Friendship, Texas Series: Volume 1

by Magan Vernon

  We didn’t talk too much when I was home; actually, we didn’t talk too much ever really. Dad was always working, and I spent most of my time with my music.

  Even though I always saw my dad working, he always made time for my mom. They’d been together since college. She convinced the exchange student from Lebanon to move to Texas and run the ranch, which had to be true love right there. They’d been together over thirty years, and I never saw them go to bed angry or not kiss each other good morning. With two good role models for love in my life, I should have been better with it. Now was time to change that and to spend more time with them.

  Dad cleared his throat. “Your mom already made dinner, but she set a plate of chicken fried steak aside. It’s in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

  “Actually, I kind of already made plans. If it’s okay that I borrow your truck? I promise I’ll get one of my cars shipped out here,” I asked as we pulled into the long driveway of the ranch.

  Dad laughed. “Yeah, son, I should have known you’d take the first chance you could get to be out with your friends.”

  I winced. All this time I’d thought of myself and what I was going to do as soon as I saw Brooke, but I didn’t think about my parents or anyone else the past ten years.

  “Hey, Dad?” I called as Dad walked toward the front porch.

  “Yeah, son?”

  I sauntered toward him. “You know, if Mom happened to have any pecan pie in the fridge, I wouldn’t mind dessert before dinner. Care to have some with me?”

  Dad smiled, putting his arm around my shoulder. “You know I can never turn down pecan pie. We’ll just tell your mom that Gramps ate it.”

  ***

  After sitting with my dad and talking about everything from music to the Texas Rangers, we’d gone through half the pie. I could have just gone to bed right then and there, but I had a mission. And the first stop of that mission took me to Conti’s restaurant.

  It might have pissed Brooke off even more, but since she had the bad reaction to the cupcake and coffee, I decided to pick up her favorite tiramisu from Conti’s. I also thought it wouldn’t be bad to pay a visit to Lia Conti.

  Lia was behind the front counter, her eyes glued to it, which I guessed was either a phone or something very interesting ingrained in the wood.

  “Hey, carryout for Justice,” I said, making sure my boots tapped a little louder on the wood floor. I didn’t want the girl to get caught with her phone. Mr. Conti was a stickler whenever Brooke would have hers out, and I think half of her reprimands were because of me.

  She barely looked up from the podium. “Okay. I’ll go and get that for you.”

  I might have been there with my own girl problems, but if Jay could help me out, then I had to help him as well. Lia went to turn, but I put my hand out, placing it on hers. She barely looked at me. The girl with the bright smile and dark eyes, hidden behind some large black-framed glasses. “Hey. I thought I knew you from somewhere. You came and watched us play. Jay made me learn that punk rock song to play for his girlfriend. He’s crazy about you. More than the pool, I think,” I said, laying on the drawl like I did when I was trying to charm news reporters.

  Smirking, she turned and grabbed a ticket from the counter behind her. “Well, I guess not that crazy since I’m pretty sure we’re over.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s too bad. Y’all seemed like you really liked each other, or at least that’s what I’d heard around. The local church ladies like to talk, you know.” I grinned, flashing the dimples and hoping maybe she’d say something, anything to give a hint of her relationship with Jay. If the guy was willing to do everything to win her back, when he had tons of pool groupies, I knew she was something to him.

  “Yeah. They do,” she muttered.

  “I met Jay through his now brother-in-law. He’s always been a good guy, and when I heard he was in Friendship, I had to message him,” I said, trying to keep the conversation going.

  She didn’t say anything in return. She just kind of stared at the counter then turned away.

  “Lia?” I asked, raising my voice a bit to get her attention.

  “Yeah?” she replied, slowly turning toward me again.

  I raked my fingers through my hair. I hadn’t talked as much to Jay throughout the last few months I’d been in Friendship as I wanted to, but I felt a kinship. A bond. Something I saw in myself. We both didn’t want to lose our Texas girls. “Don’t give up on Jay, okay? The Internet and rumors aren’t always right, and maybe he feels as broken up about it as you are. Will you at least give the guy a chance to explain? For me?”

  “If you can find a way to work my name into a new song,” she said.

  The grin spread across my face. It might not have been the exact answer I was looking for, but it was something, and it gave me some hope for my relationship with Brooke. “Deal.”

  ***

  Wednesday night was bunco night at the First Baptist Church. Brooke had been going with her mom, so I expected, if she was in front of a bunch of the church ladies, there was no way she could turn my offer down.

  The church hall was filled with just about every woman above thirty-five from the church, drinking from plastic cups and rolling dice at their different tables. Since I didn’t see Brooke with a small scan, I figured I could just turn around and walk out. Or even head to the basement and ask Noah or Joey, if they were down there, if they’d seen her.

  But of course, I couldn’t be that lucky.

  Mrs. Noble, the town librarian, with her new purple streak in the light brown and white hair stood up, pushing her glasses on top of her head. “Eddie Jahid, you know there are no boys allowed at bunco!”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, I was just ...” I scanned the room again, searching for any sign of Brooke hiding under a table or something.

  An older lady, who I think was named Dorothy, stood up and put her arm on mine. “Beth, there’s no need to be rude! Do you want a cupcake, Eddie? Maybe a glass of wine before you go?”

  “Dorothy! Leave the poor boy alone! He doesn’t want to be mauled by us old ladies,” another woman said, swatting Dorothy on the back of her sweater before downing the rest of her wine.

  Dorothy put one hand on her hip and looped her other arm through mine. “Maybe he prefers older women. Maybe Brookey wasn’t enough for him with her smutty author ways, and he wants someone with more experience.” Dorothy wiggled her eyebrows and bumped me with her hip.

  “No offense, Eryn,” Dorothy yelled across the room at Brooke’s mom who was mid-drink.

  More of the church ladies stood up from their table and circled Dorothy and me, all speaking at once so I wasn’t sure who to pay attention to. Some were yelling at Dorothy, and others were trying to talk to me. One even shoved a cupcake in one of my hands and a full glass of wine in the other.

  I just wanted to get out of there and searched for the most polite way to escape, but I didn’t have to because a bell rang throughout the room and everyone turned to see Brooke’s mom standing at the head table with a big cow bell in her hand. “Ladies! It’s a school night, and we need to get back to it.”

  Brooke’s mom walked toward me and set the cowbell down. “Brooke’s not here tonight, Eddie. She’s watching Violet at her and Clay’s place. I can’t promise that she’ll answer the door for you, but that’s where she is.”

  Dorothy slowly unwrapped her arm from mine, and the rest of the women slowly backed away.

  I nodded at Brooke’s mom. “Thanks, ma’am.”

  Before I could turn away, Brooke’s mom grabbed my arm. “And Eddie? If you’re gonna start something with her, make sure you finish it. A girl’s heart can only break so many times.”

  I offered her a small smile. Not the dimpled one I used when I wanted something, but a genuine one to the lady who had been my neighbor all my life. “I will, Mrs. Carrington. Thank you.”

  Chapter 24

  Brooke’s car was in the driveway of the little brick house, so at least that wa
s a good sign. But Clay’s menacing truck with the large ARMY sticker on the back was also there.

  I didn’t want to have another confrontation with Brooke’s brother, but at least, this time, I knew what I was going to say. I wasn’t going to leave until I got to talk to her, even if I ended up camping out on the front porch.

  The gravel driveway crunched under my boots as I slowly made my way to the front porch. I’d performed in front of thousands of people in sold-out stadiums all over the world, yet I found myself shaking to face one girl. One girl who could make or break my future.

  Sucking in a deep breath, I finally made it to the little front porch and rang the doorbell. There was no turning back now.

  I expected Clay to open the door with his shotgun, or for them to wait and ignore me until I left. Instead, the front door opened, and I was staring at a wide-eyed Brooke. I’d missed her. Damn, did I miss her. I thought I missed her the past ten years, but the last month had been even more torture.

  At that moment, I saw every part of her. The little girl with the big green eyes who used to catch tadpoles with me, to the teenage girl with her black-framed glasses and long brown hair that always felt so silky soft whenever it would brush against my arm. For years, I’d been trying to hide and even make my feelings disappear, but now it was time to give up on hiding.

  “Hey,” I said because I wasn’t sure how else to start the conversation.

  She folded her arms across her chest. She was wearing a large Baylor hoodie, and it swallowed her. Instead of looking stern with her brow furrowed, she just looked even more adorable. “I guess you got my email. Here to reprimand me about the book? It’s not published, you know. It may never be, but I had to get that all written. If not for anyone else, then for me.”

  I couldn’t think of the right words to reply with. Okay or I got the email didn’t seem like the right things, so instead, I rubbed the back of my neck. “Can you go for a quick ride with me?”

  Brooke raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  “I just ... I need to show you something.”

  “If this is a ride to the backroads so you can whip out Little Eddie and make me forget everything with sex in the back of your dad’s truck, I’m not in the mood,” Brooke grumbled.

  I laughed, shaking my head. “I promise you that Little Eddie or backroads won’t be making an appearance. Just come with me, please?”

  Brooke looked from me to the door and then finally behind her. “Hey, Clay, I’m heading out for a little bit. I’ll be back soon if you can watch Vi.”

  The recliner squeaked, and slowly, Clay approached the door, looking even more menacing with his Mohawk spiked and dyed a bright red. “You sure you’re okay with this, B? I can make him go away.”

  Brooke put her hand on her brother’s arm, and the big guy seemed to visibly soften. “If I’m not back in half an hour, call my phone. If it’s an hour, you can do a search party with your new shotgun.”

  Clay nodded then locked his narrowed gaze on me.

  I looked down at Brooke instead of meeting the death stare and put my hand out. “You ready?”

  Brooke just looked at my hand and nodded.

  We walked step in step to the truck, and I opened the passenger door for her. She looked at the bag on the seat. “Did you seriously bring Conti’s?”

  I waited until she was sitting down and looking through the bag before I went around to the driver’s side and got in. “You told me that cupcakes didn’t impress you, so I thought I’d try tiramisu.”

  “Ha-ha, the great Eddie Justice is a funny guy.”

  I backed out of her driveway and gripped my hands on the steering wheel. “Yeah, he can also be a real asshole.”

  I caught Brooke out of the corner of my eye blinking. “What? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that about anyone. Not even yourself, even though it may be a bit accurate.”

  I sighed, taking a chance and putting my hand on Brooke’s knee. I thought she’d move it or at least flinch; instead, she put her hand on mine.

  “Brooke, all my life I’ve always thought about myself and what was next for me. My goal was to always get out of Friendship and make it big in music. I succeeded in that part, but it took us fighting and my own stupidness to realize that all these years I’d been ignoring the best part of my life—you.”

  Brooke squeezed my hand. “Did you just come up with that or is it from your next song?”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “No, that was all from my heart, though that would make a great song.”

  “I want credit for it then.”

  I ran my thumb along the bridge of her knuckles. “If you put me in your dedication to Rumor Has It.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know if I’m going to publish it. I kind of just wrote that for me. Well, for us. To get everything out there. I’m not sure I’m cut out for this writing and publishing thing.”

  I raised an eyebrow, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. “Why would you say that? Rumor Has It is great, and you love writing.”

  “I do like writing. I mean at least I thought I did. It’s the publishing thing that stresses me out. Now that I have to worry about rent and, you know, actually living, it really puts a damper on things. I keep thinking I have to just churn these books out and then pay for ads, marketing, covers, and editing. Sometimes, it pays off, but a lot of times, I don’t see a return for months and have to wonder how in the hell I’m going to eat or pay the water bill.”

  I stared out the window, watching the vast array of stars dot the Southern sky. “You know, that’s how I felt with music. I couldn’t just be satisfied with playing or writing a song anymore. When I got the record deal, I was thrilled to be able to make money for something I loved, but then I got greedy. Instead of being happy with that, I kept trying for the next big thing. All of my focus was on making money and records instead of actually just loving the music. I started to hate going to the studio. It wasn’t until I came back here that I was finally inspired again. I found my love of music and got back the love of my life.”

  Brooke chewed on her bottom lip. “I do love you, Eddie. I always have. I’m just afraid of the future. You’re this big sex symbol country star. What am I supposed to do while you’re gone for months at a time? What about rumors and interviews on TV? Do I just ignore it and be okay with being the sidepiece? Just because I love you doesn’t mean that stuff isn’t going to sting.”

  I turned right on FM 6 and headed back toward Friendship and Brooke’s house. “I know all of that, and I can’t promise things are going to be easy. I don’t think they ever have for us. But I can promise you that I’m going to try. I’m going to keep trying. I’m not going to give up and just run away.”

  “But how do I know that? You just did that again when you went off to LA or wherever else, and you have this tour ...”

  Brooke looked out the window as I pulled up and parked in front of the lot next to her house. “Why are we stopping here?”

  I didn’t respond. I just got out of the truck and circled to the passenger side, opening Brooke’s door. I grabbed the bag from Conti’s with one hand and helped her out with the other. “Walk with me and I’ll explain.”

  “Okay?” She raised an eyebrow.

  I took her hand and led her to a small gate near the side of the property, letting her through before I followed. “I knew that chocolate wasn’t going to cut it for you. That I had to show you I was always going to come back. When I was at my place in LA and my house in Nashville, I realized how much they didn’t feel like home. That Friendship, Texas, was home. Not just Friendship, but you, Brooke Carrington. You’re my home. I fell in love with the girl next door years ago, and now, I want to keep it that way. So I bought this property. I’m going to build a house on it, and it’s where I’ll be between tours and recordings. I’ll be back to being your boy next door.”

  Brooke stared wide-eyed and then looked behind her at Clay’s little house before turning back to me. “Are you serious
right now?”

  I smiled. “I am.”

  Brooke looked around the large property. There were a few cows milling about an acre or two behind us, and the grass was overgrown. I’d already talked to a builder about clearing the property and starting construction that next day. It didn’t take much convincing for the property owner to take my cash offer over the phone, and he was just happy a kid from Texas wanted to take it off his hands.

  “But what if we fight? What if this doesn’t work?” Brooke asked.

  I put my arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Then we go back to our own houses until I come to your window with a plate of chocolate or my guitar and sing you a song about all the things I’ve messed up on.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I’m serious.”

  I set down the bag of food and put my fingers under her chin, tipping it up so her eyes met mine. “And so am I. You’ve been the girl next door all of my life, and I wanted to keep it that way. We’ve fought, we’ve made up, and we’ve done it all over again. If I have to keep trying to win you for the rest of my life, I’d be okay with that. As long as I have you, I’m okay with whatever rumor the media or the church ladies come up with. Let’s just agree to talk to each other about things instead of letting those rumors get to us?”

  Brooke finally smiled, putting her arms around my neck. “Well, those church ladies are pretty convincing with their rumors. Like the one about Eddie Justice going public with his relationship with that smut author BB Carr.”

  “I think that’s a rumor I’d believe.”

  I did what words could no longer say and finally kissed her, pouring everything into the melding of our mouths.

  All my life, I’d been fighting for something greater than Friendship, Texas, and I’d forgotten that the best things in life were right in front of me. Now that I had Brooke back, I was going to make sure that I never forgot that. Rumors and church ladies be damned.

  Epilogue