My Soul Then Sings Read online

  “I’ll talk with Brian,” Karlie promised. “You gave me a lot to think about. The show will have both our names on it. I need to know he’s ready. We’re shooting our last video before we enter talks about the show and contracts. Winona’s handling everything.”

  “Smart move using Winona. Tiffany trusted her with her estate. She’s good people.”

  Karlie heard Neil’s wistful tone when he mentioned Tiffany. She knew how much he had loved her mother. They had been the best of friends.

  Karlie too missed her mother. Her dream would have been to sing with Tiffany on stage. She knew that could never happen here on earth, but she was saving some songs for heaven. She was sure Tiffany was leading God’s choir up there and ripping out some good tunes.

  “What crazy adventure do you have planned?” Neil asked.

  “Mudding.”

  Neil’s eyes widened. “Did I hear right? You’re going to dirty your hair?”

  Karlie cracked up. Her long hair was a chore to wash and set. It took hours to do it herself, which is why she had her hairstylist, Shanna, on speed dial.

  “Actually, I’m going to be dirty all over. Mudding is a dirty sport. I’m dreading the dirt caked into my hair, but I keep telling myself it’ll wash out. Maybe I should have Shanna on standby.”

  Neil raised his hands to the ceiling. “Girl, you’re going to keep me on my knees, but have fun.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  Just before she logged off Skype, Karlie saw a friend request. Her eyes bulged when she saw who it was.

  Merle Peterson.

  Her grandmother.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Brian curled in a fetal position. He didn’t know how much more of this pain he could take. He knew he needed to apply more of the ointment, but he needed help. This flare-up was the worst he had ever had.

  He knew it was stress related.

  This time he would need help. His help was mere footsteps away in the other room. All he had to do was ask, but Brian didn’t want Karlie seeing him like this.

  “Lord. Please.”

  Brian prayed his usual prayer as he shifted his legs inch by inch. He needed to use the bathroom. His body trembled as he tried to keep from crying out in pain.

  “Lord, please. Please. Please.” This time a sob escaped. Every single movement he made was excruciating. He placed a fist in his mouth before swinging his legs to the floor. Next came the task of lifting his upper body.

  This required a new prayer. “Lord, help me.” Gritting his teeth, Brian hoisted his body in a single determined lunge. Fire laced his back. “Argh!” He fell back onto the bed.

  Brian’s outcry was loud enough for fresh banging on his door. “Brian! Let me in!”

  He moved his head toward the sound. If she only knew, he would if he could. Pain and the urgent need to relieve himself quickly conquered his pride.

  “I can’t,” he huffed. “Help!” His voice sounded like a small croak.

  “Will my key card work in your door?”

  “Try,” he said. Even that one word took effort. He wiped his face with his hand.

  A few seconds later, Karlie rushed inside waving the key card in triumph.

  Brian watched her freeze when she realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He didn’t have time to explain. He had to go.

  Real bad.

  He lifted his arm like a baby would when asking to be picked up.

  Karlie raced to his side. “You can’t stand?” she asked.

  Brian huffed and shook his head.

  She crooked both her hands under his arms and assisted him to his feet. They shuffled over to the bathroom. Brian entered the small space. He heard Karlie’s huge intake of breath. She had seen his back.

  Hanging his head, all Brian could do was close the door and unzip his pants. “Ah,” he breathed. Nothing felt as good as that release. He washed his hands, grabbed the ointment, and opened the door to a waiting Karlie. “Thank you.”

  With a brisk nod, she helped him back to the bed.

  He sat on the edge.

  Karlie slipped beside him and rested her head on his shoulder.

  He knew she was waiting for him to speak. “I have psoriatic arthritis.”

  She scrunched her nose. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a kind of psoriasis that comes with crippling pain. When I get a flare-up, the area is tender and painful. Fortunately, my back and sometimes my feet are the only places which act up. Once I apply the ointment and medicine, it usually helps ease the pain.”

  “I know Kim Kardashian has psoriasis, but I had no idea it could be painful,” she said.

  “Normally it isn’t. I just happen to have the form of it that is.”

  Karlie touched his arm. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  “I was ashamed. I didn’t want you scorning me or feeling repulsed by it. It’s not contagious.”

  She slapped him lightly on the arm. “I could never scorn you. Silly man. I thought you had a genius IQ. And I know it’s not contagious.”

  “You sure? You might wake up tomorrow with spots all over your lips.”

  They shared a laugh.

  “Can you rub some of this on my back?” Brian asked, holding out the ointment. With a nod, Karlie took the small tube. He angled his upper body to give her access. Brian sighed with relief once the medicine had been rubbed in.

  “Thank you,” he said, facing her.

  Karlie nodded. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Wait. Is this the reason why you sometimes would disappear for a day or two?”

  He nodded.

  “And, here I was thinking you were holed up with some girl or something.”

  Brian chuckled. “Well . . . that’s been true too. But I always make time for you. Always. Unless I’m sick or bedridden.” He watched her eyes warm at his words.

  “Let me see it in the light.”

  Brian tensed because he wasn’t comfortable with the idea. “Karlie, you’re the first person, besides my parents, I’m telling about this.”

  She touched her chest. “I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me. Now turn around and let me see.”

  It took every ounce of courage he possessed to allow her a closer inspection. His heart hammered in his chest. Would she avoid him from now on? Would she eat with him? Would she be the same toward him?

  Brian jumped out of his skin when he felt Karlie’s lips on his back.

  “What are you doing?” he whispered. Not for a million dollars would he admit how her gesture touched him. A tear threatened to spill. He blinked it away.

  “I’m sorry for your pain,” she said.

  Hearing the sorrow in her voice, Brian faced her. Her eyes glistened.

  Was she crying for him?

  His heart cracked open at her compassion and every ounce of self-consciousness departed. Brian knew there was nothing he couldn’t share with Karlie from now on. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “I don’t deserve a friend like you,” he whispered from atop her head.

  Her shoulders shook. “I’m sorry you’ve been going through this all by yourself. I wish you’d told me.”

  “If I had known that was all I had to do to get a kiss, I would’ve a long time ago,” he joked.

  Karlie pushed out of his embrace. “I’d like to pray for you.”

  His feet felt weightless. “You want to pray for me?”

  “God is a healer. There isn’t anything He can’t do.”

  “I’ve been praying for two years and so far . . .” Brian shifted and cupped her face with his hands. “I’m sure you have a direct line to God, though.”

  She tilted her head. “You’ve been praying?”

  He nodded. “Yes. It’s two words. Lord, please. Tonight, I added a few more pleases to my prayer.” He lowered his head with slight embarrassment.

  “Brian Oakes, are you blushing?” Karlie asked.

  He lowered his head. “No. I’m too mature to blush.”

  “
You are!” she exclaimed. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about praying. I’m glad to hear it. Maybe that’s why God sent me to your door. He knew you needed help. That’s answered prayer. I’m going to pray and add my prayers to yours. If the two of us touch and agree on something in faith believing, we can move mountains.”

  Brian stared into her face. She meant every word she said. How he wished he had her certainty! “I don’t know if I have enough faith.”

  “You don’t need a lot. The Bible says even a speck of faith, the size of a mustard seed, is enough to do the job.”

  He pictured the miniscule seed in his mind. “That’s not possible.”

  “Yes, it is,” she assured him. “Faith multiplies exponentially when we put it into action.”

  Brian nodded. He was impressed. “I’d like to see that verse.”

  She nodded with excitement. “I’ll look it up for you.” Karlie rushed to the nightstand and opened the drawer to locate the Bible kept there. She scanned the pages of the New Testament until she located Luke 17:5–6.

  “Here it is,” she said. “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

  Brian rubbed his chin. “All it takes is faith?”

  “Yes. Faith is your ticket to heaven—and healing. Let’s bow our heads in prayer.” Karlie clasped her hands. He followed suit and closed his eyes.

  “Dear Heavenly Father, you’re a divine healer. There is nothing impossible with you. Whatever you command must be done. Whatever you bind in heaven is bound on earth. I come before you putting Brian at your feet. He is ailing and in pain. Lord, we thank you for sickness and pain because how else would we know how much we need you? I ask you to heal him if it is in your will. But if it is not in your plan for him, then give Brian the strength to endure. Help him to trust that you know what is best for him. Give him relief, Lord. Help him, please. I hate to see him suffer, but I thank you for this window to prayer. Draw him closer to you. I thank you in advance, Lord, and I pray this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  Brian did not understand a lot of the jargon she used, but hearing Karlie pray for a heathen like him touched his heart. All he could say was, “I believe.”

  Listening to Karlie’s earnest supplication on his behalf for a divine healing, Brian knew two things. Karlie was serious about her relationship with God, and he wasn’t worthy of her.

  She helped him back into bed. He rested on his stomach knowing he would be able to sleep well, thank God.

  She stretched out beside him.

  “Karlie, what are you doing?” Brian asked.

  “I’m staying here with you. What if you have to use the bathroom or something? I have to be here.”

  “I can’t have you sleeping next to me,” he said. “Just leave the connecting door open. I’ll yell if I need you.”

  “I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but, Brian, you need to lighten up. This is a king-sized bed. If it makes you feel better, I only intend to stay here until you’re sound asleep.” She yawned. “So quit worrying and go to sleep.”

  “There’s a couch,” he said.

  “Go to sleep,” she said. “I’ll be gone soon enough.”

  Brian quit fighting. He was too tired and sick to continue the debate. He vowed to remain on his side of the bed. He wasn’t going to have God strike him dead with lightning or something worse. With a wide yawn, he closed his eyes.

  Karlie heard her phone alert through the connecting door. She rushed into her suite leaving the door ajar. It was 2:15 a.m. She hoped it was Jamaal reaching out to her. She looked at the screen and sighed. She had gained another social media follower. Whoop-de-doo!

  She wandered back into Brian’s suite. He hadn’t stirred. She smiled at his sleeping form. He looked so . . . innocent. On impulse, she decided to snap a picture. She held back a giggle as she slipped back into the bed and spooned him. Then she hit the capture button.

  Karlie composed a cheeky text: Now you can say we slept together.

  Then she hit send, laughed, and went to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  “Brian isn’t answering his phone!” Ryan exclaimed as they exited the elevator of the hotel. They had caught a first-class flight to Sarasota, Florida.

  “I couldn’t reach Karlie either,” Patricia said. “Maybe they went out last night and they’re still asleep.”

  He knew she was miffed at his less-than-enthusiastic response to her efforts the night before, but Ryan was not concerned about that. Brian and Karlie tortured his mind.

  “I keep having nightmares of them wrapped up in each other’s arms.” He shuddered. “Should I have just texted them last night and told them the truth?”

  “No, that would’ve been a bad idea. We needed to be here. Tell them in person.” Patricia walked in step beside him.

  “This is it,” Ryan said. Holding Patricia’s hand, he knocked on the door.

  Yentl answered the door and stepped aside. “Good morning, Mr. Oakes. Mrs. Oakes.”

  “I’m so glad you’re up. The front desk wouldn’t provide me with Brian and Karlie’s suite number.”

  “Griffin!” Yentl yelled. “I’ll be right back.” He ushered them out. “I’ll take you up there.”

  Ryan held back his response. He knew what he was getting when he hired them.

  “I appreciate your going out of your way like this,” Patricia said.

  They entered the staircase.

  “No worries, ma’am,” Yentl replied. “It’s only one flight up. I need the exercise.”

  Ryan eyed Yentl’s tight physique and looked heavenward. Yentl was flirting with his wife. He saw her hide her smile. Patricia knew it too. She was ahead of him on the stairs, and Ryan admired her trim form. He couldn’t blame Yentl for trying, but he wasn’t concerned. Patricia was his. They would jump over their hurdle in time.

  Soon they were outside Brian’s door. Ryan knocked.

  He barely waited a second before knocking again. The door next to them opened, and Karlie peered through. She waved them inside. Yentl waved and headed back to his room.

  “Brian’s sleeping,” Karlie said. “He had a rough night last night.”

  Ryan’s legs wobbled with relief. In his mind, he envisioned Karlie answering Brian’s door. “We’ll have to wake him. Patricia and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t urgent.”

  “I’ll go get him. Is everything okay?” Karlie made a move toward the connecting door.

  Ryan didn’t like the ease at which she approached Brian’s room. He gulped. Lucky for him, Patricia stepped up.

  “I’ll go,” Patricia said, tapping Karlie on the shoulder. “I want to surprise him.”

  Patricia hurried into Brian’s room, leaving Ryan alone with Karlie. Though he ached to hug her, his hands dangled by his side and he stayed where he was, unable to think of a single thing to say.

  “So did you hear about our TV show?” Karlie asked.

  “Yes, I did. Do you think that’s a good idea? What about college? I mean, you’re young now, but you don’t want to have any regrets.”

  Karlie wrung her hands, looking slightly uneasy.

  “Lay off, Dad,” Brian said, entering the room. “Karlie already has a father breathing down her neck. She doesn’t need you adding to the mix.”

  Ryan froze. His eyes met Patricia’s. She gestured with her eyes for him to tell them. How should he begin? He cleared his throat. Nervousness deepened his voice. “Brian, Karlie, I need to speak with both of you.”

  They swung their glances his way. Still Ryan hesitated. His throat closed up, and he wiped his face.

  “I’ll order breakfast,” Patricia said. She frowned at him and gave him a look which said, Get to it.

  “How about we all sit down?” Brian suggested with a furtive glance. “You two are behaving out-of-characte
r and it’s kind of unsettling. Please don’t tell me you’re getting a divorce.”

  His son’s tone was doubtful yet hopeful. Ryan shook his head. “No divorce.” From the corner of his eye, Ryan saw Patricia slump with relief. “What I have to say involves Karlie as well.”

  “Why do I feel as if I’m not going to like this?” Karlie mumbled.

  Ryan noticed how they both gravitated to the couch. This wasn’t going to be a stroll in the sunshine. Lord, give me wisdom. “Let’s begin with a word of prayer.”

  “This is going to be bad,” Karlie said. She slapped her knees. “Whenever my dad says let’s begin with prayer, I know I’m not going to like what he’s about to say.”

  Nevertheless, Ryan prayed. He needed God’s back. He felt Patricia take his hand and give him a small squeeze.

  “Lord, we invite your presence among us at this time. We ask for you to lead and guide this discussion.” Ryan’s voice broke. “I ask that you give me strength and courage to face my wrongs. I ask that you help me make it right. I ask that your peace will fill our hearts as we move forward from today. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

  As soon as he said, “Amen,” Ryan focused on Karlie. “Karlie, when your mother ordered the paternity test, I did something horrible.”

  Her face turned sheet white. She shook her head. “No, please don’t say it. Don’t say you’re my father. That had better not be what you’re about to say.”

  “Dad, what did you do?” Brian asked.

  Ryan’s body tightened. “I paid the lab tech to tamper with the results.”

  Brian vaulted to his feet. “What does that mean?” he yelled.

  Ryan saw Karlie bend over. Patricia rushed to her side and hugged her.

  “I think I might be Karlie’s father,” Ryan said.

  Brian’s face was beet red. His chest heaved, and he got in Ryan’s face. “I don’t believe you! You stood there and listened to me yammer on about how I might have feelings for her and you said nothing!”

  Karlie’s sharp intake of breath was the only sound in the room after Brian’s proclamation. She shrugged out of Patricia’s grasp and covered her face in her hands.

  Ryan stepped in her direction, but Brian wasn’t letting him through. His son turned to snarl at Patricia. “Did you know this?”