Who are you and what did you do with Roland?”

Roland let out a frustrated sigh. “Please stop pushing me on this
and take Tally to Anna for me. I don’t want to be alone with her.”

Oliver
could see his friend’s discomfort. “Well I am the one who witnessed it. I guess that makes sense.” He surveyed the damage in the living room. “So you’re going to clean this up yourself?”

“Do you want to pick up this mess?” Roland gestured to the piles of lava rock and pine needles against the walls and the broken glass on the floor.

“You’re right. I should be the one to tell Anna.” Oliver responded.

“Tell Anna what?” Tally returned to the living room
. She tried to appear aloof though her insides rolled at Roland’s latest affront.

Oliver stepped over
forest litter. “Roland and I discussed it and I should be with you when we tell Anna about your progress. I witnessed it. I might remember something you don’t.”

Tally looked
toward her paladin who diverted his eyes soon after she met his gaze. “Oh, okay.”

“I’ll clean up and see you later.” Roland turned toward Oliver, “Any idea where we are going tonight?”

“
Hmm, I’m not sure. What about the Lager House? We haven’t been there in a while.”

Roland nodded
. “Sounds good. I’ll see you when you get back.” Turning his back to them, he went to the pantry to find a broom.

“
Thanks for cleaning up.” Tally hoped for any reaction from him. Instead he continued to delve deeper into her cleaning supplies and began pulling out garbage bags. She turned away to see Oliver walking toward his car. She closed the front door behind her as she joined him.

“This is a wonderful
accomplishment, Tally! You must be so excited.” Anna embraced the Air Singer. “So what is the next step? Does Roland have a lesson plan in mind?”

Tally pulled away from the enthusiastic woman. “I don’t know
. He’s cleaning up my family room.”

Anna raised her eyebrows in confusion. “Pardon me?”

“We got a little carried away with her new skill when we returned to her cabin. Don’t worry, the only casualties were the kitchen table and a few glasses.” Oliver commented.

“I see.” Anna returned her gaze to Tally not trying to conceal the sarcasm in her tone.
“A paladin who protects
and
serves.”

“It’s not like that. I wanted to clean it myself but
...”

“But,” Oliver interrupted. “I t
hought we could use a night out to celebrate. We have all been working extremely hard and reaching a milestone like this deserves a night of fun. He’s just trying to help out since he knew that Tally would want to tell you about her progress as soon as possible.”

Anna visibly relaxed her stance. “Oh! Well, I suppose one night of revelry
could refresh the system. Roland will be going as well?”

Oliver nodded, “
Of course. He will never let her out of his sight.”

Tally almos
t blushed at the comment except she knew the motivation for such chivalry came with the job description.

Tally checked her appearance in the mirror the tenth time i
n as many minutes. The burgundy dress draped against her frame with the wrap skirt crossing in the front allowing her thigh to peek when she walked. She’d lost weight since buying the dress a month ago during her shopping trip with Oliver, but it seemed to improve the fit of the garment. The long sleeves would keep her arms warm on the cool October night. Staying balanced in heels would be her only challenge this evening. 

Kate would be pleased with how well she cleaned up
. A yearning for her best friend reminded her how much things changed in the past weeks. Now that control over her element was within reach, she would talk to Oliver about contacting her.

  Roland’s
words to Oliver still burned.
I don’t want to be alone with her.
He wanted nothing more than a working relationship. Well tonight, he’d get his wish.

As she reached for her moonstone necklace that had
been hidden away in a dresser drawer for weeks, a banging at the door announced Oliver and Roland’s arrival. She fastened the chain around her neck and let the pendant rest just above her breasts. One last glance in the mirror and she rushed to let her friends in.

Roland walked up Tally’s porch with Oliver. He argued with him over dinner this wasn’t such a good idea. “Anna was right when she said I needed to get a lesson plan together. I should stay home and get to work on it.”

“She also
confirmed that you would be going tonight.” Oliver rebutted. “Your duty as her paladin requires it.”

Roland looked over to his friend as they arrived at the front door.
He swore Oliver enjoyed using Anna as an excuse to go out. He knocked on the door and stared at the floor, eager to get the night over with. 

A few seconds later, the door swung open
. Roland let his eyes rise revealing a tall slender vision. Black strappy heels supported shapely legs that led to short wine colored dress. A blue flash brought his attention to the moonstone pendant sitting just above her cleavage. Jerking his view away from her breasts, Roland noticed gentle waves of golden hair framing her face and sparkling blue eyes. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear they brightened in color.

While the paladin stood motionless at the appearance of his
singer, Oliver stepped forward smiling and placed a light kiss on Tally’s cheek. “You look beautiful.”

A slight blush
colored her face. “Thank you!” Moving to the side, she allowed the gentlemen to enter. Roland followed Oliver into the cabin making a visible effort to avoid touching Tally. “You look very nice.”

Tally’s expression went from gracious to
indifferent as she answered with a curt, “Thank you.”

Roland
wore a white collared shirt with dark wash denim jeans. His dark hair tousled just above those hypnotic eyes. An afternoon’s growth lined his jaw. Tally wondered if he knew how rugged it made him look or if he purposely didn’t shave as not to appear eager to go out.

The three of them stood in her living room silently before Oliver broke the tension. “Okay, well let’s get going! Tally will you need a jacket?”

“No, I think I’ll be fine.” Tally secured her purse over her shoulder.

“You should bring something.
” Roland kept his eyes on the floor. “It will get cold later.”

“
I said I’ll be fine.” Tally repeated sternly as she walked past the gentlemen to the front door.

Oliver shrugged and directed
Roland to follow her out to the car while keeping his voice low. “This is going to be a fun night.” He locked the door behind him and turned to see Tally sitting in the passenger seat looking straight ahead while Roland walked around the car to let himself in the back. No words were spoken between the two. “Yep, a real fun night.”

The uncomfortable silence between the singer and her paladin was palpable. No one spoke the entire trip. Oliver hoped that the mood would change once they arrived at the bar. It was difficult to be in a bad mood around good music and cheap beer.

The Lager House was packed for a small town bar. Cowboys, bikers, retirees and the typical northern Arizona citizens shared the dance floor. The cover band played classics from as far back as Van Morrison and George Jones to current tunes by Lady Antebellum and Maroon 5. Seated near the back, Tally tapped her foot to the music, while Oliver and Roland recognized a few patrons.

“Not much changed since our last time here.” Oliver commented
. “Dan is still trying to pickle himself.”

Tally turned
toward the bar and noticed a gentleman in his forties leaning against the bar holding a rocks glass of gold liquid, probably whiskey. His posture allowed him to appear aloof while he surveyed every woman in the room. He had tucked in his red shirt stretching it across a belly earned over years of similar drinking. Tally turned back toward the table but not before noticing another gentleman, much younger than Dan, smiling at her. He was tall, dressed in jeans and a sweater with jet-black hair and a baby face. She smiled back before she could stop herself. He stood among three other gentlemen who all appeared to be in their mid-twenties. She looked down with the smile still on her face, though it had shrunk to a smirk. She admired the young man’s confidence. Sitting at a table with two male companions didn’t scream available.

She resumed watching
the band, reminiscing about the times she and Kate would go dancing on the weekends. The music and movement always cast a spell over her. Everything would become dull, like someone turned the volume down on her abilities and she didn’t have to work so hard to block it. She wanted to get up and move.

“Excuse me?”

Tally looked up to see the young man with the great smile standing next to her table looking down at her. “Are you here with someone?”

“Huh?” escaped Tally’s mouth
. Her previous admiration for this young man rapidly became a fear for his sanity and safety. She turned to Roland and Oliver who both appeared as shocked at the young man’s daring as she did, though Oliver did seem more amused than anything.

Oliver stood and offered to shake the new comer’s hand. “Let me introduce myself, I’m
Jack, Jack Shit.” He gestured toward Roland who seemed to have trouble finding the humor in the moment. “This is my friend Chopped Liver.”

“Oh man, sorry
. That came out wrong. I just figured that you guys must be her brothers or something.” He looked back at Tally. “I mean it’s obvious she wants to dance and if she was with someone- well, I mean if she was with me, I wouldn’t let her just sit here.”

“I would lov
e to dance!” Tally shot up from her seat and headed to the dance floor hoping the young man would follow. She turned to see him directly behind her. The band played something upbeat and Tally let her dance partner twirl her around the crowded floor. 

Roland’s eyes never left Tally as she moved with the rhythm of
a two-step. Her face glowed as the daring young man led her under his arm and around his back. She swayed her hips with each step, while the slit in her skirt played peek-a-boo with her upper thighs. His temper flared every time the young man placed a hand on the small of her back or the curve of her waist. 

“So how long are
you doing this?” Oliver broke his trance.

“Doing what?”

“Playing whatever game it is you’re playing with Tally.”

Roland
swallowed his irritation at the dancing couple and tried to appear relaxed. “Pardon me?”

“Ever since you became her paladin, you’ve been obsessed with this woman
. You hold her hand, take her horseback riding. You like her.”

Roland smiled and laughed off his friend
’s attempt to analyze him. “I’m her paladin. If I didn’t like her, this job would be a lot more difficult.”

“
Then why are you avoiding her?”

Roland scoffed at Oliver’s question.

“Look if you don’t want Tally to know, that’s fine, but stop treating me like an idiot,” Oliver persisted. “I don’t know whether to be more insulted at your opinion of my intelligence or the fact that you are lying to me.”

Roland’s voice got low as if Tally could hear the conversation from the dance floor.
“I don’t think you’re an idiot. It’s just difficult.”

“
Well before tonight I’d disagree, but you seem to have truly pissed her off. What happened between you?”

Roland let his head fall into his hands.
“Nothing. I think that’s the problem.”

“Ok. You want to elaborate on that a bit?
” Oliver raised his bottle to his lips.

“
When I took her to the reservoir, things started to get out of hand. I stopped it. I told her that she’s only drawn to me because I’m her paladin.”

Oliver choked on his beer. “Hold up
. Things get out of hand with a beautiful woman that you are attracted to and you tell her the only reason she feels the same is because you are her paladin?”

“Uh huh,” Roland leaned back in his chair “that sums it up pretty well.”

“So you lied.”

“Uh huh.”

Oliver nodded. “Why was that a good idea?”

“We are going to be spending the rest or our lives together
. She will always be my singer and I will always be her paladin. If we become anything more than that, things could get complicated.”

“You like her, she likes you
. What’s so complicated? It might work out.”

“It might not
and then what? I spend the rest of my life with a woman who hates me and have a front row seat watching another man make her happy.”

Oliver looked out onto the dance floor where Tally
laughed as she continued to spin around to the music. “Which is so much worse than what’s happening now.”

Roland shook his head and laughed. “Anna would kick my ass if she knew that I allowed anything to happen between us.”

“What Anna doesn’t know can’t hurt you.”

“Look, I appreciate what you are
saying, but I think it is best for everyone involved if I just keep her at arm’s length.”

“When you say everyone involved, who exactly do you mean? Neither of you are exactly giddy right now.” At that moment,
Oliver caught Tally smiling and giggling as her partner twirled her under his arm just before pulling her close against him. “I stand corrected, Tally seems quite happy with her new friend.”

Roland’s eyes shot
back to the couple on the floor. His temper raged as he tried to maintain a calm expression. He watched the man’s hands slide down Tally’s waist and rest on her hips.

One
more inch and her hips will be the last thing your fingers touch.

Oliver noticed his friend’s clenched fists on the table.
“Yeah, this is much better. You sit here and wonder what might have been while Romeo over there finds out.”

“Romeo’s about to find out what it’s like to eat through a straw if he doesn’t give Tally some space,” Roland growled.

“You can always cut in,” Oliver suggested. 

Roland shook his head in frustration. “
I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ve said some shitty things to her trying to avoid another
situation
.”

“
Well for Romeo’s sake, can you try to play nice with Tally tonight? She is your singer and she finally found her power. She should be celebrating with her paladin. Instead you’ve decided to leave her no choice but to celebrate it with strangers.”

Oliver was right. He would always be her paladin. He should at least be her friend. This was her victory party and they’d barely spoken.
Somehow, he would make this right.