Authors: Amanda Renee
“It will be good for me to talk to the customers like I used to. I have faith in you. I’ve seen what you can do. Besides, it will be good training for when you open your own restaurant.”
Bridgett longed for that day. She refused to settle for anything less than her dream.
* * *
“I’
VE
MADE
MY
DECISION
. I can’t take this lifestyle anymore. I’m done.” Adam stared out the window of his truck while he waited for the motor-vehicle office to open.
“I hear you.” Phil was not only his drummer, they were best friends. “Now that I have a kid of my own, I don’t want to tour again.”
“Have you talked to Roman yet?” Adam asked. He’d listened to no less than twenty-five voicemail messages from their manager.
“Yeah, basically I told him what we discussed last week, but I left out the finer details. We’re through with the gig and pursuing other interests.”
“It sounds as if we’re launching solo careers.”
“I left it open-ended,” Phil said. “I don’t know where I’m going next. I might do something with a local band or maybe I’ll produce. But I can’t continue on the way we’ve been living. I want to be there when my daughter grows up. Not out on the road. I don’t want her to learn about her father from the pages of
Rolling Stone
magazine.”
While Adam was proud of his Grammy awards and platinum records, he wished he’d done it differently. Too much time had passed. Too many wrongs had gone unnoticed and unforgiven. He’d love to say disbanding the group was his idea, but the reality was they were all ready for a change.
Adam hung up with Phil when the motor-vehicle office opened. Fortunately, the insurance renewal papers on the house and the bank statements on the account Lizzy never touched would prove his residency since they were all in his name. He was glad Lizzy had insisted he take them along instead of her mailing them as she usually did.
An hour later, Adam stared at his temporary driver’s license. He had the surreal feeling he’d time-warped back to his teens. Back in Texas, sitting in a pickup truck, excited about a new job on a ranch and a new girl. He waited for an alarm to go off and wake him from his sleep. None of it felt real. Going unnoticed was as addictive as fame had been.
Arriving back in Ramblewood much later than he had anticipated, Adam slid into the Bed & Biscuit’s dining room seconds before Mazie served dinner. Along the way, he’d gained more of a feel for the area and picked up a new cell phone with a Katy, Texas, number. Feeling a bit more secure in his cover, Adam took a deep breath.
“There you are.” Bridgett set a stack of plates on the table. “I wanted to call you when I got off work, but I don’t have your number. Where did you run off to today?”
Adam told her what he didn’t quite think of as a lie, though it wasn’t the complete truth, either. “I wanted a better feel for the area so I took a drive and lost track of time. Give me a minute to wash up first and then I’ll give you the number.”
Adam bounded up the inn’s staircase to his bedroom and quickly pulled out his phone to double-check the new number. He had attempted to commit it to memory on the way home but his nerves had betrayed him. It was safer to write it down on a piece of paper and hand it to her.
Adam tried to calm his nerves with a few inhalation breathing exercises he used to run through before a show. Bridgett made him more nervous than playing onstage in front of eighty-thousand screaming fans. Still unable to pinpoint the hold she had over him, Adam decided to go with the feeling and enjoy the moment. The sooner he did damage control, the sooner he could tell Bridgett the truth.
He found her waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. She stood to face him, a slow smile forming as be approached.
“How about grabbing a bite to eat elsewhere tonight?” Bridgett asked.
“Are you sure Mazie’s okay with us leaving? I thought you were kind of obligated to eat here.”
“Not at all.” Bridgett took his hand in hers and led him outside. “I let Mazie know earlier we might go out tonight, but she prepared extra in case we changed our minds. I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do, but it’s too gorgeous to stay inside. I love the fall.”
“Lead the way.”
The sun had already begun its final descent for the evening, casting shades of red and gold against the western sky. Before they reached the porch stairs, Bridgett put her arms around his neck and kissed him with a fire he could only compare to that of a military wife seeing her soldier for the first time in ages. He’d witnessed a handful of those surprise reunions during his last USO tour.
Adam had had many women kiss him, but none as passionately as Bridgett. He hated how he’d just compared her to other women. When she found out the truth, she’d inevitably ask if he compared her to any of them. They always did. When you’d been around so many groupies, a certain lifestyle was assumed. She wouldn’t be far off with her assumptions in the female-companion department. It was a conversation he dreaded having with her if they ever reached that stage.
Bridgett’s brazenness bothered Adam a bit. It wasn’t the kiss, it was how she kissed him on the front stairs of the Bed & Biscuit—near the center of town—for everyone to see. Adam felt more like a prized bull on display for people to admire than—than possible boyfriend material. Whatever they were, Adam’s gut instinct told him Bridgett wasn’t a wild child. While he’d gladly accept any kiss from Bridgett, a staged one wasn’t on the list. The stiffness in her body only confirmed his suspicions.
Setting her away from him, Adam stared into her piercing green eyes and tried to make sense of the situation.
“What’s this really about?” He pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. “You’re different tonight.”
“Who says it has to be about anything except me wanting to be with you?” Bridgett took a step forward. “Tell me you didn’t miss me today and I’ll back off.”
“I can’t,” Adam admitted. “I’d be lying”
Seemingly satisfied, Bridgett strode down the walkway. Unlatching the iron gate, she held it open for him to pass through. “I’m not sure how to take you.”
Adam followed Bridgett onto the sidewalk and twirled her into his arms. “Why don’t we take it day by day and see where it goes? But I have to ask... When you kissed me on the porch just now, was it because you really wanted to kiss me or was a part of you saying to the town,
‘Hey, I’ll give you something to talk about’
?”
Bridgett flinched at his question and Adam immediately regretted asking it. “Forget I asked.”
“No. You’re partially right, but not for the reasons you might think. I am so sick and tired of everyone’s pity I wanted to show them I can be happy and I can move on. It wasn’t to show you off or try to take center stage. I’m in the spotlight as it is and I’d like the curtain to fall.”
He, more than anyone, could understand that. Drawing her into his arms, Adam gently kissed Bridgett until her body softened against his. He had a sneaking suspicion if he opened his eyes, he’d catch everyone in the Bed & Biscuit peeking through the window at them, but none of it mattered. He wanted to relish the kiss. He’d taken too much for granted and wanted to savor his time with Bridgett.
Reluctantly he released her, and they continued walking toward the center of town. “Where would you like to eat tonight?”
“If you like Mexican, we can go to The Whole Enchilada on restaurant row.” Bridgett pointed ahead. “It’s only a few blocks down, along Cooter Creek.”
“Mexican it is.” Adam wanted to slow their pace tonight. Once they returned to the Bed & Biscuit, he would have to start mentally preparing himself for the conversations he needed to have tomorrow. Namely with his manager and sister. The sooner they both knew he had officially severed ties with the band, the sooner his new life could begin. It was the first step in winning his parents’ trust. Adam hadn’t wanted to break Bridgett’s trust in the process, but it was inevitable. Hopefully she would understand why he’d had to keep the truth from her.
* * *
“H
AVE
YOU
SPOKEN
any more with Abby?” Adam asked as they finished their enchiladas.
“No, and now that you mention it, she didn’t stop by The Magpie.” Bridgett would’ve accepted an entire day with Abby in exchange for one minute with her biological father. “Instead Darren paid me visit.”
“How did it go?” Adam’s concerned expression warmed Bridgett.
“I told him off and Bert chased him down the street with a ladle.”
“You’re kidding me?” Adam covered his mouth with a napkin. “Remind me to thank this Bert character. He definitely sounds like he’s a member of your fan club.”
Bridgett watched Adam’s expression go from jovial to almost painful in under a second.
Adam reached across the table for Bridgett’s hands, pulling her attention back to him. “Do you think you’ll ever want a relationship with your father? And no, I’m not judging. I’m in no place to do so.”
“I don’t know what I want yet, which has been the problem. This happened so unexpectedly. When Abby left to confront her parents, I thought I’d have a break from the situation. I wasn’t expecting Clay to follow her and drive back with a U-Haul truck filled with all her belongings. It’s not that I have anything against Abby. I guess a part of me is jealous. She has a nice car, an amazing career...and Darren was more interested in her life than he was in mine.”
“I don’t understand how he could ignore you all these years. You never noticed anything strange between him and your mom?” Adam turned her palms upward and stroked his thumbs across them.
Bridgett shook her head. “Not at all. It’s a small town, they ran into each other a lot, but I never sensed anything inappropriate between them. They didn’t try to avoid each other, either. They didn’t exactly run in the same social circles though. But would you believe she cut his hair all this time? It didn’t seem like an unusual relationship until Abby came to town. Then things got weird. Mom became scatterbrained and weepy all the time.”
“Did she realize Abby was her daughter?”
“She claims she didn’t at first, but after talking to Abby a few times she figured it out. Abby had been vocal in her search for me, but little did Abby know she was looking for her long-lost mother, too.” Bridgett shuddered at the memory of the night her mother had told her and Abby they were sisters. The confusion still hadn’t lifted.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry.” Adam released her hands and reclined against the back of the chair. “I have my own mess to straighten out and I shouldn’t be digging into your personal life.”
“I’m available if you want to talk about it. What do they say...the best lovers are friends first?” Bridgett’s own statement surprised her and she silently applauded her inner seductress.
“Don’t tease.” Adam winked. “Now I won’t be able to get that image out of my head tonight. You better be careful, Little Miss Ramblewood.”
“Why?” Bridgett sucked on the lime slice from her drink. She was teasing and she enjoyed it. It came naturally with Adam. After countless failed blind dates where Bridgett had fended off advances, it felt good being the one to make the first move.
“I might take you up on your offer.” Adam slid his chair closer to hers. “You were offering, right?”
Bridgett threw her head back and laughed. “Wow! If you can’t tell I’m flirting with you then I’m extremely rusty at this.” She lifted her hand and lightly ran her fingers along his jaw line. “Thank you for making me laugh. I haven’t done much of it lately.”
“You don’t need to thank me. Just promise me you’ll continue to be happy.” Adam’s mouth was inches from her ear. “And don’t be in such a hurry to leave town.”
Bridgett straightened. “Why? You’re not planning to stay in Ramblewood forever. The day will come where you reconcile with your family and leave our little burg. Why should I stay for you when you don’t plan on staying for me?” Bridgett couldn’t stop herself. The words slipped out of her mouth before she’d been able to stop them.
“Which one is it?” Adam’s brow creased. “One minute you want to leave town, the next you seem upset that I might leave. For the record, if things work out with my family—I don’t necessarily think I’d move back there. Three hours isn’t far from here. Besides, even when I lived in Katy, I didn’t see them every day. My goal is to repair the relationship, not move in with them. There’s no reason why I can’t continue to live here...unless you don’t want me to.”
“Not at all. I don’t mean to imply otherwise. Well, that’s not entirely true.” Bridgett inhaled deeply. “I want out of Ramblewood. I have hopes and dreams and I can’t picture them happening here anymore. I’m afraid that if you stay in Ramblewood it will be even harder for me to leave. But I don’t want to ruin your happiness, if you think you’ve found it here. Do you really believe you’ll be happy in this little town, working as a ranch hand? When you got here you were excited to see all those places from that movie—toilet seats, buried cars... But you must have bigger dreams than that. Don’t you?”
Adam hesitated, and Bridgett eagerly awaited a deeper glimpse into the man next to her. “I’d like to keep spending time with you, get to know you better. But I want to stick around Ramblewood for a little while. There’s been so much fighting in my family, so much chaos in my life lately. I just need to take some time out and direct my attention elsewhere. A ranch job is very cathartic—hard, physical work keeps me from dwelling on my problems. That doesn’t mean I’ll stay in Ramblewood forever, but for the moment I’m happy to be here.”
Bridgett forced a smile, but inside her heart was sinking. She’d thought maybe Adam could be part of her new beginning, but he was more likely to keep her trapped in Ramblewood if she let him. Plus, he still hadn’t told her what he wanted out of life. He also hadn’t given her any details about his battle with his family. She wanted to get to know him better, but it felt as if there was a wall she couldn’t see past.
Tension buzzed between them instead of the electrifying sparks they’d experienced on their walk to the restaurant. “Maggie let me work in the kitchen as pastry chef today instead of waitressing,” Bridgett said. Maybe the subject change would recapture their earlier energy. “I’ve been her catering assistant for the past few years, but I’ve only had the opportunity to experiment when The Magpie was slow. Today was amazing. It was the first time in a long while that I was able to spend some decent time in the kitchen. I can’t wait to open a restaurant where I can create my own recipes and menus. Hopefully I won’t have to be a waitress much longer.”