by Abbi Glines
Chet pointed it in my direction. “Beautiful here went grocery shopping. We have legit food in the kitchen.”
My eyes met Creed’s as he shifted his attention to me. “You’re leaving tomorrow,” he stated. I assumed he was pointing that out because I’d bought food.
“We get to keep her a few more days. Movers are having mechanical issues,” Chet answered for me. I was thankful for that. Talking to Creed after being apart from him for any given time was hard. I didn’t want it to be hard. I wanted to look at Creed the same way I looked at Chet.
Creed said nothing but headed toward his bedroom. When the sound of the door closing behind him clicked softly, I was studying my hands. I didn’t watch him walk. Things always felt awkward. For me. Not him.
“He’s a moody dude,” Chet said from the sofa across from me. “Always has been or as long as I’ve known him he has been.”
That got my attention and I lifted my gaze to meet his. “He’s your cousin,” I stated the obvious.
Chet nodded. “Yeah, but he hasn’t always been. His mom married my dad’s brother four years ago.”
Oh…okay. Thinking of his mother married to someone else was odd. The last good memory I had of his parents, his mother was baking banana bread and his father was teasing her about her cooking skills. They’d seemed happy. I’d never witnessed them fighting, and I spent as much time at their house as I did my Gran’s over the many summers I visited.
Chet leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “His parents got divorced when he was seventeen just a few months after his sister died. Sad shit,” he whispered. “I figure it’s part of his moodiness. I just overlook it.”
I watched as Chet stood up then turned to look back at the closed door of his room. He and his dad had been so close. My chest ached for him. I knew so little about his life after Cora died.
The door to Griff’s room opened and I remembered that things happened for a reason. If Creed hadn’t shut me out then I wouldn’t have found Griff. I loved Griff. He was good to me. He made me happy. I’d been so unhappy when we met.
Because of losing Creed and Cora.
Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts. I wasn’t going to think about what could have been. There was no point. Life happened and time moved on.
Five
Red’s was loud and college students were everywhere. It reminded me a lot of Smokey’s in Nashville. All college bars probably looked alike. This was just my second one to visit. However, Red’s was on the water, making the view much nicer.
Griff’s hand stayed closed around mine as we walked through the people. Chet was leading the way and he had said there was a table reserved for us near the left of the stage. I found that hard to believe with the mass quantity of bodies in this bar.
When we finally broke through the congestion of people there was, in fact, a table to the left of the stage. It was a round booth to be exact. The table was large enough for at least ten people to sit around it with eight of those people fitting in the curved booth seating.
I recognized Jazz sitting snuggled up to a guy with spiked bleach-blonde hair on the right side of the booth. A guy with black hair pulled back in a ponytail sat on the far-left side of the booth and on a stool beside him with one booted foot propped on the stool and the other planted firmly on the ground sat Creed. A beer was in his hand and he appeared relaxed and rock star like.
“Creed!” Chet called out over the noise and Creed turned his gaze toward us.
Chet stopped in front of their table and Creed stood up. “Hey,” he replied, his gaze shifting from Chet to me lingering a moment then he nodded his head toward the table. “Have a seat.”
The guy with the ponytail stood up and waved his hand for us to move inside.
“This is Dalm,” Creed said by way of introducing us. “You met Jazz already and then that’s Wayne.”
“Thanks for letting us crash your table,” Chet told them.
“We don’t use it much anyway. At least you all can keep the others away,” Jazz said with a shrug of her bare shoulder. The red halter top and tiny black leather wrapped around her waist to make a skirt was still all she had on. Most of her skin was exposed, and I was freezing just looking at her.
Chet slid in first then Griff motioned for me to go next. I liked the idea of being safely between Chet and Griff and went in quickly before he changed his mind.
“I’m Chet,” he told the others then nodded his head to me. “Sailor and Griff.”
Jazz smirked and reached for her drink. It looked like a tall glass of ice water. She said nothing though. I had been expecting something with the way she cut her gaze in our direction. It was probably best she remained silent. I didn’t picture her as the polite type.
“I don’t mean to interrupt but can I have your autograph?” a brunette asked, drawing everyone’s attention in her direction. She was petite, curvy and very large breasted. She had dressed to make sure everyone saw just how big her boobs were. The girl was also only interested in Creed’s autograph. She wasn’t looking at anyone else.
“You are interrupting,” Jazz drawled.
The girl blushed and glanced at her. “I’m sorry. I just really wanted Creed’s autograph. I know when the set is over he will be covered by fans.” She batted her eyelashes at him then.
“Got a pen?” he asked her.
She held out a black permanent marker to him.
“Paper?”
She shook her head and leaned closer and pointed at her cleavage. “Anywhere in this area,” she said.
This time I was the one blushing.
“Oh give me a break,” Jazz said and Wayne chuckled.
“I’ll sign those big titties too, love,” Dalm told her and winked. He had an accent, but I wasn’t sure where it was from.
The girl acted as if she hadn’t heard him. I found it interesting that she just wanted Creed’s autograph when he was the new addition to the band. He couldn’t have played many sets with them. He’d just moved in with Chet.
“I heard you play at Ringers this summer with Clayton. It was amazing,” the girl gushed. I realized then that Creed had a fan base outside of this band. And had she meant Clayton Moore? As in the country singer who opened for my dad on last year’s tour? Creed had played with him? I didn’t picture Creed playing or singing country music.
Creed gave her a delicious grin and she almost melted on the spot and then he signed her right boob. Ewww. That was just trashy or maybe I was a prude. I looked away from them and scanned the packed bar. I was still completely aware of the conversation going on around me. I couldn’t redirect my hearing like I could my vision.
“OHMYGOD! You’re Sailor Copeland! OHMYGOD!” The high pitched tone the girl had taken made me wince. The noise wasn’t as bad as the fact she was about to make a scene. I hated when this happened. I didn’t live a life interesting enough for the tabloids and the pictures they did post were always surrounded by lies. Then there were the photos of me at the CMA’s, Dad’s Grand Ole Opry induction and other events. It was enough to make my face recognizable to a country music fan.
I forced a tight smile and looked at the girl, but before I said anything, Creed spoke up. “She’s a dead ringer for sure but she’s not that lucky. Hell, she’s sitting at a college bar in Boston,” he chuckled, as if the idea of me being here was funny.
The girl didn’t look convinced. “Wow,” she finally said still studying me. “I swear you look just like her.”
I didn’t speak for fear she’d hear my accent and the lie Creed had told would be blown. Instead I smiled and shrugged. The girl kept standing there, looking at me and it was Jazz who said, “You got your autograph. Bye,” in a rude tone. I wasn’t a fan of Jazz, but at that moment, I owed her.
The girl blushed and nodded then hurried away. I felt a little sorry for her but I was still thankful she was
gone. The other eyes at the table turned to me and I could feel each curious stare. Damn.
“So, you’re fucking Denver Copeland’s daughter,” Wayne said with a touch of amusement in his voice. Then he turned his attention to Creed. “Did you know that? You covered for her fast. Why didn’t you tell us?”
I felt the panic slam into my chest at the realization that Creed had just unintentionally revealed he knew me…before three days ago. We’d lied. I’d lied to Griff. Why had I lied? I hated lying.
“I recognized her when I met her. I knew her name. Clayton bragged about touring with her dad all the time and Sailor was mentioned. I saw pictures of her with her dad online,” he shrugged. “She wasn’t telling anyone who her dad was so I figured she was keeping it a secret.”
He was a much better liar and although that bothered me, the relief his lie brought me made it easier to breathe again. His words sank in and I wondered if he had looked me up online to see me now. Had he followed my dad’s career curious about me? I didn’t want to like that thought but I did.
“Thanks for the save,” Griff said when I didn’t. “She doesn’t like attention from fans. You thought quick.”
Creed didn’t look at Griff, but at me, then gave a small nod before standing up. I wanted to thank him too but it felt like more of a lie. He’d just lied to them all and I didn’t like being a part of it. I should come clean, but if I did, then I had to explain why I didn’t tell Griff to begin with. My lies were beginning to compound.
Six
October 27, 2019
Boston Massachusetts
The bed was empty once again when I opened my eyes. Sunlight peeking through the curtains and cold air freezing my nose. I cuddled deeper into the covers and closed my eyes. Last night had started off tense, but after the band took the stage, I enjoyed myself. They were excellent and Griff danced with me.
The only time I had needed a moment to regroup was when Creed sang a song that he’d written that the band was playing. Hearing his much deeper voice sing again brought back emotions that I had thought were long since buried. I had to deal with that. Luckily we left shortly after because Griff said he needed to get in bed. Today he had a full day of studying but he’d promised that maybe we could go to dinner tonight and do some more sight-seeing.
I was in no hurry to get out of the warmth of the bed. I knew Griff and Chet would be deep in their books and that would leave me to converse with Creed. Somehow I felt raw inside where he was concerned. As if a bandage had been ripped off last night and the wound was still underneath. Facing that took more guts than I had. The sooner I got out of this place and headed to Portsmouth, the better. Next time I came to visit I would make sure Creed had moved out.
I heard the rumble of voices from the living room. If they were talking then Creed was in there. The other two wouldn’t speak while they were studying. Griff was determined to make an A in Gross Anatomy. He’d always been an excellent student, making my GPA look weak. I was proud of his intelligence though and didn’t feel like I was competing with him. He was the med student. Not me.
I was hoping the movers would call today with an update. Reaching for my cell phone, I turned the ringer back on and shivered. The warmth of the fire was what got me out of bed and wrapped up warmly in Griff’s fleece robe and my fuzzy socks. The voices had quieted as I reached the door and I waited a moment to make sure things were silent in there before opening the door and letting the warmth of the room embrace me. I sighed and hurried toward the fireplace.
A masculine chuckle made me glance back without thinking because it wasn’t Griff’s. No, he was deep in is reading and hadn’t noticed me sprinting across the room to the fire. It was Creed. He was leaning against the door to the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking perfectly tousled. It was unfair that he woke up looking like a coffee commercial. I wanted to roll my eyes but didn’t. I still felt as if I owed him for last night.
I managed a smile and turned back to the fire. My frozen body however was now forgotten. My thoughts were on Creed again, watching him play, hearing him sing, and wondering if he had followed my dad’s career to see if I was pictured. It was a little narcissistic of me to assume that, that would be why he kept up with my dad’s social media. Now I wanted to roll my eyes at myself. God, please let the movers call me today and magically be in Portsmouth.
“You want to make pancakes and bacon with the groceries you bought or should I go out and pickup breakfast?” Creed asked. I glanced back at him again. He was still leaning and looking perfect.
“I can cook,” I told him, not wanting to go into the kitchen with him in there. I did buy the groceries to cook and I doubted they’d do any cooking when I was gone. No need to waste the things I had purchased.
“Want me to do the bacon and you make the pancakes?” he offered.
I started to say I would do both but I didn’t get a chance.
“Definitely let her do the pancakes. She makes them light and fluffy. She can burn bacon like a pro though,” Griff said and I jerked my gaze to him.
He smirked at my scowl. “I didn’t fall in love with your bacon cooking skills, babe.”
No longer wanting to stand near the fire for warmth, I headed to the kitchen while he laughed softly behind me. He was right of course. I had burned more bacon than I had gotten correct. It was a struggle to be sure. I just couldn’t gauge when it was ready to take out of the skillet correctly.
“I would have thought you could cook bacon,” Creed said as I walked past him into the kitchen. I gave him a sideways glance, not sure what he meant by that but I didn’t ask. I went to the fridge and began getting out the things I needed for pancakes when I felt him come up too close for comfort behind me.
“Your Gran taught you to cook at a young age. Did she leave bacon out of the lessons?” He asked it in such a low voice that I didn’t have to worry that Griff could hear him.
“Gran was a vegan. Remember?” I told him, taking the milk from the fridge then grabbing the butter.
“That’s right. I’d forgotten.” The way his tone changed caught my attention and I turned around to look at him. It was an odd change in mood. I bet he’d forgotten a lot about our summers. I didn’t want to know just how much he had let slip from his memories. Not that I should care. It was best he didn’t care. We weren’t the same people that we had been back then. Our lives were very different and I had Griff. Creed caring would complicate things.
I stepped to the side and walked past him to set the items on the counter. “I was a kid so vegan didn’t register with me. That mac and cheese she made us that was incredible was vegan?” he asked.
Looking at Creed made it hard for me to concentrate. I chose to keep my focus on making pancakes. “Yes. Everything she made was vegan.”
“Damn,” he muttered. “I dated a vegan once and the stuff she cooked tasted like shit.”
I lifted my shoulders with a shrug. “It takes talent to make something taste good without milk, cheese, eggs, or meat.” Which I knew firsthand. I had tried going vegan once two years ago. After a month, I found myself in Darryl’s Barbecue, inhaling a pulled pork sandwich like a starving woman.
I heard him open the fridge door and assumed he was getting the bacon. I could have gotten it for him but I was too busy being awkward and uncomfortable. There was no reason to be. I was letting my childhood feelings for him get in the way. They were haunting me and I had to get control over them. We were adults now and that was a long time ago.
He didn’t say anything more until I was flipping the second pancake. The bacon was filling the apartment with its delicious aroma and I’d relaxed some.
“Did you come back that next summer?” he asked me out of the blue. I hadn’t expected that question. I just shook my head no. I didn’t get into the reason why I didn’t return was because he had shut me out.
“I spent it in London w
ith my mom. I wasn’t sure,” he said.
I still said nothing. There was nothing to say.
“What did you do that summer?” he asked then and I wished he’d stop this. Talking about the past was not good for my head space.
“I stayed in Nashville for the most part. Dad was on a world tour and I met up with him in Sydney, Australia, then went with him to Melbourne and the Gold Coast before flying back home.” I left out that the only reason I went back home was because Dad had met step-mom number two in the Gold Coast. She’d been twenty-three and obviously Australian.
“We let Cora down, you know. Not hiking the AT.” His words surprised me. I’d not expected him to talk about Cora or the plans we had once shared. It was unsettling and sad at the same time. I wanted to remember her but I was afraid of the pain that came with that.
“I guess we did,” was all I could say in return. My throat felt tight and talking was not easy.
“I’m starving, is it done?” Chet asked from the kitchen door. I hadn’t heard him approach but then my thoughts had been elsewhere.
“Bacon is,” Creed told him, before walking out of the kitchen. I fought the urge to watch him go.
“You can take the two pancakes I’ve finished,” I said, attempting to sound casual and not like I wanted to cry.
He was right. Cora expected us to be together. We had been anything but together after the moment we found her.
Seven
October 28, 2019
I finished packing up the small suitcase with my things and then straightened up the bed and picked up the clothing Griff had left lying on the floor last night. He had left early for class, and I needed to get ready to head north.
Stepping into the living room with my suitcase, my gaze went to the chair where Creed was sitting. His left ankle resting on his right knee with a book open in his lap. I didn’t remember Creed being a big reader, but I had seen him in this position often the past few days.
“You leaving?” he asked with a slight frown between his brows.