“Well, I don’t want to upset any of your gentlemen suitors over there,” he said with a wink and a nod toward Steven and Trace. “But I did want to let you know I brought my banjo along in case you felt like singing that song you wrote.”
The lightning flashes of discomfort became thunderous vibrations of agony at the memory of the song she had written and sung about her daddy.
“Um, okay. I don’t really play that one much anymore. But thanks for letting me know.”
“Anytime, sweetheart. You ladies have a good one.” With a parting nod, he headed back toward Trace and the others.
Kylie felt the blood draining from her face. Danny was a painful reminder. A living, breathing reminder of just how much she missed her daddy. And the fact that there had only ever been one man able to soothe that painful ache rattled her even harder.
Suddenly she couldn’t swallow, and a dull ringing sound began to radiate from inside her head.
“I’m not feeling so great, y’all. I-I’m going to go lie back down on the bus for a while. Here, breakfast is on me.” She slid a black credit card toward Lulu and bolted out of the diner as quickly as she could manage without making a spectacle of herself.
A few feet outside the diner, she heard the chime of the door a second time, but she didn’t look back to see who had followed her out. It could’ve been Lulu or Hannah or Steven. Or…someone else.
Her chest tightened and her stomach clenched at the realization that there was only one person she wanted it to be. The absolute last person she should want it to be. And yet…she hoped and prayed it was him.
The ground beneath her blurred through the moisture as she focused on making it to the bus without looking back. She blinked in an attempt to dry it up.
“Stop it. This is ridiculous,” she whispered to herself. “Grow up already.”
“You look pretty grown up to me,” his voice said from behind her.
Her entire body went rigid at the unexpected sound, but there was a part of her—a small part—that relaxed.
“I just needed some air. It was getting kind of crowded in there,” she said without turning to face him.
“Agreed,” he said low and practically in her ear.
When did he get so close?
“So, um, I’m fine. No need to escort me. I’m just going to go lie down on the bus for a while.”
“Turn around and tell me you’re fine and I’ll go.”
She swallowed and pressed her eyes shut, blinking out any remaining tears. Roughly swiping her hands beneath them to clear the evidence, she turned.
“Trace,” she said slowly. She really wished she didn’t have such an intense physiological response to the sound of his name on her lips. It was difficult to hear herself speak with her heart hammering in her ears. “I’m fine. I don’t want everyone to think I’m making some big dramatic scene and you had to console me. Go enjoy your breakfast.”
“Come on, Kylie Lou. Since when do we care what everyone thinks?” His hazel eyes gleamed in the sunlight. Standing there the way he did, he practically radiated sunshine. He was warmth personified. Like a clear day on a Georgia farm. The urge to reach out and wrap her arms around him nearly overtook her.
Thankfully, his phone rang just as she was about to speak. Good thing, because she had no clue what the hell she had been about to say.
“Answer it,” she said softly.
He frowned at the screen, but did as she’d said. “Hey, Gretch. What’s going on?”
Kylie’s knees went weak at the sound of his girlfriend’s name. She wondered if this was how he felt about her and Steven. Then she realized it didn’t even matter. They were done. The past was the past and Gretchen was Trace’s present. And probably his future, too.
He turned slightly to the side as he spoke, just enough for Kylie to step out of his line of sight and tap on the door to the bus. The driver, Reggie, who went by Tiny—despite the fact that he was anything but—opened the door. She greeted him quickly and darted back to her room.
Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against it and slid to the floor.
Everything was different. And yet the thing upsetting her most, the cold, hard fact that had a cold, hard lump wedged in her throat, was the fact that nothing had really changed.
Her daddy was still dead. She still missed him so much it was damn near debilitating. And she was still in love with the only man besides him she’d ever loved.
And she still couldn’t have him.
THE SHOW in Columbus had gone well. Lots of college kids had shown up and the crowd had been amazing. She’d successfully avoided Trace since the incident at the diner. They’d sung The Other Side of Me together without so much as making eye contact. So not a total success as far as performances went, but she’d done the best she could.