by Burke, Dez
I’m unsure how to answer.
My lunch break is almost over and I have a responsible job to do. I can’t be working on prescription medications while I’m chit-chatting on the phone or my mind is wandering somewhere else. One mistake with filling medication and I could kill someone.
I’ve worked too hard to get to where I’m at. I can’t jeopardize my job. At the end of the day, I’m still a professional.
With a sigh, I turn my phone off and head back to work.
Tonight, I’ll visit Levi at the farm, and we’ll talk about a plan. For right now, I need to concentrate on not screwing up everything I’ve worked for.
Soon Levi will leave Monroe and go back to Nashville. He’ll pick up his career and go on the same as before.
There’s no doubt in my mind this will be his final decision.
When he does, I need to make sure I have my life to go back to as well.
35
Annie
The day drags on in slow motion. When my shift is over, I breathe a sigh of relief and sign out of my computer. After donning the biggest, darkest pair of sunglasses I can find to buy in the drugstore, I hurry to my car and pull out of the parking lot.
When I reach the town’s one stop light, I glance in my rearview mirror. Just as I suspected, the white van with the reporter is following close behind me.
Not for long.
A split-second before the light turns green, I gun the accelerator and take off down Main Street. After several random turns down narrow streets and cutting through the back of a grocery store parking lot, I lose the van.
For now, anyway.
I’m sure they’ll be waiting for me back at my house. My fifteen minutes of fame is almost over and I’m already sick of the press. I’ll never understand how Levi tolerates it twenty-four hours a day. Living his life would make me miserable.
I head out of Monroe and drive straight to the farm.
Levi and I need to talk.
When I arrive, I park beside his rental truck. I’m glad to see he managed to retrieve it from the impound lot unharmed.
I jog up the porch steps at the farmhouse and after knocking twice, open the door and let myself in.
“Anyone home?” I call out. “Cole? Lily? Edward? It’s Annie.”
No answer.
Walking into the living room, I check to see if Edward is sitting in his usual recliner chair in front of the television. He’s missing too. They must be out on the farm somewhere together.
I go back outside and head over to the two-story, red-and-white barn behind the farmhouse. There I find both brothers, leaning against an old wooden split-rail fence overlooking the pasture. Edward is sitting beside them in a folding lawn chair with a soft drink in one hand and a bag of peanuts in the other.
Levi is shirtless, with his broad shoulders rippling with muscles. His tattooed arms and biceps are slick with sweat from working this afternoon on the farm. His worn jeans are covered with dirt and his old leather boots are dusty.
He’s never looked better in my opinion.
Levi throws his head back and laughs out loud at something Cole says. Cole grins back at him, says something else, and they both burst out laughing again. The joyous sound carries across the yard to me.
For a moment, I stop walking to take in the scene before me.
This is the way I always pictured our life together would be. Full of family, kids, and the farm with big open spaces to play.
I hate to interrupt them and break up the party. They seem happy and at peace with each other.
A rarity for the brothers lately.
I head towards them. Levi spots me over his shoulder and rushes over to greet me with a hug.
“Annie! What are you doing here? I’ve been trying to reach you. Is your phone off? I’m so glad you came by.”
“I had to work today,” I remind him. “Sorry that I didn’t have a chance to call you back earlier. Were the charges really dropped? It’s over?”
“Yes, thank god. All due to Cole. Him and Sheriff Johnson are buddies from way back in high school. The sheriff wiped the slate clean and turned me loose. It’s all water under the bridge now. No worries now. Nothing but sunshine and blue sky ahead for us.”
“Not exactly,” I say slowly. “I have some bad news and thought it would be better to tell you in person.”
I hold up my cellphone and show him a screenshot of the photo of us being led into the police station.
“Have you seen these photos?” I ask. “There’s several more of them.”
His happy, relaxed expression falls.
“No.”
He takes the phone from my hand and flips through the photos. His expression changes from surprise to irritation to anger. By the time he sees the photo of Cole and his dad at the church picnic, he’s furious.
“I could kill these son of a bitches!” he spits out, his eyes angry. “Taking photos of me is one thing. Invading my family’s privacy and yours is another story.”
Cole walks over to join us with a concerned expression on his face. “What’s going on? What are you two talking about?”
“Some photographers posted a bunch of pictures on the internet,” Levi replies. “All of us are in them. Even Lily and Dad at the church picnic yesterday. And Annie with me at the police station.”
“Hell no, don’t tell me that shit,” Cole says angrily, grabbing the phone to see for himself. “How is this legal? I thought they weren’t supposed to publish photos of celebrity kids?”
“Taylor told me it was a kid who posted the photos from the church,” I tell him. “Everyone has a cellphone now. He uploaded the full video of Levi singing too.”
“If it was a church member’s kid, they’ll be hearing from me,” Cole says. “When I find out who took these photos at the church, I’ll jerk a knot in somebody’s tail. Kid or no kid. Children think they can get away with all kinds of bullshit these days with Mommy and Daddy covering for every screw-up. Kids need to learn that their parents can’t fix everything. Not this time. If it’s the same punk ass kid who I think it is, he’ll be mowing the lawn at the church for the next five years for free. I’ll let the preacher know too. I’m sure he’ll have something to say about it.”
“Can we get the photos taken down?” I ask Levi. “You would know more about this than we do.”
He slowly shakes his head and lets out a long sigh. “We could ask the original poster to take them down. Once they’re on the internet, they’re out there. Even if the original photos are removed, they’ve been shared, copied to cellphones, and posted again. Nothing ever dies on the internet.”
“That’s what I thought,” Cole says grimly. “I’m not having Lily’s photo spread all over the internet. Next thing we know, her mama will come running back to town hoping to cash in on Levi’s fame. I’m surprised she hasn’t done that already.”
“Your fans are upset too,” I say to Levi. “They’re burning you alive on the internet. And they think I’m the reason you’re canceling shows. Now they’re sending me hate messages to my work email.”
“You haven’t replied to them, have you?” Levi asks in concern. “Don’t ever do that. They’re baiting you. That’s all. Don’t respond.”
“No, and I won’t.”
Levi reaches out to wrap both arms around me and pull me closer to him. “I’m so sorry about all of this. The last thing I wanted to do was bring my crap down on you and my family. This is a nightmare. I’m not worried about my fans. This will blow over for me. It’s you I’m worried about. I’ll do whatever you want. If you want me to go public about us, I can tell the truth. That you’re someone important from my past that I never forgot. Or I can say nothing and keep quiet until you’re ready. Whatever you feel most comfortable with doing.”
“I don’t know what is best,” I say. “Photographers are stalking me now. They’re outside my house and the drugstore. A van tried to follow me when I left work a few minutes ago. I don’t know how to handle th
is kind of attention. It’s scary and unnerving. Did you see the photo captions? They’re making me out to be a slut who is screwing up your life.”
“When nothing could be further from the truth,” Levi says, kissing the top of my head and smoothing down my hair. “They’re trying to create a sensational clickbait headline. I never meant for you to be hurt. I fucked up everything by coming back to town.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I’m going to be flat-out honest with you,” Cole says, crossing his arms. “I don’t like the press coming around the farm, taking photos of Lily and Dad or bothering Annie at her job. This is our life here in Monroe. Our financial livelihood. Things can’t continue on this way, Levi.”
“Are you saying I should leave and go back to Nashville?” Levi asks, surprised. “I thought you wanted me here at the farm?”
“We all want you here,” Cole says. “That’s not the issue. Things have changed since the press showed up to harass the shit out of everyone. You might not have a choice if the photographers keep this up. God knows I need your help with Dad, but we need to think about Lily and Annie too. We’ll all involved now.”
“I’ll talk to Harry and see if he knows something we can do,” Levi says. “Don’t worry, Annie. No matter what, I won’t let the fans or the press tear your good reputation down. Hopefully this will all blow over soon. Believe me, it always does.”
I nod against his chest, hoping what he says is true.
36
Levi
I pull Annie tighter against my chest, hoping to ease her concerns. I hate that she’s tangled up in this mess now.
“Why don’t you stay for dinner, Annie?” Cole suggests. “Levi can tell you about all the stupid things he’s been caught doing over the years. I’m sure there are plenty of clips of his screwups online to entertain us. We could all use some cheering up.”
Annie smiles over at him. “Thanks, Cole, for the dinner invitation. I’d like that. Are you sure I wouldn’t be intruding?”
“Absolutely not,” he says. “You won’t be intruding because you’ll be the one cooking.”
“I hope you’ll stay,” I say. “The bottom line here is that what’s done is done. We just need to figure out a way to work through it together.”
“I’ll wash up and then get dinner started,” Cole says.
He claps his hands together to brush off the red clay dirt from his hands and heads into the farmhouse. Once he’s gone, I lean down and pull Annie close for a long kiss.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” I ask, drawing back and lifting up her chin to search her eyes.
“Just shaken up by everything,” she says. “I love my privacy and have never been one to want attention. You were always the superhero and I was the sidekick. I was comfortable in my silent backup role.”
I gently rub my thumb against her lips. She’s gazing up at me as if she thinks I can fix this and make it all go away.
I’m not sure I can.
“Thank you for hanging in there with me after this mess. If there’s any way I can make it up to you, I will.”
She slips her fingers into mine. “It’s not your fault. We’re paying the price of fame. Should we try to round up Lily and take Edward inside? Where is she anyway?”
“Last time I saw her, she was running into the barn after spotting a cat,” I say.
After locating Lily playing with a stray cat she found in the barn and convincing Dad it’s time to eat, we all go inside for dinner.
Annie jumps right in to help Cole without being asked. She’s grown up hanging around the farmhouse, so she knows exactly where every pot, pan, and ingredient is stored.
She sets a huge pot of water on the stovetop to boil for spaghetti noodles and dumps a jar of sauce into a pan. Cole is busy buttering a loaf of garlic bread before wrapping it in tinfoil and sticking it in the oven to warm.
“What do I need to do?” I ask them. “I feel helpless watching the two of you work.”
“Your job is to keep Lily and Dad occupied,” Cole replies. “That’s the hardest job there is. Believe me.”
It feels good for the family to all be working together. Lily and I set the table while Cole and Annie prepare the meal. Dad is sitting at the dining room table, content for the moment to watch his family buzz around him.
“So,” Annie says a few minutes later, giving me a teasing smile. “I thought Cole was going to tell me about all the ways you’ve publicly embarrassed yourself. I don’t remember reading anything.”
“Don’t get me started,” Cole says. “My baby brother is a meme waiting to happen. How many times have you fallen off the stage, Levi? One time you managed to fall up the stairs to the stage after you won a Country Music award. I mean, come on! Who falls up the damn stairs? I was so embarrassed for you.”
“Now that I think about it, I do remember seeing that video clip,” Annie says, smiling at me. “You recovered quickly and waved your cowboy hat around to let people know you hadn’t broken your neck.”
I’m glad she’s relaxing a little and beginning to enjoy herself.
“I tripped on a cord,” I say, trying to defend myself. “I’m not that clumsy. I hadn’t even been drinking. Hell, the video clip of the fall gained me more publicity than anything else I could’ve done. Harry thought I’d done it on purpose. Now that I think about it, he might’ve set it up to trip me. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
“I played the clip a thousand times for Lily,” Cole admits. “She giggled until she cried. Hey, Lily!” he says to her over his shoulder. “Let me ask you something.”
Lily glances up from her task of placing forks beside each plate. “What, Daddy?”
“Do you remember seeing your Uncle Levi fall down the stairs?”
Lily immediately starts giggling at the memory.
“See what I mean?” Cole says.
“Are you laughing at me?” I say to Lily in fake outrage, reaching over to tickle her ribs. “I’ll make you laugh.”
She squeals and laughs harder. A wave of emotion rolls over me. How I love this little girl. I regret missing so much of her life already.
“The moral of the story is that no matter how embarrassing something might be, people quickly move on to something else,” Cole says, turning to Annie. “The standard fifteen minutes of fame has turned into ten seconds of fame.”
“Unless you do something stupid enough for a meme to be made about you,” I say. “Those darn things stick around forever.”
“Okay, guys,” Annie says, pouring the pasta into a strainer over the sink. “You’ve convinced me. I’ll try to stop worrying about it. There’s nothing I can do about it now anyway. Who’s hungry?”
“I am!” Lily yells.
“Then let’s eat,” Cole says.
Annie and Cole load up the plates and we all take a seat at the table.
“Lily, it’s your turn to say the blessing,” Cole says. “Can you do it by yourself?”
Lily nods, closes her eyes and folds her little hands with her fingertips pointing up. “God is great, God is good. Thank you for the food, God. Amen.”
“Amen,” we all say together.
I reach for Annie’s hand underneath the table and squeeze it. Leaving all this and going back to Nashville is going to break my heart.
As the thought rolls through my mind, I realize the decision has already been made.
37
Levi
After we all pitch in to clean up the dinner dishes, Cole takes Lily outside to play while Annie helps Dad go into the living room to watch the evening news.
I excuse myself to check my cellphone. As expected, my voicemail is full of messages from Harry. He’s working overtime, trying to do damage control on my image.
Or so he says.
In the past, he’s always told me any publicity is good publicity. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the one stirring the media up to keep me in the public eye.
I step out to listen to his nu
merous messages giving me a minute-by-minute update of everything he’s doing. Trying to prove his position with me is worthwhile.
When I return to the kitchen, Annie leaves Dad’s side and follows me.
Are you okay?” she asks in a concerned voice. “Did you get bad news from Harry? Has something else happened? Tell me.”
“I was catching up on my messages from Harry.”
“What did he have to say?”
“He’s a little worried about the photos too.” I motion for Annie to sit down at the table across from me. I reach over and take her hand.
Annie frowns at me.
“You said it wasn’t a big deal. Is the arrest going to cause problems for you? Even if the charges were dropped?”
I shake my head. “No, here’s the crazy thing. According to Harry, me being arrested isn’t the issue. It’s the photos of us together that has him concerned.”
“Because you’re with a slutty girl who is trying to ruin your life? See! I told you your fans were mad.”
“The whole thing is ridiculous,” I say. “I guess the fans think I’m not allowed to have a life or a girlfriend. According to Harry, it’s a potential public relations crisis. You were right. They’re convinced I’m lying about taking time off to be with Dad. They think I’m partying it up and hanging out with wild girls who are leading me into temptation.”
I smile at her to lessen the sting of my words.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of ‘Girls Gone Wild,’” Annie says drily. “Should I take my shirt off and run around the farm topless to play the part? I can’t believe they’re painting this kind of picture of me. What are you going to do?”
“I told Harry the same thing I told you. Not to worry, because it’s nothing.”
Annie’s face falls, and she pulls her hand back from mine. “We’re nothing?”
I quickly grab her hand again.
“You know that’s not what I meant by that.”
“Do I?” she asks. “I’m not so sure. If that’s the case, maybe we should have a serious talk about where we go from here. Soon you’ll be making a decision about your life, if you haven’t already. Now that the press has found you, there’s no more hiding away from real life.”