by LJ Evans
He pointed to the sheet music, and relief filled me. Glad he understood what was driving me. It must have shown on my face, because he started laughing. “Your mom and your aunt are going to bust something, though. You kids are conspiring to give them a whole host of new gray hairs.”
“Seems to me like everyone is just figuring out exactly where they belong,” I told him.
He nodded. “You’re right. And that’s all we truly want for each of you.”
He played a couple more stanzas, slapped me on the shoulder, and then headed back upstairs with a Cheshire-like grin on his face. He was going to spill the beans, and I was going to catch hell for not having told any of my family about the production deal. I didn’t care. He was the only one I’d hated to tell. The only one I’d thought would truly be hurt by the knowledge.
Grace hit me on the chest with her fist several times in a row, and I had to grab her fist on the fourth blow before she left me bruised and battered. “What the heck is that for?” I asked.
“You’re the biggest ass I know,” she stormed. “He didn’t even care.”
It had gone easier than I’d thought it would, the disappointment on his face turning to acceptance quicker than a California sunset.
“He cared!” I said. “Didn’t you see how long it took for him to catch up.”
“If you’d just told him all that to begin with, none of the—”
I kissed her before she could finish. I kissed her until she melted against me, grabbing my T-shirt and pulling me along the bench closer to her. I smiled and looked down into her face. “I couldn’t have said no when he was stranded in the middle of a tour without a pianist. It’s different now. He doesn’t have three stops a week already scheduled.”
She considered what I’d said, nodded, and then kissed me again. We’d both forgotten Cole completely in the middle of the entire discussion. He knocked on the top of the piano, and we slowly separated as he said, “Please don’t be making out in front of me. I might just lose my entire lunch, milkshake and all,” Cole said.
Grace and I ignored him, staring at each other.
“I love you, Gracie-Lou,” I said. “I promise I’m not going anywhere without you again.”
She rolled her eyes. “Keep calling me Gracie-Lou, and I’ll be the one leaving,”
The sparkle was still in her brilliant blue eyes as she spoke. I couldn’t wait to say it again when we were alone, and I could make her forget all about how she hated it. When I could say it in the middle of our lovemaking. When I could turn it from a nickname she didn’t understand to a nickname that was all about how much I loved her. How much we belonged together. Like the notes and the latticework that was the staff on my sheet music. One unable to happen without the other. The music that was us.
Cover Images: © Deposit Photos | pressmaster and iStock | Antonel
Ginny Waters and Cole Hensley
The most responsible of Mia and Derek’s children, Ginny has led a life of responsibility that hides her daring side. Always ready to be the one to step in, she also has dreams of running away. When Seth and PJ’s nephew from My Life as a Rock Album shows up with his cousin, Grace, Ginny sees a chance at something she’s never had before. Passion and kisses and adventure. Can Cole make it all come true?
Still confused? Check out the “My Life as an Album Series Who’s Who.”
Ginny
MR. RIGHT
“Don't you know that I'm so lonely this Christmas?“
Performed by Leona Lewis
Written by Howes / Purcell / Ashurst / Lewis / Stannard
The chaos of Eliza’s elopement had taken over the house. Mama was a bag of emotions, going from tears of joy, to tears of hurt, and back to tears of joy. Daddy was quieter than normal, watching Brett as he took care of Eliza. Watching to make sure he could fulfill his promise of taking care of my parents’ baby.
I watched the hubbub, helping out as I could. While Mama was throwing half her kitchen into moving boxes, I carried more of them into Eliza’s room, and Eliza joined me there.
“She’s not going to have anything left in the kitchen if she keeps giving everything to Brett and me,” Eliza said with a small frown.
“Where is Brett?” I asked.
“He left with Ty to get more boxes and packing tape,” she said as she pulled a bunch of clothes from her closet. It made me wonder what her room in our apartment in Knoxville looked like. She must have cleaned it out after I’d already left to come home. I was going to miss having her there with me. I’d be alone, and the thought made my heart tug.
“You trust Ty with him?” I teased.
Eliza froze. “You don’t think he’ll dunk him in the lake like they did Edie’s old boyfriend, do you?”
I shrugged. “You never know with Ty.”
“But you do know. You and Ty have that sixth-sense-twin thing going on.”
She was right and wrong. Even though we’d always been opposite ends of a candle, we’d still been able to read each other’s thoughts when we were younger. But as we’d grown up, the ties binding us had melted away, causing our twin-sense to fade, almost surprising us when it did raise its head on the rare occasion these days.
I was fighting a strange melancholy I was determined not to show. I wasn’t downright depressed, but a sadness had settled into my bones. Everyone was moving on. To something bigger and brighter. Dreams coming true. What did I have? Just another year and a half at UTK before I came home and went to work with Mama at the dealership. Nothing extreme. Nothing to cause the parents to freak out.
The majority of my list left uncrossed.
My phone buzzed. It was our group text.
EDIE: We need to meet at Grandma Marina’s house. ASAP.
ME: What’s up?
EDIE: The roof fell in on the Elks Lodge.
TY: *** laughing emoji ***
Edie had rented the Elks Lodge for the surprise party we were holding on New Year’s Eve for all the family turning fifty. The lodge had been available because there’d been no official Elks Club New Year’s Eve celebration since Mr. Langston had jumped off the roof―drunk―and almost died. He’d sued the Elks, they’d lost, and they’d stopped holding parties.
KHI: Oh no!
STEPHEN: Don’t be a dick, Ty.
ME: Do we have a Plan B?
EDIE: This is why we need to meet. We need to divide and conquer. See if anyone still has space available that will hold all of us.
ELIZA: I’m not sure Mama will let me escape the house without becoming suspicious.
TY: You’ll be lucky to get away on the first.
EDIE: Anyone know where Mayson is? Has he even surfaced from his time with Gracie-Lou?
ME: He’s here at our house. I’ll grab him on our way.
TY: I’ll drop Brett back home and then come over.
ELIZA: You didn’t do anything stupid with my husband, did you?
TY: Wouldn’t you like to know?
ELIZA: I kind of like him with all his body parts, thank you.
TY: I don’t need to know anything about you and him and his body parts.
ME: Ewww. Don’t be gross, Ty.
TY: We need to have a brother-sister, birds-and-bees discussion if you think it’s gross.
EDIE: Can we please FOCUS on the critical issue here. We have a hundred people showing up for a party and no place to hold it!!!!
STEPHEN: Don’t stress, Eds. We’ll find something.
EDIE: I’m leaving now. DO NOT MAKE ME WAIT, PEOPLE.
I folded the last couple dresses into the box I’d been packing before turning to look at the mess that was Eliza’s room.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it. We still have plenty of time, and Brett will help me when he gets back.”
“We can finish tonight.”
“Go, before Edie gets so stressed she shoots that baby out early,” Eliza said, pushing her dark
hair out of her face, and it hit me how grown-up she looked. Like she’d suddenly gone from my preteen sister to this much older version of herself.
More change I wasn’t prepared for.
I hugged her impulsively, tightly, surprising her. It took her a second, but then she hugged me back equally as hard before I left, heading down the stairs to the studio to look for Mayson. He’d been better about texting with all of us before he’d moved to Los Angeles. But after he’d left, he rarely replied to the group texts anymore. Gone in more than just his physical form.
I reached the bottom of the stairs just as Daddy started up. He was on the phone with his manager. He smiled at me and ruffled my hair as he went past. I heard him say something about Mayson’s replacement, and I turned to watch him take the stairs two at a time.
Mayson wasn’t staying with the band? This was news. More change our family probably couldn’t handle at the moment. We’d had enough big news for the week.
When I entered the studio, there was one more body than I’d expected there. Mayson and Grace were at the piano, his arms wrapped around her middle, but it was the tall, tall, tall man who stood next to them I didn’t recognize. You could tell from the look on Grace’s face she was harassing the giant. The few times I’d met Grace, she’d always been serious, almost moody, full of a don’t-mess-with-me vibe. Seeing her with a wide smile that lit up her blue eyes was a surprise.
“Hey,” I said, as I approached the piano. “I’ve been sent to fetch you.”
The man with them turned, and friendly eyes took me in. Happy. Welcoming. I felt like I should have known him, but I couldn’t remember ever having met someone so tall before. He was, like, basketball-player kind of tall. He’d dwarf even Ty, who was the largest of our entire crew.
“Hey, Ginny,” Grace said. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too.” I smiled back before turning to Mayson. “Did you not follow the group text at all?”
Mayson sighed a heavy sigh as if just the thought of the exchange was exhausting. “I was kind of busy having a talk with your dad.”
I nodded. “Why does Daddy need to replace you?”
“Mayson is making a movie with Cole and me. We got a deal with Dylan’s production company,” Grace said.
A movie! Holy smokes. My face broke into a smile that matched theirs.
“Wow! That’s incredible! Congratulations.”
Grace’s fingers found their way to Mayson’s, and he pulled their joined hands to his mouth to kiss the back of hers. I wasn’t quite ready to puke from all the love flowing through everyone this week, but I was close. Love and jobs and dreams. My stomach flipped. I was being left behind in more ways than one. I didn’t let my feelings show. Instead, I just kept my smile, forcing it to stay in place.
Mayson and Grace untangled their limbs and rose from the piano. I hugged Mayson and then her. I stuck my hand out to the tall man who must have been Cole.
“I’m Ginny,” I said.
“Cole.” He shook my hand and heat shot through me, causing me to pull my hand back quickly, and I masked my surprise by turning back to my cousin.
“Why have you been sent to fetch me?” Mayson asked, returning to my initial comments.
“Roof caved in on the Elks Lodge. Now we have to find a Plan B location for the party.”
“Shit! Edie must be going nuts.”
“Hence the need to come get you. We’re all meeting up at Grandma’s house.”
“Hence?” Mayson laughed.
“Don’t start.”
“Have you been reading Jane Austen again?” he teased, as we all started up the stairs. I felt eyes on me, and I had to resist the urge to look over my shoulder as well as the urge to check my panty line.
“No,” I replied, flicking the back of his shoulder.
“Georgette Heyer, then?”
I was surprised Mayson remembered the books from my high school years. I’d devoured practically every historical romance novel that existed.
“I haven’t been reading at all. Who has time with everyone dropping mics every time I turn around?”
We grabbed our coats from the mudroom and headed out the back door.
“You riding with us?” Mayson asked.
“That okay?”
“It is if you feel like risking your life,” Cole said, looking down at me with a wink.
I didn’t know how to respond to those twinkling eyes that were such a soft shade of green you almost expected to see chocolate flakes in them, like my favorite ice cream: mint chocolate chip.
Grace punched Cole in the shoulder with so much force he actually took a step backward.
“I don’t put anyone’s life at risk,” she huffed and then unlocked the doors on a tiny black rental car.
“That hurt,” Cole said, rubbing his shoulder.
“Wuss,” Grace muttered.
I got into the back seat, used to being in the rear of cars with my short legs. There was always room for me. When Cole joined me, I couldn’t help a small smile at the vision he made with his legs bent back almost onto his chest.
Cole saw my smirk and matched it with a lazy grin that hit me in my gut. “You’re laughing at me being crammed in here, right? You should be applauding, because I’m sacrificing myself for true love.”
“Twhooo love,” Grace hollered from the front. “My name is Inigo Montoya. You’ve killed my father. Prepare to die.”
And Cole hollered out over her, “Inconceivable! As you wish, Princess Buttercup!” And when Grace finished her lines ahead of him, he added on, “Damn!”
Grace was snickering. “You owe me a drink.”
“You’re not going to like it!”
“Don’t make me angry―” Grace started, and he hollered over her, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
“You’re giving Ginny the completely wrong idea about the two of you. She’s going to think you’re missing some brain cells,” Mayson said.
“But you still love us,” Grace responded.
“You. I love you. Him”—Mayson flung a thumb toward Cole—“I could take or leave.”
“I’m taking all my great screenplays to a new production company,” Cole said.
“Those are half mine, so good luck,” Grace added.
Cole turned to me. “What’s it like growing up with a twin brother? Is it anything like growing up with a cousin who is a year and a half younger than you but likes to call all the shots?”
I smiled at him. It was hard not to. As he spoke, all the pieces fell into place, and I realized who he was. “You’re Mayson’s roommate?”
He nodded.
“Took me a minute to put it all together, sorry,” I said.
“Why on earth would you be sorry?”
“I just… I should have recognized you.”
His turn to frown. “Have we met and I was in a catatonic state or something? Because I’m sure I would have remembered you.”
“Your charm is wasted on Ginny,” Mayson said. “She will not be reeled in that easily.”
Cole brushed a hand through his hair as if he were embarrassed. I was embarrassed, too, because I was ninety-nine percent sure Cole had just been making conversation and not flirting.
“Ignore the oldest jerk-alert in the front seat,” I said, trying to ease both our embarrassment. “I just meant I’m sure I’ve seen pictures of you or something that I should have remembered.”
“I’m not the oldest. Edie is,” Mayson threw back.
“Why don’t you just have a conversation with your lady love and leave the lady in the back seat to me,” Cole said.
“Okay, but I’m telling you, you aren’t going to make any progress with Ginny. She’s not a flutternutter.”
“Jerk,” Cole said, but he turned the full force of his gaze back to me.
It made me nervous. It made me want to tuck my hair behind my ear, straighten my blouse, and swipe my lips with
lip gloss. None of which was my normal response to men. My normal response was…well…indifference.
My reaction to him and the way the three of them interacted—a rapid-fire exchange—was throwing me for a loop. The bond between them was strong and visible. It hit me with force. Mayson had found a home with people who understood him better than anyone here had. Better than the football-loving, contract-making people in our family. Sure, he’d shared Daddy’s musical genius, but he’d never shown an interest in Watery Reflection until he’d toured with them these last few months. I’d honestly been surprised when he’d agreed to take over for Mitch at all.
The melancholy hit me again. Everyone really was finding their place. Their home. I’d always thought mine was here, but as all my cousins and siblings found new paths, the thought of returning here when I graduated kind of felt like going backward instead of forward. The thought of all the items on my list that hadn’t been accomplished made my stomach lurch in a strange way.
“Hey, you okay?” Cole’s voice dropped a notch, whispering.
I turned and gave him my very best fake smile and nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I was okay. I didn’t know if I could handle being the one lost instead of the one guiding the way.
Cole
SHAKE UP CHRISTMAS
“And let me meet a girl one day,
That wants to spread some love this way.
We can let our souls run free,
And she can open some happiness with me.”
Performed by Train
Written by Walker / Monahan
There was this gorgeous brunette in the back seat of Grace’s rental with me, and all I could think about was how she smelled of maple and brown sugar, and how it felt like the holidays just sitting with her. Like the very best anticipation and cheer rolled into one.