Chapter 1
Liv
“That’s it,” my best friendElla Claiborne said. She slammed her coffee mug on the wrought iron patio table so hard it shook. “I’m getting you out of this house.”
It was the first Sunday of October and an unusually cool one at that. Autumn in Nashville was often just an extension of summer, but a cold front had left the mid-state overcast with highs in the upper fifties.
“Iamout of the house,” I protested. I pulled the sleeves of my sweater over my hands to ward off the afternoon chill. “I’m on the patio.”
“Olivia Faith Sinclair,” Ella scolded me, and I winced. It was the first time anyone had said my full name, complete with my maiden name, since my divorce had been finalized six months ago. Her tone softened as she read my expression. “You know what I meant.”
“I’ve been out of the house plenty.” The wind blew theNashville Scenemagazine on the table open, and I avoided Ella’s stern gaze by picking it up and fumbling through it. “It’s not like I’ve not been working. You would know.” I was the owner and head baker of Livvie Cakes Bakery and Cupcakery, one of the most popular bakeries in the greater Nashville area. Ella worked alongside me handling the business and marketing side of things. We were nestled in the heart of the 12 South neighborhood, which was just down the street from my little white bungalow. The bungalow I had to purchase when my husband decided he didn’t want to be married anymore—at least not to me.
“You work twelve-hour days, and then you come home to an empty house where you eat Pop-Tarts for dinner in your sweatpants and watchGrey’s Anatomy.” She tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear. “I’d hardly call that getting out.”
“My house is not empty. Mama’s here.” Mama was the ornery tuxedo cat I’d adopted from the humane association a couple of months ago. “She doesn’t even hiss at me when I feed her now. We’re making great progress.”
“Well, Mama won’t be the only hostile kitty around here if you keep going the way you’re going.” She flashed her eyes down to my lady parts and grinned that mischievous grin of hers. It was the same one that got me in heaps of trouble when we were younger, back when I was fun. That version of me felt long gone.
“Bold of you to assume my kitty hasn’t been hostile for years now.” I snorted and flipped a page of the magazine only to see a picture of my ex-husband staring back at me. I swallowed hard, taking in the face I knew like the back of my hand. Now that face was standing beside a gorgeous, busty, and fiery redhead that could have easily been a real-life Jessica Rabbit in her sparkly red dress.
Benton Wyatt was handsome in a Patrick Dempsey sort of way. He was tall and sinewy with wavy salt and pepper hair. His handsome face never seemed to age even though he was a few years older than me. He also happened to be one of the most sought after record executives in country music. His label, 6th & 15th Records, housed some of country music’s hottest artists.
It was a world that felt both familiar and completely foreign to me. When I met Ben, I wasn’t even old enough to drink. I was just a girl with a dream and a guitar. Not long after we got married, I walked off the stage for the last time. My dreams no longer fit with the ones he had.
Ben knew talent when he saw it, and that’s how I knew talent wasn’t something I possessed. Because he never saw it in me. Sure, I could sing on karaoke night or around a bonfire with friends and people would always be impressed, but I didn’t haveit.That magical, indescribable quality that turned ordinary people into superstars.
I chewed my bottom lip, skimming over the caption that informed me Jessica Rabbit was actually Shelby Kirkland, a 20-something up and coming country artist who recently signed with 6th & 15th.
Ella snatched the magazine from my grasp and scanned it with her pale blue eyes. “That son of a bitch.”
“She’s quite lovely,” I said bitterly. “Perhaps she has a fully functioning uterus.” I picked up my coffee cup and cradled it in my hands. Ella looked at me, her brows furrowed with concern.
Starting a family had been a point of contention for me and Ben. We both wanted one, but my body had been hellbent on not cooperating.
“I’m not letting you do this to yourself anymore.” Ella closed the magazine and slapped it on the table. “He’s moving on, and it’s time you did too.” She leaned forward, placing her hands on my knees. “The blaming and the self-loathing? It stops right fucking now.”
“I’m not self-loathing.” I pouted and caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass of the patio door.
That was a fucking lie, and I knew it.
“That’s horse shit, Liv.” One of the things I loved and hated most about Ella was her knack for always calling me on my shit. “You gave up your dreams. You gave up your entire life for that man, Olivia, and I’m not letting you waste another second on that hoity-toity fuck face. I’m getting you out of this house, and that is final.”
I grumbled as I stared at the gnat that found its way inside my mug, drowning in the mighty sea of my oat milk latte.
“Why don’t we go to Santa’s Pub tonight and do some karaoke? I haven’t heard you sing in forever.”
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head. That was the last thing I wanted to do. I still hadn’t been able to bring myself to pull out my road-worn Taylor guitar. When I moved, I shoved the hard case in the back of my closet behind my winter coat so that it could no longer look at me with the disappointment I felt. “Besides, what would you do with Grace?”
“First of all, she’s seventeen.” Ella extracted the coffee mug from my hands and placed it on the table, forcing me to focus on her. “The kid is going off to college next year. It’s not like she needs a babysitter.”
“Not karaoke. Not this time.” I pleaded as a knowing smile spread across her face. “What.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I know how I’m getting you out of the house,” she informed me all too cheerfully. “You know those concert tickets and backstage passes I splurged on for Grace’s birthday? Well, the show is tomorrow, and now her friend Lexi can’t go because she’s got mono.”
“I could have told Lexi that kissing boys was a bad idea.”
“My dear, Lexi’s loss is your gain,” Ella continued, completely ignoring me. “You’re going with us.”
