Falling In Hard: Book Four in The Bridgeport Lake Summer Series

by Danielle Arie

  He nodded. “Not sure what your angle is there. Mind clarifying that one?”

  I drew a deep breath, paddling a little harder. “She doesn’t mess around. She means what she says, and you can’t miss it.”

  He chuckled. “Brave man.”

  “And her faith.”

  “What about it?”

  I stopped rowing, scratching the back of my neck. What was it about Lea’s faith? Up until this summer, she’d been fearless in it. I could remember a homeless man at one of our baseball games. He’d pretended to just be out at the field watching, but she saw right through him. She’d snuck him a soup cup and coffee when she thought no one was looking. “She’s so genuine in it. Doesn’t let anything shake her.” This week might be a different story, but I’d let her be the one to tell him that.

  “You didn’t get much of a recommendation from Nolan. Mind telling me why?”

  I sighed. I’d never really talked about this stuff, except with Lea, and as little as possible with Nolan back in high school. I hated reliving the worst times in my life, and all of them revolved around Dad. But if there was ever a time to be honest, it had to be when I was trying to convince Lea’s family I could protect her from him. And as long as he was in jail until I joined the military, I was positive I could. “This wasn’t the first time my dad’s made a scene before.”

  “No?”

  “Nolan was there the day he slit my tires during baseball practice.”

  “Why’d he do that?”

  “He told my mom I was shirking my responsibilities on the ranch by playing ball.”

  “Were you?”

  “I took care of everything he wanted done every single day of my life, no matter how impossible it was.” Rage rumbled in my gut. I cleared my throat to get rid of it. “It was never enough.”

  Garrett fell silent, resting his oar across his lap as the boat rocked and bobbed with the current. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Cory.”

  I shrugged. “Just the way it was.” I drew a deep breath. Released it.

  “Nolan mentioned your dad when he was talking to Connie this morning. He doesn’t like the idea of Lea being around him. Especially not after what happened.”

  “Understandable. I don’t like the idea of her being anywhere near him, either.” It made me sick to think about it.

  “How will you keep him away?”

  I ducked my head. Swallowed. “If I’m right about his jail time, he should be in there for at least a year, hopefully more. He won’t be able to find me once I’m in the Navy.”

  Garrett nodded. “What about your faith? You say you admire Lea’s, but how close are you to the Lord?”

  Dang it. I wasn’t ready for this one. “I’d never tell you I’m perfect, sir. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. And I know she deserves way better than where I’m at right now. But . . . I know God’s real, and I believe He’s brought us both up here for a reason. And I know that . . . as long as we follow His plan for our lives, everything else will be all right.”

  Garrett nodded again, studying the oar, tracing the knot in it with his finger. “She’s young, and honestly a little reckless, but I can tell she cares about you. And you’re right. She doesn’t mess around. Truth is, I don’t really know you, and I promised Nolan I’d watch out for her while he was gone. But from what I can tell, you’re honest and kindhearted. And if you’re sure your dad’s not a threat, then I think you guys might be all right, as long as you take things nice and slow.”

  I nodded.

  He squared his shoulders and stared straight into my eyes. “You realize she’s about to win this competition, right?”

  A grin formed on my lips. “No doubt in my mind.”

  “Means she’ll be moving to LA. And you’ll be in the Navy. The odds aren’t so great there.”

  What was I supposed to say to that? That he was wrong? That we’d be fine? That it was the perfect setup to build toward a future? “I’m not gonna let her quit her dream, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “Actually, I am worried about that. Young love can be blinding. And once your soul’s decided on it, it’s almost impossible to undo. What if she can’t handle being apart from you for so long?”

  What if she couldn’t? What if I couldn’t? I rubbed at a patch of mud caked on my waders. “Honestly, I’m not sure, sir.”

  “Garrett.”

  “Sorry.”

  He chuckled. “Would you be willing to give it all up for her if you had to?”

  My chest tightened. Joining the Navy had been my ultimate dream since I was six, when Mom took me up to San Francisco for the day, and I’d watched Uncle Dave’s ship roll in for the first time. Climbing the ranks would mean a solid future, and a way to take care of Lea, if we made it that far. And honestly, becoming a Navy SEAL would be my wildest dream come true, if I could make it into the program. But maybe there was another way, a dream I hadn’t thought of before. If it meant having Lea in my life, or losing her, there would be another way. And if it meant the difference between her dreams and mine, forget the Navy. “Yes, sir. I would.”

  He grinned and stuck his hand out. “I think you just earned my stamp of approval, Cory. Just make sure she does her best up here, all right? She’s worked way too hard for way too long for this.”

  “Understood.”

  “Don’t worry about Connie, or Nolan either. I’ll make sure they’re on your side. Nolan’s had it rough lately. He’s kind of on edge.”

  “No kidding.”

  He cleared his throat and studied the lake beside us. “Now. What’s all this I hear about a two-foot bass lurking in these waters?”

  A smile broke loose across my face, and a weight I didn’t realize I’d been carrying was gone. “Let’s see if I can find him for you.”

  LEA

  Kyle kept touching my arm during the rehearsal, and Mom practically swooned in her chapel seat . . . Every. Stinkin’. Time. Since our first duet at the third-grade Easter performance, she’d had her heart set on this guy for me. Just thinking about it made me nauseous.

  We finished up our duet practice, and Cory came through the double doors, Garrett laughing and chumming it up with him the whole way to the row Mom was sitting in.

  Cory smiled at something Garrett said, and something warm pricked in my heart. Not that Garrett’s approval meant anything, but it could be a step closer to being able to stand being in the same room as him for longer than twenty minutes. Which I was going to have to start doing pretty soon.

  Kyle turned to say something to the drummer, and Genevieve came to talk to me. “It’s sounding so good, Lea. I was wondering if you might have a few minutes to talk after you’re done with your solo practice?”

  “Sure.”

  She smiled. “Nothing bad. Just, a new angle’s popped up.”

  I swallowed, nodding. Nothing bad. I should probably cling to those two words, but it was a little hard when something bad had been lurking around every turn I’d taken over the past week. At least, until today. I smiled. “Okay. Yeah. Where do you want to meet?”

  “What about the cafe’?”

  I nodded.

  She grinned, and Philly came to talk to her about stage logistics for the performance tomorrow night.

  Mom and Garrett walked toward me hand-in-hand, Mom setting her free palm over her heart. “Lea, that was phenomenal.”

  “I’m about to do my solo if you want to stick around.”

  She smiled. “Of course, we will.”

  “It’ll just be a few.”

  She led Garrett back to the seating.

  I flipped through my music and stopped at my own song. I’d been practicing it every chance I’d had over the past few days. Performing an original wasn’t a new thing for me. I’d performed a lot of originals at my church’s youth group over the past couple of years, and Dad was big on booking me at random coffee shops when he’d felt good enough to “get on the horn,” as he used to say.

  I trailed my finge
r across the words to the song, remembering the last lucid conversation I had with Dad. When he’d told me the only thing that meant anything in life was my walk with Jesus. That no matter what I faced, He’d always be there, and He’d always lead me where I was supposed to go. I don’t know what it was about the past month that had me doubting all of that so hard, but he’d believed it with all his heart. I wanted to believe it, too, but how was I supposed to fix things between me and Jesus when I was in the middle of a rebelling-against-everything-I’d-ever-stood-for saga?

  I sighed.

  Maybe I just needed to try talking to Him again . . . But why did that idea hurt so much?

  “You all right?” Cory’s voice broke through my thoughts.

  “Yeah.” I swallowed, blinking back the tears in my eyes before I turned to the band. “Can we take five?” They all nodded, and I sat at the edge of the stage, Cory leaning against it beside me. I cleared my throat. “Looks like you guys had a semi-decent time out there?”

  He nodded.

  “Catch a lot?”

  “A few.”

  I turned to make sure no one was listening in, but they were all heading off-stage. “Is everything still good with us?” I whispered.

  He leaned his shoulder against my leg, nodding. “Better than good.”

  “Better than good?”

  His mouth curled into a grin.

  I wanted to hop down and jump into his arms, but a) I had to rehearse my song in two minutes, b) my mom and Garrett were talking all hush-hush and staring at us, and c) we still had to work out the deets of our whole staffer-camper situation. “Want to hang later?”

  “Meet me at the old bridge at nine.”

  “It’s a date.”

  “Yup.” He nudged my knee with his elbow, and I ducked my head, practically gushing over this guy. I never pictured myself as a gusher, but I guess if you paired me up with Cory, I was just as much of a head-in-the-clouds kind of girl as all the popular girls were in high school. I used to make so much fun of them.

  He headed toward the door, and I wanted to ditch out on rehearsal and leave with him, but exhibits A and B were still a problem.

  “Ready to roll, Lea?” Philly asked, grabbing his water off the edge of the stage. He took a swig, set it down, and reached for his guitar. I got up and grabbed my guitar.

  However bad life was before I came up here, things were starting to turn out a little better. Maybe way better. The music started up, and I started in on my strum. Mom and Garrett stood in the auditorium, Mom tearing up when I leaned into the mic and hummed along with the instrumental as the lights dimmed.

  Genevieve smiled at me from the front of the cafe’s line after rehearsal. “What can I get you?”

  “A mocha freeze with extra whip and chocolate driz, please.”

  She blinked a few times and glanced at the modelesque barista, who looked like she’d just stepped off a runway somewhere with her half-up, spiked dark bun, choker collar, and celebrity-status makeup job. I glanced at her nametag, trying to remember conversations with Nolan, but he’d never mentioned anyone up here named Lauren.

  “Did you catch that?” Genevieve asked.

  Runway girl plastered on a grin. “Anything else?”

  “No, thanks,” I said.

  Genevieve paid for our drinks and led the way to one of the tables in the corner. I pulled my chair out and checked the clock on the wall—8:38.

  Whatever she had to say, I hope it didn’t take longer than ten minutes, because I had somewhere to be and it was a ten-minute walk from here.

  “Tell me how you’re feeling about the duet?” Genevieve asked, as she took the seat across from mine and draped her purse across the back of her chair.

  “Honestly?”

  “Honestly.” She narrowed her eyes and propped her chin on her folded hands, studying me.

  I shrugged. “It’s going better than I thought it would, but Kyle’s kind of been like . . . I don’t know, my arch nemesis since elementary school.”

  “You guys sound phenomenal together.”

  I sighed, tracing the lines of my palm. “We always have.”

  The barista called our drinks out, and I followed Genevieve to go grab them. “Well, Lea, I have to say, I absolutely love your vibe solo. It’s fresh and well-versed. I could see you going the country route, I could see you doing great in pop, too, and you could totally go the rock route if you wanted. You kind of have it all going for you, girl. I can honestly see you becoming the next big name in the Christian charts. Things are getting creative in our world, you know? And you fit so well.”

  I couldn’t help my smile. This wasn’t just my mom, or dad, or some random talent show judge telling me this. She was an industry professional. And she thought I could be the next big name? “Thanks. I guess I knew I had something different, but that’s seriously probably the best thing I could have ever heard.”

  Genevieve winked, and we returned to our table. “You deserve to hear it.” She set her drink down, squared her shoulders and cleared her throat. “That said, I have to add in that I’ve been a little surprised at how much I’ve loved your duet with Kyle. You guys are powerhouses alone, don’t get me wrong. Each of you could make it in the industry, no problem, but together?” Her cheeks bulged as she blew out a deep breath and shook her head. “You guys could be big, on a global level.”

  Wait. What?

  I frowned. “I guess I don’t really get what you’re saying?”

  “I’m saying I want to offer you a different type of deal. I talked to the guys at the label, sent them some sound bites of your duet, and they’re really digging it, Lea. They want to sign you guys together.”

  Every fiber of excitement that was just racing through my body fizzled to nothing in two seconds flat. “What?” It came out so quiet, I wasn’t even sure if she’d heard me.

  “I know you don’t really get along that great with Kyle, but you’re both believers, and you come from solid musical backgrounds, and together, you have that . . . oomph we’ve been looking for, for a really long time.”

  My throat was tightening, my stomach turning, making me worse than nauseous. “I mean, I get that we’re good together, but I was really in this for a solo career.”

  Genevieve sucked a breath through her teeth. “I know you were. And I honestly thought I was going to announce your name Saturday night. But the guys are pushing me hard for this. Point-blank, it’s the two of you together, or it’s most likely going to be him, Lea.”

  The sound in the room went dull. I frowned. “You mean he’ll win?”

  She winced. “You’re my personal favorite, but we only have space for one contract right now, and they’re worried about your commitment level. I tried convincing them, but your disappearance after our interview Monday really left a sour taste in their mouths. Then you were late to your photo shoot. They’ve seen too many artists break under the pressure.”

  I swallowed the bitterness climbing the back of my throat and checked the clock again—8:52. “Can I have some time to think about it?”

  She nodded. “I haven’t mentioned it to Kyle yet, in case you didn’t like it, but I’d like your answer before the performance tomorrow night.”

  I blinked back the tears forming in my eyes and stood. “Yeah. I’ll let you know.”

  “Have a good night.”

  I couldn’t make myself say it back. I attempted the lamest smile in the history of mankind, snatched my coffee off the table, heart pounding and vision blurring, and practically stumbled my way to the lake trail.

  Fourteen

  CORY

  My watch read 9:12. I blew another deep breath, replaying my conversation with Garrett. It wasn’t a grand slam, but as far as the freedom I felt about pursuing something with Lea now, versus how I’d felt earlier today? I’d say I knocked it out of the park. I didn’t know what it was about that girl—I didn’t like spilling my guts to anyone, but I couldn’t wait to tell her the news about Garrett. That we were fr
ee to be us after this week. That I wanted to try for something solid with her, that I could see a future beyond that, after I found some stability in the military, after she figured out her career. We had all the time in the world to figure this out, and I couldn’t wait to ask her officially.

  Footsteps crunched behind me.

  I couldn’t help my smile. “Took long enough, superstar. Guess I’ll have to have my people call your people next time.”

  The footsteps stopped, and a cold breeze swept through the tree limbs, rustling them together, causing them to groan.

  Someone sniffled loudly.

  Goosebumps covered my skin, and I turned to find Lea hunched forward and sobbing into her hands. I was at her side in two seconds. “What’s wrong?”

  She wouldn’t answer. Just kept sobbing and moaning, like she did the day she found out her dad finally lost his battle with cancer. When I’d found her sitting on the curb outside their house after my mom sent me over with a lasagna for them. I couldn’t help pulling her into my arms back then. I’d wanted to tell her it was all gonna be okay, but how do you say anything to someone who just lost a dad like hers?

  I drew her into my arms now, pressing my lips to her hair and holding her as close as humanly possible. The breeze kicked up again, and I glanced around to make sure we were still alone. We’d gotten the go-ahead from Garrett, but that didn’t mean I was free to date a camper. We’d have to wait until next week. Just a few more days. Our timeline wasn’t the end of the world, but whatever had Lea so broken might be. Was she coming to tell me she didn’t want this anymore?

  “Genevieve . . .” Her voice squeaked, and her shoulders shook worse.

  I frowned. “What?”

  “She . . .” Lea buried her face into my chest and balled my t-shirt up in her fists. “She said the contract’s changing.”

  Hard to tell what that meant in a world I didn’t understand in the smallest capacity. Did it mean less money? Would that really get this kind of a rise out of her, though? “Explain.”

  She sniffed, drawing a deep breath, blowing it out slowly as she pinched the bridge of her nose and lifted her eyes to the starlit sky. “I have to sign on as a duo with Kyle, or they’ll name him the competition winner, solo.”