by Ali Parker
“No, I don’t know where to start. She didn’t leave me a number or anything. I think I need to just give it a rest. Not really get away from here, but get away from myself and my dreams, refocus myself on the ranch and my job here. Once I’ve good and forgotten her, maybe I’ll try again.”
I looked up to see Mason and Ted coming back out to join us. Ted didn’t speak to me the rest of the morning, and with the delay it wasn’t until after lunch that we finished screwing the last board in place.
After cleaning up our mess, we put the tools away. I wiped my brow on my sleeve and then dusted off my pants and headed toward the house.
***
After a nice long shower, I stepped out of my steamy bathroom and sat on the bed. The damp towel around my waist loosened as I sat. I opened my nightstand drawer where I’d put Sarah’s little makeup bag. Her scent wafted from the bag and I breathed it in as my heart sank. I wondered if she’d come back for it. Women loved their girly stuff and especially makeup, or at least Ella always had. I unzipped the silky purple bag and peeked inside. I took out the small pink tube of lipstick. The little thing was so tiny in my hands and that reminded me of Sarah and how tiny she was. I loved the feel of her tucked up against me, she fit so perfectly. I opened the tube and peeked in at the shade. Those lips of hers had been beautiful in it, and even sexier when I’d kissed it off.
Curiously, I twisted the tube and ran the color across my fingertip, then I closed my eyes and brought my fingers to my lips. I could smell her there and taste her again too, if I thought hard about it. I pulled my hand away and opened my eyes knowing I had to look as pathetic as I felt. I rubbed the lipstick on my towel and then tucked the lipstick and the bag back into the drawer.
I leaned over and grabbed my guitar. The thing had always been another extension of me. I adored it like a familiar friend and I’d let it be my escape for so long and I knew what I had to do. If I was going to get over her, and focus on my duties, I had to give it up; at least for a while. I laid it on my bed and crossed the room to my closet where I shrugged into some jeans and a soft cotton t-shirt. I pulled on my boots and raked my hands through my hair and checked myself in the mirror over my dresser. Finally, releasing a long breath, I grabbed my guitar and took it to the attic. Leaving the old friend behind was tough, but it had to be done. But I wasn’t done yet.
I drove out to Kinsey’s and went inside. I gave Lucy a half smile and ordered myself a beer. All I wanted was a drink to drown my sorrows in and a little time to work up the courage for my next move, but dammit all to hell, Norm came over to the bar and sat next to me.
“So, guess you got all territorial for nothing. Don’t worry, apology accepted.” Norm’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on me, and neither was his attempt to get a rise. I just wasn’t in the mood and neither were my knuckles after their earlier encounter with Ted.
I cut my glance his way and took a swig of beer before responding. “Fuck off, Norm.”
“Fuck off? That’s how you want it, huh? Gonna let some city snatch come between old friends. I guess I don’t blame you. She was a little firecracker.”
I thought of Norm getting close to her and gritted my teeth and my grip on my beer. He’d been handsy with her and made her uncomfortable. I’d wanted her to stay with me. Maybe if he hadn’t been such an ass that I had to bring her home, Mama wouldn’t have taken such drastic measures and called Ella. She’d be here with me right now and not in Tennessee.
“I bet she was a firecracker in bed too,” said Norm. He let out a cackle that could have shaken the roof if the jukebox wasn’t already.
I looked over to see his stupid grin and all the sound in the room ceased as my adrenaline flowed through me, blurring out not only the sound in the room, but everything else but his stupid laughing face. Before I knew it, my fist connected with his face and Norm fell ass up off the barstool and landed on his upper back, folding like a taco on Tuesday.
Lucy and Kinsey rushed over as I casually sipped at my beer. They helped him to his feet, dusted him off and Lucy took him to the other end of the bar to keep a safe distance. Kinsey bellied up beside me.
“Sorry about that, Kinsey. I didn’t mean to make a scene.”
Kinsey let out a chuckle. “Don’t fret it, it’s the most action we’ve seen in a while.”
“Look, I’m quitting music for a while so I won’t be singing here anymore. At least until I can get my head on straight and maybe not even then.” It hurt like hell to say it, but I had to get it off my chest.
Kinsey released a long breath and rubbed his chin. “I understand, Davey. Anytime you want to come back to it, you just let me know. There’s always a place for you here. Take some time off and go back to it. Maybe another one of them agents will come and hear you. You should be singing in much bigger places than this one.”
“I appreciate it, but I don’t think I’ll have time for it. I’m going to concentrate on running the ranch and learning a little bit more from my father while I can. He’s not getting any younger and he’s always telling me I’ll have to step up when he’s gone. There won’t be any other agents and no place bigger than the ranch for me.”
“Well, I guess that’s the way it goes. No one born here ever leaves, but I had hopes for you, son. I had all the faith that you would.” As the old man walked away I ordered another beer and tried to forget about singing and Sarah. The reality of the latter slowly burned in my gut.
Chapter 10
Sarah
My stomach was doing flips all the way through traffic as I headed into work. There was no way around the ass-chewing I was going to get and it wasn’t the first time my boss, Rowena Burke, had made a meal of me. I parked my car and hurried into the building, wasting no time to get it over with.
As soon as I walked into the lobby at Elder Tree Management, Betty, Rowena’s secretary, waved me back. The look on her face was nearly apologetic as she opened the door, as if doing so were sending me to my doom. With a deep breath, I stepped inside and Betty quietly closed the door behind me.
Rowena sat at her desk behind a pile of papers talking into her phone that sat before her on speaker. “Make it happen.” Her voice was anything but pleasant and I wondered what kind of chewing the person on the other end had gotten, especially when his apologetic reply was cut off mid-sentence. Her sharp, gunmetal grey eyes glanced up at me through her blond bangs. Her layered hair reminded me of a rock star as did the black leather jacket and jeans she wore. Her style was professional, but edgy and I always wished I could pull it off.
I took a seat. “I love your jacket.” The words fell from my lips like some giddy fan meeting their favorite movie star and I wished like hell I could take them back.
“Do you?” She eyed my own clothes and leaned back in her chair. “Thanks. So, what have you got for me?” I’d never had much of a poker face and before I could speak she held up her hand to stop me. “Don’t tell me the trip to Texas, this week-long voyage you’ve been on, didn’t produce a winner.”
“I got all the way down there expecting a real talent, but it was all just bullshit. I’m sorry. I trusted Rick would spot me a winner considering our past. He owed me a favor.”
“You said you’d heard this girl, that it was a sure thing.” She rested her arms up over her head, a little too relaxed for my liking. She didn’t fool me. Rowena Burke was like a lioness, slow on the prowl, and quick to pounce on whatever weak zebra she could take down and I was feeling black and white.
“I had heard a sample, she sounded promising. It’s just Rick knew what to send. He sent the only clip where she’d actually hit a key.” I wouldn’t tell her that when I’d gotten there, I’d found the tone-deaf girl on her knees behind Rick’s desk, giving him the pleasure I used to. I’d told her that Rick and I were old friends, but I’d not gone into the fact that we were once a thing, until he traded me in for another, who, to my knowledge, he’d just married. He hadn’t zipped his pants fast enough to welcome me and I stormed out of the off
ice angry and a little jealous.
He’d caught up with me before I reached my car, his fool flavor-of-the-week still wiping her mouth behind him. He begged me to come back in so he could give me her pitch, and like a fool I followed. The real kick in the ass came later, when his wife showed up, but by then I knew I’d been used. It only solidified my suspicions that the girl was too much of a liability for him. And the only favor he was doing, was for himself.
“It wasn’t going to work out. I went there thinking he was throwing me a bone and instead I got the dog.”
Rowena leaned forward, her grey eyes narrowed. “I took you in because my partner said you had real spirit, but so far all I’ve seen is a scared little girl playing wannabe and letting old wounds hold you back.” She shook her head and curled her lip in a disgusted way, leaving me to feel small. “I don’t think you’re cut out for this kind of work. People are falling over themselves to get representation and you walk in here dressed like you’re selling Bibles, after chasing down a lead from your old boyfriend.”
My brow twitched. I didn’t think she knew about that.
“Yeah, I called around. While you were off in Texas licking your wounds.”
I chose my next words carefully and hoped what I had to say wouldn’t make things worse. “I was in Oklahoma.”
Her face lit with surprise. “Oklahoma? Not Texas?”
I held up a hand. “Please, let me explain. You’re right, I was licking my wounds, and I was ashamed and afraid to come back with nothing. I ended up taking a little detour to clear my head.”
“I’d say spending days in Oklahoma is not quite a detour. It’s a waste.”
“Well, the truth is I found a wonderfully talented singer. He’s the total package.” My heart sank thinking of David and against my better judgement I spewed on about him, not sure what the hell I was doing. I just couldn’t look like a total failure in front of Rowena.
Rowena took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. “So, let me hear him.”
“Well, that’s the problem, I don’t have a demo. He was singing in a bar when I found him; a little dive in a small town.”
“So, bring him into the studio, I’d love to meet this total package.” She didn’t sound convinced, so I continued my sales pitch.
“Oh, he is. He’s gorgeous, a real cowboy. Works on a ranch, has the body, the face and the voice. I think he’s got a big future. He’s possibly the next George Strait. I mean, that good.” I nodded my head, smiling, as if the gesture would add authenticity, but the woman was a hard sell.
“Bring. Him. In.” She met my eyes directly and smiled the type of smile that one only gave when their patience was wearing thin.
My own smile faded. “There’s a bit of a complication. I’m not sure I can get him here. I’m working on it, though. It’s just he works his family’s ranch and it’s hard for him to get away. His family is giving him a hard time and…”
“Sounds to me he’s not really interested in pursuing a singing career. So, it’s your job to convince him that this is what’s going to secure his future. Bring him in, Sarah.” I started to speak, but she held up a hand to cut me off. “Let me put it to you like this, before you start to feed me more excuses that I don’t want to hear. You have one more chance.”
I could do this. One week to find somebody was no problem. “I’ll find someone, I won’t let you down.”
“No, not just anybody, I want to hear this cowboy. You’ve got till Monday next week. I don’t care how you go about it or what you have to do. Drag him here kicking and screaming, or at least find me a demo and get him on FaceTime. Just don’t come back here without him.”
My heart sank. I had no idea how I was going to reach out to David again after what happened. My face reddened as the heat crept in, I couldn’t go to his house. I couldn’t go off to Oklahoma again and face him and his fiancée. I’d have to get in touch some other way.
“Okay, thanks.” I left her office with my heart in my throat and I hurried to the nearest bathroom feeling like I might throw up. Luckily I held it together and went to my desk.
I pulled up Facebook hoping he’d have a page and maybe even some samples uploaded like most musicians and singers, but he didn’t. The searches through Sound Cloud and Twitter were all failed attempts, as well as Google, which only brought up old articles from when he sold a prize-winning cow. He’d obviously missed the social media wave by a mile.
There was only one way I was going to reach out to him without showing up on his doorstep like an idiot with my tail tucked between my legs, and that was calling the Dew Drop. I could reach out to Norm, but after David punched him in the eye, I didn’t think it was the best option; last resort, maybe. I looked up the hotel online and as luck would have it, I found the number. I jotted it down and stared at the paper.
I imagined some old gal answering the phone when I called, and hoped like hell that she’d be willing to give David the message. No telling what people in town thought of me. Surely in a small place like that, word had gotten around what a fool I’d been. How I’d come into town and lured poor David to cheat on his young bride-to-be. I’d be lucky if I was ever welcomed back, much less have the luck of getting his friends to give him messages from me— a.k.a. the city-girl homewrecker.
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and glanced down at my blazer, which suddenly didn’t feel as comfortable as it had when I put it on that morning. I needed a style make-over, no doubt. Maybe something new would boost my confidence. Shopping had always been my best therapy. Maybe I’d pick up something edgy like Rowena. The thought sparked interest. There was only one person who would help me with that, and if I was lucky, I’d catch her on her day off. I tucked the phone number under my keyboard and called Jenn.
She answered on the first ring. “Please tell me this isn’t an emergency and you’re not in Oklahoma again.”
“Funny. No, I just thought you might want to grab some dinner later and do some shopping, if you have time.”
The phone vibrated as Jenn giggled a little too close to the receiver. “Shopping? So, you’ve resorted to therapy, I can’t say I didn’t see this coming. I only wish I’d suggested it.”
“Well, that and my boss told me I looked like a Bible salesman.” I ran my hands through my hair and leaned back in my chair.
“Ouch. It’s not all that bad. Weathergirl, maybe.” Her laughter boomed again, making me cut down my volume.
“I’ll pick you up around five, funny lady. And as my friend, I’m holding you responsible for my fashion faux-pas. I want to look my best when I see David again. I made the mistake of comparing him to the King of Country Music and now I’ve got to put my money where my mouth is.”
She went silent and I would have thought she’d hung up if I hadn’t heard her breathing. I was just about to say something when she spoke. “Girl, promise me it’s all business this time. I can’t condone you chasing after him. I know before you had no clue, but...”
“It’s all business. Trust me, I wouldn’t even be considering him, but I’ve got until Monday next week to produce that singing cowboy for Rowena Burke or she’s going to kill my dream of being an agent.” A gnawing feeling ate at my gut remembering her haunting grey eyes sizing me up. I’d go back in that office of hers with proof of my cowboy if it was the last move I made at Elder Tree. I prayed it wouldn’t be.
“Don’t forget we need to stop off at Pilates tonight.”
David had me so mixed up I’d forgotten what day it was. “Right, we’ll have time for both.”
I heard a pause in the sound through the line and then Jenn made a noise of frustration. “Hey, I got another call, see you tonight.” The phone went silent and I hung up and stared at my desk.
I searched the Internet again, just to make sure that I wasn’t missing something. I’d found a few things about his brother Luke’s FFA wins, and even Mason and Luke’s Facebook profiles. I didn’t dare send a friend request, but luckily they wer
e public. I double-checked those for any posts about Kinsey’s or David’s performances, but then I remembered his family wasn’t that supportive of his dreams. My heart ached thinking about him so I tried to busy myself by tidying up my desk and listening to some new singers who had sent in demos. None of them had anything close to the talent that David had.
He was a natural.
It was no use, no matter how many distractions I gave myself, I kept thinking about his strong hands and how they touched me. His lips were tender, yet strong against mine, as well as against the tender bud between my legs. Heat throbbed there just thinking about him, and I couldn’t help but want him again. No. No. No. I crossed my legs, trying to soothe the slow ache that burned through me. I knew it was wrong, but it could have been perfect with us. I’d have my client and the perfect boyfriend, and he’d have gotten out of the small town just like he’d always wanted.
I couldn’t understand why he’d confided in me. He seemed genuine, like he’d wanted to get away and start something new and had the freedom to do so. Maybe it was cold feet talking and he was only trying to have one last fling before tying the knot with Ella. I wasn’t the first woman to be taken by someone like him and I wouldn’t be the last. Too bad it didn’t dull the shame I felt for jumping into a sexual relationship with him so soon. I’d never done anything like that before; not so shortly after meeting someone, especially a potential client, though there hadn’t been too many of them.
The slip of paper with the number to Kinsey’s kept catching my eye. I pulled it out from under my keyboard and after staring at it, and doing a back and forth trying to decide whether or not to call it, I tucked the slip of paper into the side pocket of my handbag.