Page 42 of What They Say

Chase set his guitar down, concern flickering across his face. “Hey. It’s not a big deal. She just thought your words had to be strong if they were still echoing after so many days. You don’t have to do anything with it if you don’t want to.”

Kath nodded too quickly. The dream was cracking. Not because of him—he was still looking at her like she mattered—but because her brain wouldn’t stop screaming that she was out of her depth. That girls like her didn’t get to write songs with people like Bonnie Dupont. That this kind of thing always ended with her getting hurt.

“I should check on Maudie,” she said suddenly, standing up. “She wasn’t feeling great earlier.”

Chase stood too, worry clear in his eyes. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just...sister stuff.” She offered him a weak smile. “Thanks for coming over. This was really nice.”

He studied her for a long moment, like he could see straight through the panic she was trying to hide. Then he nodded gently.

“Anytime,” he said. “Text me later if you want. Or if you need anything.”

Kath walked him to the door, heart still racing. As she watched his truck pull away, she leaned her forehead against the doorframe and let out a shaky breath.

She wanted this—the music, the connection. Him.

But the fear was loud tonight.

Louder than it had been in a long time.

Chapter Thirteen

Chase

Chase drove away from Kath’s house with his hands tight on the steering wheel, the melody they’d been working on still looping in his head. The session had felt like magic. Her words and his music had clicked together so naturally it was almost scary. For those couple of hours, everything else—the upcoming Michigan show, the weight of his last name, the constant background noise in his mind—had gone quiet.

But something had shifted near the end.

He’d seen it in her face the moment he mentioned Bonnie. The way her eyes widened, the sudden tension in her shoulders, the too-quick laugh that didn’t sound like her. She’d shut down fast after that, finding an excuse to check on Maudie and gently steering him towards the door.

He wasn’t mad. He was worried.

Chase pulled into his spot in Bear’s driveway and sat in his truck for a long minute, engine off, staring at the garage door. The blue-and-white bike she rode kept flashing in his mind. The way she’d looked at him when they were writing—open, hopeful, a little scared. Then the walls had come back up so fast it made his chest ache.

He finally climbed out and headed into the garage. Benny was there alone, messing with a pedalboard.

“Hey,” Chase said, dropping onto a stool. “Got a minute?”

Benny looked up and nodded. “Always. What’s up?”

Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “I was over at Kath’s earlier. We were working on that song I told you about—the one her lyrics inspired. It was...really good. Like, stupidly good. We were trading lines, and it just flowed.”

Benny grinned. “That’s awesome, man.”

“Yeah.” Chase stared at the floor. “But when I mentioned that Bonnie offered to listen to her stuff, she kind of...freaked out. Not obviously, but I could see it. She got really quiet after that. Shut down. I think realizing I’m connected to you guys—to Bonnie and Vic and the whole OY thing—hit her hard.”

Benny set the pedalboard aside and gave Chase his full attention. “She got overwhelmed?”

“I think so.” Chase let out a slow breath. “She’s got a lot going on at home. Her sister, money stuff, her mom bailing on them...I don’t want to add pressure. But I really like her, Benny. Like, more than I’ve liked anyone. When we’re together, it feels easy. Until it doesn’t.”

Benny was quiet for a moment, then said gently, “Sounds like she’s got some tough barriers. Probably had them around long before she met you. Just know that you can’t tear them down for her, but you can show her you’re willing to wait while she figures out how to open the gate.”

Chase nodded. That made sense. It was exactly what he’d been trying to do.

“I just don’t want her to think I’m hiding anything,” he said. “Or that my world is too much. Because right now...she feels like part of it. The best part.”

Benny clapped him on the shoulder. “Then keep showing up as yourself. The music, the bike rides, the quiet talks. If she’s the right one, she’ll see that you’re not just ‘Mason’s kid’ or ‘the guy in OY.’ You’re Chase. And from what you’ve told me, that’s exactly who she seems to like.”