No one was overly hungry, but they ordered a few appetizers to split—nachos, and chicken wings. The guys ordered beers, Tina got another glass of champagne and both Laura and Lily ordered lemonade and sodas. Lily just nibbled on the food when it came. Her stomach was a pile of butterflies all fighting for attention.
“It really gets easier the more you do this?” Lily asked the group of them. They all nodded. Rufus looked so laid back.
“I’d normally be a little nervous,” he admitted. “But I’ve decided I’m not singing tonight. I don’t really have anything new I want feedback on. I just want to listen.”
“I’m always nervous,” Jason said. “But the first time is the hardest. Once you know you can do it, it does get easier.”
“I was terrified the first time,” Laura said. “My voice broke halfway through the song, because I looked at the crowd and it completely intimidated me. So don’t do that. Look at us if you need a focal point. But I usually find it’s best to go inside yourself. Get lost in the song.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Lily said. She’d already decided which song she was going to do—the new one she’d just debuted at Flynn’s. People had seemed to like it there. She hoped it wouldn’t be too awful here. She knew the bar was much higher.
Not long after they finished eating and their plates were cleared away, the host for the evening went to the front of the room and picked up a microphone. Lily glanced around the room. Every seat was filled now and there were people lining the walls on both sides of the room.
“Okay, folks. You know the drill. Be ready to come up when your name is called. One song, and we’ll hopefully get everyone in. Let’s get started. Mike Jeffrey, you’re up.”
A tall, skinny guy with a scruffy beard and a beat-up guitar ambled to the front of the room, cleared his throat and started to strum his guitar. He had a pleasant voice and the lyrics were humorous, a fun, upbeat song. He received enthusiastic applause and then the next name was called. A parade of performers came and went and Lily enjoyed most of them.
It was amazing how much talent was in one place. An hour went by before any of their group was called, and Jason was first to get the nod. His voice was rich and clear and Lily really like his melody. It had a bluesy feel to it. Rufus’s name was called next, but he’d already passed the slot to the guy sitting behind him, so he went up instead. And when he finished, Lily’s name was called, and she froze. Laura patted her arm and gave her a little push.
“Go. You’re going to do great, I just know it.”
Lily grabbed her guitar and in a daze somehow made her way to the front of the room. She looked up once and locked eyes with Laura, who nodded and smiled to encourage her. She took a deep breath and went inside herself, to her song. She started to sing, softy at first as her voice felt oddly shaky, not her normal control, but she willed it to smooth out, and it did. She dug deeper to connect the emotion with the lyrics and melody of the song and she just did the best that she could. When she finished, there was a moment of silence and then friendly, even enthusiastic applause. She made her way back to her chair and for the first time that night, she felt completely relaxed and happy. She’d just done the hardest thing she could imagine and now she could just enjoy the rest of the show.
“You were awesome!” Laura said proudly.
“That song was an original of yours?” Jason asked and in the question Lily heard respect. Someone in the business thought her song was good!
“Yes, it’s my newest.”
“It’s very good,” he said simply.
“Thank you.”
Laura’s name was called next and Lily was excited to hear her friend sing. It had been a year since she’d last heard Laura and she could only imagine how many songs she’d written since then. Laura lived and breathed music. She supported herself as an elementary school music teacher, but her focus on making a career in music was full-time. Lily noticed that quite a few people were saying hello to Laura as she walked to the front. She supposed that they came to these nights so often that they would get to know a lot of people. Laura adjusted her guitar, and then started singing. It was a slow, moody love song and it had a good melody, but it was Laura’s voice that made it special. The haunting and almost hypnotic quality that was so compelling. The room was completely silent while she was singing and then erupted into applause when she finished.
“That was so good,” Lily said to Jason as Laura walked back to the table.
“Laura is crazy good, and everyone here knows it. It’s just a matter of time for her.”
A thought came to Lily as she watched Laura chatting with people along the way. When she finally sat back down, Lily congratulated her and then shared her idea.
“I don’t know if you’d be interested, but I’d love to hear you sing the song I did tonight. I think your voice could make it sound really special.”
Laura’s eyes lit up. “Are you sure? I’d love to. I actually wanted to suggest it, but I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about that.”
“The song is what I care about the most. I can’t wait to hear what you do with it!”
* * *
The rest of Lily’s vacation in Nashville flew by. She had a wonderful time hanging out with Laura and Tina and their friends, and she and Laura spent hours writing and playing music in her living room. Lily wrote a brand new song that she was excited about and that Laura said was a winner, and Laura learned Lily’s song that she sang the first night. It sounded even better than Lily imagined that it would and she couldn’t wait to hear the crowd’s reaction.
For her last night in Nashville, Monday night, Laura managed to get them both on the list at the Bluebird Cafe, one of Nashville’s most famous spots. They only took twenty-five singers on open mic night and it wasn’t easy to get a slot. She worked the phones all afternoon until she got them both in. It was just the three of them this time—Lily, Laura and Tina—and they squeezed themselves around a small cocktail table. Only Tina ordered food this time. Both Laura and Lily were way too nervous. The energy at The Bluebird was off the charts.
“Okay, I’m admitting that I’m nervous,” Laura said. “So far, I recognize two different record producers.” This time it was Lily trying to calm Laura down. Oddly enough, Lily wasn’t as nervous this time as she had been the first time. She didn’t have as much at stake as Laura did.
“You don’t have a thing to be nervous about. Just go be you. You can’t go wrong,” Lily advised her.
“Oooh, I like that. Okay, I’ll just be me,” Laura said.
Lily’s name was the first to be called and it was such a surprise that she didn’t give in to the nervousness. She grabbed her guitar and walked up to the front of the room. She had a good feeling about her new song and was eager to get a read on the room when she sang it. It was a powerful song about finding your strength and believing in yourself, and ultimately walking away from a bad relationship and embracing something new.
It was again one of those songs that came to her and felt meant to be, somehow. She smiled at Laura and Tina, took a deep breath and sang her song. She got so into it, that she lost the crowd totally and it was like she was alone singing to no one and everyone all at once. When she finished, there was a long moment of silence and then slow clapping that grew more enthusiastic.
“And that was a wonderful start to our night. Thank you, Lily. Next up is Samantha Grayson.”
Lily made her way to her table and both Tina and Laura high-fived her.
“Incredible song,” Tina said. “I could hear that one on the radio.”
“Absolutely,” Laura agreed. “The crowd really liked it, too. I’m telling you, Lily, you should move here. Think of how much fun we’d have all the time!”
Lily smiled. As tempting as it was, she was already feeling ready to get home to Riston. It was always like this when she traveled. She was happy to get away but always happier to go home, to be home.
When Laura’s name was called, Lily paid close att
ention. She was anxious to see the crowd’s reaction to her song, with Laura’s voice. She had a good feeling about it.
Lily watched as Laura started to strum her guitar. She did look a little nervous. The first few words of the song came out a little shaky but then Laura found her focus and soon gave Lily goose bumps. She knew that the song was good, but what Laura’s voice did with it was magical. She looked around the room and everyone’s attention was on Laura. When she finally finished, there was massive applause and a few people even stood up, including Lily.
When Laura reached the table, Lily hugged her. “Thank you. You can sing my song anytime. It was just perfect.”
Laura grinned with relief. “Really? I knew it was a little wobbly at the start but then I got lost in it and it’s hard to tell how I’m doing when that happens. Usually it turns out okay, though.”
“More than okay. That may have been your best performance yet,” Tina said.
“Well, I’m still hoping you’ll move here, but at least promise to come visit again soon. This weekend was so much fun!” Laura said.
“This is definitely my favorite place to go on vacation,” Lily said.
“Well, come anytime.”
Chapter 9
Lily had an early flight out of Nashville Tuesday morning. She flew into Lewiston, and was home by late afternoon. Flying always exhausted her and she was looking forward to hunkering down in her condo and getting a good night’s sleep. She stopped by the grocery store and picked up more food for Hope. She was looking forward to seeing her favorite little fur ball. She also picked up a chicken, some white rice, onion and celery. A big pot of homemade chicken and rice soup sounded heavenly. And maybe she’d stir up a batch of that elderberry syrup that Jaclyn had given her the recipe for. Her jar of it was almost empty.
She stopped by Murray’s Natural Foods after she left the supermarket and got the elderberries and other spices that she needed for the syrup. Lily didn’t cook often, but every now and then she liked to spend an afternoon in the kitchen puttering around. She found all the chopping and dicing and stirring both relaxing and soothing. As long as she wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere, and that was the case today.
It felt good to be home. Hope came flying to greet her when she opened the front door, and she scooped her up and gave her a big hug. She purred madly for a minute then wiggled to get down and wanted to be fed, which Lily was glad to do. She put away the rest of her groceries and brought her guitar and suitcase into her bedroom, then changed out of her jeans and into an old, faded pair of yoga pants and her favorite soft, long-sleeved t-shirt. She twisted her ponytail into a bun and secured it with clips to keep her hair out of her face while she worked in the kitchen.
An hour later, the chicken and veggies were simmering merrily on the stove and she was stirring a batch of elderberry syrup in another pot. The combination of smells was mouth-watering. Lily lifted the wooden spoon and let some of the syrup drip off, checking to see if was thick enough yet. Not quite. Another few minutes should do it. She turned the heat off when it was ready and let it cool before ladling it into several small glass mason jars for storage.
While the syrup was cooling and the soup was simmering, Lily went into the living room, and collapsed onto the sofa and clicked on the television. She closed her eyes, for just a minute…and woke up almost an hour later to the sound of something crashing, and someone yelling. She sat up and wondered what the sound had been. Then she heard her name called and realized it was Cody and he sounded like he was in trouble. She ran outside and over to his door which was ajar.
“Cody? Are you alright?”
“Yes. Come in, but be careful. I think there might be some broken glass.” He didn’t sound quite like himself. She pushed open the door carefully and was shocked to see Cody laying on the floor, pinned by a tall book case. Books and small statue-like items were all over the floor.
“What happened? What can I do to help?”
“Help me push this over, so I can sit up.” She carefully pushed the bookcase off of him and onto its side. It was taller than it was wide. She took his hand and helped him up and she noticed that he wasn’t steady on his feet.
“You’re not well.” She took his hand and helped him over to the sofa. “What happened?” she asked again.
He looked embarrassed. “I must have some kind of a bug. Have felt terrible the past few days. Today was the worst of it. I haven’t gotten off the sofa much at all today and haven’t eaten anything in I’m not sure how long. I was going to go check the mail and had just opened the door when I suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. I grabbed onto the bookcase for support but ended up just bringing it down on top of me. And here I am.” He grinned and her heart went out to him. He looked so sick and uncomfortable.
“Don’t move. I’ll get you a glass of water to start.” She went to the kitchen, found one of the few glasses that he had. She filled it with cold water and brought it to him.
“Drink this and then I’ll fill it up again. You need to get fluids into you or you’ll get dehydrated.”
“Thank you.” He drank half the glass of water, then set it down and watched as she went around the room, picking up the various items that had fallen out of the book case.
“Do you have a dust pan and brush? If not, I can go get mine.” He was right about the broken glass. It looked like a cup had shattered.
“Under the sink,” he said weakly.
She cleaned up the broken glass and refilled his water glass. “Do you have any medicine?”
He laughed. “Yes, there’s a whole bagful of stuff in the bathroom. I raided the pharmacy the other day.” Lily rested the palm of her hand on his forehead to see if he had a temperature. He felt warm, but he wasn’t burning up so it didn’t seem too serious. She went and got his medicine and brought him back aspirin to bring down any fever he might have, vitamin C drops and Nyquil which would knock him out and hopefully help him sleep whatever he had off.
“Do you think you could get some soup down? I have a big pot of chicken and rice on the stove.”
“Homemade?” He sounded in awe.
She chuckled. “Yes, it’s homemade. I think you should try to eat some. I’ll be right back.”
She returned a few minutes later with an oversized mason jar full of soup, a smaller one of the elderberry syrup and a hunk of crusty French bread and butter.
“That smells good. What’s in the little jar?” Cody asked.
“Elderberry syrup. It’s Jaclyn’s recipe and it will help you get better, too. Do you think you could get some soup down if I poured you a bowl?”
He nodded. “Not a huge bowl, though. I can always go back for more.”
She found a bowl in his kitchen and a spoon and brought it over to him, setting it on the coffee table. She found a cup next and poured a generous tablespoon of the syrup in it and handed the cup to him.
“Drink that down first.”
He sniffed it, tentatively took a small sip and then swallowed the rest. “That wasn’t so bad. It’s sweet.”
She smiled. “I have it every morning now. It will keep colds and sickness away and it tastes good. Try the soup.”
He lifted the bowl and took a small spoonful. “It’s very good. Did you eat yet? Pour yourself a bowl, too.”
“No, not yet. I actually had fallen asleep on the sofa.”
“And then I woke you up. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be silly. I needed to get up anyway.”
“Have some soup with me,” he said again.
“All right.” She fixed herself a bowl and brought him over a slice of buttered bread too, which he dipped into the soup.
They ate quietly and Cody even said yes to more soup. By the time he finished his second bowl, she noticed that his eyes looked as though they were getting heavy. The cold medicine was doing its job. He smiled sleepily when she took his empty bowl away. She rinsed both bowls in the sink and put the rest of the soup in his refrigerator. She set a fres
h glass of cold water on the table next to him and asked him if he needed anything else.
“No, thank you. I missed you this week.” His eyes drifted shut and she smiled, knowing it was just the sickness talking.
“I’ll stop by and check on you.” She jotted her number down and set it on the coffee table. “That’s my cell number. Call me if you need anything.”
He murmured something that sounded like thank you. Lily let herself out and shut the door tightly behind her. He couldn’t have really missed her, could he? They really didn’t know each other well enough for that. Or did they? She had found herself thinking of him more than once while she was away. Maybe she had been on his mind a little bit, too.
Chapter 10
Lily was tired the next morning, but had an extra cup of coffee and almost felt like herself when she reached the office. Gwen was already at the front desk and Lily stopped to say hello on her way in.
“Did you have a blast?” Gwen asked. “Nashville is very high on my list of places to go. I’d love to get there someday.”
“I really did. It was great to see Laura and Tina and we went to some fun places and heard some great music.”
“Did you see Blake Shelton? Or any other famous country singers?”
Lily laughed. “No, unfortunately we didn’t see anyone famous, just lots of aspiring country music musicians. It’s amazing how much talent is there.”
“Maybe you’ll move there someday?” Gwen asked the question that seemed to be unusually popular lately.
“Never. I love to visit, but I always can’t wait to come home.”
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