into the front seat.
“Ready to go home, Lily Belle?” Jayce looked back at Lily.
“My go home.”
“Well, all righty then. Here we go.”
For the first few minutes, there was silence. As they left town and headed for Cody’s ranch, Callie looked back at Lily. She was sound asleep.
“She must’ve been tuckered out,” Jayce commented.
“She normally falls asleep by eight. When she’s with KC she’s just so excited to be with her girl that she fights to stay awake.”
“Her girl?”
“Yes.” Callie smiled. “She calls KC ‘my girl’. We’re working on the word friend.”
“She’s a really beautiful girl. Almost as beautiful as her mama.”
“Why Jayce Weathers, you smooth talker.”
Jayce chuckled. “It’s not a line, just the facts. And honey, when you were up on that stage…” He shook his head and blew out a breath. “Damn, that was something.”
“Thanks, but I told you, I’m a good mimic.”
“No, don’t pass it off like that, Callie. I’m serious. You’re amazing. That whole place went silent and people couldn’t take their eyes off you. It was…well, it was amazing. A voice like that doesn’t happen often, but you have it. I’m surprised someone didn’t offer you a contract when you were in Nashville.”
“I guess it just wasn’t in the cards.”
“Well, selfishly, right now I’m a little glad.”
“Oh?”
“Well yeah. If you were a big singing star, you’d never have come to Cotton Creek.”
“You have a point. I just hope the thing tonight does as well as Hannah and Cody hoped.”
“You’re getting to be pretty tight with them, aren’t you?”
“They’ve been so good to me. And to Lily. Like Cody letting me stay at her place and them giving me a job. And then Stella and Billy letting KC babysit for me and introducing me to Mrs. Branch. You know Billy even paid the first week of Callie’s daycare for me? Honest to god, it made me cry. They’re such wonderful people.”
Jayce reached over and took her hand. “You talk like someone who hasn’t had a lot of kindness in her life.” Callie tensed at the comment and he must have felt it. “Honey, I’m not trying to pry and you don’t have to tell me anything about yourself or your life that you don’t want to. I’m just making an observation.”
She felt ashamed at her own reaction. “It’s not that I haven’t had people in my life who were kind. My parents were wonderful. My dad was the kind of man that would take half the groceries we bought to a neighbor who didn’t have any, or go without a new pair of shoes when his had holes because a kid in the neighborhood didn’t have a coat. He was a good man and always kind. So was my mother. I can’t count the number of meals she fixed for people who were sick or down on their luck, or all the cans of vegetables she’d put up every summer and take around to folks who were in need. They were good people and I was lucky to have them as my parents.”
“Yes, you were.”
Both of them fell silent for the rest of the drive. Callie thought about the evening. About singing on stage and how much she enjoyed it. About Riley Morgan asking her to join his band. And about the kiss. The. Kiss. She couldn’t stop thinking about that. It popped up between every other thought.
When they reached the ranch house, Jayce carried in Lily’s bag while Callie took her upstairs.
Lily never blinked as Callie changed her into her pajamas and tucked her into the bed.
When Callie went back downstairs, Jayce was sitting on the sofa.
“Want something to drink?” Callie asked.
“No, I’m good. Come on over here and sit down with me.”
Callie took a seat beside him and he pulled her closer. “Can I ask you something?” she asked.
“Sure, what?”
“Tell me about your family.”
“What about them?”
“Well, I know who your father is. I’ve met him a couple of times and he seems like a really nice man. But what about your mother?”
Jayce shrugged.
“Ready to go home, Lily Belle?” Jayce looked back at Lily.
“My go home.”
“Well, all righty then. Here we go.”
For the first few minutes, there was silence. As they left town and headed for Cody’s ranch, Callie looked back at Lily. She was sound asleep.
“She must’ve been tuckered out,” Jayce commented.
“She normally falls asleep by eight. When she’s with KC she’s just so excited to be with her girl that she fights to stay awake.”
“Her girl?”
“Yes.” Callie smiled. “She calls KC ‘my girl’. We’re working on the word friend.”
“She’s a really beautiful girl. Almost as beautiful as her mama.”
“Why Jayce Weathers, you smooth talker.”
Jayce chuckled. “It’s not a line, just the facts. And honey, when you were up on that stage…” He shook his head and blew out a breath. “Damn, that was something.”
“Thanks, but I told you, I’m a good mimic.”
“No, don’t pass it off like that, Callie. I’m serious. You’re amazing. That whole place went silent and people couldn’t take their eyes off you. It was…well, it was amazing. A voice like that doesn’t happen often, but you have it. I’m surprised someone didn’t offer you a contract when you were in Nashville.”
“I guess it just wasn’t in the cards.”
“Well, selfishly, right now I’m a little glad.”
“Oh?”
“Well yeah. If you were a big singing star, you’d never have come to Cotton Creek.”
“You have a point. I just hope the thing tonight does as well as Hannah and Cody hoped.”
“You’re getting to be pretty tight with them, aren’t you?”
“They’ve been so good to me. And to Lily. Like Cody letting me stay at her place and them giving me a job. And then Stella and Billy letting KC babysit for me and introducing me to Mrs. Branch. You know Billy even paid the first week of Callie’s daycare for me? Honest to god, it made me cry. They’re such wonderful people.”
Jayce reached over and took her hand. “You talk like someone who hasn’t had a lot of kindness in her life.” Callie tensed at the comment and he must have felt it. “Honey, I’m not trying to pry and you don’t have to tell me anything about yourself or your life that you don’t want to. I’m just making an observation.”
She felt ashamed at her own reaction. “It’s not that I haven’t had people in my life who were kind. My parents were wonderful. My dad was the kind of man that would take half the groceries we bought to a neighbor who didn’t have any, or go without a new pair of shoes when his had holes because a kid in the neighborhood didn’t have a coat. He was a good man and always kind. So was my mother. I can’t count the number of meals she fixed for people who were sick or down on their luck, or all the cans of vegetables she’d put up every summer and take around to folks who were in need. They were good people and I was lucky to have them as my parents.”
“Yes, you were.”
Both of them fell silent for the rest of the drive. Callie thought about the evening. About singing on stage and how much she enjoyed it. About Riley Morgan asking her to join his band. And about the kiss. The. Kiss. She couldn’t stop thinking about that. It popped up between every other thought.
When they reached the ranch house, Jayce carried in Lily’s bag while Callie took her upstairs.
Lily never blinked as Callie changed her into her pajamas and tucked her into the bed.
When Callie went back downstairs, Jayce was sitting on the sofa.
“Want something to drink?” Callie asked.
“No, I’m good. Come on over here and sit down with me.”
Callie took a seat beside him and he pulled her closer. “Can I ask you something?” she asked.
“Sure, what?”
“Tell me about your family.”
“What about them?”
“Well, I know who your father is. I’ve met him a couple of times and he seems like a really nice man. But what about your mother?”
Jayce shrugged.
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