“You’ll also answer the phone, which is next to the register, and take any to-go orders. They tend to come in spurts, usually when we are the busiest.”
When they went back out front, a pretty girl with a blonde ponytail came flying through the door.
“I’m so sorry that I’m late.” The words came out in a rush. Julie smiled and introduced them
“Laura, this is Tina. She’s a recent high school grad, too.”
“Nice to meet you,” Tina said as she ran by them to put her stuff out back.
“You’ll like Tina. She has a hard time getting here on time, but she’s a great waitress, and the customers love her. When the counter isn’t busy, you can help her and I’ll be able to use you as a waitress, too, if you’re interested?”
“I’d love that. I’ll do anything.”
Julie smiled. “I like that attitude. You’ll make more money waitressing, but you’ll earn it, too.”
For the first two hours, it wasn’t very busy, and Laura was glad for it as it gave her a chance to get familiar with the bakery before the breakfast rush came in. It also let her chat a bit with Tina, and she discovered that she was also going to Montana State in the fall.
“What are you majoring in?” Tina asked during a rare quiet moment when no one needed them.
“Education, I think. For now, anyway.”
Tina raised her eyebrow. “Having second thoughts about that major?”
“Sort of,” Laura admitted. “I signed up for it, but I may switch to Liberal Arts as I have no idea what I want to do.”
“You could join me in Business. That’s a broad major, and my father said it will give me more options.” She grinned. “I have no idea what I want to do when I get out, either. Something fun, maybe, like marketing.”
The rest of the day flew once the breakfast rush started, and before Laura knew it, it was two o’clock.
“See you tomorrow,” Tina called out as she left, and Laura climbed onto her bike and rode home.
The house was empty when she arrived. Her aunt was back to work. She worked for an attorney’s office as a legal secretary and had worked for the company for over twenty years. She said that she liked the work, and the people were nice.
Laura made herself a cup of lemon tea and then took it to her bedroom. Her first urge was to lay down on the bed and give in to the wave of sadness that seemed to wash over her every day at some point. It usually happened when she slowed down, and no one else was around. It was tempting to curl up in a ball and give in to it, but she didn’t understand where it was coming from and she wanted it to just stop. As long as she kept busy, the bewildering emptiness seemed to stay away. She sensed that it had something to do with the accident.
Every now and then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her aunt watching her carefully with a look of concern. She never said anything, though, and Laura never brought up the strange episodes of sadness that came over her. She didn’t want to upset her aunt and doubted there was anything she could do about them.
She was glad that she’d decided to take both jobs. The people at both places seemed nice enough, and the work was interesting. Most importantly, it gave her something to do, to keep her too busy to feel sad. She walked over to the guitar leaning against the wall by her bed. She picked it up and played the chords she’d learned, both the ones that Peter taught her and the ones she’d learned herself. She smiled and she felt the sadness ebb as the joy of the music took hold. The hours fell away as she practiced what she’d learned the day before and played around teaching herself two more chords using the book she’d found in the garage.
For the first time since the accident, she slept peacefully and woke feeling energized. Over the next few weeks, she fell into a routine of going from one job to the next, visiting Harold with her aunt on the weekends. She and Tina became fast friends and often went out with a crowd of girls and boys that Tina went to school with. Laura quickly became friends with all of them and the periods of sadness came less frequently. She enjoyed the fast pace of the bakery and the camaraderie of working with Tina and the other waitresses, but she loved her time at the music shop. The pace there was slower, and she discovered a real passion and talent for music.
Peter worked with her whenever it was slow and was thrilled with how quickly she seemed to be picking things up.
“Guitar isn’t an easy instrument to learn. And I’ve noticed that you seem to have a natural ear for the melodies. Do you find yourself able to reproduce songs that you hear?”
Laura smiled. “Yes, I’ve just started to play with doing that. Now that I’m comfortable with the chords, I’m starting to recognize them when I hear songs played and I’ve been trying to play what I remember.”
“Not many people can do that. You really seem to have a gift for this.” He grinned.
“You should try to write a song now.”
“What? I wouldn’t know where to begin,” Laura said with a chuckle.
“Start paying attention to the rhythm of some of the songs you like. There are patterns to all of them, chorus lines that are repeated. Try it both ways. Think of some lines, then find music to wrap around them. Or find a melody you like and then find the right words for it. There’s no right or wrong way.”
“Do you write songs?” Laura asked. She was intrigued by the idea.
“I do. Tell you what. You go home tonight and write something. Anything. Don’t worry about it being good or even making sense. Just play with the words and find a melody you like. Bring it in tomorrow and we’ll play for each other. Deal?”
“I don’t know,” Laura hesitated.
“Oh come on. It’s something to do. Aren’t you getting tired of practicing the same chords over and over?”
Laura chuckled. “All right. I’ll give it a try. It might be really bad, though.”
“No worries. You have to start somewhere.”
Chapter 6
“How is she?” Dalton asked as soon as his sister answered the phone. He’d waited a month to call, figuring there would be an adjustment period and if it was going to blow up in his face, he knew he would have heard from Helen by now.
“She’s a lovely girl. She’s working two jobs, visits Harold with me on the weekends and is looking forward to starting school in the fall. She’s actually a delight to have around.” They were both silent for a moment, and then she added, “You could do much worse, you know, for Cole. She would have made him a wonderful wife. Even at their young age.”
Dalton cleared his throat. He didn’t appreciate being scolded by his older sister.
“Yes, well, you said it. They were too young. This is the best thing for both of them.”
“You really believe that? You couldn’t trust the two of them to make up their own minds?”
“No. Neither one of them was thinking straight. They were getting married because of the baby. With the baby gone, they would have still gotten married out of guilt or something,”
“Love?” Helen suggested.
Dalton sighed. “They think it’s love, I know. But they’d be throwing their whole lives away. Now they can start fresh.”
“You don’t think she’s good enough. Because of where she came from.”
“As you said, she is a lovely girl, but if they’d married, people would have talked. They probably would have gotten pregnant again and it just wouldn’t reflect well on the family.”
“On you, you mean and your campaign for governor?”
“He’ll be glad for this in the long run. Both of them will. Now they can both start college fresh and enjoy all that it has to offer. Cole would never have gone to law school with a baby in tow.”
“He’s going to law school?” His sister sounded surprised.
“Well, he hasn’t agreed to it yet, but it would be an excellent career choice for him.”
“Do you even know what he really wants to do?”
“You mean the country music nonsense? He’ll get over that.”
<
br /> “He wants a career in music? That’s interesting.” Helen sounded surprised and contemplative.
“Does he play the guitar?” she asked.
“Funny you should ask. I’d refused to get him one before. I didn’t want to encourage this. But after the accident, he’s been so down in the dumps that I surprised him with one a few weeks ago. Thought it would cheer him up, but now I see him even less. He’s always in his room playing the damn thing.”
“I think it’s good that you got him one. Maybe he’ll get it out of his system, or maybe he’ll be good at it? You never know…”
Dalton shuddered at the thought. “Not if I have anything to say about it. I told him I don’t mind if he plays as a hobby, but he needs to focus on a real career. He’d make a great lawyer.”
“I’m sure he’ll be great at whatever he chooses to do.”
Dalton decided to change the subject.
“So, the girl’s good? No sudden flashes of memory? I don’t need her remembering now…”
His sister sighed. “I don’t think you need to worry about that. She hasn’t mentioned a thing. I think the doctor was right. She doesn’t know anyone here. She really is starting over.”
“Well, she’s a lucky girl. She won’t have any student loans to worry about. That wouldn’t be the case if her mother were still around.”
“I’m sure she’d much rather have her mother…if she remembered her.”
The scolding tone was back. He’d had enough of it for one day.
“All right, then. It’s been good talking to you.”
“Goodbye, Dalton.”
He hung up the phone and stared out the window, suppressing the twinge of guilt that briefly visited when he thought of Laura or his sister. He’d basically forced her to do this. Harold’s care was expensive, and Helen hadn’t wanted to be a part of this at all until he’d promised to take over all of Harold’s expenses. He figured it was short money in the long run as Harold was already past his life expectancy. He didn’t say it to his sister, but he doubted that he’d be around in a few more years.
He tapped his finger on his desk. His mammoth desk was made of the finest wood, polished to a brilliant sheen. With Cole on his way to college, and Laura thousands of miles away, there was nothing to get in the way of his plans. And Dalton had big plans. He’d been a success in business, but he needed a new challenge, and the allure of politics had been beckoning for some time. He’d flirted with the idea of running for a senate seat, but some of his more connected colleagues had advised him that the governor’s role might be a better fit and a more effective launchpad should he decide to pursue any national ambitions, even ultimately run for president. He’d laughed off the idea modestly and said that he wanted to focus on one thing at a time. But who was he kidding? That would be the ultimate goal and one that wouldn’t have been possible if his son had married someone who grew up in a trailer park.
Laura found a few blank sheets of paper from a desk in the kitchen and brought them to her room. She wasn’t sure where to start, with the music or the words. Or what to write about. She settled on the edge of her bed, picked up the guitar and a pick and with her eyes closed started strumming. She played various chords, experimenting with how different sounds went together and stopping now and then to jot down what she’d just played, so she’d remember later. After a bit, she looked at the notes on the paper, and suddenly, she wasn’t sure where they came from, but words appeared. She wrote them down and then sang them softly as she played her favorite bits of music with them. She made some edits and then tried again, and then again. Until she heard her aunt’s car pull in the driveway. She wasn’t finished yet, but she had enough down that she could pick it up again after dinner and fine tune. She knew it was rough, but it was the most fun she’d had in ages, and she was excited and nervous to share it with Peter.
The following afternoon, she finished up her shift at the bakery, chatted with Tina for a bit, then took off her apron, pulled her stack of scribbled papers out of the tote bag she brought with her, and walked over to the music shop. Peter was ringing up a customer when she arrived and after he gave him his change, he turned to Laura.
“Billy had to cancel his lesson today, so we have an hour before the next one is scheduled.” His eyes lit up as he grabbed his favorite guitar.
“You ready to play a little?”
Laura nodded, and he handed her the guitar she usually practiced on.
“How did you do? Did you come up with anything?” he asked.
“I did. It’s rough, but I had a good time with it. It was really fun.”
Peter smiled as he started to lightly strum his guitar.
“That’s awesome. Tell you what. I’ll go first and you’ll see how outrageously bad my song is, and yours will seem brilliant by comparison.”
Laura laughed and sat back to listen as he played a silly tune about his dog, Shep.
“That was good!” she said when he finished.
“It’s not going to win any awards, but I had fun with it. That’s all that matters.” He leaned back and set his guitar down. “All right. Your turn.”
Laura swallowed nervously as she unfolded her sheets of paper and laid them on the counter to her side. She didn’t really need them. She had the music and the lyrics memorized now, she’d played it so many times. But it was reassuring to have there, anyway. She played a few chords and then started to lightly sing, her voice growing stronger as she went along. The song was a haunting, pretty tune about love and loss, and she really didn’t know where it came from. But it felt right, and she liked the way it had turned out. When she finished, she glanced up to see Peter looking at her intently. And then he clapped.
“That was really something. You wrote that yourself?” His voice held a mixture of awe and confusion.
“I don’t really know what it’s about, it’s just some things that came to mind. I spent most of the afternoon and evening working on it, playing with the melody. I got that part first and then the words came, sort of in a rush. And then I went back and forth, tweaking the words and the notes here and there until it felt right.”
Peter smiled and shook his head. “Well, however you did it, it worked. See if you can do it again.”
Laura glowed. She was thrilled the Peter had liked her song. She had felt that it might not be bad but really wasn’t sure. It was great to get that kind of feedback. Those hours she’d spent in the zone, writing that song, was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. It was pure bliss, and she couldn’t wait to do it again.
Playing the guitar was harder than Cole had imagined it would be. It frustrated him because he’d expected it to be easy. He felt such a connection to the music, but it was as a singer, not a musician. But he knew that it would help if he played an instrument. His father had finally given in and bought him a guitar. He knew it was out of guilt, but he was still glad to have it. He hadn’t blinked an eye either when Cole told him he’d be picking up the tab for lessons, too. It had felt like a win at the time, but now he wasn’t so sure.
“Just keep at it. The guitar is one of the more complicated instruments to learn,” his instructor, said. Ernie was retired and supplemented his income by giving lessons. Cole knew that he had been a great player in his time and had been in a local band for years.
“Thanks. I’ll get it eventually,” Cole said.
“Sure you will. Just keep at it.”
Cole practiced whenever he had a chance. He had a love/hate relationship with his guitar. He knew if he could at least get comfortable with it, he’d be able to compete with the other up and comers. But, it wasn’t easy. At least he had his voice. Whenever he went to an open mic or karaoke nights with friends, he always got up, and everyone raved about his singing. They said it was something special. Especially the girls he dated.
“You should go to Nashville, or go on the Voice. You could totally win,” Brandy, his latest date, had gushed after their last outing. She was a sweet girl, and Co
le appreciated her support. He just wished it was Laura sitting beside him. He still couldn’t get past that, missing her. He thought of her often. She was always the first person he wanted to call when something good happened, and it still hurt that it wasn’t possible.
Cole was still barely speaking to his father, but he was starting to thaw a little as his father was trying really hard. First the guitar and the lessons, and recently he invited him to a dinner at the club to meet a new woman he was dating. He seemed nervous to have his blessing and Cole was flattered that he cared. And he was impressed with his date. Claire was a few years younger than his father, but he liked her immediately. She was attractive and friendly, and had an interesting career of her own. She was a veterinarian and had a local practice that specialized in cats. She also had two sons in middle school and was a widow. She seemed really nice and he’d never seen his father so happy. She seemed to soften him, somehow. He smiled a lot when he was around her and it was the kind of smile that reached his eyes. Cole was glad to see it. Even if it made him think of Laura and how that was how she’d always made him feel. It still confused him. How could he have been so wrong about her?
A few weeks after classes started, Cole decided to get some closure. He knew Laura was at the University of Montana and he bought himself an airline ticket and flew out there on a Thursday night, determined to find her whether it took a day or a week. As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait long. He was roaming the campus grounds and was near the student center when he saw Laura walk out of the cafe. She was holding a stack of books and looked as beautiful as ever. He was about to walk over to her when he saw something that made him stop in his tracks. A tall, blonde student pulled Laura in for a hug and a kiss. She didn’t protest, but rather sank into him and closed her eyes. Cole recognized the dreamy smile and it hit him like a gut punch. His father was right. Laura had moved on. And there was nothing left to talk about. He watched for a moment longer as the happy couple laughed and then strolled off in the opposite direction. Cole hailed a cab and went straight to the airport. His heart hurt, but he’d gotten what he needed. He knew that he’d be able to move on now.
Nashville Dreams Page 4
