New Beginnings (13 page)

“Lay off, Edna,” Jimmy warned.

“He’s already put her through hell. I’ll be damned if I’m going to help him do it again.”

Trey cleared his throat. “Excuse me. I’m still sitting here. Remember?”

“I know. I know.” She regarded Trey carefully. “You sure you’ve got your act together, boy?”

He took his suit jacket off and put it on the back of his chair.
Man, it’s getting hot in here
, he thought. “I’m takin’ it one day at a time, Edna. You know what they say in AA.”

She nodded. “Okay, as long as you’re on the right track, I think I have a plan.”

Jimmy cleared his throat. “Edna, I’m not sure we should be gettin’ involved in this. It’s up to Trey and Sierra to work this out.”

She chuckled. “Right, and they’ve done a bang-up job of it so far, haven’t they, Jim?” She pointed a finger in Sierra’s direction. “Just look at her. She’s barely taken her eyes off him since we sat down.”

Trey spun around in his chair, hoping to catch her in the act, but Edna’s gesture must have tipped her off. “Really? She’s been checkin’ me out?”

“Oh, shut up,” Edna said, slapping the back of his hand. “You’re not in junior high anymore. This is serious business.”

Trey saluted her, tongue in cheek. “Yes, ma’am. So fill me in, what’s the plan?”

“What’s this your sister told your mama about you and Sierra working together on an album?”

Trey turned to glare at his sister, thinking there was nothing wrong with the grapevine in his family. “We were, until she got pissed off at me tonight. Now she says she goin’ to go back to Oklahoma to start makin’ wedding plans.”

Edna sliced her hand through the air. “I don’t want to hear any more of that nonsense. She’s staying right here until you two can work this out. She’ll fill in for Jules until that one comes to her senses. She can have her old apartment above the bar.”

Her old apartment was also the first home they shared after they were married. They’d lived there for six months before Trey signed his first record deal and they were able to afford a house of their own.

“Uh, Edna, I don’t know if she’ll go for that.”

“Why wouldn’t she? It’s free room and board, after all. Better than paying for some pricey hotel, which I assume is what she’d planned to do if she stayed here to work on the album.”

“Actually, I was planning to cover her expenses while she was here. But, we, uh, have a lot of memories in that apartment, Edna.” They hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other in the early days. It was nothing short of a miracle they were married for so many years before she got pregnant.

She winked, patting her soft grey curls. “You don’t say. Well, I guess that’s just the icing on the cake then, isn’t it?”

Trey laughed; indeed it was. There was no way she could live there and not recall some of the best times they ever spent together. “You really think she’ll go for this?”

Edna looked at Trey as though he really were dense. “Have you ever known Sierra to refuse a friend in need?”

Trey shook his head. “No, can’t say that I have.” She was right; Sierra would give the shirt off her back to a friend in need. If only he were that friend.

Edna nodded, triumphantly. “Exactly. I’ll just explain that Jules left us in the lurch, but she really is like family, so we want to hold the spot open for her in case she changes her mind.” She folded her hands in her lap. “Since the job is only at nights, she’ll have her days free to do whatever...”

Trey smiled. “Like help me with the album?”

Edna’s blue eyes widened. “Gee, I hadn’t thought of that. But you know Sierra does like to be kept busy, so that could work out.”

Trey wrapped his arm around Edna’s shoulder. “Do you plan to suggest this to her?”

She shrugged. “I just might.”

He kissed her soundly on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

“I know, and don’t you forget it.”

***

“So when will you be leaving, Sierra?” Luc asked, tipping the wine bottle to refill Megan’s glass.

Sierra looked around the table at her friends, Jimmy, Edna, Val, Josh, Marissa, Jared, Elaine, and, of course, Trey. It would be difficult to say good-bye to these people again and even more difficult the longer she stayed. They had a way of making her feel safe, like she was among family. But this wasn’t her family. This was Trey’s family. She was just someone who was lucky enough to have passed through for a time. One day Trey would remarry again, and these people she loved so much would become his new wife’s family. Her heart ached at the thought of it. She had already lost Trey. She couldn’t imagine losing the people who had been her lifeline for so long.

“Tonight,” she said quietly, thinking about what was waiting for her back in Oklahoma. There was Eric and a small condo filled with nondescript furniture, neutral walls, and boxes that had yet to be unpacked. The condo suited her, like she’d told Trey, but it didn’t feel like home.

“I’m sure that’s for the best,” Luc said, smiling. He tipped his wineglass in her direction. “Safe travels.”

“Shut up, Luc,” Trey warned, gripping his crystal glass.

Luc settled his arm on the back of Megan’s chair. “What’s your problem, buddy?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your plans, Sierra,” Edna said, setting her utensils beside her plate. “Jimmy and I have run into a bit of a problem and we were hoping you could help us out.”

Sierra looked past Trey, trying to avoid the intense look in his eyes. “What kind of problem?”

“Jules has run off with some character she just met, and she’s left us without a singer for Monday night. Doesn’t that just beat all?” she asked, looking around the table.

Everyone muttered and nodded their assent.

Sierra shifted uneasily in her seat. She felt an ambush coming on. “I’m sorry to hear that, but as I said, I have to get back to Oklahoma tonight.”

“Really?” Marisa asked, blotting her lips with a napkin. “Why’s that?”

Sierra took a drink of water, trying to buy time while she considered an excuse they would accept. “I have a benefit coming up next month.”

Marisa nodded. “But you told me you could plan that from here.” She laughed lightly. “Come on, Sierra. This is the age of technology. There’s very little that can’t be done from your laptop or Blackberry.”

Luc glared at his former girlfriend. “Perhaps Sierra has to get back to her fiancé, Marisa. Did you ever consider that?”

“Did you ever consider minding your own business, Luc?” she asked, smiling sweetly.

Jared Turner raised his hand. “That’s enough, both of you. This is Sierra’s decision to make.” He smiled at her. “You know we would all love it if you stayed, honey, but you have to decide if that’s right for you. Either way, we’ll understand.”

She smiled at her former father-in-law. He was kind, generous, and understanding—qualities her own father had never possessed. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

She looked at Jimmy and felt a pang of guilt. He wasn’t getting any younger and, from their phone conversations and visits, she had suspected the business was getting to be more than he could handle. “Have you tried to find a replacement for Jules?”

Edna sighed. “That’s just it; we don’t want to replace her. My gut tells me she’ll be back in no time, but until then, we don’t have a singer. It would just be temporary, sweetheart. I’m thinking a couple of weeks, tops. You could even stay in your old apartment above the bar while you’re here.”

Sierra felt a rush of nostalgia as she thought of the one-bedroom apartment they shared when they were first married. It was a joke to Trey, smaller than the bedroom he occupied in his parent’s huge ranch house, but it was the first place they had ever called home and she loved it.

She risked a glance at him and felt the heat of his gaze sweeping over her. She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know he was thinking about the fantasies they had brought to life behind the confines of those walls. She felt the color creep up her cheeks. She was mortified that she was getting aroused just thinking about it.

“I, uh, I don’t know. I do have a wedding to plan.”

“Have you and Eric set a date?” Elaine asked, darting a glance at her son.

“I was thinking about April 14,” she said quietly.

“April 14, but that’s the date...” Elaine looked from Trey to Sierra. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“She’s also thinking about getting married in Maui.” Trey turned toward her. “Isn’t that right, Sierra?”

She felt all eyes settle on her. She felt like a traitor. She had said that to hurt Trey. She certainly never intended to go through with it.

Luc laughed. “Sure, why not Maui?” He looked at Trey. “Beautiful spot, isn’t it, buddy?”

Sierra wished she could just disappear.

Megan looked around the table. “Am I missing something here?”

Trey’s jaw clenched. “Sierra and I went to Maui on our honeymoon.”

She looked at Sierra as though she had sprouted a third head. “Okay, why would you want to get married there? Wouldn’t that be kind of weird?” She inclined her head toward Trey. “You know...”

Marisa caught Sierra’s eye and started to laugh, prompting others at the table to follow suit. Sierra was just grateful that the tension had dissipated. “You’re right, Megan. I may have to rethink that.”

Trey tipped his glass to his lips, pausing to ask, “The marriage or just the destination?” He grinned.

She hid her smile behind her napkin, refusing to indulge him.

“So, what do you say, Sierra?” Edna asked. “Do you think you can help us out for a few weeks?” Sierra looked at the expectant eyes around the table, finally settling on Trey. She smiled, shaking her head. As if there was ever any doubt what her answer would be. “Yes, Edna. I think I can help you out.”

Trey grinned, raising his glass. “Here’s to having friends you can count on.” Everyone raised their glasses. “And here’s to you, Dad; happy birthday.”

Jared touched his glass against each of theirs. “It sure is now.” He winked at Sierra. “Welcome home, honey.”

Trey realized his luck was finally beginning to change when the disc jockey played a release from Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, “Remind Me.”

He extended his hand to Sierra. “Would you like to dance?”

She looked at the other couples on the dance floor and smiled. “Sure, I’d love to.”

Megan scowled at them, but Sierra didn’t seem to notice as she slipped her hand into his and followed him to the dance floor.

He took her in his arms, wrapping his arm around her waist while holding her hand against his chest. He drew her close, reveling in the moment as he closed his eyes and lowered his head just enough to allow the delicate scent of her perfume to assail his senses.

He heard her sigh and felt the tension melt from her body as she leaned into him, allowing him to hold her closer. Their bodies melded in a familiar rhythm that time and distance had done nothing to dissipate. She still fit with him as no other woman ever had.

She tilted her head back to look up into his eyes. “I love this song.” She smiled. “The first time I heard it, I thought of you, of us.”

His heart began to race. He saw something familiar in her eyes, something akin to love. “What made you think of us?”

She leaned her head against his shoulder and he wondered if she intended to respond when she finally lifted her head to look at him again. “Do you ever wonder what might have happened if we had tried harder to make our marriage work?”

He gave her a half-smile, laced with sadness and regret. “Just about every day, sweetheart. How ‘bout you?”

She sighed, looking over his shoulder instead of looking him in the eye. “Of course I do. How could I not? Divorcing you was...”

He waited, holding his breath.  “It was what?”

She looked up, tears spilling down her cheeks. “The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I didn’t know how I was going to get through those first few months.”

He slid his hands up to cup her face, brushing her tears away with his fingertips. “You know I would have taken you back in a heartbeat.”

She looked down. “I know, but I couldn’t go back to the way things were, Trey. You were gone all the time and I was there alone, reading all the tabloid reports about your out-of-control behaviour, the drinking, the partying, the women.”

He tipped her face until she was looking him in the eye again. “I’m not going to lie to you. I was out of control. I was never unfaithful, but I was definitely out of control. I was scared to death of losing you, baby.” He struggled to find the words to explain his torment. “I knew we were growing further apart. I could hear it in your voice whenever we talked on the phone. I wanted to come home, to try and make things right, but I was afraid when I did come home, it would be too late.”

“I guess it was too late. You were on the road the last six months of our marriage, Trey.” She loosened her grip on his shoulder and he could feel her pulling away. “You went out on tour two weeks after Callie died. How could you do that?”

His heart broke, hearing the despair in her voice. He tried to pull her closer, to bridge the gap between them. “I’m so sorry, Sierra. I was sick with grief. I blamed myself for… hell… I blamed myself for everything.”

Her hand snaked up his back, drawing his head down until he was forced to look at her. She looked fierce, determined. “Listen to me. Callie’s death wasn’t your fault. You have to believe that.”

For the first time, he was starting to believe it was an accident, nothing more than a cruel twist of fate. He felt inner peace begin to unfurl; knowing the mother of his child didn’t hold him responsible for her death meant he could start to let it go and start to heal the old wounds that had been holding him prisoner for too many years.

He tipped her face up and kissed her lips gently, tentatively. “Thank you; you have no idea how much that means to me.”

She smiled, wiping away the sheen left behind by the lipstick. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m glad you’ve decided to stay, Sierra. This is where you belong.”

She shook her head, flattening her palms against his chest. “I don’t want you to misunderstand. I did that as a favor to Jimmy and Edna. It had nothing to do with you, or us.”