by LuAnn McLane
“I’ll be here. And I’m going to continue to spread the word about the Susan Heart Lupus Foundation. Belinda knows how much it means to me.”
“I’ll still work on some songs for you,” Jimmy promised.
“Did you strike a truce with the hot, noisy neighbor?” Oliver asked.
“Not yet,” Jimmy said with a long, drawn-out sigh. “And Trixie still hates me.”
“Hopefully that will change,” Oliver said.
Jimmy nodded. “Agreed.”
“Okay, enough chatter. Let’s get to work,” Arabella said.
By the end of the week, Oliver could sing “Islands in the Stream” backward, forward, and upside down. He hummed it in the shower and it played in his head while he ran on the beach. He even had a dream he was on an island, in the middle of a stream. Weird. Now all that was left was for him to get things in order so he could get on the road. “Islands in the stream,” he said, and looked over to where his housekeeper was going through the fridge.
“Oliver, you know I love to hear you sing,” Gabby said. “But that song is driving me bonkers. Can you switch it to something else?”
Oliver laughed. He insisted that Gabby clear out his fridge and pantry and take the food home with her. He also set up a direct deposit to her bank, paying her to watch the house.
“You’re too generous,” she said while piling canned goods into a grocery bag. “Can’t your family use this stuff?”
Oliver waved a dismissive hand. “They’re all busy and grateful you’re helping me. And, Gabby, I trust you to keep an eye on things here.” He hoped she would get some extra time to spend with her son, Luke. “With Arabella being pregnant and Grady busy with the foundation, I didn’t want to rely upon them. Jesse and Jimmy have a lot on their plates too. This is perfect.”
“I will keep an eye on things! But I’m going to miss your smiling face. When you didn’t allow me to come over and clean for a couple of weeks, I was worried about you. I hope everything works out the way you want it to.”
“Thanks, Gabby.” He’d offered an abbreviated version of why he was leaving for Tennessee.
She smiled. “This job is already a piece of cake!” She walked over and gave him a hug. “Safe travels, okay?”
“I’m not looking forward to the long drive.” He picked up several bags and helped her out to her van.
After Gabby left, Oliver hurried back inside and started packing clothes and personal items. The fact that this was happening still felt surreal. And he couldn’t wait to have Belinda in his arms again. The mere thought heated his blood, and he sure wished he could snap his fingers and be in Brookside Bend.
Finally, he fell into an exhausted sleep, determined to get on the road at the ass crack of dawn.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE?
“Mom, I swear you have ants in your pants today.” Belinda took a drink from her giant coffee mug and broke off a piece of a chocolate doughnut. From their vantage point at a table in the first tier of the auditorium they had a view of the entire room. “Or is it too much caffeine?”
“Nope, I’m just ready to begin the live auditions, aren’t you?” Betty asked, and pointed to the stage. Stone Gap Band started warming up, creating a stir of excitement. “I don’t think your father slept a wink last night. Tossing and turning.” She reached for her own coffee. “I’m going to need a gallon of this. How about you?”
“I think you can rely on your own nervous energy. Send some my way. Sleep eluded me last night too,” Belinda admitted, although insomnia was nothing new to her the past few weeks.
Betty put a reassuring hand on Belinda’s arm. “Everything is going to be okay. You just wait and see,” she said, and pressed her lips together.
“I know,” Belinda replied with more conviction than she felt. “I think I’ll be able to get some rest when we’re up and running.” She left out any mention of Oliver, not wanting her mother to feel guilty. “Where is Dad?” Belinda asked. “He needs to get up here and take a seat with us.” She glanced down at her phone. “The first artist is scheduled to perform in just a few minutes.”
“We have a packed day. I can’t wait for you to sample the food trucks.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, glancing around for her father.
“I’m sure your dad will be along shortly.” Betty fidgeted in her chair, moved her pen, sifted through papers, toyed with her laptop.
“Mom, really, is everything okay? You’re starting to make me jittery.” While this was an exciting day, Belinda had never seen her mother so restless. “You’re like a cat on a hot tin roof.” She popped another bite of chocolate doughnut in her mouth, but the frosting tasted too sweet for her liking. When would food taste good again? Never? That would suck. “Oh good, here comes Dad.”
“Today we get to fill our coffers with talent,” Jack said. He was holding a giant corn dog by the stick. “These are so good. Just as good as up in Gatlinburg. They dip it fresh and deep-fry to golden perfection.” He extended the corn dog in Belinda’s direction. “Maybe better than Gatlinburg. Want a bite?”
“Too early for a corn dog,” Belinda said, but smiled at her father’s joy.
“You loved them when we went to the county fair.” He seemed put out at her polite refusal.
“I’ll get one for lunch.”
“You won’t be sorry,” he said, and leaned forward. “Betty, the food trucks were a great idea.”
“I come through now and then,” Betty said.
“Wanna taste?”
“No.” Betty shook her head. “My stomach isn’t ready for food quite yet. I’m just too keyed up.” She grinned at Jack. “I think the food trucks are your favorite part of this whole operation.”
Jack patted his stomach. “I promise to keep my sexy figure,” he said, and got an eye roll from Betty. Her father was physically fit from years of farming, and Belinda couldn’t see him ever letting himself go. In their early fifties, her parents had a lot of life left to live.
Belinda felt the crackle of excitement in the air. In truth, everything had been coming together much easier than she could have predicted. Her parents were such hard workers and knew most of the residents in Brookside Bend, making the task easier than if they’d been outsiders. The city council had pushed through necessary permits quickly. Her mother had food trucks lined up and added cute picnic tables in the grassy area of the parking lot. In a brilliant move, they’d already opened the trucks for business during lunch hours, enticing locals to come to the theater and sample the tasty varieties they had to offer. The scent of smoky barbecue, hot dogs, and fried foods filled the air. They’d hired and already were training people for the concession stands inside the building. Scripts for the skits were being written. The Stone Gap Band sounded amazing. A video of Belinda’s rehearsal with them just yesterday had been posted on social media, and her rendition of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” was getting a lot of attention. Tickets were selling at a brisk pace. Pining over Oliver was the only thing that continued to suck the joy out of her life. With renewed determination, she took a swig of coffee, picked up her pen, and got her score sheet ready.
Because the performers were prescreened, the talent coming across the stage was so good that Belinda didn’t know how they would decide whom to call back. “This is going to be super difficult,” she said to her parents after they’d been at it for an hour.
“That’s a good thing,” her father said with a huge smile.
“Mom? Any favorites yet?” Belinda asked, but her mother seemed preoccupied.
“Mmmm.” Betty looked up from her cell phone, then glanced at her score sheet. “I don’t know. Um, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“But the next performer is coming up and it’s one of your picks.”
“Sorry.” Betty gave Belinda a tiny shrug. “Nature calls.�
�
After her mother left, Belinda turned to her dad. “Do you think Mom is acting a little odd?”
“Hard to tell, sweet pea. I think we’re all overworked and sleep deprived. Your mamma has a hard time sitting still.”
Belinda nodded, but she wasn’t convinced that her father’s explanation was quite right. “I guess. I know she’s wearing several hats, but she sure seemed glued to her cell phone. Not really normal for her.”
“Honey, I think you’re being overly concerned.”
“Maybe,” Belinda conceded, and turned her attention to the local artist singing a rollicking version of Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.”
“She had some sass,” Belinda said, giving Casey high marks.
“She sure did!”
Betty returned a few minutes later, seeming to be a little more relaxed. “This is so much fun!” Rubbing her hands together, she turned her attention to a stand-up comedian who had them cracking up.
“Dad, I think it was a smart move on your part to include humor. While music will still be the focus, I love the format you’ve chosen.”
Jack beamed with pride. “The food trucks are fun, but my favorite part of all this is having you back here, Belinda. And having you onstage in Brookside Bend is like a dream come true.”
Belinda felt warm tears sting the back of her eyes. During a break in the auditions, she turned to her dad. “I’m loving returning to my roots. And the Stone Gap Band is rockin’ the house! You’re going to sit in with them, aren’t you?”
“Whenever I get the chance,” he said, and his face lit up with another big smile.
“Oh, Dad, I’m glad this makes you so happy.”
“Belinda, the only thing I fear is waking up and finding out this is all a dream.”
“You’re not afraid of . . .” She couldn’t say it.
“Failure? Nope. I’m only grateful I got the chance to give this a shot. The community is behind us, Belinda.”
“It’s good for the economy. And morale.”
He nodded. “Hey, we probably couldn’t pull this off without your name and talent. You bring a lot to the table. I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished and that you chose to back away from being pushed around.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Belinda said. Her father’s words brought a lump to her throat. “And I know it was a miracle that you were basically sitting on a fortune. Still, to pull this off and in such a short time frame? Crazy.”
“Well, the bank wanted to get out from under this building, so we had that in our favor. Interest rates were low. And then I had local contractors cut us unbelievable deals during the renovation process.”
Belinda smiled. “Mom said you also did some bartering.”
“A lost art, in my book. But makes so much sense.”
Belinda nodded. “For real.”
“Oh, and my discovery that the barn wood is worth so much is getting around. Other farmers in the area are getting into the act. And not just tearing their barns down, but preserving them for other uses. Federal funds we once had for the restoration have dwindled, but the Bellamy farm is being turned into a craft brewery, and the historic barn on their property is the focal point. Mike Daniels is using his pig-whelping barn for raising mushrooms, sprouts, herbs, lettuce, and spinach so he can supply chefs at restaurants catering to the farm-to-table thing that keeps getting bigger. His only investment was a space heater, fluorescent lights, and some minor repairs to the roof.”
“Cool stuff.”
“Yeah, I was glad to see younger people active at the state fair this year.”
“That’s wonderful, Dad. All of it.”
“Old barns, farmhouses, are part of the beauty of rural America. Many are made of virgin wood and are irreplaceable. While the farming industry is evolving, shifting, it does my heart good when I hear of something new being done with an old barn.”
Belinda leaned over and gave her father a hug.
“What was that for?”
“For being my dad. That’s all.”
Jack kissed her on the cheek. “While having the opportunity to do this is wonderful, you will always be my greatest accomplishment, bar none.”
Belinda basked in the warmth and security of knowing her parents would always be there for her. And she vowed to use every ounce of energy to make this theater a success. “Oh good, here comes Mom, right in time for the next singer.”
When they broke for lunch, Belinda took a tour of the food trucks with her parents. “Wow, Mom, I’m impressed.”
“Why thank you,” she said with a little shoulder shimmy. “I did my research. I wanted to have both traditional and more gourmet style in the mix too.” She stood in the center of the parking lot and pointed. “We have A Slice of Heaven, handmade pizza that’s to die for. Great Balls of Fire specializes in meatballs, many of which are super spicy.”
“Sweet.”
Betty nodded. “And speaking of sweet, we have Moo Moo, an ice-cream truck that gets the milk and cream from a local dairy farm. The girls who own the truck are a riot, and the ice cream is the best I’ve ever tasted. Fresh and creamy, and they also use local fruits and berries. The raspberry chocolate chip is the ultimate ice-cream experience. Tina’s Tacos are already a local favorite.”
“Your mother had the terrible task of taste testing,” Jack said with a chuckle. “I wanted to have some old-school staples like the corn dogs and kettle corn.”
“Hey, it was a tough job, but somebody had to do it,” Betty said, and gave Jack a playful shove. “Belinda, I have strings of lights over in the courtyard that are so pretty at night. And your dad just had outdoor speakers installed so patrons can stroll around outside and still hear the music.”
“Just amazing. I know I’ve been saying that a lot, but that’s all I can think of to describe all of this.”
“So, what do you want to eat?” Betty asked. “Or if you like, we can go from truck to truck and get samples.”
“That sounds fun,” Belinda replied. “Plus, we need to get back inside in about thirty minutes.”
“Where to?” Betty asked.
“Great Balls of Fire,” Belinda answered with a laugh. “I love their creative names, like craft beers.”
“Ah, now that’s where I get to do the tasting,” Jack said.
Belinda enjoyed trying a few bites of nearly all the trucks’ foods. Perhaps because the productive day was going so well, her appetite returned and she could enjoy the offerings. “Wow, mmm, the pizza is so good.” Crisp on the bottom with a soft crust, lots of chewy cheese and pepperoni. “We’re going to have people come here for the entertainment and the food too.”
“That’s the plan,” Betty said.
The atmosphere was festive, with people milling around the parking lot. Although the auditions were closed to the public, Belinda saw a few of the performers sampling the food. After a little cup of delicious raspberry chocolate ice cream from Moo Moo, they had to hurry back inside the auditorium.
Belinda’s full belly made her mellow, almost sleepy, and by the late afternoon she leaned over to her mother. “Mom, I’m starting to hit a wall. Do you mind if I take off? I’ll go through my notes tonight and get my results to you tomorrow.”
To Belinda’s dismay her mother’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, you have to stay!”
“Okay . . .” Belinda leaned back, surprised. “I’m not trying to bail. I just didn’t sleep well.”
“We’re on our last one, and then we’ll be done for the day,” Betty said.
“Betty, if Belinda’s tired, it’s okay. We can finish up here.”
“It’s fine, Dad,” Belinda said, giving her mom’s arm a playful nudge. “This one better be worth waiting for.”
“Trust me, it will be. I have a good feeling,” Betty said, and then answered her phone. “Mmm,
okay. That’s too bad. Oh, I’m sure she will be glad to,” Betty said, and tilted her head at Belinda. “Sweetie, the next performance is a duet, but the female singer couldn’t make it. Would you mind singing the other part in ‘Islands in the Stream’?”
“Seriously?” Belinda raised her eyebrows. “Oh, Mom, no, I prefer not to. Surely there’s someone else here who could do it.”
“He’s the last one for today.” Betty made shooing motions with her hands. “Go on, it will be fun. You love that song.”
“I haven’t sung it in forever,” Belinda said, and looked at her father for support. “Mom, why are you being such a bossy pants?” Belinda asked with a half grin.
“Betty, if—” Jack began, but gave a little grunt of pain when her mother gave him an elbow.
Belinda raised her hands in surrender. “Okay . . . okay. I’ll do it.”
Her mother smiled with obvious relief. “Thank you.”
Belinda walked across the hardwood floor and up the steps to the stage. Since she hadn’t been on a stage in a long time, she felt a little rush of excitement. The band started warming up while she adjusted her cordless microphone. A minute or two ticked by and Belinda wondered if the performer had bailed.
To Belinda’s surprise, the band started up on its own and a deep voice crooned from nowhere, “ ‘Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown.’ ”
And then Oliver Heart strolled onto the stage singing, smiling, and looking amazing in jeans and a blue Western-cut shirt.
“What?” Heart pounding, Belinda stood there, blinking at him, absorbing the warmth of his smile. The words to the song slid into her brain but failed to make it past her lips.
Oliver cut the band and then raised his eyebrows at her. When Belinda finally nodded slowly, Oliver cued the band and they started over, this time with gusto.
Belinda sang her part and then harmonized with Oliver. The lyrics so perfectly expressed how she felt about him that emotions spilled over into her voice, and she could see the same thing happening to Oliver. Who knew that their voices could blend so well? That Oliver could belt out the classic song made famous by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers?