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“Are you kidding?” Luke fell back, choking on his laughter.
I punched him. Sometimes he annoyed me as much as my brother, and violence was always the answer with Nate.
Luke finally contained himself and shook his head, bewildered at my confusion. His expression softened as he took me in. “You need to get out of here, Blue, you’re too talented for this town.”
“Says you.” I nudged him affectionately.
Luke was incredibly talented. Not only in music, but in sport. At eighteen, he got drafted to play professional football and eagerly left town. He returned briefly over Christmas, but I rarely saw him. He spent all his spare time catching up with my brother, and the millions of girls that lusted after him since he had become the town star.
Sadly, Luke was seriously injured during a game just three years into his successful career. It wasn’t just season ending, it was career ending. He returned home to recover late last year, and was now focusing his attention on helping his Nan run the family business.
Luke brushed off my comment and placed Nate’s guitar back in my arms. His hand grazed mine and I held my breath, surprised by the effect of his fleeting touch. He rolled himself back onto his feet and dusted the hay off his well-worn jeans.
“I’d better get ready for work. Nan will shoot me dead if I turn up covered in tractor oil and cow shit.”
I laughed at the thought. Dawn was a hard arse. Even on her grandson.
“So, how’s it going? Working with Dawn?”
“Yeah, great actually. She definitely keeps me on my toes.” He smirked. “I’m looking forward to taking over night shift. Not only will Nan be able to rest more, it will get her off my case for a few hours, at least.”
I offered him a sad smile. “A little different to the life you once dreamt of, hey?”
He shrugged indifferently and smiled just enough for his left dimple to appear. “I guess dreams are more of a fluid thing. They change all the time.”
Luke back stepped twice, observing me, before turning to leave. He paused momentarily by the barn door and glanced back. “I can help…if you want me to. I can teach you how to play…better?” he offered, cautious not to offend me.
My eyes widened. “Um, yes…please.” I don’t know why I never thought to ask. If he could teach anything like his Nan, I would have the guitar mastered in no time.
“Okay, meet here after school tomorrow and I’ll show you a few tricks.”
I nodded and he smiled warmly, before walking out of the barn.
* * *
I was especially close to Luke’s Nan. Dawn Easton taught me everything about music. She had me playing piano fluently by age nine, and singing effortlessly by age eleven. She saw something in me no one in my family could see. She knew I dreamt of something more than life in a small town, and was pushing me to succeed.
When Dawn was in her twenties, she lived in New Orleans, singing and playing piano in the resident band at a famous jazz club in the French Quarter. They received so many compliments they decided to make a record. But being a struggling musician, Dawn soon ran out of money and was forced to sell all her belongings to pay for a ticket back home to Australia. She was never able to find a copy of that record again, but the stories she brought back with her were incredible. As fate would have it, it was on that journey home she met the love of her life.
Luke’s grandfather, John Easton, was a retired farmer before Luke came to live with them. As a result, their land was overgrown and wild, and I loved it. I still wandered over there every day to explore the wilderness. I loved being surrounded by nature, and I adored the creek that ran through their property. It was my happy place.
John would find me joyfully playing and singing by the river, and one day started calling me Bluebird. When I asked him why, he told me I reminded him of the bluebirds he used to see when he lived in America. They were tiny things, with big voices, and were also known to be a symbol of happiness. I liked the name, and it stuck.
After retiring from farm life, Luke’s grandparents built the local public bar and bistro in Main Street. They called it Easton’s Tavern. Since John passed, Dawn had been thinking about putting the pub on the market, but could never bring herself to do it. John built the business from scratch and he wanted it to be his legacy. It broke Dawn’s heart to even consider selling, but she was getting older and her health was deteriorating. Luke didn’t need to be asked, nor did he consider any other option. He stepped up to the plate and was honoured to carry on the family business.
* * *
“So, why guitar?” Luke asked the next afternoon, as we made ourselves comfortable amongst the hay stacks.
“Promise not to laugh?”
“No,” he chuckled and I groaned. He was more like my brother than I thought.
I grimaced. “I want to write songs.”
He scrunched his eyebrows together. “Why would I laugh at that?”
“Nate would,” I uttered with a shrug.
