"Yep. Only a few inches away from each other," he said, glancing down at the space between us.
I gazed at his mouth, tracing the curved lines of it and staring at the way his stubble grew above his lip. I reached out and touched the side of his face, letting my thumb barely brush the edge of his mouth.
"That's my girl," he said with an almost imperceptible grin. I placed my other hand on the other side of his face just to see what he'd say.
"Yep," he said. "That's more like it."
I grinned at him, and he returned it as I let my hands fall.
"Do you have some clothes to wash, or are you ready to head back to the house?"
"I can't go back there after I already told your parents I was leaving."
"It's either that, or we pay for a hotel. I don't see a point when there's a perfectly empty bedroom at the house."
"How do you somehow manage to make things seems so reasonable and talk me into them, and then I find myself doing outlandish things like trying out for TV shows and going back to your parents' house after I've already told them 'goodbye'?"
"Going back to my parents' house is not outlandish," he said. "You know they're going to love you, right?"
"They already met me," I said.
"No they didn't, not really. Mrs. Fisher was in the way. They didn't know you were my Jane."
My heart leapt, and I reached over to grab his hand. "Thank you for not letting me leave you, Gray. I'm so thankful you wouldn't let me go."
Chapter 16
I spent the night with the Kennedys, and they couldn't have been any more hospitable. Gray and I sat in the living room and talked until four in the morning when we fell asleep sitting up on the couch, watching television.
On account of me being so tired the next morning, the remainder of my time in Chicago felt somewhat surreal. I came down with a sore throat during my flight home, and I was feeling run down and completely out-of-it by the time I got back to Memphis.
I had a nice time with Gray, and it was so good to see Shelby and be back home, but getting sick on the way home threw an unexpected curveball at me. As much as I wanted to see Gray in Chicago and get the job on the television show, that whole scenario was scary for me. Perhaps worrying about it made my sickness even harder to deal with. Either way, I was sick. I laid low for the next four days, and before I knew it, the weekend had arrived and it was time for the fall festival.
***
I walked toward the festivities, holding hands with my little Rainbow Bright.
"Oh, y'all look so cuuute!" Mom said, hugging us. She knew we were on our way, so she met us in the field that was used for a parking lot. "I didn't know you were gonna dress up!" she said. "I'm so glad you're feeling better."
I looked down at my outfit. I wore an all black outfit—black slacks and a blouse that I already had in my closet—but I added a few cat accessories including ears, a tail, and some catlike face paint.
"Shelby wanted me to," I said.
"Yeah, and we made fuwwy eaws and tail, and then she put a nose and wiskews on hew face, see?"
"You mean this is a costume?" Mom asked in a shocked tone, looking at Shelby. "I thought Rainbow Bright just had a big, giant kitty cat!"
Shelby giggled. "Nope, it's Mom," she said. "See?" Shelby lifted up my hand as if to point out my regular skin and human features.
"Oh my goodness you two did amazing on these costumes!" She tugged us along. "Come on. There's a bunch of games over here and a really big slide.
"A willy big slide?" Shelby asked, jumping with delight.
The annual fall festival was held on the outskirts of town. An old man that went to my uncle's church had a bunch of property east of Memphis, and he always planted a field of pumpkins near his apple orchard specifically for this event. There was apple cider, barbeque, music, and games, and most of the kids (and a few of the adults) were dressed up in costumes.
"You look like you're feeling all better," Mom said, as we continued to walk toward the action. She knew I had been sick and had brought me some groceries and soup.
"Better," I said. "Much better."
"Have you talked to anyone about the show?" she asked. "Did you hear anything?"
"She talks to mistew Gway evewy day," Shelby said. "And I talk to him, too. We both do. He said he can't bwing Woxy ovew to ouw house because she's too old, but he will bwing me to the zoo sometime. And he said his bwothew has a dog and two cats and I can meet them if I go to his house."
Mom knew about the sitcom and the possibility that we would end up in Chicago while filming it, so she had been asking me for updates constantly.
"The directors finished up with the casting calls this week, and we're just waiting on them to decide about the rewrites. Kevin wants to work with Gray, but they wanted to see what other options they had before considering the rewrites."
"So, you haven't heard?" mom asked.
"No. I talked to Gray last night, but he hadn't heard anything yet."
"She talks to Gway evewy night—even when she has a sowe thwoat."
"Mister Gray," I said.
"Mistew Gway."
"Is he coming tonight?" Mom asked.
I shook my head. "I told him not to worry about it since I've been sick all week. I wasn't even sure if I would come, honestly. I felt so bad the last few days that I wasn't sure if we would still perform tonight."
"Are you?" mom asked.
I nodded. "I woke up feeling a lot better this morning. I told Uncle Jacob we'd play a short set and see how my voice held up."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is this?" Shelby asked.
"That's the slide I was telling you about!" Mom said in a silly voice, grinning with wide eyes at Shelby. "And you should see all the games with prizes! I think you can even win a goldfish!"
I stared at the awe-inspiring tube slide. It was a huge, round, plastic tube that must have been fifty feet long and three stories high. The only reason we had missed it was because the tree line was blocking it from the street and the parking lot. The gigantic tunnel was secured to a huge wooden structure with a staircase that stretched along the side of it. The whole thing was hand-built and sturdy enough to support the weight of all the people who were standing in line on the stairs.
"That is the biggest slide in the whole wide wowld!" Shelby said.
"Yes it is!" Mom said. "Shug and Doozy went down it twice already, and it's the biggest ever!"
Shelby giggled like that was the funniest thing she had ever heard, and I glanced at my mom who nodded seriously, telling me with her fingers in the air that she and my father had done the slide twice already.
The three of us headed straight to the slide. I walked up there with Shelby, but she was too scared to go down it, even on my lap, so we just walked back down the stairs together.
"Too high?" Mom asked with her palms in the air asking what's wrong.
I smiled. "Too high," I said. "It's super high. Once you're up there, it's even higher than it looks from over here. Plus, it's colder up there with the wind blowing and everything. It's intimidating for a three-year-old."
"I'm sorry," Mom said, reaching out to hold Shelby.
I looked around, realizing there was lots of other stuff to do besides riding the slide. "I have a few minutes before I have to go on stage," I said. "We could play games or eat some food if you want."
"I willy, willy, willy want to win a goldfish," Shelby said hopefully.
"Why don't you let me take her to do that?" Mom said. "Your dad's right over there. We'll take her to get some food and play a few games, and then we'll come watch you sing. I already put our blankets and lawn chairs in front of the stage. I would tell you to drag your brother up there with you again, but I don't think he's going to make it tonight."
"I figured they be tired after the honeymoon," I said.
Mom smiled at me like I should go have fun.
I reached out to tuck Shelby's hair behind her ear. "Be good for Shug," I said. "I'm gonna go fin
d my band, and I'll see you in just a minute. I'll wave at you from the stage."
Shelby nodded and took off with my mom.
I went straight to the stage so I could see to it that everything was in order. I found the other members of the band and made sure everybody was accounted for. They teased me for being a cat, and I teased them for not dressing up.
I had planned on revising the set list to narrow it down to six songs instead of ten. I had performed at this event before, and it was always really low-key, so I knew it wouldn't be a problem. By the time we were ready to go on, I had changed my mind, though. The crowd was bigger than it had been in years past, and they seemed excited and rushed to the stage area when Uncle Jacob announced that our band would be coming up.
Adrenaline took over the instant I set foot on the stage, and suddenly, I felt absolutely no remnants of my sickness—in fact, I felt great. We played good old-fashioned boogie-woogie songs so everyone could dance on the lawn, and I broke a sweat even though it was a cool evening.
We ended with a song called Be My Baby, which was one of my top three favorite songs of all time. The crowd was extremely generous with their applause, and I finished the song, bowed, and walked off of the stage with a huge smile on my face.
"That was so good, my baby girl!" my mom called when I made my way off of the stage.
"Where's Shelby?" I asked, looking around. I knew she had been there for my whole set because I could see her from the stage.
"Your daddy and Uncle Max took her over to try to win a goldfish. They couldn’t get it earlier. I told them to just stop and buy her one at the store because it's almost impossible to get that little ping-pong ball to stay in the cup. I think they probably spent twenty bucks already on something they can get for thirty-five cents at the pet store."
"She doesn't need a goldfish anyway. I don't know where we'd put that."
"Uncle Max and Aunt Betty told Shelby they have a nice fishbowl at home and would give it to her if she won a fish."
I laughed, shaking my head as we walked toward the games. "It's no wonder she wanted to go play again."
"Hey Jane, you sounded good up there, baby!"
I turned to find Mrs. Miller, one of our family friends. She was really old and sweet and I stopped so that I could hug her and thank her for the compliment. A few other people came up when I was talking to her, and they all had nice things to say about how much they enjoyed the music. I was really thankful for the support.
Mom and I headed toward the goldfish game once we were done talking with that group.
"I think you should really do the slide," she said. "You might as well go ahead and do it while your dad's looking after Shelby."
I was about to tell her I didn't want to wait in the line, but I glanced at the slide and realized the line was much shorter than it had been before. There were only about ten people on the steps, and I smiled at mom.
"I guess I might as well, huh?"
She smiled and nodded. "It really is fun," she said.
I turned to head in that direction, and Mom hollered at me, saying I should just meet her at the goldfish game when I was done.
I recognized some of the people who were in line, and I talked to them while I was waiting my turn. Earlier, when I was at the top of it, I had been trying to talk Shelby into sliding, so I neglected to take in for myself how very intimidating it was.
Henry Vinson was stationed at the top of the slide, making sure everyone took turns and left a long enough gap in between each person so that there wasn't a pile-up at the bottom. I stared at Henry with a look of panic as I sat at the top of the tunnel, waiting for him to tell me it was my turn.
He was in communication with someone at the bottom of the slide, and he smiled at me once they gave him the thumbs up. His smile faded once he saw my look of panic.
"I cannot see the bottom of this thing," I said.
He laughed. "If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that tonight. It's not that bad. My grandkids have been up and down this thing all night."
I smiled. "Who built it?"
"Mr. Woods had it built. It's just a pipe he had at his factory. It's really not as bad as it looks."
"Is it safe? I said, staring down into the dark abyss below me.
He chuckled. "No casualties so far."
"Let's go, Jane Bishop!" someone yelled from the line, teasing me.
"I'm working up the nerve, here!" I said, pretending to scowl at them from over my shoulder and making everyone laugh.
I looked into the dark tunnel and counted to three in my head before scooting off of the edge. It was smooth and fast, and it took my breath away at first, but I knew, even as I was riding it, that right when I got to the bottom, I would climb the steps and do it again. I couldn't help but giggle as I slid to a stop, landing on a big pile of straw. I was still smiling as I stood up and dusted off my pants.
There were several people standing nearby, and I glanced at them, intending to comment on how fun the slide was. "That was so fu—"
I was incapable of finishing my sentence because the person staring back at me was none other than Gray Kennedy."
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
"Are you here?" I asked, since I actually feared I might be seeing things.
He had on a beanie, which was why I didn't recognize him right away. He looked great in it. His smile was breathtaking. He was wearing jeans and a black shirt layered with a jacket, and he leaned against the rail, grinning at me before standing up straight while holding his palms in the air.
"I think I'm here," he said, smirking at me. "I seem pretty here to me."
"What are you doing here?" I asked. I high-stepped out of the hay and exited the gate, feeling absolutely desperate to make it to the other side of the fence where Gray was standing.
"What in the world are you doing here?" I repeated shaking my head in amazement as I approached him.
"I drove here," he said. "To listen to my girl. I didn't know you were dressing up, though. You look so cute as a cat."
I walked straight into his arms, feeling all the relief in the world as a result of his touch. "Did you get to hear any of the set?" I asked. "How long have you been here?"
"I caught about half of it, I think. I can't believe you sounded so good after being sick last week."
"I feel so much better now," I said. "And even better now that you're here. I can't believe it. I'm so glad you made it. I thought you had a meeting today with the network."
"I did, but we wrapped it up early, and I got in the truck and came down here."
"I'm so glad you did," I said, gazing into his dark eyes. "How'd it go at the meeting? What'd they say about the show? Is it good news?"
Gray shrugged. "I guess that depends on what news you were hoping for."
Chapter 17
"That thing's fast, isn't it?"
I turned to find Jared, a guy from my band, standing behind me wearing a huge smile as he pointed at the slide. I was anxious to talk to Gray and hear more about the show, but my manners overrode my need for an explanation, and I smiled at Jared with wide eyes.
"So fast!" I said. "Jared, this is my friend Gray," I continued.
"I think we met a few weeks ago at Natalie's," Jared said.
Gray nodded as the two men shook hands. "We did," Gray said. "It's nice to see you again. You guys sounded great tonight."
"Thanks," Jared said. "I didn't know whether we were going to play or not with miss thing getting sick." He winked at me. "She pulled through, though."
"Y'all sounded good, Jane," a lady said walking by.
Jared and I both turned and thanked her.
"Did you do the corncob toss yet?" Jared asked.
I shook my head.
"Did you?" Jared asked, looking at Gray.
Gray wore an expression that said he didn't know there was such a thing, and I smiled at him. He was so irresistible that I wanted to just lean in and hug him—just bury my face in his chest.
/> "I hate to toot my own horn or whatever, but I am the reigning, defending, undisputed, corncob toss champion."
"What did you do to earn that title?" Gray asked.
"I set the record."
"What's the record?" Gray asked.
"Six out of ten."
"Six outta ten's pretty good," I said sounding impressed.
"Six out of ten is the record?" Gray asked, teasing Jared the way guys do.
"It's harder than you think," Jared said. "The bucket's tilted, and they pop right out if you don't hug the side of it just right. I'll bet you couldn't hit two out of ten," he added, challenging Gray.
Jared was a clown and loved to put people on the spot, so this was totally normal behavior for him. I knew Gray could handle it, so I didn't feel the need to step in.
Gray glanced at me but pointed at Jared. "Is he challenging me right now?" he asked in a perplexed tone, teasing Jared back. "Doesn't he know I was born and bred in the cornfields of Illinois?"
I bit my lip at his statement since I had been to his house and there wasn't a single cornfield in sight.
"Aww, son!" Jared exclaimed. He reached out and turned us both by the shoulders, patting us over and over as a way of herding us to the game. "This is going to be so good! Let's see what this corn fed boy is capable of!"
Gray glanced at me as we continued to walk. He made a regretful expression that I thought might be about the show at first, but then I realized wasn't. "I'm sorry that I have to come over here and embarrass your friend on my first try," Gray said, causing Jared and me both to crack up.
It took us a minute to stand in line and get situated for the challenge. The boys had exchanged several hilarious rounds of smack talking while we were waiting, and Jared had caused enough of a scene that a few of his friends came to watch the action.
"Tell them I have the record," Jared said once we had the attention of the game attendant, a guy from our church named Carl.
Carl shrugged. "You lost that a long time ago when Sherry Thompson got seven."
"Sherry Thompson?" Jared said with a dumbfounded look on his face. "You mean a girl?"
Maybe Memphis (Bishop Family Book 3) Page 11