Sweet Texas Kiss (Sweet Texas Secrets) (4 page)

“I don’t, either. Maybe he knew I needed a place to get away.” The Cooper house was a huge, rambling old thing, not her idea of a carefree vacation home by any means. It would require care and continual maintenance, and truthfully, it wasn’t a place for someone who didn’t love it. It was a piece of Sweet Ridge history, standing at the corner of Pecan Road and Travis Drive for a century. Appreciating the importance of the house didn’t mean she had to pander to Gavin if he was going to be such a jackass, though.

“Or maybe he followed my career and thought it might be nice if I had something else to fall back on when my show finally goes off the air.” She sipped her beer, doing her best to look innocent. Gage and Grayson laughed while Gavin fumed.

She’d had a huge career in country music, with every album hitting number one on the charts, every show on their nationwide tours selling out, and their faces on every relevant magazine cover. After being discovered during their senior year, she and Tori took off for Nashville immediately after graduation. They’d skyrocketed to fame after their debut album released, and they’d spent many happy years touring the country and making music. It had fed her soul like she knew it would, had completed her and had given her life purpose. But that was then.

“Did you ever think in a million years that Pixie Thomas would win
America’s Next Country Star
?” Grayson interrupted. “Every time I thought she’d get voted off, she ended up with the highest score of the week.”

Surprised that Grayson watched her show and cared about the outcome, and more than a little grateful he’d let the air out of the bubble of tension surrounding the table, Macy laughed and sat back, relaxing for the first time since she’d spotted the Cooper boys. “Pixie did seem to slip through by the skin of her teeth, didn’t she? I really like her work ethic, and she’s definitely got a shot at the big time. I won’t be surprised if her album blows up when it comes out.”

“It was fascinating to watch her transform from a girl who was obviously talented but with no stage presence into someone who could really be a superstar. I’m not sure if I can take the stress of watching next season. It kills me every week that we have to wait to find out who’s going home.” Grayson continued.

“It’s hard for the judges, too. We all have our favorites, and it’s fun to watch them move through from auditions and up through the rounds. We spend so much time with the finalists, and we want them to succeed so badly.” Macy took her job for granted, often letting her sadness about everything she’d lost overshadow it, but she did enjoy it. Getting to know the show’s contestants, finding celebrity mentors for them and working with people who were still passionate about music, and watching them mold their talent into something amazing was incredibly satisfying.

“So, you and the other stars don’t know who is going home before they announce it?” Gage joined the conversation, and Gavin rolled his eyes before downing the rest of his beer. She could practically see the steam coming out of his ears, and she loved it, to see him so petulant while the others carried on a normal conversation around him. If he was going to act like a child, she wouldn’t go out of her way to make him feel comfortable.

“Nope. We have to wait for the votes to come in just like everyone else. It’s as much a competition between the judges, so we don’t get any advantage. We get invested in the singers and hate to see our favorites go home. Plus, I think the producers like to get genuine reactions from everyone on set, and it’s easier to capture that if it’s a real surprise.”

“You just love surprises, huh?” Gavin grumbled. The opening bars of one of the more popular Young and Wilde songs, “Charm Your Pants Off,”
blasted through the bar, sending patrons at the tables around them onto the dance floor. The loud music halted their conversation, but it wasn’t loud enough to quiet the whisper of Tori’s infectious joy and happier times, when they all had the world at their feet. The tension was more than she could bear, and Gavin’s childish behavior finally made her madder than a wet hen.

“You know what? I really thought you would’ve grown up after all these years, but obviously I was wrong. Your dad was a good man, and I don’t know why he decided to leave me his house, but I’m sure he had his reasons. It’s a shame you’re so caught up in what you did or didn’t get that you can’t honor him by behaving like an adult, Gavin. Thanks for the drink, guys. I’ll see you around.”

Macy pushed her chair in before striding toward the door and out into the warm summer night air without looking back. Music and laughter slipped through the building as she left it behind her. She’d go ahead and walk the few blocks to the hotel. She hadn’t had that much to drink, but better safe than sorry, always. It wasn’t that long ago when nothing—not her career, not her family, certainly not her well-meaning friends—was important enough to slow Macy down. No contract or performance or obligation was powerful enough to make her reconsider staying out partying all night, sleeping all day, and screwing everyone over. Clawing her way back to rational behavior and responsibility had taken everything she had, and she wasn’t about to backslide now. One wrong move would land her back in the tabloids, and she’d worked too hard to restore her image.

Her whole life had been nothing but a struggle since they’d buried Tori.

A hint of the oppressive heat that would envelop the town within hours pushed against the last remnants of cool night air as Macy left the hotel and paused on the sidewalk, stretching as an unexpected smile took over her face. She hadn’t been in Sweet Ridge long, but everyone she’d run into had been welcoming. She wouldn’t let Gavin Cooper and his sour mood ruin her visit. In fact, knowing he was so peeved about her being in town made her want to stick around even more. It really had been too long since she’d set foot in Sweet Ridge, and the unstructured day ahead of her beckoned. When she was a teen, her sleepy little hometown had seemed utterly unremarkable. Now the people and places of her youth were more like a favorite song, something you could always turn to. Something warm, familiar, and always satisfying, like the delicious home-style meals at the town’s oldest and most popular diner. Her mom didn’t have two quarters to rub together when she was growing up, so breakfast at Betty Lou’s was a special treat reserved for celebrating Macy’s biggest accomplishments. A nice breakfast topped off with one of their famous donuts would start her day off nicely, but there was no hurry. She took her time ambling down the street. Glad to see the old used bookstore, Bluebonnet Books, was still in business and stuffed to the gills with everyone’s favorite paperbacks and hardcovers, she mentally reviewed the long list of books she’d been meaning to read but hadn’t had the time. She’d definitely visit and stock up before she left town. The Loose Curl, Sweet Ridge’s answer to Vidal Sassoon, wasn’t open yet, either. The same old mannequin heads lined the front window, fortunately sporting more updated styles and missing the bright blue eye shadow they used to wear.

Finally, the smell of frying bacon and fresh donuts pulled Macy into Betty Lou’s Diner. The bell on the front door tinkled brightly, announcing her arrival, and the familiar din of the crowded dining room beckoned. Betty Lou herself looked up over the tops of her funky red eyeglasses from her spot behind the cash register next to the revolving pie case and squealed in delight. She rushed around the pink Formica counter, the sausage curls in her shiny blond beehive bouncing with every step, and gathered Macy into a sugar-scented hug that pulled her up on her tiptoes. Not much had changed. The black-and-white-checkered tile floor was still polished within an inch of its life; the spotless glass pie case still held freshly made chocolate cream, lemon meringue, and apple pies; and the diner’s décor could be the setting for a fifties television show. Betty Lou still greeted every guest herself, even if one of the waitresses wearing pink and turquoise uniforms ended up taking care of them.

“Girl, you are a sight for sore eyes!” Betty Lou squeezed one last time. “It’s been a coon’s age since I saw you, and I didn’t even know you were in town. Come on, now, sit, sit. Let’s get you something to eat.”

Betty Lou ushered her onto a glittery turquoise vinyl stool in the middle of the row and bobbled back to the other side. Locals lined the counter, tucking into Betty Lou’s famous big breakfasts, sipping hot coffee from the diner’s signature thick ceramic mugs, and contentedly munching on her famous donuts. Macy nodded enthusiastically at Betty Lou’s offer of coffee, wrapped her hands around the mug, and inhaled deeply. Her lifelong love affair with coffee had started right here, during the long nights of studying for tests, when Betty Lou let her occupy a table as long as she needed to for the price of a single cup. Betty Lou managed to infuse her sweet and spicy personality into everything she made, and the coffee was no exception.

“What’ll it be, darlin’?” Betty Lou leaned on the counter.

Macy rubbed her hands together. “I’ve had a hankering for one of your famous donuts since I stepped off the plane in San Antonio. Almost drove straight from the airport to your door.”

Betty Lou grinned. “Donuts today are strawberry lemonade, orange blossom, and sweet cinnamon.” She delighted in coming up with new flavor combinations, and she never had the same donuts on the menu two days in a row.

“They all sound delicious, and just thinking about them has my stomach rumbling something fierce. I’ll take the orange blossom this time. I’ll need some real food, too, so a big breakfast would be perfect.” The diner’s signature big breakfast was much more food than Macy normally ate, but being on her own in Sweet Ridge made her feel like nurturing herself. She could never be bothered herself to come up with more than cereal for breakfast, if she ate at all, so the eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast would be a decadent treat.

“Coming right up.” Betty Lou gave her the fresh donut on a tiny plate, tucked a paper napkin under the edge, and turned around to put the ticket with her order on the carousel.

A small groan of pleasure escaped as she bit into the warm donut, the sugary, citrusy pastry making the whole trip to Sweet Ridge worthwhile. They were a staple of her childhood, and something she never should’ve left behind. She licked an errant flake of icing off her lip and sipped the coffee, thinking she could happily live the rest of her life eating nothing besides Betty Lou’s donuts. Why had she ever left Sweet Ridge?

“You’re Macy Young, right?” A slim, middle-aged woman interrupted her culinary ecstasy.

She swallowed and dabbed her lip with a napkin. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m Candace Fisher.” The woman extended her hand and Macy shook it. “I teach choir at Sweet Ridge High. You’re kind of a legend in the music department. It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Sweet Ridge High’s choir department had been everything to her. She’d discovered her love of music and had found the magic of her partnership with Tori there. Without those years in choir, Macy’s life would’ve been completely different. She probably would’ve gone to college, become a teacher or therapist, and never once sang a note in public, much less become a huge star with her best friend. Even after everything that had happened, she was still incredibly grateful for the opportunities she’d been given.

“I took over after Mr. Procter retired, and the students and staff still talk about you.” The teacher shifted on the bar stool and looked over her menu.

“Oh, Mr. Procter retired? He was hands down my favorite teacher.” Besides nurturing her love of music and helping her develop her talent, Mr. Procter had been the one to get her into the competition that helped push her grade point average high enough to beat out Gavin for valedictorian status. He wasn’t even judgmental when she ultimately decided to forego the scholarship opportunities that came her way and skipped college in favor of heading straight to Nashville to start her career with Tori.

“He’s been retired for a few years now, but he’s still around. I don’t think he could stay away if he tried, to tell you the truth. He runs an outreach program for at-risk kids who are interested in music, and the school lets him use the music room, so he’s there every week, even in the summer.”

“I might have to stop by and see him, then. That’s awesome, and it doesn’t surprise me at all.” It sounded like the perfect marriage of Mr. Procter’s heart for service and love of music. “In fact, I think it would be more unusual if I found out he wasn’t doing something like that.”

“He does seem to be in his element, and it’s nice that he can still spend a little time in the classroom without being a full-time teacher. It’s great for the community and those kids, but he’s a big help for me, too, since he loves running the annual talent show. It takes a huge load of work off of me, and he has a great time.” She handed Betty Lou her menu and placed her order. “The kids all love your music, and every year, at least one girl sings ‘Take Me to the Lake.’”

Macy laughed. Young and Wilde’s breakout hit song about summers spent with friends by the lake was cheesy, but it had spent months at the top of the charts, and its success had paid for her first house in Nashville. “Sorry about that. I get a little sick of hearing it myself, sometimes. Seems like it’s always on the radio.” Although she’d give anything to sing onstage with Tori just one more time. For that matter, she hadn’t sung a single note publicly in almost four years, after being unable to choke out the words to their ballad “Should’ve Been You” at an awards show. Tori’s death had dropped the bottom out of her life, but Macy had hoped the performance would set her career back on track. She’d gone on immediately following the show’s “In Memoriam” segment and couldn’t finish the song. That night, she’d walked off the stage for the last time, but she’d sing their song about summer, boys, and first kisses a million times if it would bring her friend back.

“It’s catchy, and when the kids get to sing something they love, they forget to be self-conscious when they perform. It’s a lot of fun, really.”

“Well, then I’m glad to be of service.” Macy sat back a bit so Betty Lou could place her piping hot dish in front of her. “Thank you. Everything looks delicious.”