Marking Time

by Marie Force

  Chapter 37

  Kate drove out to Buddy and Taylor’s estate in Rutherford County the day after the benefit concert. Playing for six thousand people had put Kate on a high she’d yet to come down from. She relived the exciting night as she followed Taylor’s directions to a long road that ended at the driveway to their large two-story brick colonial. Behind it, Kate could see a lake and boathouse.

  She parked next to a minivan and a Cadillac SUV. Before she could open her car door, two little girls appeared. She opened the window. “Hello, ladies.”

  “Hi.” The older of the two had light brown hair and Buddy’s golden eyes. “I’m Ashley Nicole Longstreet.”

  “Hello, Ashley Nicole Longstreet. I’m Katherine Anna Harrington, but my friends call me Kate. Is this your sister?”

  Ashley nodded. “She’s Chloe Ann Longstreet.”

  “Hi, Chloe.”

  Chloe buried her face in her big sister’s shirt.

  Kate chuckled. “Do you guys mind if I get out of the car?”

  “Ashley, Chloe, let Kate come in!” Taylor called from the front door.

  Kate had the girls by the hand when she met Taylor at the door. She held a dark-haired baby on her hip and wore a fashionable black sweat suit over a hot pink T-shirt. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she hardly resembled the glamorous star she’d been the night before at the benefit.

  “That’s our sister, Georgia Sue Longstreet,” Ashley said. “She’s fourteen months old.”

  “I have twin cousins who are just a little bit older than Georgia,” Kate said.

  “Twins?” Ashley asked with big eyes as they followed Taylor into the house.

  “Yep. And I have twin baby brothers, too.”

  “Two sets of twins?” Taylor asked.

  “My dad and his sister, a year apart almost to the day.” Kate was pleasantly surprised to find herself in a home where children came first. Toys and dolls were strewn about, the furniture was comfortable, and pictures of the family decorated every surface.

  “Sorry for the mess,” Taylor said. “I don’t clean up for guests anymore. It’s pointless.”

  Kate smiled. “It feels like home to me. My dad has six kids, so his house is just like yours.” She ached when she thought of her dad and wondered if she would ever see him or his house again.

  “Mom!”

  Taylor turned when a boy ran into the room. He was the image of Buddy minus the goatee.

  “Harry, we have company. Can you say hi to Kate?”

  “Hi,” he said impatiently, turning back to his mother. “Have you seen my skateboard?”

  “Not since I almost fell over it yesterday. Did you look in the garage?”

  “No,” he said and was gone in a flash.

  “That’s my Harrison,” Taylor said with a smile. “He’s eight, Ashley’s six, Chloe’s four, and then there’s this person.” She tickled the baby and was rewarded with a giggle.

  “They’re beautiful.”

  “They’re a handful.” Taylor put the baby down to play on the floor. “So have you recovered from last night?”

  “It was amazing. I’m still pumped.”

  “You did a terrific job. You do know it was a tryout, don’t you?” Taylor asked with amusement.

  “Tryout?”

  “Buddy wanted to be sure you wouldn’t freak out on the tour.”

  Kate laughed. “I was freaking on the inside.”

  “Well, it didn’t show. They loved you.”

  Buddy strolled into the room.

  It was the first time Kate had seen him without the Stetson, and she had to work at keeping her mouth from falling open. He was absolutely gorgeous.

  “They ate you up, darlin’. You should feel damned good about what you did.”

  “Don’t swear in front of the baby, Buddy,” Taylor said.

  “Damn is not a swear.”

  His wife scowled at him.

  “You did a real good job, Kate,” Buddy continued. “I was very pleased.”

  “Thanks. It was fun, and you guys were incredible. I’d never seen you live before. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sound of that applause.”

  “It gets addictive,” Taylor admitted.

  “I can see how it would.”

  “You’ll find out for yourself, but don’t let it go to your head,” Buddy said. “I’m starving, Tay. Can we eat?”

  “It’s ready. Call the kids.”

  Kate was treated to the kind of boisterous meal that made her miss her own family. With no sign of any hired help, Taylor served the meal of pulled pork, salad, hush puppies, and corn bread herself.

  “I’ll clean up.” Buddy wiped Chloe’s chin and pushed Ashley’s milk in from the edge of the table.

  When Buddy caught her eye, Kate realized she was staring.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I just never pictured you like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Wiping chins and doing dishes.”

  He laughed. “This is what I do when I’m not working. We only have help on the road. I work so I can do this the rest of the time.”

  “It’s cool.”

  “It’s life. It’s what matters. The rest is just crap.”

  “Crap,” Georgia said.

  “Buddy!” Taylor said.

  Flashing her the grin that made his female fans drool, he said, “Baby, why don’t you take Kate for a walk? Show her the lake.”

  “Watch your mouth in front of the kids, Buddy. I mean it.”

  Propping Georgia on his hip, he planted a kiss on his wife and patted her ass. “Scram. Daddy’s in charge.”

  Taylor took Kate by the hand. “Get me out of this zoo.”

  They pulled on coats to walk out to the lake. The sun was warm, but the breeze off the water put a chill in the air. Taylor pointed out the stables and Buddy’s mother’s house off in the distance. She referred to the fence that lined the lake as her security blanket.

  “I’d be a wreck worrying about one of the kids drowning without that fence.”

  “I grew up on the water in Newport. My dad has a sailboat.”

  “Ours is a powerboat. Buddy loves to water ski.”

  “This is a great place.”

  “It’s our haven. No one bothers us out here. The people around here protect our privacy. They’d never think of giving anyone directions to our place.”

  Taylor hooked her arm through Kate’s as they walked. “So Buddy told me he put it all out there for you. You know what to expect over the next couple of months?”

  “I think I’m as prepared as anyone can be.”

  “You can come here if you ever need to hide out. We’ve got tons of room. It’s loud and busy, but you’re welcome any time.”

  “You and Buddy have been so good to me. I’ll never be able to thank you for everything.”

  “Well, honey, I’ve got to tell you, when Reid first told Buddy about you, we were skeptical. I mean people are always telling us about this one or that one. But once we saw you perform, we were your biggest fans.”

  The world had tilted on its axis. “What?” Kate whispered. “What did you say?”

  Taylor stopped walking. “Honey, why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?”

  “What did you say about Reid?”

  “What? That he told Buddy about you? That’s how we found you.”

  “No,” Kate whimpered. “No.” Her stomach surged with nausea.

  Taylor stared at her, confused. “I don’t understand.”

  Kate clutched her stomach. “How does Buddy know Reid?” she managed to ask.

  “Buddy’s mother, Miss Martha, was Reid’s housekeeper. They grew up together.”

  “Oh, no! Oh my God. No.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

  “I’m sorry, Taylor. I have to go.” Kate fought tears as she ran for the house. She found her purse in the living room and was headed for the front door when Buddy stopped her.


  “What’s wrong, darlin’? Are you crying?”

  “Reid told you about me. That’s how you found me. Is that true?”

  “Shit.” Buddy groaned.

  “She didn’t know that?” Taylor cried as she came up behind Buddy. “Why didn’t you tell me, Buddy?”

  Certain she was going to be sick, Kate had to get out of there. “I’ve got to go. Thank you,” she said softly. “You were real nice to me.” Blinded by tears, she bolted out the door.

  “Kate!” Buddy called. He stopped her before she could open her car door. “Listen to me!”

  “There’s nothing you can say. Let me go.”

  “Listen! Do you remember when I told you that you can trust everything I tell you?”

  Wiping at her face, she nodded.

  “Then hear this. Reid told me about you. I won’t deny that. But you sold me. You. Do you honestly think you’d be coming on tour with us or having dinner at my house if I didn’t think you have what it takes to play in the big leagues? Do you?”

  She shrugged.

  “I love Reid like a brother, but you’re where you are right now because of you. Don’t blow it, Kate.”

  “May I go now?”

  He stepped back so she could open her car door.

  She managed to keep from getting sick until she was a mile from Buddy and Taylor’s house. After pulling the car off to the side of the road, she vomited and then sobbed until there was nothing left. When she was finally able to function again, she drove to Reid’s house and ran upstairs, her heart thudding.

  He was out riding Thunder. She was supposed to call him when she was on her way home, but she had nothing to say to him. Apparently Buddy did, though, because she heard Reid come pounding up the stairs a few minutes later.

  Kate was throwing clothes into a bag when he stormed into the bedroom.

  “Kate, honey…”

  The sound of his voice, which had become so familiar and so dear to her, sent a shaft of pain coursing through her as she pulled open drawers and tore clothes off hangers.

  “Baby, come on,” he said, taking her arm.

  “Don’t touch me,” she seethed. “Get your hands off me.”

  As if she’d hit him, he took a step back. “I love you, Kate. Talk to me. Please.”

  “You want to talk? Fine. Let’s talk. Was I speaking English when I told you not to pull strings for me? Was I speaking Spanish or French or some other language you didn’t understand?”

  “No.”

  “Then all I can think is you didn’t respect me enough to do as I asked.”

  “I respect you more than anyone in the world.”

  Kate laughed harshly. “You have a strange way of showing it.”

  “What does it matter, baby? Buddy and Taylor love you, and you’re in good hands with them.”

  Incredulous, she stared at him. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

  “I guess I don’t. You wanted a career in the big time, and you’re going to have that.”

  “But I’ll never know if I could’ve gotten there on my own. You took that away from me, and there’s no getting it back.”

  “I ran into Buddy when I was in Knoxville. We got talking. I didn’t seek him out, it just came up.”

  “When I called you to tell you they were at Mabel’s, you knew they were coming, didn’t you? You told them I’d be there that night.”

  Taking a sudden interest in his feet, he nodded.

  “Does he know the rest? Does Buddy know about us?”

  He nodded again.

  Kate shook off his attempts to touch her. “It doesn’t matter, because there is no more ‘us.’ We’re done.” She picked up the bag of clothes and her guitar.

  “I don’t want you to go. We can get past this—you love me, and you know I love you.”

  Her tears were gone. The love was gone. All that remained was the anger. “I’ll never forgive you for this. I destroyed my relationship with the most important person in my life for you, and you weren’t even worth it.”

  He grimaced in unabashed pain.

  “You know what the most ironic thing is? Everyone disapproved of us because you were supposedly too old for me. Funny how I ended up being the adult in this relationship.” She turned and left the room.

  He followed her downstairs. “Kate. I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

  “So was I.”

  Kate spent two days alone in her townhouse, ignoring the constant ringing of her home and cell phones. She checked the caller ID to make sure her family wasn’t trying to reach her and discovered that most of the calls were from Reid. The rest were from Buddy.

  She stayed in her pajamas and watched one episode after another of “Behind the Music” on VH-1 as bitterness roiled through her. She’d been so close to having everything she wanted, but it was all built on lies.

  The doorbell rang late on the second day. Worried that Reid might’ve brought his campaign to her doorstep, she peeked out the window to find a young man in a courier’s uniform holding a large envelope. She went down the stairs to answer the door.

  “Kate Harrington? Sign here.”

  Kate signed for the envelope and took it back upstairs. Inside was a handwritten letter from Buddy on Long Road Records stationery, along with another smaller envelope.

  Dear Kate,

  Taylor and I are real sorry for what happened the other day. (If it makes you feel any better, she’s furious with me…) Anyway, we’ve come to think of you as our friend, so we hope you’ll forgive us for our role in all of this.

  I know this won’t sound very friendly, but I’m going to do you the biggest favor anyone will ever do for you by threatening legal action if you don’t comply with the terms of our agreement. You’re a talented girl with a big future ahead of you, and you’d be a total fool to walk away from it. So I’m not going to let you. You have forty-eight hours to lick your wounds, and then I want you back in the studio rehearsing. Otherwise, you’ll be hearing from my attorneys.

  Enclosed is your first paycheck. Pay your taxes (so you don’t end up like Willie Nelson), pay your rent, and get your life in order, because things are about to get crazy for you.

  I know you’re hurting, darlin’, but in our business broken hearts lead to number-one records. Now, get your ass back to work.

  Sincerely,

  (Your Friend)

  Buddy Longstreet

  President & CEO

  Long Road Records

  Kate smiled and wiped away tears as she reread Buddy’s letter. She opened the smaller envelope to find a check for two hundred thousand dollars.

  Chapter 38

  Clare marked the one-year anniversary of her recovery in late April by spending a quiet morning at home in Rhode Island. All things considered, it had been an interesting year—she’d gone from being bedridden to reclaiming her life. She had been married, divorced, and then almost engaged.

  She hurt whenever she thought of Aidan and what might’ve been. Her brother was thrilled with the work Aidan had done to the Stowe house. He’d moved on to other clients, but not a day had gone by in the two months since she last saw him that she hadn’t thought of him and their time together. In truth, she longed for him. But because they wanted different things out of life, Clare believed they’d done the right thing by breaking up. Every so often, though, she’d catch a whiff of sawdust or experience vivid memories of making love with him. In those moments, she knew her heart was truly broken.

  She checked her watch. The social worker from Child Services was due any minute. This was it. She would find out today if she’d been approved to adopt, and her heart skipped with excitement when she thought about finally meeting the child they had in mind for her. He was a biracial two-year-old with a drug-addicted mother who’d signed away her rights to him. As soon as Clare cleared all the hurdles with the state, he would be hers. She had fantasized about bringing him home for weeks and had a bedroom all ready for him. The girls had been supportive of her decision to
adopt but were puzzled about what’d happened between her and Aidan. However, they respected her wishes by not pushing her to talk about it.

  The doorbell rang. Clare took a deep breath to calm her nerves and went to open the door to Janice Nunes.

  She followed Clare into the family room.

  Janice’s usual smile was missing today, and Clare felt a sinking sensation. “It’s not good, is it?”

  “I’m so sorry, Clare. I’ve fought so many battles over this application, I’ll be surprised if I still have a job when it’s done.”

  “Why did they say no?” Determined not to cry, Clare bit her lip.

  Janice sighed. “Well, I warned you at the outset that your medical history would be an issue.”

  “But you have my file from Dr. Langston and Dr. Baker. They told you I’m fine now.”

  “Yes, and I went over my boss’s head to take it to the director, but neither of them can get past your history. It’d be different if you were married. We’d be able to make a case that should you fall ill again, the child would have another custodial parent.”

  “We covered that,” Clare said with mounting desperation. “My sister and her husband are willing to be appointed his legal guardians, if need be.”

  “I know, and I think it’s a perfect solution, but unfortunately it’s not my decision. I get so many applications from people who’re borderline cases. Half the time, I wonder if they aren’t in it for the tiny bit of state aid they get when they adopt a child out of foster care. Then I have one like you—educated with a beautiful home, plenty of money, impeccable references, and lots of love to give a child, yet you get turned down.”

  “It’s not fair.”

  “You’re right. It’s not fair, but the system is there to protect the children, and flawed or not, it’s the only system we have.”

  “Does he have so many better options?”

  Janice shook her head. “He’s in foster care with little hope for adoption because he’s biracial and no longer an infant.”

  “Maybe I’d have better luck with a private adoption.”