Nashville Secrets

by Sheri WhiteFeather

  “I didn’t trust him any more than I trusted his dad, and now you’re paying the ultimate price. It’s not fair that you’re suffering.”

  “Are you sure you care about how I feel?” Mary shooed away the same fly when it came near her. “Because with how mean you’ve been to me, I’m surprised you’re not gloating over my pain.”

  Alice winced. “I’m sorry I acted like such a bitch. And I’m sorry that Brandon broke your heart.” She leaned into the table. “Truly, I am. You’ve been a really good sister to me.” Her voice quavered. “When I was a kid, I just wanted Mama to be well, to be there when I needed her. But you were the one who took care of me. I love you more than you know.”

  “Thank you.” Even as messed up as Alice was, Mary could tell that her sister meant it. “I love you, too. But I wish we hadn’t grown up hating Kirby.” That hadn’t done either of them any good. “Our lives shouldn’t have been about that.”

  “I still think he owes us for what he did to Mama. If they offer us a financial settlement, I’m going to take every last dollar they’re willing to part with.”

  “Money isn’t my objective.” For Mary, there were deeper issues at stake. “I’d like to see Mama’s name cleared. And I’d like for Kirby to say he’s sorry. That would be enough for me.”

  Her sister sighed. “I shouldn’t have gotten you into this mess. I shouldn’t have dragged you into something that wasn’t right for you.”

  “I appreciate you saying that, but I made my own decisions.”

  Alice angled her head. “You don’t think it’s my fault? You’re not blaming me?”

  “No.” Mary was responsible for what she’d done. “I kept lying to Brandon, even when I had feelings for him, even when I knew the destruction it could cause.”

  She’d alienated him all by herself.

  Twelve

  Brandon paced his dad’s home studio, the place where the magic happened, where Kirby had recorded a good number of his albums. But this wasn’t a magical day. He’d just confronted his dad about Cathy Birch and received a stunned look in return.

  “She was Mary’s mother?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid she was.” He stopped pacing and stood near a mixing board. “Was she a stalker? Was she harassing you?” Brandon remembered filing the restraining order. But he’d filed quite a few of them over the years. Cathy wasn’t Kirby’s only stalker—if she was one at all. “Tell me, Dad. Tell me exactly what transpired between you and Cathy.”

  Kirby grimaced. “It happened the way Mary said it did. The story she told you is accurate.”

  “Oh, God.” If Brandon hadn’t been standing so rigidly, his knees might’ve buckled. “What did you do? What did you make me do?”

  “I’m sorry if I dragged you into a lie. But I was at my lowest then. Nothing in my life was going right. The drink and drugs were eating me alive.”

  “So you preyed on an innocent woman and offered to buy her songs? For what? The sex? The feeling of power?”

  “It was all of that, I guess.” Kirby rubbed a hand across his beard, his mouth set in a grim line. His eyes were partially shielded by the brim of his hat, his shirt collar turned up. “I took advantage of a lot of women in those days, and Cathy was no exception.” He paused, his breathing rattled. “I wasn’t lying to her about her songs, not at first. They were good, and they captured my attention. I wasn’t going to record them myself. I was going to find a female artist who was better suited to them.”

  “But you were going to produce the project?”

  “Yes. Except after I lost interest in Cathy, I lost interest in her music, too.”

  Heavens, above. Could his father have been any more of a jackass? “So you made her out to be a stalker?”

  “She kept calling me, trying to get me to sign a contract with her, and I just wanted to be rid of her. I’d already moved on to someone else by then, so I convinced myself that she was harassing me.”

  Brandon could barely stand to be in the same room with his dad right now. None of this was tolerable. “When you were collecting stories for Kirbyville, you didn’t stop to think to include her? To contact her and apologize? She was alive when you first started working on the book. You could’ve reached out to her then.”

  “Honestly? I forgot about her until now.”

  Everything inside Brandon was twisting and turning, tying his guts into knots. “You forgot? That’s a lame-ass excuse.”

  “I know. But there was so much material for the book, and I was focused on family when I wrote it. I’m so sorry that her daughters suffered because of it. And I’m sorry that Mary hurt you.”

  “I don’t want to talk about what Mary did to me.” Brandon couldn’t bear the ache it caused. He couldn’t get past the knowledge that he’d fallen for a woman who’d used him for revenge. All these years, all this time, he’d never been in love. Then along came Mary with her warm and gentle ways, with her mystery, with her deception.

  “Tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it,” his dad said, cutting into his thoughts.

  “I want you to offer to buy Cathy’s songs from Mary and Alice and find a female artist to record them, like you first promised to do. It’s imperative that you help make their mother’s music a success. I also want you to make a public announcement and admit what you did to Cathy. Of course, I expect you to apologize to her daughters privately. You can’t skip that.”

  “Do you think they’ll forgive me?”

  “I don’t know.” Brandon couldn’t predict anyone’s behavior anymore.

  “Are you going to forgive Mary for lying to you about who she was?”

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  “Yes, it is. You’re my son, and I want to see you happy. If you love her, you should forgive her.”

  Brandon shook his head. His father was the last person he wanted advice from. “Don’t stick your nose into my affairs, not after the havoc you caused.”

  “But you’re a peacemaker, and you need to make peace with this.”

  “I am making peace with it.” He stood and moved about the studio again, feeling trapped by the familiarity of his surroundings. When he was a kid he used to marvel at being here, listening to his dad record. Even back then, Brandon had wanted to be part of it somehow. But not like this, never like this. “I’m going to draw up the paperwork with the terms of your offer and arrange a meeting with Mary and Alice at my office. I’ll need for you to be there, too.”

  “Of course.” Kirby sounded more than agreeable. “Whatever you require.”

  Brandon sighed. “I’ll advise them to bring their own attorney. I’m sure they’ll find someone reputable to represent them.” He didn’t doubt that Alice would seek out the best.

  “That’s good, but that’s not what I meant about you making peace with Mary.”

  “It’s the best I can do.” It was all he could do, he thought, short of telling Mary that he still loved her. And he hurt too badly to do that. Brandon was keeping his bruised and battered heart to himself.

  * * *

  Mary and Alice arrived at Brandon’s office with Christine Norseman, a hard-hitting lawyer Alice had procured. Only Mary wasn’t thinking about the business deal that was coming their way. She was blinded by the sight of the man she loved.

  Brandon looked tall and dark and professional in a gray suit and burgundy tie. When he reached out to shake everyone’s hand, Mary felt weak. By the time his hand enveloped hers, she could barely breathe. For a moment, she felt the electrical charge running between them.

  Their gazes met, but neither of them spoke. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say that didn’t involve missing him. He broke the handshake and glanced away, leaving her staring after him.

  He offered them a seat and said, “My dad is on his way. He’s running a few minutes late.” He then asked, “Can I get anyon
e anything?” He motioned to the bar in his office. “Coffee, juice, water, soda?”

  Christine went for an apple juice and Alice took a soda. Mary didn’t want anything, except for Brandon to love her once again.

  Soon Kirby dashed in, carrying two single red roses. He handed one to Mary and offered the other to Alice. Her sister refused to take it. Mary gathered it up with hers, placing both flowers on her lap.

  He sat down and said to them, “I’m so sorry for the pain I caused your family. Your mother deserved better and so did you girls. I hope that someday you’ll find it in your hearts to forgive me.”

  “I already do,” Mary replied, and exchanged a gentle glance with him.

  He thanked her with an appreciative nod of his head, and the room went quiet. Until Alice said to him, “Mary doesn’t want me to keep hating you. But I still do.” She turned toward Mary. “I’m not like you. I can’t forgive that easily. I just can’t.”

  Kirby nodded and said to Alice, “It’s all right. I accept however you feel. But before we get to the business part of this meeting, I want to tell you what I remember about your mother.” He addressed both sisters. “She was kind and trusting and far too good for someone like me. We didn’t talk about our children. We kept our kids out of it. But I’ll bet if we’d shared that information, she would’ve told me how spunky her youngest was.” He chanced a smile at Alice. “I admire your grit.” He gestured to her cowpunk garb. “I like your retro vibe, too.”

  “Oh, right.” She scowled at him. “The snake oil salesman, trying to win me over. Our mother didn’t stand a chance with you.”

  “No, she didn’t. But you do. If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be like you, Alice.” He said to Mary, “I’d be pleased to have you as part of my family, too.”

  Her eyes nearly flooded with tears. She could tell that he was giving her his blessing to be with Brandon, if his son were inclined to be with her.

  She glanced over at her former lover, but he just cleared his throat and said, “I think we should discuss the offer now.”

  “Yes, let’s do that,” Christine replied. She was a fiftysomething blonde with a no-nonsense personality, ready to get this show on the road.

  So was Alice, it seemed. She perked up, obviously anxious for the negotiations to begin. But even so, she kept shooting Kirby sideways glances. It made Mary wonder if she was secretly impressed with the way he’d praised her. With Alice, it was difficult to tell. But even so, Mary didn’t see her sister forgiving him anytime soon.

  The offer involved an astronomical amount of money to purchase Mama’s songs and market them. Christine went over the fine print and suggested a few changes. Brandon and Kirby agreed. They seemed willing to do whatever they could to give Alice and Mary what Kirby should have given Mama all those years ago.

  But Mary didn’t want the money. She’d already made up her mind about that. “I’d like to sign my share over to Alice,” she said. “But with the stipulation that she gives my portion to charity.” She gazed at her sister. “I want you to choose a charity that will be meaningful to you.” She thought it was important for Alice to learn to do some good in the world. “Are you willing to do that?”

  “Of course,” Alice replied. “But are you sure you don’t want to keep some of it for yourself?”

  “I’m positive.” Mary wasn’t interested in a payout, and she never would be. She shifted in her chair and asked Christine, “Can we add a clause to the contract about the charity?”

  “Definitely.” The attorney made a note of it.

  Mary spoke to Kirby. “I’m glad that you’re going to make a public announcement to clear Mama’s name. We worked really hard to hide the harassment charges from everyone she knew. But it was still a stain on her psyche. It’s important that you’re going to let the world know that she didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “The public announcement was Brandon’s idea,” Kirby said. “I can’t take credit for that. But I’m more than willing to admit my wrongdoings to the press.”

  “Good,” Christine said, chiming in to the conversation. “Now we can proceed and get all of this enforced.”

  Yes, Mary thought. They needed to proceed. She looked across the desk at Brandon. He was watching her with a tortured expression, a frown that appeared to be emerging straight from his soul.

  An ache Mary could feel, too.

  He called in his assistant to make the necessary changes, and the contract was revised. Once it was ready, the lawyers went over it again, making sure everything was correct.

  And that was it. The parties involved signed it.

  As the group prepared to part ways, Kirby reached out to hug Mary. She buried her face against his shoulder and wished it was Brandon wrapping her in his embrace.

  But he merely stood back in silence. Kirby released her, and she turned and spoke to Brandon.

  “Take care of yourself,” she said.

  “You, too,” he replied, his voice low and unbearably soft.

  Steeped in her loss, Mary headed for the door. But she couldn’t stop herself from glancing back at Brandon.

  Just to fill her vision with him one last time.

  * * *

  Brandon spent as much time as he could with Zoe. Being with the baby gave him comfort. But being around her made him long for what he’d lost, too.

  The possibility of a future, of a family. He couldn’t imagine ever feeling about anyone the way he’d felt about Mary, but that was over now. Two weeks had passed since he’d seen her at the meeting and he still couldn’t face the truth of what she’d done to him. He remained hurt and angry and confused, with a hole clawing its way through his heart.

  Today he was at Tommy’s place, in Zoe’s pink and puffy nursery, rocking her while she made cute little baby sounds. His brother stood nearby, watching him.

  Tommy said, “With the way you’ve been monopolizing my kid, I think you need to hurry up and have one of your own.”

  “Yeah, as if it’s just that easy.” Brandon gazed at his niece and the flowery headband she wore. Tommy had dressed her up for Brandon’s visit.

  “I’m sorry that it didn’t work out between you and Mary. I know how tough it’s been for you. But I’ll bet she’s really broken up over it, too.”

  Brandon didn’t want to think about how badly she was hurting, not with how much he ached. “I’ve always been so careful, protecting myself and our family. I asked her when we first met if she knew who I was, but she lied to me, every damned step of the way.”

  “I know. But a lot has happened since then.”

  A lot of pain, Brandon thought, a lot of heartache, with what felt like no end in sight. “Dad is going to make the public announcement about Mary’s mom next week. He’s got a press conference lined up.”

  “That’s good. By the way, I heard that Alice rented a luxurious new condo.”

  Brandon cocked his head. “Who told you that?”

  “Dad found out from Mary. He’s been keeping in touch with her. Alice is still leery of him, but he and Mary are becoming genuine friends. Dad didn’t tell you because he’s trying to keep you out of his relationship with Mary.”

  Brandon wasn’t surprised that they’d gotten close. He’d seen their bond at their meeting. He’d watched his dad hug her and felt the sting of not being able to hold her himself. “So Mary is alone at their old apartment?”

  “Yes, but she wants to be by herself. She wasn’t interested in moving into the condo with Alice.”

  Brandon had been spending a lot of time alone, too, except for when he was here with Tommy and the baby. He got up and placed Zoe in her crib. She was drifting off to sleep. To keep her comfortable, he removed her headband.

  He and Tommy walked onto the balcony, letting the baby settle into her dreams. It was nice outside, with a warm breeze.

  “Maybe I should go see Ma
ry,” Brandon said. “Not to rekindle our romance, but to at least find a way to forgive her.” He didn’t want to keep wallowing in this. It was just too damned painful. “I think it’s what we’re both going to need to move on.”

  “Then do it, bro. Do whatever you have to do to get through this. I don’t want to see you hurting. Or Mary, either. It’s not a good way to live. I agree that you both need closure.”

  “Thanks.” He sucked in his breath. “I’m going to head out now.” Before he took the coward’s way out and lost his nerve. Because deep down, he was still afraid of the effect she had on him.

  He left Tommy’s house and drove straight to her apartment. Once he got there and knocked on the door, he discovered that she wasn’t home. But then he realized that she was probably still at work, and he’d showed up a little too early to see her. He sat on the stoop and waited, with a lump in his throat.

  A short time later, her car pulled up. She got out, her footsteps stalling as she neared the front door. Clearly, she was shocked to see him. For a moment, she just stared.

  Then she said, “Brandon?”

  “Hey.” He stood and dusted himself off. He felt like a bubble-brained boy, lacking the finesse he needed to pull this off. Even as a youth, he’d never been this awkward. “I was hoping we could talk.”

  She hesitated before she asked, “Do you want to come in?”

  “Sure.” He tried to seem more casual than he felt.

  She unlocked the door, and he followed her inside. She was wearing her bakery uniform, a plain white smock and loose pants. Her hair was neatly braided. He thought about the countless times he’d played with her hair. He wanted to move closer, to put his hands on her, to inhale her sugary scent.

  “Sweet tea?”

  He jerked to attention. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “Would you like some sweet tea?”

  “No, thanks.” He went ahead and moved closer. They were standing in her living room, with the blinds drawn. “I’m just here to make things right. To forgive you, Mary, and stop both of us from hurting. I can’t go on, aching the way I am, and neither can you.”