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She stared out at the water for a hot minute before turning back to me with a sad smile. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned durin’ these six years in the spotlight, it’s that as fun as it can be at times, it’s not really me.”
“So you’re thinkin’ of not goin’?”
“I don’t wanna leave you, but it’s more than that. I’m on a runaway train and I wanna get off. I need to figure out a way to step back gracefully and then find myself in a new way.”
“A new way, huh?”
“A new way, but here with you.”
Needing to make her laugh because I could only imagine how hard it would be for her to risk disappointing all the people who counted on her and her success, I cracked a joke. “Are you callin’ me old?”
“Maybe. But it’s okay, I’m old now too.”
Without warning, I lifted her little butt off the dock and made like I was gonna toss her into the river, laughing as she screamed and flailed. Then I swooped her onto my lap and kissed her roughly on the mouth, capturing her squeals with my lips.
“You may be old,” I said between kisses, holding her close, “but darlin’, you’ve aged like a fine wine.”
17
LANEY
The next morning, it was all I could do to keep the wide grin off my face when I walked into the kitchen for breakfast. Aubree was on another trip for work, but Dakota and Momma were already there, looking like they’d been waiting for me to make my way down. I started to greet them, but then I caught sight of Gertrude the Guilt Goat standing on top of the fridge, and I let out a yelp. “Goodness, Momma. That goat is the gift that keeps on givin’.”
Momma smiled lovingly at the little rascal, shaking her head. “She sure is.”
Tearing my eyes away from the freaky goat eyes I figured couldn’t be more off-putting if they tried, I sniffed in the direction of the grits and eggs on the stove. “Smells good in here.”
“It’ll taste better,” Momma replied. “Sit down, and we’ll have ourselves a little chat.”
Knowing “a little chat” was usually anything but, I eyed my momma warily. “Okay.”
“How was the reunion?” Dakota asked with a knowing smile.
“Uneventful,” I replied. Had Paisley told them?
“Liar,” Dakota said.
I took a seat next to her and thanked my momma for the coffee she set before me, almost like she knew I was seconds away from joining them. She was that kinda hostess at her core.
“Is it that obvious?” Judging by the looks on their faces, mine must be sporting a neon sign with the truth on it.
Dakota quirked a brow as she eyed me over the rim of her own coffee mug. “Did you really think you guys could make out in the parkin’ lot and the whole town wouldn’t hear about it before sunup?”
“Perks of being a celebrity,” Momma said with a shrug.
“Perks of a small town,” Dakota corrected her.
I slapped my hands on the counter. “Wait. You’re not serious, right? If the whole town knows—”
“Relax, punkin’,” Momma soothed. “No one knows. But you came home late, and well, shoot. You look like Cupid shot you in the heart with at least a dozen arrows. It ain’t too hard to figure out.”
I exhaled in relief, then I checked my watch. “Paisley should be here—”
“Right about now,” Momma cut in, grinning over my head as my manager came into the kitchen and sat in Aubree’s empty seat. “Mornin’ sweetheart. Coffee?”
“Yes, please,” she replied, bumping my shoulder with her own. “How are you today?”
“Truthfully, I’m a little nervous.”
