Page 57 of Pink and Country

I texted April on my way to City Garden.

Me: Late lunch in my suite? I’m on my way to the hotel.

I would’ve made a reservation at one of my favorite restaurants in town—the barbecue shack on Broadway or the southern bistro in East Nashville—but people were looking for me, so I preferred lying low.

For April’s sake.

And my own sanity.

April: Sure. Text me when you want me to come over.

In Nashville, most people let us, celebrities, God I hate this word , be. They didn’t care to share their everyday life with famous athletes, Hollywood stars, or country singers. It didn’t impress them. It was just the way things were. A far cry from Hollywood. Things would be different now that the press was hunting for juicy pictures of me and “my new lady.” Anyone with a cell phone became a threat. A hunter ready to make a few bucks selling pictures of me buying toilet paper or driving around town with a woman.

I cringed at the idea they’d sell shots of April without her knowledge or consent.

Over the years, I’d grown a thick skin to protect myself from these vultures. April hadn’t. She had no idea how careless these camera hunters could be or the extent they’d go to get a great shot of me taking the garbage out or eating a burger. Fury boiled in my veins. I forced myself to relax my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. I pictured April’s smile in my head, and a wave of calm washed over me, leaving me with a stupid grin tattooed on my face.

* * *

At six, I knocked on April’s door, balancing on my heels. I breathed in and rubbed my hands over my denims.

After lunch, we both got some rest before tonight’s show. I had made some last-minute changes to my set that I wanted to go through with Riley and a thing or two to discuss with June.

And Jack called.

We had this tradition going on where we’d call each other before all my shows. Jack would tell me about his day, and hearing his voice always helped with my mindset and defused the before-show jitters bomb inside me.

“Can Bea and I come over soon? We want to spend a day with April.”

“I’ll check with her. I’m sure she’d like to see you both again. We’ll talk later, buddy.”

“Wait, my mom wants to talk to you. She keeps asking me to give her the phone when we’re done.” Jack lowered his voice. “She has this weird look on her face. You know. The look.” He snickered on the other end of the line. “Good luck with that.”

I let out a soft chuckle. I knew the look. Dahlia’s I-mean-business frown.

“Thanks, buddy, I’ll take all the luck I can get. Be nice to your mama.”

“Hey, Carter,” Dahlia said.

“Everything all right, Dah?”

“Yeah. It’s you I’m worried about. What’s going on?”

I dragged my hands over my face. “Not much other than trying to get the press off my back, I reckon. I’m doing a pop-up show tonight. Something to ease everybody and make everyone forget about Bubble Gum.”

“Bubble Gum? You mean April?” I closed my eyes and nodded, even if Dahlia couldn’t see me through the phone.

“Yes. April.”

“She’s one of the good ones. I can tell.”

My thumb found my forehead and grazed it.

“I know.” I stayed silent. In my head, I counted to three. Dahlia finally spoke up like I knew she would.

“It’s none of my business, but you’re family, Carter, and I love you too much to not say a thing. You’re falling for her. More than you realize it yourself. And I can tell you she’s falling for you too. Call it feminine intuition or whatever you want. I saw the glint in her eyes when you came over. And when you lied to her, she was devastated. This whole fame thing you’ve got going is scary. I’ve been there—” Dahlia paused. “What I’m trying to say is, if you like her as much as I think you do, don’t rush things. If what you two could have is worth it, give her some time to ease into the idea this is your life. If you move too fast, she’ll run away. She almost did once. It’s intimidating to date someone in the limelight, Carter. Think about it. You know, I love you.”

I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths to ease the knots strangling my heart. For so long, all I’d hoped was for Dahlia to love me back as much as I loved her. She probably did. In her own way. However, Dahlia loved Jeff more. And now she loved Nick more than she’d ever loved me. For the first time, Dahlia’s words didn’t crush me. They gave me courage and determination instead. The drive to reach out and fight for my own happy ending. “I don’t want you to end up with another broken heart. That’s all.”