“Come walk with me. I have a little something for you,” he said.
“For me?”
“Yeah. You. I don’t see anyone else standing next to me,” he teased. “Am I wrong or is your birthday Saturday?”
“It is.” She was surprised at the thrill him remembering it stirred. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
“I didn’t exactly. I saw your calendar in the kitchen. I knew it was the first week of September, but couldn’t remember which day. I do have a gift on the bus for you though. I’d planned to mail it this week, but since we’re here…” He pulled his arm from around her like he knew she’d be uncomfortable in front of everyone like that.
“We’re gonna step out for a second. Pete, you got Jake?”
“I’ll listen for him,” Pete said.
She lowered her voice. “Where are we going?”
“Just to the bus.” He led her to the front door and held it for her.
What are you up to? What are the guys going to think? She hesitated but only for a moment, then she stepped outside and he closed the door behind them.
The wind was kicking up but the air was as sticky as a midsummer night. The cloud cover made it extra dark. She let Cody take her hand and lead her to the huge bus.
He punched in the code to open the door. Flush-mounted LEDs illuminated each step. He climbed in first and then held out his hand to help her.
Cody hit a switch and the room warmed to a soft glow.
Kasey let go of his hand and walked ahead of him. “Wow. It might look the same on the outside, but it’s totally different on the inside.”
“Do you like the colors?”
Kasey walked through the space taking it all in. “I do. Yes, very soothing. It’s so much brighter.”
“Yeah. They have a new designer and she talked me out of the dark colors I usually have and into the tan and teals. I’m glad she did.”
“Reminds me of turquoise and desert sands. It seems so much roomier too. It must be the color.”
“A little, but I think having separate chairs instead of everything being a blocky couch really works in here. There’s more empty space and wait until you see it with the slide-outs. They did some amazing flipping and folding. This thing even exceeded my expectations.” He motioned to the far side of the bus. “Are we clear on this side if I open the slide-out?”
“There’s no fence on that side,” she said.
He pushed a button and the motor hummed as the room expanded.
“It’s like those Transformers Jake loves so much.” She spun around in the center of the space. Inlaid glass tile, hand-tooled leather inlay on the overhead compartments, and the floors looked like hand-scraped wood planks. Comfortable, but no doubt high-end.
Cody looked proud of the new digs. “I don’t know how manly all this is, but I’m liking it.”
“I don’t think anyone is going to challenge your manhood.” She remembered the exact thought that had gone through her mind the first time she’d photographed him. This guy could wear a pink tutu and look masculine.
He opened a double cabinet over the sink and took down a white glossy box.
Does he have the market cornered on those white glossy boxes? It looked just like the one he’d given her last year at the last concert before she left the tour, only this time the ribbon was shiny steel blue, like his eyes, instead of teal.
“You really didn’t have to do this.” Her name was printed on a small white envelope tucked into the top of the box. She tugged on the ribbon.
Her mind wandered to last year. Jake had taken the long length of ribbon and run through the yard with Shutterbug, not even ten pounds soaking wet yet, running after him. They’d played with that ribbon for a week until it was so frayed it looked like dental floss.
“It worked out perfect that I’m here to actually give it to you. I’d planned to mail it, and you see how well I planned that.”
She tugged the silk ribbon free and laid it in her lap, trying to contain the nervous jitters by biting down on the inside of her lip.
Cody sat down next to her. His leg felt warm against hers. She wanted this warmth, welcomed it. He smelled of soap, shampoo, something fresh.
She resisted looking up at him. With her eyes lowered, she gently peeled the white paper from the box. Inside, another box of black velvet was about the size of a watch box. She flipped open the hinged lid, and lifted a gold bracelet from the box.
“It’s beautiful.” Three charms dangled from it: a camera, a white-gold music note, and a teddy bear. Between each charm there was a silver-and-gold bead.
Cody fingered the teddy bear charm. “This one is chocolate diamonds.”
“Like Bubba Bear?”
He nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. They don’t make red licorice diamonds, but I’ve put in first dibs if they ever do.”
I love red licorice, but chocolate diamonds are a-okay. “I think I may like chocolate diamonds better.”
“I was thinking they match your eyes.”
She clasped his forearm. “Cody, it’s so generous, and so perfect.”
“When I saw the teddy bear, and then the camera, I knew I had to get it for you. They reminded me of you. The music note is to remind you of me and those good times we shared.” He put his hand on top of her leg and gave it a squeeze.
“I don’t need a bracelet to remember. We made some very special memories. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” He took the bracelet from her. “Let me help you with it.”
She held out her arm and he draped it under her wrist and clasped it, then laced his fingers through hers. “Pretty.”
“I love it.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. A soft kiss, but she yearned to give him so much more. Her breath caught. You can’t do this, Kasey. You’re a mom, and he’s a man who loves being on the road. It would never work. She smiled and put her hands in her lap. “It’s beautiful.”
“As you.” He tilted his head like he was trying to think of something to say next.
Or maybe he wanted a bigger kiss too. Why am I torturing myself? She swallowed.
He broke the silence. “So, what’s the big plan for your birthday?”
“I’d like to say nothing, but Riley insisted on making it a party so she and Von are coming up on Saturday.”
“That sounds like fun. Are you sure the guys won’t be in the way? We can take this little convoy somewhere else.”
“No. Not at all. The more the merrier. Really, it’s just a cookout and cake. Very casual. It’ll be small… well, bigger now, but that’s fine because it was going to be just us and cooking out. I’ve got some things to figure out and Riley’s always a balanced sounding board.”
“Everything okay?”
“Not quite, but I’ll figure it out.”
“I should be back by then.”
“I hope not. Maybe things will go so well on your trip to see Lou that you won’t even know it’s Saturday.”
“We’ll see,” Cody said.
“Well, let’s hope so, but either way at least you’ll settle what’s going on in your heart once and for all.”
He looked hesitant. Although he’d never shared the details, from the lyrics of his songs she knew that love had burned him a time or two.
Kasey tucked the wrapping paper in the box and set it on the counter. “Are you going to bring Lou to Arty’s for his party on Friday night?”
Cody looked surprised. “You’re going to that?”
“Yeah. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He said you were going to be there.”
“I told you he liked to have his way the first time we met. Remember?”
“I do recall. It was right there at Arty’s estate after the photo shoot. That’s how you roped me into photographing your tour.”
“Best roping I ever did.”
“So, I take it you’re not planning to go to Arty’s anymore?”
“Nope. Never did say I would.
I’m sure you aren’t the only one he told I’d be there, though.” Cody shook his head. “I hate those big parties he throws. He showed up in Maryland trying to talk me into going. He wasn’t too happy with me for turning him down, but I’d already told him I wasn’t going. That’s just not my scene.”
“I should have stood my ground. I let him sucker me right in.”
“He’s good at that.”
“I felt kind of obligated when he said the publisher who did the book we worked on together is going to be there.”
“See. He knows what buttons to push. I should’ve known he was going to invite you when he mentioned they were going to be there. Sorry. Hell, his parties are so crowded he’d probably never know if you weren’t there.”
“I’ve already made arrangements for Jake and everything. Riley’s picking him up for a sleepover at their place.”
“If Pete is still here, he’d watch Jake for you. He’s great with kids.”
“I know. I remember, but no thanks. I already have it planned and Jake is looking forward to it.”
“Maybe we should go to the party together. You can ride in my big new bus.” He gave her a shifty-eyed wink that bordered on flirty and creepy at the same time.
She opened her mouth to respond, but she wasn’t sure if he was teasing or not so she just laughed it off. “Come on. Let’s get back to the house.”
When she stepped out of the bus, most of the guys were out front making their way to the other bus. Kasey and Cody said their goodnights to the gang as they walked back to the house.
Inside Pete was sitting on the couch strumming his guitar. “Everything’s been quiet in here.”
Kasey hadn’t been worried. Jake was a hard sleeper. They could have rocked a concert and not woken him once he was asleep. “Thanks, Pete.”
“Anytime.” He got up and left them standing in the living room.
“I’m so glad y’all are here,” she said. “It was a really fun night.”
“Sweet dreams,” Cody said and then turned to leave. He stopped midway out the door. “I could get used to nights like this.”
Me too. She locked the door and went to her room.
As she lay in bed, her mind raced. There was a time, before Nick, before she was a mom, that she’d have loved that carefree lifestyle. But that wasn’t hers to have anymore. A small price to pay for the love of a child. Jake needed a stable home. She’d been able to provide that on her own and that was fine by her. She didn’t have to replace Nick in her life, and she wasn’t in the market to. Besides, Nick still had a hold on her heart.
Cody was footloose and on the go; that wasn’t the kind of life she wanted for her son, but what she’d felt tonight… it felt good. It felt like those moments when Nick would make her heart race. Cody was like Nick in a lot of ways and that’s probably what had her emotions in chaos. That had to be it.
And just the other day she’d told Scott she’d never have those feelings again.
Be careful what you say about never. Those things always came back to bite you.
Here she was having those very feelings, only not about Scott. He’d be a great dad, but the danger of his job made her nervous, and there was no spark there anyway. After tonight and the sparks she felt being around Cody, she knew more than ever there’d never be that feeling with Scott. It wasn’t just her after all. It was them.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sweaty but rejuvenated after an early run, Cody fixed coffee on the bus. It was nice to exercise outside in the fresh air rather than in a gym or on the bus. Getting up predawn to beat the heat wasn’t too hard either since he’d been awake most of the night anyway thinking about Kasey. How she fit in with the band last night, just like she had last year. So easy. Like they’d been friends forever.
He stepped off the bus and took the back path around to the patio to see if she was up yet. Through the back windows, he could see her at the kitchen table sipping something from a mug the color of milk chocolate. She looked fresh in a light yellow sweater set and faded blue jeans. Her blonde hair hung straight past her shoulders, and although he couldn’t see her eyes from here, he knew them to be about the color of the mug she held between the palms of her two hands.
He tapped on the back-door glass.
She looked up.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked and motioned through the glass panes.
“Not at all.” She waved him inside. “Jake’s getting his stuff together so I can take him to school.” She nodded toward his supersize coffee mug. “That must hold the whole pot.”
“Better part of it. Gets you from point A to B without a refill. How’d you sleep last night?”
“I slept like a baby.”
“I never know if that’s good or bad.” He slid into the chair across from her. “I wondered if the diesel of the generators was going to bother you.”
“I slept great. Didn’t even hear them. This house must be pretty well insulated. Even when the farmers have their equipment in the fields harvesting next door we can barely hear it.”
“Well, that’s good. So how’s that feisty grandmother of yours doing these days?”
“Grem’s been kickboxing Father Time, but he’s winning. He’s stolen most of her memories now too. I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to continue in-home care. She’s having more bad days than good. The last time I was there she called me “Georgie” the whole time. I have no idea who that is, but I played along.”
“That’s got to be hard for you.”
“Yeah, it is. It’s hard to watch someone who was always in charge become frail and confused. Plus, she’s the only real family I’ve got around here besides Jake. Once I got married I never gave it a thought that I might be without Nick someday.”
“At least you’ve been married. Most guys my age have already been married at least once. I thought it was going to happen with Lou all those years ago, but it didn’t, and then I focused on my music. Once my music took off the women who came into my life were not really the marrying kind. They were… interesting, to say the least.”
“Maybe you didn’t let the right ones in.”
Maybe it’s because I’ve never met someone like you. “I’m pretty sure of that. It was easy to get swept into the crazy thrill of it all. But lots of my friends from that period are getting divorced, and not just divorced, but nasty-divorced. Maybe not meeting anyone was a blessing.”
“Don’t say that. Marriage is good. One of these days you’ll meet the right partner and you’ll know it. Everything will just fall into place and you won’t waste a second sealing that deal.”
And why am I getting ready to go to Raleigh when I know I’d rather be here with you? He wanted to open his mouth and say it. Ask her if there was a ghost of a chance for him to be a part of her life, but he couldn’t do it. If she said no, he didn’t think he could take it. Safer to keep quiet. “Sometimes my life can be complicated.”
“Same here. I’m no picnic. My job had me on the road, and that can be a problem for some relationships. But Nick understood me, and he trusted me. He got it that some days I’d just get in my car and leave to take pictures and not come back for twelve hours. He didn’t get mad. Didn’t get jealous. Didn’t get all pouty. He had an appreciation for my work and our times apart were torture but when we were back together… there was nothing sweeter.”
“Do you think you’ll ever have it again? Scott seems pretty interested in you.”
She took a deep breath and looked off. “Scott’s a good friend. He’d like to be more and I’ve tried, but I just don’t feel it. It might be that I’ve had my one true love and if that’s the way it is, I wouldn’t trade one day of what I had with Nick to have another chance.”
“That’s really special,” he said. “Does someone ever get over losing a love like that?”
“I’ve asked myself that very question a hundred times. Maybe I don’t want to be over it. Jake and I, we’re finding a new peace, and I think the slower pace o
f Adams Grove has helped.” She slapped her hands on her thighs. “So, geez, this is heavy talk. What’s on the itinerary for today?”
“I’m trying to figure that out. Pete’s going to rent a car to go up to his parents’ house; it’s their wedding anniversary. I’m going to head to Raleigh. I wanted to check with you before I told the guys they’d be here through Sunday. It’s a big favor, I know.”
“That’s fine by me,” Kasey said. “Where are you heading Sunday?”
“Texas. Arty got me a commercial. Chevy pickup trucks. Should be fun. I wrote a song for it, but I’m in the commercial too.”
“That’s perfect casting.” She could easily picture all six foot four of him filling up the cab of a big ol’ pickup truck smiling for the camera. He had movie-star good looks. Too bad other than concerts you didn’t see much of him. He was private that way, but she did know how much he loved trucks, so it probably hadn’t been hard to talk him into it.
I’d have loved to have gotten the contract to do the stills on that. But just as quickly as the thought came, she pushed it aside. Those days were coming to an end.
“All right. Well, I’ll probably head out to surprise Lou later this afternoon,” Cody said.
“Tell Pete if he doesn’t mind waiting until Riley picks up Jake this afternoon, I’ll take him up to his parents’ house and then I’ll shoot over to Arty’s. It wouldn’t be all that far out of the way and it’ll break up my drive.”
“I’ll let him know.” Cody was feeling even less inclined by the minute to go see Lou today.
“I’m ready, Mom,” Jake called from the living room.
“Okay. I’m coming.” She drank the last sip of coffee from her mug and stood. “I’ve got to take him to school.” She took two steps toward the living room, then stopped and turned. “You wouldn’t want to ride along, would you?”
“I’d love it.”
“Come on, then.”
“Want me to drive?” he asked as he followed her into the front of the house.
She raised a brow. “Not unless you don’t trust my driving.”
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