Hearts on Fire (13 page)

“I didn’t plan on
coming back, but ever since I left all I’ve been able think about
was what you said to me in your dressing room. And you were right.
I’ve been keeping a secret. It isn’t as big as yours, but I
didn’t want anyone to know about it. My father is…was…Andy
Michaels.”

Her eyes widened a
fraction indicating that she recognized his dad’s name. “Andy
Michaels, the session guitarist who passed away from cancer a few
years back?”

“Yes.”

“I met him. He played
on my second album. He was nice.” A frown marred her smooth brow.
“I don’t understand why you’ve kept it a secret though. Your
father was one of the best musicians in Nashville.”

“And one of the most
private. Michaels was his stage name. Outside of Nashville he was
Andrew Carmichael. Only his closest friends knew he was in the
business. My father had seen too many families ruined by the music
business and its temptations, so he kept me and my mom away from
Nashville. He wanted us to have a normal life.”

“But didn’t you
tell me he took you to the Opry on your eighteenth birthday?”

“Only because I
bugged him about it for years. We sat in the back, and left right
after the show. None of his musician friends ever saw us.”

“I still don’t
understand why you kept it a secret. Being Andy Michaels’ son could
open a lot of doors for you.”

“That’s exactly why
I kept my mouth shut. My father made it in Nashville on his own merit
and I want to do the same. I didn’t…I
don’t
want any favors from anyone because of who my father was.”

“So why are you
telling me this now?”

“Because my dad was a
huge part of my life. I miss him every day, and it’s been hard not
to talk about him with the people in Nashville I’ve become friends
with.” He moved to stand in front of her. “It’s been hard not
to talk about him with
you
.
And I wanted you to know that I trust you enough to tell you about
him. I’m hoping you feel the same about me.”

Jessie’s lower lip
trembled and she looked so vulnerable that all he wanted to do was
hold her in his arms and chase away her fears. “I’m scared you’ll
think less of me when you find out about my past. I don’t want you
to hate me.”

“That’s not going
to happen.” He lifted his hand and touched her smooth, satiny
cheek. “And you know what? I have this feeling that whatever it is,
isn’t half as bad as you think it is.”

In the several seconds
that passed, indecision warred in her eyes. Drew held his breath and
prayed she’d open up to him.

“I can’t,” she
whispered. Tears filled her eyes, then spilled to her cheeks. “Just
before you got here I thought I could, but I can’t.”

Drew stiffened. Her
words stung like needles. “Are you doing the interview tomorrow?”

“Yes.” She wiped
the wetness from her cheeks with her fingers. “Wally’s setting it
up.”

“Well then, I guess
I’ll find out like everyone else in the world,” he said, harshly.
“On television.” And without another word, he brushed past her
and left the suite without a backward glance. So much for mutual
trust.

The next morning,
Jessie stood at the big picture window in her suite and took a sip of
the tea and honey a cheerful room service attendant had delivered
with her breakfast. The egg white omelet, fresh fruit, and English
muffin remained untouched under the silver warming cover—there was
no need to add food to her already queasy stomach.

“Breakfast’s the
most important meal of the day,” Wally said, from behind her. “And
with everything you’ve got goin’ on, I think you should eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”
She turned from the view she’d been too preoccupied to appreciate,
and crossed the short space between the window and the table to sit
down across from him.

Wally took a bite of
his bacon and studied her with undisguised concern.

“And I don’t think
I could keep anything down anyway.”

“Did you sleep okay
last night?”

“Not really.” She
set her cup on the table. “Every time I closed my eyes I saw that
picture of me they’ve been showing on the news. It’s so bizarre.
All I’ve seen for the last nine years is…” She lifted a hand to
her cheek. “This face in the mirror. I nearly forgot what Mary
Ellen Dickson looked like.”

“I remember the first
time I saw you.” Wally wiped his mouth with his napkin, then put it
back on his lap. “I couldn’t believe that strong, pure voice was
coming out of someone so small.”

“Don’t you mean
scrawny?” Jessie couldn’t help but smile. “Back then a strong
wind would have blown me away. I had to tie a piece of rope around my
waist just to keep my jeans up.” The amusement on Wally’s face
faded and he stared at her in a way that made her think he wasn’t
really seeing her anymore. “You okay?” she asked.

He blinked, his eyes
snapping into focus. “I just remembered the last time we talked
about the past.”

“When?”

“A couple of months
ago, in Charlotte. It was the hat.”

“The hat?” she
asked, thinking back to their stop in North Carolina. A whisper of a
memory drifted through her mind, but she couldn’t seem to hold on
to it.

“You know,” Wally
prompted. “That raggedy old hat you used to wear all the time. I
had a devil of a time getting you to stop wearing it.”

Suddenly the elusive
memory took shape. She snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “I
remember now. After the show I went outside to sign some autographs,
and I saw a woman wearing a crocheted hat. It reminded me of Grammy.
It was the only thing I had left of her.”

“And when you came
back to the dressing room, you seemed out of sorts, so I asked you
what was wrong and you started talking about your grandmother and how
much you missed her. I don’t recall everything we said, but maybe
somebody was eavesdropping and heard enough to figure out your real
identity.”

“In my dressing
room?” She shook her head. That explanation didn’t make sense.
Not with John and the event security staff manning the hallway to
prevent overzealous fans from trying to sneak inside. “I don’t
think so, it was just us. And another thing, that was two months ago,
why did it take so long to hit the media?”

Wally’s bushy
eyebrows merged into a perplexed frown. “I don’t know,” he
said, then waved his hand. “And I guess it doesn’t matter now.
The story’s out there and we have to deal with it. On a more
positive note; I’ve been checking social media, and the majority of
your fans are behind you. They’ve been pretty vocal in their
support and are looking forward to hearing your side of the story.”

“That’s a relief,”
she said, appreciating the loyalty of her fans more than ever.
“Speaking of dealing with it, what’s my schedule today?”

Without looking at his
electronic tablet, he rattled off her schedule. “Rehearsal’s at
ten. The interview with Annabeth is at three. Then you’re free and
clear until you have to get ready for the show. Oh, and by the way,
it starts at seven.”

“Seven?” She
widened her eyes. “Why so early?”

“It’s a time zone
thing. CMT requested an earlier start time when we signed the deal.”
He picked up the ceramic coffee carafe and refilled his cup. “And I
spoke to Annabeth last night after she got in. She’d like to meet
with us a half hour before the interview to discuss questions. She
made it clear she’s not interested in an ambush. She wants you to
feel comfortable.”

Jessie’s stomach
clenched. Sticking a needle in her eye would be preferable to being
grilled by one of America’s most watched, and liked, news
personalities. “I won’t be comfortable no matter how nice she
is.” She lifted her hands and rubbed her temples with her fingers.
A lack of sleep and stress caused her head to throb. “Did you tell
Drew about the meeting before rehearsal?”

“Sure did. And boy
did he get up on the wrong side of the bed.” He returned the carafe
to the table. “Did you see him last night?”

“He came by after you
left. And before you ask, no, I didn’t tell him about my past.”

“Why not?” Wally’s
asked, not hiding his exasperation. “He’s gonna find out anyway.
Don’t you think it’s best you be the one to tell him?”

“Probably, but I just
couldn’t bring myself to do it.” She rested her arms on the table
and flushed under his prolonged and disappointed stare.

“That’s not the
Jessie I met ten years ago,” he finally said. “Where’s the
fearless girl who told me that buying her a sandwich didn’t mean
she had to talk to me, and that if I was a pervert who liked little
girls I’d better make tracks or she was going to sic the cops on
me?”

Jessie sighed. That day
seemed like two lifetimes ago. “I’m not that girl anymore, Wally.
I haven’t been for a long time.”

“You’re wrong. You
may look different, and you might have a lot more money, but the girl
who lived by her wits, and hitchhiked her way from Mississippi to
Memphis, is still in there. You just have to find her again.”

“What if I can’t?”
she asked. Maybe she
was
the coward Drew accused her of being. It was easy to say she was
going to start acting like a grown-ass woman, but so much harder to
put it into practice.

“Then the only person
you’re short-changing is yourself.” He regarded her with the same
compassion he had all those years ago.

Her heart clenched.
Where would she be right now if he hadn’t come into her life?

“Let me ask you this.
Do you want to live the next ten years like you’ve lived the last?
All alone?”

“I’m not alone.”
She shot back. “I have you.”

“I don’t count. I’m
talking about someone to share your life with. I’m talking about
loving someone and being loved in return. I had that once, and it…it
was the best time of my life.” Sadness stole into his gray eyes and
lingered for a few seconds before he chased it away with an
imperceptible shake of his head. “You’ll never have that if you
aren’t willing to open your heart.”

“Open my heart,”
she whispered, then blinked.
Damn
tears
. “To Drew?”

“To anyone.”

An hour later, Jessie
followed Wally into the arena’s backstage hospitality room. Despite
the turmoil of the past twenty-four hours, she still had a show to
do. There was no way she was going to disappoint the sixteen thousand
fans who had paid to see her perform. They deserved her very best
effort, which meant that no matter how lousy she felt, she had to
suck it up and give them a kick-ass performance. But first she had to
face the people closest to her; her band and long-time crew members.

Jessie halted next to
Wally and looked around the spacious and comfortably furnished room.
Due to the limited seating, a good number of her entourage were
standing, or leaning against an available wall. Like a magnet, her
attention was drawn immediately to Drew, who was sitting on the arm
of one of the two leather sofas in the room. His remote eyes drilled
into hers for several excruciating seconds, before a mask of
indifference settled over his face and he looked away. Misery closed
around her heart like a fist. A dry sob formed in her throat but she
refused to let it out. She would not break down. Not here. Not now.

“Hey, y’all,” she
said, keeping her voice steady. Except for Drew, every single person
in the room regarded her with compassion, and maybe a little
curiosity. There was no judgment or condemnation in their eyes. Just
like the family she’d always dreamed of having, they were rallying
around her even though she hadn’t asked them to. She put her hand
on her chest, overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Thanks for getting
here early,” she said, after a few seconds and smiled at Jimmy as
he gave her a thumbs up and a grin. “As Wally told you, we’re
rehearsing as usual. Mostly, to make sure that Drew is in sync with
y’all, and so the sound guys can make sure everything’s set for
the live broadcast.” She turned her attention to her piano player.
“Ray, I’ll need you and Jimmy to stay on afterward with Drew and
me to fine tune the bass and piano accompaniment for the duet.”

“No problem, Jessie,”
Ray said quickly after exchanging a nod with Jimmy. “I’ve played
that song at more than a few weddings. I’m familiar with it.”

“Great.” She gave
him a relieved smile. “The only change is I’d like the duet to be
in the encore, right before
Hearts
on Fire
.” She took a deep breath and looked around the
room. “I’m sure y’all have seen the news reports about my past.
Without going into a lot of detail, I can tell you that I haven’t
been completely honest about my early years. Mostly because it’s
too painful, and all I ever wanted was to forget about it.
Unfortunately, that’s not possible now. After rehearsals I’m
doing an interview with Annabeth Kent from ABC News.” She touched
Wally’s arm. “Wally, do you know when they’re airing it?”

“Tonight. Depending
on the time zone it’ll air either before or after the concert.”

“Okay, then.” She
smiled weakly. “Tonight the whole world’s gonna know all there is
to know about me. But for now, let’s get through this rehearsal,
and then y’all can take it easy until the show.” She paused and
fought to control her emotions. She’d sung in front of millions of
people over the years, but this small group of people had come to
mean more to her than anyone. “And I’d like to add that I
appreciate every single one of you. I hope after you know all the
details that you—you’ll still want to work with me. I can’t
imagine touring without any of you.”

“Damn it, girl, are
you trying to make us cry, or what?” Nikki’s question elicited
laughter from everyone in the group. Everyone except Drew. His
expression hadn’t changed one iota since she’d walked into the
room.