Nashville Dreams

by Pamela M. Kelley

  Cole called his father as he drove home and learned that Chelsea had been horseback riding and was thrown from her horse. She fractured a rib and badly bruised her whole right side, especially her hip, but there were no other broken bones. He was relieved to hear that she was okay.

  “I’m on my way now. Could you let her know I’ll be there as soon as I can?”

  “I sure will.”

  “Right. I should go.”

  “Drive safe.”

  Cole ended the call and stared out the window at the long stretch of road ahead. He had about eight hours of driving and wouldn’t get to Charleston until after dark. Who did Chelsea go horseback riding with? As far as he knew, none of their friends had horses.

  Chelsea was asleep when he arrived at the hospital. The doctor was gone for the day, but her nurse filled him in.

  “She fell asleep about twenty minutes ago, after her last dose of pain medicine. She should be able to go home in the morning. There’s nothing much to do for a fractured rib other than rest.” Cole settled into the chair by her bed and waited for her to wake up. When she didn’t stir, he eventually closed his eyes and fell asleep himself.

  The next morning, he woke with a stiff neck to see Chelsea watching him.

  “You came quickly. I wasn’t sure if you would.”

  “Of course I did. I’m glad you’re all right.”

  Chelsea turned and winced from the pain. “I’m pretty banged up.”

  “I can see that. My father told me too. I’m so sorry.”

  Chelsea sighed. “I haven’t ridden in a while.”

  “Who were you with?”

  “Austin Radley, a guy I work with. He just moved, acquired several horses and wanted to take me riding. I used to ride all the time. It sounded fun, and I’ve never fallen before.”

  Cole knew that Chelsea used to ride a lot when she was younger. This was the first he’d heard mention of Austin Radley, though. He wondered if he was the co-worker Chelsea had been talking to the morning he left for Nashville.

  “So, are you ready to go home, young lady?” The doctor, an older man who looked to be in his early sixties, stood in the doorway with a clipboard and a stack of forms.

  “Yes, I’m ready.”

  “All right, let’s get you out of here.”

  An hour later, Cole pulled into their driveway and helped Chelsea inside and got her settled on the living room sofa with a few soft blankets, and a cup of tea. They’d stopped at the pharmacy on the way home and picked up a prescription for a pain med, too. Chelsea took one as soon as they got home and before long was dozing on the sofa.

  While she was sleeping, Cole called the show producer and told him he’d be back the next day. While Chelsea was sleeping, he went to the grocery store and stocked up on things that would be easy for her to make, canned soups, bags of salad, bread and cold cuts and lots of fluids. She woke around one and Cole fixed her a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, which was about the extent of cooking skills. They shared the meal together. Then he broke the news that he’d be heading back to Nashville shortly.

  “You’re leaving so soon? Who will take care of me?”

  Cole sighed. “I’m sorry that you’re sore, but you’re fine otherwise. I stocked the kitchen for you. You don’t have to leave the house if you don’t want to. And I called your mother. She’s bringing you a home-cooked dinner tonight.”

  But Chelsea was still pouting. “All you care about is that stupid show.”

  Cole sighed. “I made the finals. Do you have any idea how important that is to me? It could open all kinds of doors.”

  “I never thought you’d really go through with it. I thought you’d be a lawyer and work for your father. That would be an amazing job.”

  And it would reflect well on Chelsea.

  “Law school is a backup plan. I’ve always told you that. This show is a huge deal for me.”

  They were both silent for a moment.

  “Do you want me to call any of your other friends to come visit?” he finally said. Maybe some company would cheer her up.

  The shift in conversation seemed to surprise Chelsea. “Yeah, why don’t you call….Oh, never mind.” She looked away, and a prickly sense of unease crawled up Cole’s spine.

  “What did you almost say? Who do you want me to call?”

  “Oh, no one. I was thinking of Patty, but remembered she’s away this week. My mind is just fuzzy from the pain meds. I think it’s actually time for me to take another one.” She reached for the bottle while Cole cleared the dishes. Once she was settled back on the sofa, he packed his bag and hit the road back to Nashville.

  Chapter 22

  Laura found herself with a free afternoon after filming at the show wrapped up earlier than expected. Her first inclination was to spend the time working on a new song, but after sitting in her living room for an hour feeling nothing but stuck, she decided to do what she usually did when nothing was coming to her. She grabbed her notebook and purse, and walked down the street to the little coffee shop that she used to visit regularly. It was almost three, which was a quiet time and there was no line at the counter. She ordered her usual coffee and took it to a small table by the window.

  Something about getting out of the house and just walking or even driving always seemed to open the channel to her mind and got the ideas flowing again. She could barely keep up with her thoughts as she scribbled words down and replayed melodies in her mind. And she had the familiar, addicting buzz when she knew she was on to a good one. When she finally stopped for a moment, after getting everything down and going over it all several times to make sure it was all there the way she wanted it, she took a sip of her coffee and almost laughed. It was stone cold. She glanced at the counter, wondering if she should bother to get another one when she saw a familiar face, two tables down.

  “Hey, there. I didn’t want to interrupt you earlier. I could tell you were deep in the zone.”

  Laura got up and gave Jason a big hug. His hair was longer, and he looked as though he needed a good shave, but she didn’t care. It was great to see him.

  “It’s been way too long. How are you? And Janet?”

  “We’re good. We’ve been getting a kick out of watching you on New Voices. That’s a nice little gig.”

  Laura pulled up a chair and sat at Jason’s table. “It really is. I’m having a lot of fun with it.”

  “And how’s Dylan? Have you guys set a date yet?”

  Laura frowned. “He’s good. And no we haven’t set a date yet.”

  “Do I sense trouble in paradise?” Laura knew that Jason had never been a big fan of Dylan.

  “To be honest, he surprised me with the proposal. I wasn’t really there yet. It seemed, still seems, a little fast. So that’s why we haven’t set a date yet. I don’t want to rush it.”

  Jason nodded. “That’s smart. Getting married is huge. You want to be really sure.”

  He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure if he should. Laura put her hand on his arm.

  “What is it? I know you were never overly fond of him. I do value your opinion.”

  “He’s not a bad guy. It’s just that I don’t like the way he is with you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know he’s a little older, but he talks down to you sometimes and seems bossy and impatient. I just think you deserve better than that.”

  Laura nodded. “He is moody. And what you’re saying—well, I didn’t really see it at first. I liked that he was confident and sure of himself. But I can see how that might be perceived differently. Anyway, like I said, we’re not rushing into anything.”

  “I just want you to be happy. Things are finally going so well for you with your career now.”

  Laura gave his arm a squeeze. “And I love you for it.”

  “So, which contestant are you rooting for?” Jason asked.

  Laura laughed. “Honestly, I like them all.”

&nbs
p; “They’re all good,” Jason agreed. “But you must have a favorite?”

  “Okay, I do have a soft spot for Cole. His voice is really special. And he may even sing one of my songs. I’m just waiting to hear back from Black Duck to see if they’ll allow it. Harry’s been out of town.

  “Oh, yeah? Which song?” Jason sounded intrigued.

  “Young Love.”

  “Really? I’m surprised you’d consider letting someone else sing that one.”

  Laura smiled. “I know. But when he suggested it, it just felt right.”

  It was great to see Jason. When they left, they promised to try to get everyone together soon for a night out. When Laura walked in the door, her cell phone rang, and she could see that it was Black Duck calling.

  “Laura, Harry here. I got a message that you want someone to sing Young Love on New Voices?”

  “Yeah, do you think it might be possible?”

  “Are you kidding? Absolutely. That’s free advertising for you and for us. Great idea. Who’s going to sing it? That Gina girl or maybe Kristen?”

  “No, a guy, actually. Cole Dawson.”

  There was a moment of silence then Harry said, “No kidding? I’ll have to make sure to tune in to see what he does with it. So, are you ready for some more good news?” Harry was always enthusiastic, but he sounded unusually excited, even for him.

  “Of course, what is it?”

  “How would you feel about going on tour with Miranda Lambert?”

  “Miranda Lambert?” Laura was dumb struck.

  “Yes, Miranda. Just saw her this past weekend and it turns out she’s a fan. She asked if you’d be interested in being one of her two opening acts when she goes on tour next year.

  “That would be beyond amazing.”

  “I’ll give Rick a heads up that her people will be calling and he can handle the details for you.”

  “Thank you, Harry. I just don’t even know what else to say. I’m stunned.”

  He laughed. “Hold on, young lady, you are in for quite a ride! All right, gotta go. Talk soon!”

  Laura was tired the next day when she arrived at the set for the rehearsals. She’d called Gary the day before and gave him the heads up that Cole had permission to sing her song. She hadn’t slept well again. Dylan had come over, and they’d had a quiet night in—a nice night, actually. He’d seemed happy for her news about opening for Miranda Lambert, and they’d gone to bed relatively early. But then, she’d had the most confusing dreams again, and Cole was in most of them.

  He was just there, all around her, and they both looked younger and happy. So happy. But when she woke up, she felt a heavy sense of loss. She didn’t know what to make of it. The only time she ever dreamed much was when she was stressed about something, and the only thing that was stressing her out lately was her relationship with Dylan. Yet, he wasn’t in her dreams at all.

  Cole and Gary were already in the studio, talking to a couple of the sound guys about the music when she arrived. Laura took her seat next to Gary and took a sip of the coffee she’d picked up along the way.

  “All right, let’s see what he does with it,” Gary said as Cole nodded that he was ready to go. The familiar music started, and Cole began to sing. It was an odd sensation for Laura to hear someone else sing her words, especially that song. But Cole sounded as though he’d been singing it for ages. There was so much raw emotion in his voice that it took her by surprise. She hadn’t seen him this vulnerable before. The rich tones were there as well, and this tenderness was so appealing. It really worked for the song.

  She glanced at Gary. He was smiling. She closed her eyes and let the sound of Cole’s voice and her words wash over her and then suddenly froze as images flashed into her mind, similar to the dreams she’d been having but more clear. With a shock, she realized that her dreams about Cole were actually memories.

  She didn’t fully understand them yet, but she knew that when they first met and Cole said that he knew her, he really did. She was tempted to pull him aside and talk to him about it but decided to wait until after his performance tomorrow. Now that her memory seemed to be coming back a little, she wanted to see if she if might remember more on her own first.

  When Cole arrived at the studio that morning, he’d been happy to learn that he had approval to sing Laura’s song. He felt in his gut that it was important for him to sing it, for some reason. He was surprised by how raw he sounded at certain points. His voice cracked a few times, but he knew it was in a way that would be appealing to the listeners, especially the female ones who he hoped would feel the aching and longing in his voice for the young lovers that had been split apart. He’d been singing directly to Laura, and he’d noticed her expression change half-way through the song. She seemed to go inside herself, though her foot was still tapping along to the beat and she was smiling. When he stopped singing, both Laura and Gary stood and clapped.

  “That was really special,” Laura said.

  “Thank you. It’s a special song.”

  Gary laughed. “You did a good job, but let’s make it great. Try it again, but at the end of the first chorus, why don’t you hold that last note a bit longer? You could really have a moment with this one. The girls are going to go crazy.”

  They went through the song a few more times. Cole noticed that each time, Laura watched intently but had fewer comments than usual and at times seemed far away. By the time they finished, it was noon and everyone was starving. Gina wanted to go back to the pub for lunch, and that sounded good to Cole, too. He was too keyed up to just go back to his hotel room. He knew he’d barely sleep as it was. He needed to keep busy and not think too much about tomorrow so he could get to sleep early.

  “Where are you guys going for lunch? Mind if I tag along?” Laura asked.

  “Of course,” both Gina and Cole said at the same time.

  Cole and Laura ordered sodas and burgers. Gina had a beer and salad. Their waitress, Lisa, was a cheerful older woman who had them laughing.

  “I sure as hell don’t miss waitressing,” Gina said when Lisa went to take another order. “If I manage to win tomorrow, I will never waitress again. Mark my words!”

  “It really is hard work,” Laura agreed.

  “Oh, did you waitress, too?” Gina asked.

  “No, I never have, but I know people who have. It’s not easy.” Laura smiled, but it was a sad smile, and she put her hand to her head as if it hurt.

  “Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale.” Cole was concerned as she really didn’t seem herself.

  “I’m fine, just a little light-headed for a minute. I’ll be fine once I eat. I missed breakfast this morning.” Laura was unusually quiet, but once their food arrived and she began to eat, she seemed herself again.

  When they finished eating, they went their separate ways and when Cole got back to his hotel, he decided to go for a run. He needed to burn off some nervous energy so there’d be a small chance he could actually fall asleep and get some rest before the biggest day of his life.

  Chapter 23

  When Laura got home, the first thing she did was to call Dylan and tell him she wasn’t feeling up to doing anything. She needed to be alone. All she felt like doing was making a cup of hot tea, wrapping herself in a soft fleece blanket and burrowing into her squishy living room sofa. Her head was throbbing as she alternated between wanting the images and memories to become more clear to wishing they’d just stop. It was overwhelming.

  A profound sense of sadness came over her again as she thought back to her comment at the pub about knowing how hard waitresses work. She had no idea where that came from, but it had brought waves of love and sadness at the same time, and her eyes felt damp as she tried to make sense of it. It was out there but beyond the reach of understanding.

  Just as her eyes grew heavy, her phone dinged that she had a new email. She sleepily picked up the phone and read the message. It was a forwarded email from Sami, the marketing assistant at Black Duck. Someone had em
ailed her through the Facebook page they’d set up, a Barbara Lynch, who said she’d graduated high school with Laura, in Charleston. A sharp pain raced across Laura’s temples as she re-read the message. Barbara said she’d lived a few doors down from where Laura and her mother had lived, and she just wanted to say hello and tell her how much she’d enjoyed hearing her on the radio. At the top of the note, Sami had written, “I thought you should see this and I just wanted to double-check. Did you grow up in Charleston? I’d thought it was Montana. Thanks!”

  The sadness swept over her again, and this time it was crippling. The tears flowed as the first clear image of her mother appeared. Laura saw her sweet face, wavy blonde hair and the waitress uniform she was wearing as she sat on her patio, smoking a cigarette and drinking a glass of white wine. She cried for what felt like forever, and when the tears finally slowed, the last thought she had before she fell into a dead sleep, was why had Aunt Helen lied to her?

  When Laura woke in the morning, she felt like she’d been run over by a truck. Every part of her body ached with sadness and confusion. She’d had more dreams with Cole in them and her mother, but she still fully didn’t understand where Cole fit in. She called her aunt as soon as she’d had her first cup of coffee. It was very early in Montana, a little before seven, but Aunt Helen was an early riser and Laura knew that she’d be up.

  “Hi, honey. This is a nice surprise! Is everything okay?” Her aunt sounded happy to hear from her and a little concerned that she was calling so early.

  “No, everything is not okay. I met someone in Nashville that said he knows me and I’ve been dreaming a lot. I’m starting to remember things, finally.”

  There was a long moment of silence before Aunt Helen softly asked, “What have you remembered?”

  “My mother. She died in the accident, didn’t she? Not when I was little.” When Laura woke that much was clear to her, but she still didn’t remember the accident itself.