Chapter 5

• A month later in Grey’s condo. Chicago, Illinois…
• “Hey, Lu!” Grey’s voice came over the telephone, a little weary after a long day at the office. A successful criminal lawyer, Grey Moony, always took time out from his grueling schedule for his family.
• Luna adjusted the phone to her ear while she typed away on her laptop. “Hey, Grey. How’s my favorite cousin?”
• “I’m your only cousin. Did you watch wrestling last night? Axel in that three-way ladder match was brutal.”
• “Always is. He is such a daredevil. I can’t wait until we get to see the show in person. Two more weeks! Dee really came through for us on this one. She’s the best.”
• Grey smiled. “She really is.”
• Echoes of a voice too shrill to ignore from the other end made Luna have to pull the phone away from her ear. The screaming in the background was so loud it made her ears ring.
• “Chill out, babe! I’m on the phone! Your purse is in the kitchen… I don’t know where your phone is… Geez.”
• “Dude. Why do you put up with her? April’s mean and treats you like crap.”
• “You two just don’t along.” Grey sighed in annoyance. As a lawyer, he was a force in the courtroom, but clueless when it came to women. The truth was April was not a good person, and he knew it, but let her walk all over him. “She’s not that bad.”
• “Yeah, right. Anyway, I got good news. I have been writing nonstop. My agent and publisher think this new book is going to be a huge hit. I’m just having a hard time making sense of some things.”
• “That’s awesome. I can’t wait to read it.” That was true on his part, but it was other matters he was more concerned about. When she was on a writing spree, that could mean good or bad things regarding her health. “Speaking of which, I hear the dreams are back. Dee called me. She’s worried about you and said that you’re having blackouts again.”
• “Umm… yeah. I’m just stressed,” she said, relaxing back in her chair. “I have deadlines to reach, ya know. I still have to write for several blogs and review other people’s books. It’s a lot. Maybe this book will be my big break, then I can relax and enjoy focusing on my writing.”
• “Lu, just be safe. I’m worried. You have no family back home anymore and Dee is busy with work. She can’t keep checking on you all the time.”
• “I know, Grey. I’m going to see the doctor again tomorrow. They think they might be able to figure out what’s going on.”
• She had said that so many times before that he wasn’t hopeful. Doctors never seemed to be able to figure it out. Her illness was so rare that he often wondered if she’d ever make it through.
• Pulled from his thoughts, he saw his girlfriend glaring at him from across the room. “Luna, I have to go. Let me know what the doctor says. Love ya, little cousin.”
• “Dude, I’m twenty-six. You’re only a year older than me.”
• “I’m still older.” He laughed and hung up.
• The leggy blonde woman with the pixie cut walked over with a sour expression, rubbing her short hair. “What was that? Are you her damn keeper now? Luna needs to grow up and take responsibility for herself.”
• “She’s sick, April. I’m the only family she has left. How would you feel if your whole family was gone, and you were alone and unsure of the severity of health conditions that can’t even be explained? Her blackouts are back, and she needs someone to check on her. If I could be there I would, but I have a big case coming up.”
• Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t believe he was always taking the bratty girl’s side. One thing was for sure, April didn’t give a damn about Luna’s illness or her pathetic life.
• “Who cares about how lonely and sad she is? She lives four hours away and you act like you are the only person who can help her. All she does is read and write those damn stories. It’s pathetic if you ask me. The last time we saw her, she just sat around writing or daydreaming. It’s weird.”
• “It’s not weird. It’s… creative.”
• “Oh please. It’s desperate. She writes romance novels because she can’t get a real man, and those fantasies are her way of getting off.” April snarled at him as she ran her hand over her short head of hair again. Remembering the night, she lost her beautiful long hair to Luna’s childish behavior, made her even angrier. “She’s a nut job.”
• “She writes other stuff, too. Her current story is supernatural. It’s really cool and I think you’d like it if you gave it a chance.”
• “Oh please. That’s exactly what I mean. She needs to use her talents for something useful. Like a reporter or a magazine editor, not silly fiction books. I’m sick of you funding her pie-in-the-sky dreams. You’re a lawyer. I thought you were smart enough to know not to invest in foolishness.”
• Grey grew angry listening to her rambling and stood nose-to-nose with his girlfriend. A rarity for him to even do so. “My money. My business. I gave her a loan for her first book to get a start, and since then, you’ve done nothing but complain. Luna writes for several websites to make money, and you know it. She makes a decent living even though she can’t have a regular job because of her blackouts. She has almost paid back all the loans I gave her with interest. Don’t question me or my family. If she’s happy and healthy, that’s all I care about. She can sit around daydreaming all day if it makes her happy. Don’t talk about my cousin that way ever again. Got it!”
• “Fine,” she scoffed. “Just consider talking to her about finding better means of employment. Hitting the big time with her lame stories is the biggest long shot ever.”
• “Maybe, but I don’t want to be the one to ruin her dreams. She lost her brother a year ago. Her parents before that. She needs something to help keep her grounded while she figures out her future and deals with her loss. I’m not going to push her.”
• “She’s a dreamer, Grey. Nothing comes of that. The sooner you figure that out the better.”