In the Lyrics Read online

  Walking up to us, he shakes Dusty’s hand in one of those bromance handshake thingies, then faces me. “That was quite a performance. Hensley, you sound amazing. Have you been singing long?”

  Who does he think he is just waltzing into my town unannounced and asking personal questions? “A while,” I shrug, annoyed.

  He mumbles something, but I ignore it as I start to pack up my stuff. It doesn’t take long to lay my guitar in its case. Looking up, I see him still standing in front of me.

  “Well, I don’t want to be a bother, but I don’t really know where we live, Dusty. You mind if I follow you?” His emphasis on the word “we” makes me feel like an ass. Of course he is waiting on Dusty.

  “Yeah, no doubt. Do you mind stopping and grabbing a bite with us? I’m starved,” Dusty asks rubbing his stomach.

  “Actually I’m pretty hungry myself. It was a long drive and Momma only packed so many PB&J’s.”

  My eyes cut to Dusty’s as I silently beg him not to do this to me. I don’t know why I am so hesitant to be around Colby, but for some reason he makes me feel strange. Like a good strange, which is a bad sign. I may hide behind my sharp tongue and hard exterior, but inside I’m still a woman. A woman whose heart started pounding profusely against her chest the first time I laid eyes on him. And because of that, I know being around him is a bad idea – a very, very bad idea. Making a mental note to steer clear of him at all costs, I plaster on a fake smile knowing there is nothing I can do to change our dinner plans. After all, he is Dusty’s roommate. Next time I need to see a picture of all the applicants prior to them just showing up in the beginning of a set, unannounced, and way before their scheduled arrival.

  “Well, what are we waiting for? I could eat a horse,” I say as I stand up reluctantly.

  “A woman after my own heart.” His voice and closeness to my body sets a flutter through my stomach. Not that his statement was romantic in the slightest, but his tone is so masculine and Southern. It is the sexiest voice I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Oh, no. I’m in trouble. Deep, deep, trouble. I feel Dusty wrap his arm around my waist as he bends down to grab my case and swings it over his opposite shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye I see Colby glance at Dusty’s hand. If he is going to be tagging along everywhere, it’s best if he learns how close Dusty and I are the hard way. Taking advantage of his wandering eyes, I lean into my best friend’s embrace and turn to whisper into his ear, “You smell like B.O.” Dusty’s laughter causes Colby to tilt his head. His movement resembles a puppy who doesn’t quite understand what his master is saying to him.

  For all he knows I am whispering sweet nothings in Dusty’s ear, which obviously couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is we’re just affectionate friends. I’m safe in his arms and there is never any lingering doubt if he’s into me. I sneak another peek over my shoulder, but he catches me in the act. He knows what I’m doing, and I just lost at my own game. A small grin spreads across his plump lips and he winks at me. Why oh why does he have to be so handsome?

  The three of us walk for a few blocks until we reach my car. Betsy the beater, I call her. It’s the best my parents could do, and well, it was either Betsy or turfin’ it to school every day. As you can see, I made a wise decision, and Betsy has become my only female friend. She doesn’t gossip, whine, or complain, so she quickly won my loyalty.

  Dusty opens the trunk and puts our equipment in and then turns towards Colby and asks, “Do you want us to drive you to your vehicle and you can just follow us back into town?”

  Colby shrugs like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Sounds good to me.”

  Opening the driver’s side door, I slide the seat up and gesture Colby in, “Excuse the mess.”

  He bends forward to climb in, and when he does, his shirt rises up just a tad in the back exposing his hard, tanned body. I think I am literally drooling. Doing everything in my power to look away, I fumble with my purse and pull my keys out. I never lock Betsy. I know she won’t try and run away from me, and I know no one wants to steal her. It’s a real shame. She may look old and beaten on the outside, but she rides as smooth as a plane on the inside. I climb into the car as Dusty does the same. The radio blares as I put the key in the ignition, startling me. But I refrain from turning down the knob, scared that the sound of my pounding heart may be heard over the music.

  I can feel the closeness of Colby’s hands as he holds my headrest and pulls himself forward so his face is in between Dusty and me. He smells like spearmint gum and a mix of cologne and sweat. Knowing he’d said he had been driving all day, I take that into consideration and breathe him in, reminding myself that the rugged, manly smell will fade with a quick shower.

  Not in my twenty years have I ever felt so…I don’t know…drawn to a complete stranger, and all of a sudden, I am sniffing one. What is wrong with me? I blame Dusty. Bottom line. He invited him here. He needed a roommate, not me, and here I am suffering, fighting the urge to turn around and kiss a stranger. But I won’t. I can’t. I have got to keep my head on straight and remember men are off limits. Colby is off limits. I saw the way Brittani sauntered over and was groping his arm. I’m not stupid, and he doesn’t look like the type to be fooled either, but she’s there and available. Unlike me. Shaking my head, I know I need to fight these feelings that have crept into me within a matter of hours.

  He finally leans back and rests against the nylon material that is Betsy’s backseat. “So what’s good around here?”

  “There’s this good Mexican place close by the apartment. They’re open late. Sound good, baby girl?” Dusty’s voice brings me back from la-la land and puts me at ease. He would never knowingly put me in an uncomfortable situation. He wants out of this hellhole town as much as I do.

  “Nacho Palace it is,” I mumble under my breath.

  We drop Colby off at his truck and then head to the restaurant as he follows behind us. Dusty is leaning back against the headrest while his fingertip traces small circles on my knuckle. I remember when we were younger, people used to claim we were secret lovers. We’ve never been anything more than best friends, but I can totally see where one would think otherwise. No one has to understand, or even accept, what we are. The thing is, I accept Dusty and his lifestyle one hundred percent, and he accepts my desire to escape. What we have is perfect, and we wouldn’t expect anyone to understand, nor do we need anyone’s approval.

  As much as I want to yell at Dusty for inviting Colby out to dinner with us, I know he has good intentions. Colby is probably starving from the ride here, and well, Dusty just likes to eat. You would never know it by his appearance, but then again he loves working out almost as much as he loves music. I guess they go hand in hand. No one wants to be in the public eye feeling lousy about their own image.

  “Don’t forget to turn, baby girl,” Dusty says, breaking the silence lingering between us. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours? I thought you’d be way more excited. We made a killing tonight. Seventy-five dollars a piece, girl!”

  I give him a weary smile, because after all I am excited. That’s the best we’ve done in a long time. “I’m plenty excited.”

  He fake coughs, “Bullshit.”

  “Bullshit to what?”

  “I’m calling your bluff, Hensley Elaine Bradley.”

  Huffing, I start to deny his accusation, “Whatever, I don’t even know what that means.”

  “Why do I get the feeling that you’re annoyed or wait…” Turning my head slightly while still keeping my eyes on the road, I see Dusty rubbing his chin like Dr. Evil. “You look like you’re in love. Wait, who has you crushing on ‘em?” I shake my head, and try to hide the smile that stretches on my face. “I knew it. Ahh, I’m a genius. I knew you would meet someone tonight. My little girl is growing up so fast.”

  Rolling my eyes, I focus on staying in between the yellow and white lines painted on the pavement.

  “Who is he? Did I see him? Oh wait, he was the t
all guy with the goatee, wasn’t he?” His teasing continues.

  “You seriously need to slow your roll, D, and hell no, it wasn’t that weirdo. What leads you to believe I’m crushing on anyone, anyhow? I didn’t leave your side all night. Plus I could just be tired, did you ever consider that?”

  Turning his head a tad, his green eyes meet mine and remind me that they see what others don’t. Like always, Dusty knows what I’m feeling, sometimes even before I do. He says it’s kind of like spidy-sense, except he calls it BFF-sense.

  “Miss Bradley,” he says in a deep Southern drawl, “I do believe I’ve seen this same smitten look on your pretty little face before.”

  “Seriously, D, we were what, nine?”

  “We were thirteen, thank you very much, and his name was Preston.” My eyes widen. Seriously, how does he remember my one measly little crush? “You can’t tell me you didn’t like him, because we both know you did. Remember when you cried for three whole weeks after he and his ‘rents moved? That’s right, act all coy and shit, baby girl, but yes, I’ve seen this same glow in your eyes before. Deny it all you want, but someone got to you tonight.” He reaches across the console and pats my hand. “You know where to find me when you’re ready to tell me who sparked your interest. And please make it fast, because he’s got to be awful intriguing to interest you, Miss I-don’t-believe-in-love.”

  Fighting the urge to tell him it’s his new roommate who lit a flame in me I didn’t even know existed, I bite the inside of my cheek in a dire attempt to keep my mouth shut. Okay, who am I kidding? I can’t – scratch that – won’t ever keep anything from him. We made a pact. Here goes nothing. “Okay, you win, but don’t make a big deal about it. Because trust me, it doesn’t mean anything. You know I don’t date, don’t wanna date, and I don’t foresee me changing my mind anytime soon, okay?”

  He doesn’t say anything. I count to five, but before I can open my mouth to say his name, Dusty whispers, “Colby.”

  Nodding shamelessly, I wonder how he knew.

  “You forget I know you like the back of my hand, sista. Now let’s get some dinner. This should be an interesting rest of the summer, don’t you think?”

  I don’t have to answer out loud. We both know it’s going to be an interesting two months until our sophomore year starts.

  I put the car in park and give myself a mental pep talk to open the driver’s side door. Colby pulls in a few seconds later with a smile on his face. I knew it the moment our eyes locked, and he listened as I sang. Not just to my voice, but to my soul. Colby Grant is going to be hard to keep at a distance, especially as he walks towards me, his pearly white teeth glistening in the moonlight and his perfect brown hair – hair that begs to be tousled. Oh shit, not again. He isn’t worth it. He isn’t worth it. He is not worth being stuck in this town. No man is worth that. Holding on to my dream of blowing this popsicle stand one day, I turn and walk towards the restaurant leaving Dusty and Colby in my wake.

  DINNER WAS AWKWARD, to put it mildly, and it wasn’t the third wheel status that hung around my neck like a dog tag that made me feel like an outcast. It was Hensley and her standoffish behavior. I don’t know what it is about her, but she seems a tad bit unsociable. I’m new in town; you’d think she would be warm and welcoming. At least that’s how it is in Texas. But nope, she is as cold as they come. Dusty is pretty cool though and made sure to include me in their conversation.

  She, on the other hand, put a damper on the night. I sensed that she didn’t want me there and she made that crystal clear by ignoring me the entire dinner. The only time we exchanged any sort of communication was when I asked her to pass me the salt for my napkin. I hate when my drink gets stuck to it, so I sprinkle a little salt on it. A few baskets of chips and a quesadilla later, we piled back in our vehicles to go home. I offered to drive Dusty so Hensley didn’t have to waste her gas, and almost immediately I regretted it. Both of their necks snapped around to look at me, both faces wearing a blank expression.

  “No, bro, I’m good riding with Hensley,” he paused and looked a little nervous about finishing his sentence. “She’s, umm…well, you’ll see her around the apartment a lot. She’s sort of like my built-in roommate except she doesn’t actually pay any rent. Got any problems with that?”

  I almost felt like it was a test. I guess I passed because as soon as I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head, he patted the hood of my truck and left me standing, staring at the back of his head as he opened the passenger side door and climbed into her car.

  The apartment complex was only a few minutes from the restaurant, which was about thirty minutes outside of Nashville. The town is small, but that is nothing new compared to my hometown. Comparing it to home makes me think about my momma. Lord, I hope she is okay. My old man is a loose cannon. You never know when he is going to go off. Normally he would take his aggression and heartache out on me, but now with me not being there, I can only pray that she doesn’t get the brunt of his hatred. Things weren’t always bad though. Well, not this bad. I had a good childhood. Growing up on the farm helped me in many ways; it instilled responsibility and taught me to work with my hands. It wasn’t until the accident that my life started spiraling out of control. That night all of our lives changed. After my little brother, Levi, died, it was like the glue that had held the Grant family together and kept us connected vanished with him. Hell, we might as well have raised our hands and said farewell to the once-happy lives we lived, if I’m being honest.

  My father will never be able to forgive himself for that night. The night God called Levi home, the night I promised myself, no matter what, I would strive to reach my goal. I love to sing and entertain people, don’t get me wrong, but I’m here because I promised my brother I would make something of myself. I would be somebody. I remember seeing him sitting in front of the television watching the Country Music Awards, his small body swaying to the music as he sat Indian-style on the floor with his favorite red cowboy boots on. This move is about me fulfilling the dream he had for me. My only desire is to become someone, for Levi. He might not have known what a big impact he made in our lives during the eight short years he was with us, but his joy for life despite his disability was enough to make us all strive to be our best.

  “You comin’ in? Or are you going to stare off into space like some blitzed cowboy?” Hensley’s voice interrupts my stupor as she approaches my driver’s side window that has been rolled down the entire ride.

  Tilting my head to the side, I crinkle my forehead and put my gearshift into park. “Blitzed cowboy?”

  “Oh shit, Dusty, he really is country,” she sneers. “Blitzed as in stoned?” I can’t tell if she is asking a question from her facial expression.

  Yup, she thinks I’m an idiot.

  “Just forget it.” Great, annoyed Hensley is back. “Are you coming or not? It might get cold sleeping in this truck.”

  “So you’re worried about me now, Sunshine?” I tease, sensing that somewhere under her cold exterior there really is a girl with a heart somewhere in there.

  “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear earlier, but I’m not into nicknames or any form of endearment from strangers, and I’m sure as hell not into your lame attempts to woo me. So let’s just get a few things straight right now,” she pauses, I assume waiting to see if she gets a rise out of me, which she won’t. I’m no fool. I know she’s attracted to me. After all this isn’t my first rodeo. And as bad as she’s trying to fight it, I actually find her attempts at masking her blushing cheeks a little cute. She really needs to work on her badass look, because right now she looks like she wants to fall on her knees in front of me. As drawn as I am to her, for whatever reason, I know she isn’t the type to fall easily. She seems more like the type you have to chase. Good thing for her I’m a fast runner.

  “Listen, Hensley…” I interrupt her. “I really don’t want to get off on the wrong foot here. It seems you and Dusty are real close. Kind of weird where I come from seeing a man
and a woman so close without having, ya know, relations. But, that ain’t really my business either. But we both know there is a mutual attraction here. Let’s just see how long it takes you to realize it too. Now excuse me, ma’am. I have a lot of bags to carry in.”

  Our eyes don’t break contact as I move my right hand across my body, towards her. Turning her head slightly to the side, she looks as if she is in a trance or she thinks I’m going to reach out the open window and grab her face. She is dead wrong. My hand fumbles with the black knob as I pull it up and unlock my driver’s side door. Glancing up, I know that is exactly what she thought I was going to do; her mouth is hanging open. I’m not sure if it’s because she is shocked I didn’t do it, or more shocked that she wanted me to. Either way, I know I got to her.

  “Didn’t your momma ever tell you if you keep your mouth hung open like that a bird’s liable to fly by and shit on your tongue?” She doesn’t answer. Instead she snaps her mouth shut and scowls. She’d resemble one of those cartoons characters I used to watch with Levi on Saturday mornings, if she wasn’t so damn cute; you know, the one that has steam blowing out its ears.

  “Nice. That’s real nice, Colby,” she mutters under her breath before walking away without a second glance. Getting out of my truck, I grab my bags and sit them on the pavement. My eyes drift to the steps that Hensley is climbing.

  Dusty’s voice suspends my thoughts, “She’s feisty, isn’t she?”

  Sarcastically I ask, “Feisty is putting it mildly, don’t ya think?”

  “She has her reasons. We all do.” He shrugs his shoulders like I should know what he is talking about.

  I guess we all have our own demons, and reasons for being who we are today. I know I do. But what I can’t understand is why I have a sudden fascination with discovering what she’s all about.