Country

by Danielle Steel

  “You’re the safe one, and they’re probably angry that he died.”

  “I was kind of mad at him myself until now,” she admitted. “I stuck it out. I paid my dues. I lived through the affair, I stayed with him, and then he goes and dies, and now I wind up alone for the rest of my life. Who’s going to be there when I get old or if I get sick, or be there to walk our daughters down the aisle? He just bailed on all of it, and now I’m stuck there in an empty house. He wasn’t there much, but I knew he’d come home at night. Now no one comes home. I’m there alone.” She didn’t want to sound pathetic, but it was true.

  “It seems like he wasn’t really there even when he did come home,” Chase said sensibly. “And you’re not going to be alone for the rest of your life. Not with your looks.” He smiled at her. “You’re still a young woman. Hell, you’re my age.” They both laughed. “You’re just alone for now. And there are a lot of things you can do—get a job, move to a different city, meet new people. The whole world is open to you. It’s what the medicine man said, you have to open your eyes to new paths. It appears that you had exhausted the old ones anyway. With all due respect, it sounds like your life with your husband was over. Neither of you wanted to acknowledge it, but it was. You just need some time to figure it out.” She knew that what he said was right, although it scared her.

  “Maybe I’ll get a job as a dealer in Las Vegas,” she said with a rueful smile.

  “Or a singer in a country band. How good’s your voice?” He was teasing her and she laughed.

  “Not good enough.” They changed the subject to Sandy then, and Stephanie commented on how great her voice was. She had a huge talent, like him. And he was a hard taskmaster, teaching her the ropes. He sounded a little guilty as he said it.

  “The poor kid needs a mother more than she needs a voice coach. She’s been dragging around backstage since she was in diapers. Once her mother died, her father took her everywhere with him—on tour, to rehearsal—and now I do the same. She grew up with a guitar and a microphone in her hands. But it’s paying off. I think she’ll make it big one day. It’s kind of exciting to see. And she’s a sweet girl. I try to toughen her up a little. She’s always falling for some kid like Bobby Joe. He doesn’t give a damn about her, she’s just convenient for him on the road, and he sees her as a way of being connected to me. But if he’s bad to her, I’ll kick him out so fast, his head will spin. He’s just a punk, and not as talented as he thinks. He won’t last long in this business. She will. She’s the real thing. He’s just a flash in the pan, selling sex appeal and a second-rate voice. She’s pure gold. She’s a platinum record waiting to happen, and it will if I have anything to do with it.” He took his role in her life seriously, as her protector, teacher, and mentor, and Stephanie was impressed. It was how she felt about her kids. And Sandy wasn’t even his. She had just been his ward since she was fifteen.

  They stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant he knew in the desert, instead of somewhere in the city where he would be hounded. People came up to ask him for autographs even in the diner, and he was nice about it. But he wanted private time with her. He enjoyed their conversation, and everything she had to say. And she liked talking to him too. Their ideas were similar on many subjects, even though they had come to the same conclusions in different ways. And he had far more worldly experience than she did. Compared to him, she had lived a sheltered life. He had been in the often cutthroat front lines of the music world for many years, but he was neither bitter nor spoiled by it. He had remained true to himself. Meeting him and talking to him was a remarkable experience. And she admired how humble he was.

  It was five o’clock by the time he took her back to the hotel. And he had rehearsal in an hour. He said he was going to swim and work out before that. And she wanted to shop some more. She had spotted some other stores she wanted to explore. The temptations in Vegas were limitless, for both shoppers and gamblers, and she hadn’t bought new clothes in a long time. Jean filled the void in her life by shopping constantly, Stephanie was wearing five-year-old clothes and never bought new ones. The stores in Las Vegas had caught her eye.

  “Thank you for a fantastic day,” she said with a warm smile.

  “I guess yesterday was my lucky day,” he said, smiling at her. “I went to the Canyon to clear my head, and look who I met.”

  “I think you have that reversed,” she said, touched by what he said.

  “Do you want to come by rehearsal? We’ll just go through some stuff for a couple of hours. If you’d like, you’re welcome to hang around.” She said she might, and he left her in the lobby of the hotel. She went back to her room for a few minutes to wash her face and relax and then went back out again to look around. And an hour into their rehearsal, she dropped by to see them. She had given up her plan of leaving that night, and was driving back to San Francisco the next day. She had already called the shelter to let them know that she wouldn’t be in, and they told her they didn’t need her for another two weeks.

  Their rehearsal was in full swing when she slipped in. Chase was doing one of his ballads, and she loved listening to him. Sandy came off the stage and sat down next to her and squeezed her hand, as Stephanie remembered all he’d said about her, and how much she needed a woman in her life. She looked like a little kid, in jeans and a T-shirt with a ponytail and no makeup.

  “What did you do today?” Sandy whispered with wide eyes, as they sat together in the darkened room, listening to Chase.

  “I just went shopping,” Stephanie said, looking guilty, and showed her a pair of flats she’d bought at Marc Jacobs, with mouse faces on them. Sandy giggled silently and said how cute they were. “What size do you wear? I can get you a pair tomorrow.” Sandy looked surprised and said she wore an eight, the same as both of Stephanie’s girls.

  Sandy had to go on stage after that, and Stephanie stayed for a while. Chase came down during a break while they were adjusting the sound and gave her a hug. After two days, and their lengthy conversations, he felt like a friend. And then she left, and went to Marc Jacobs to get the shoes for Sandy and went back to her room. Chase called her when they were through.

  “Are you coming tonight?” He sounded worried that she might not.

  “Of course.” It was why she had stayed.

  “Do you want to be backstage or have a seat?”

  “Backstage might be more fun.” It was something new. Her life was new these days, or had been since she came to Vegas and met him.

  “You can wait in my dressing room if you get bored,” he offered.

  “There is nothing boring about your show, Chase. I’ll be there the whole time.” She smiled as she said it. She was becoming an avid fan.

  “Why don’t you come half an hour early? You can sit in my dressing room with me before I go on. Come to think of it, come at ten. We can have dinner after, if you don’t mind waiting that long.” It was the life he led, of endless nights and midnight dinners, rehearsals, and waiting around all day in hotel rooms. It was better than it used to be when he was young, and they went on ten-week road tours with him and the entire band in a van, driving from town to town, day after day, performing all night, to filthy, disgusting venues, and dressing rooms that hadn’t been cleaned in years. Now he was a star, but he had earned it the hard way and paid his dues.

  Jean called her that night again when she was getting dressed and wanted to know what was going on and when she was coming home, and had she slept with Chase Taylor yet.

  “Stop that. We’re just friends. He’s a really decent guy. I’m just having fun, hanging out with the band.” She felt like a teenager as she said it, and Jean laughed. “I’m driving back tomorrow. I’ll see you on Friday for lunch.”

  “I can’t wait.” Jean felt like her partner in crime.

  Stephanie still hadn’t heard from her kids in several days, which was typical, and no one knew where she was except Jean. She wouldn’t have told them anyway. They would have thought she’d lost her mind.<
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  Stephanie showed up at Chase’s dressing room that night at ten, carrying a shopping bag. He was stretched out on the couch with his long legs, reading the paper, and he stood up as soon as she walked in. He kissed her on the cheek and offered her a drink, but she was happy to just sit there and relax with him. It felt good to be a part of it, and she was surprisingly comfortable with him, like an old friend. Several members of the band came in to ask him about various technical details, and Sandy walked in and was happy to see her there.

  “Hi, Stevie. What are you doing here?” She looked surprised and pleased.

  “Hanging out,” she said, laughing at her words. As she said it, Stephanie handed her the bag. Sandy reached into it with a puzzled look, and found the mouse shoes in her size. She gave a squeal of delight and threw her arms around her benefactor’s neck. She tried them on and they fit perfectly, as Chase watched the scene looking touched. After she left, Chase turned to Stephanie.

  “That was sweet of you to do. I never do things like that for her, and I should. I just give her money and tell her to go shop. That’s what I meant. She’s starving for a woman in her life. Delilah takes her out shopping sometimes for clothes to wear on stage. Thanks, Stevie. I really appreciate it.”

  “I enjoyed it, and it’s a small thing to do.” She made little gestures like that every day for her kids when they were around, and sent them small gifts when she found something she knew they’d love. She was good at it, the motherly duties she enjoyed for so long, and missed so much now.

  He chatted easily with her before the show, and then took her backstage with him before he went on. He found a chair for her, in the wings, and Sandy blew her a kiss as she flew by on her way to take her place on stage. The show was even better than it had been the night before. She couldn’t see Chase except on a monitor, but she could hear him. She was starting to know some of his songs.

  She told him how good it had been when he walked back to her after the show, and he smiled and put an arm around her shoulders.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m starving, let’s go eat.” He let the band go to dinner on their own and took her to a small restaurant on the edge of town with Cajun food and chicken wings and ribs. They ate with their fingers, and it was delicious. He had a hearty appetite, and was always hungry after a show. They sat there eating and talking until almost three a.m., and then he drove her back to the hotel.

  “Can I talk you into staying for our last night? We’re leaving on Friday. You could go back to San Francisco then.”

  “Now I really am a groupie,” she said, laughing, but she was easy to convince this time. She was enjoying herself too much to leave, and he was pleased. He walked across the lobby with her, with his long easy stride. People noticed him immediately and wondered who the woman was with him. He kissed her quickly on the cheek at the elevator and disappeared, before anyone could start asking for autographs. They were all drunks at that hour, and he wasn’t in the mood. He called her as soon as she got to her room. And she was tired too. It had been a long, busy day.

  “Sorry I ditched you, Stevie. I didn’t want to deal with fans.” She understood, and she lay down on the bed with the phone.

  “It’s fine. I had a great time tonight. San Francisco is going to be even more miserable now. What am I going to do at night?”

  “Come to Nashville, then. I can show you around. We’re recording next week, and you can sit in the studio with us. And we’re playing a concert that weekend. Nashville is an amazing place. You can be our good luck charm.” He felt as though she already was, and everybody liked her.

  “I’m not sure that’s a proper job. It might be a little hard to explain.”

  “Then don’t explain it. Just come.”

  “I’ve already been here for two days, and I’m staying tomorrow. I have to go home sometime.” But she could no longer think why. She was having too much fun here with them.

  “We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” he said firmly, and she laughed. They both knew she had to go home. But in the meantime, she was having the best time she’d had in years. “See you tomorrow, Stevie. Sleep tight,” he said in a tired voice. He had given the show his all tonight. He always did. And Sandy had been terrific too, and put her mouse shoes on the minute she came off stage. “You can become Sandy’s mentor, or mine,” he said warmly. He liked spending time with her.

  “There’s nothing I could teach you that you don’t already know,” she said kindly. He was a wise man, and she agreed with the wisdom he had shared about life.

  “I don’t think that’s true, Stevie. You’re a very special woman. You just don’t know it yet. Come to Nashville and find out.” She didn’t know what he meant by that and didn’t want to ask. She liked the friendship that they shared, and she wasn’t ready for it to be more, with him or anyone. And he had sensed that from the moment they met. He was satisfied with what they had. He just liked being with her. He hadn’t enjoyed anyone this much in years. “Get some sleep. We’ll figure out something to do tomorrow, or just lie by the pool and relax. I’ll call you in the morning,” he promised.

  “I’d like that,” she answered, and they both hung up. It had been another perfect day. And she was thoroughly enjoying her new friend. And so was he.

  Chapter 9

  They spent the morning at the pool the next day, until people started hounding him for autographs. And they went back to his suite, and ordered lunch there. It was still impressive to Stephanie to see how fans chased after him and intruded on him every place he went. He was always gracious about it, but it was wearing after a while.

  They were halfway through lunch when Chase brought up the subject of Nashville again.

  “I know this isn’t the kind of thing you do,” he began, “but it’s a hell of an opportunity to see the city with someone like me. It’s a two-day drive from here. I can drive your car for you, or one of the boys in the band. You can stay a few days and then drive back to San Francisco. And you can visit your son in Atlanta while you’re there. Come on, Stevie. We’re having such a good time. Don’t leave now.” His eyes pleaded with her when he said it, and she was touched. And he was right, it was an opportunity, but it made no sense in her real life. What was she doing following a country music band around the country from Las Vegas to Nashville, and then driving back west alone? It was really a stretch for her. But the alternative was depressing. Sooner or later she had to go home. Why not have some fun before she did? He did all he could to convince her, and by the end of lunch she still wasn’t sure. The chance to visit Michael in Atlanta appealed to her and almost seemed like a good excuse, but not quite.

  “I don’t know, Chase. And you have work to do when you get home.” He had told her about the new album they were doing.

  “Yes, but I’d love to show you around. Just come for a few days, and you can see your boy.” He was touching every chord he could.

  “If my boy wants to see me. He has a girlfriend I don’t like, and she’s not crazy about me either.”

  “A local girl?” She nodded. “Ah, a Georgia peach. They’re the worst kind. Saccharine sweet while they knife you in the back.” He had described her perfectly, and Stevie laughed.

  “You’re a very convincing man,” Stephanie said with a serious look. But she knew it was something she might never do again, and what better way to see Nashville than with him?

  “So have I convinced you?” He looked hopeful, and she shook her head.

  “Almost. I just don’t know how to explain this to anyone. It’s so not part of my normal life.” But her normal life now was loneliness and grief. She dreaded going home, which was how she had wound up in Las Vegas in the first place. But Nashville felt like she’d really be pushing it, and leading someone else’s life, not her own.

  “Then don’t explain it. Who do you need to explain it to?”

  “My son, if I show up.”

  “Can’t you say you were visiting an old friend? You have nothing else to do rig
ht now. That might sound okay to them.”

  “Yeah, it might,” she said, looking pensive, and then she sank her chin into her hands with a sigh. “Maybe I should just stop worrying about it and do it. I can figure out some explanation later. I don’t know why I feel like I need to explain things to anyone, or make excuses, or have their permission. I’m just not used to doing whatever I want. Maybe they don’t give a damn anyway. My kids are grown up, so am I.” She looked troubled as she glanced at him. “Okay, I’ll come to Nashville. I can tell my grandchildren about it one day, about when I made friends with a famous country music star and followed his band to Nashville.” He smiled at what she said and her expression, and he was happy she agreed. He was enjoying her company too much to want to see her go. It was one of those rare encounters in life that seemed important to both of them, although neither of them knew why. And he knew that sooner or later she had to go back to San Francisco, where she lived.

  “Do you mind driving back cross country alone?” He was mildly worried about it. She had a good car and was an independent woman, but she was still a woman on her own.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “You can always have the car shipped from Nashville and fly home,” he suggested, but she shook her head. She liked the challenge, and it would be a good time to just think peacefully while she drove. “I’ll drive your car for you tomorrow, or we can ride the bus if you prefer.”

  “I think it would be fun to drive,” she said as they left the lunch table in his suite. They chatted for a while, and then she went back to her own room. She wanted to buy a few things for the trip to Nashville. She was running out of clothes. She had only brought enough for the weekend at the Biltmore, and even if she only stayed a few days in Nashville, with the drive back, she needed clothes now for ten days. She was about to leave her room to go shopping when Chase called her and offered to go with her.

  “Won’t your fans drive you crazy?”

  “We’ll see how it goes.” But he liked the idea of shopping with her, and he wanted to give her an idea of what she might need. And from her perspective, suddenly she had a pal to do things with, and he made everything more fun.