CHAPTER NINETEEN
CASH

Stacey called around 3 pm and begged me to come in and do a surprise set, to help get people to the fair. I’d agreed, hoping to see Bren. I had seen her, but she’d looked away. It was easy to find her in a crowd, she was the angel with golden hair that I could find in a sea of blonds. That amazing smile of hers couldn’t be duplicated. I can’t help but wish she’d turn it on me one more time.

I sang my set with my heart in my voice, hoping she’d hear my plea for a second chance in each song. I’d chosen each song specifically for her. I saw her walk away, swiping at her eyes as she did so, and decided that I’d find her after, see if she’d talk to me now.

As I finished playing, someone turned the radio on. I shook some hands, signed some autographs, but made my way through the crowd. I found her, eyeing a chocolate cake with a $50 price tag but had so much chocolate on it that it was probably worth every penny and the name ‘death by chocolate’. I bought the cake and asked to have it boxed up. After everything was done and she was still there, lingering at the table, I turned to her, box in hand.

“Trade five minutes of your time for what’s in this box?” I offered, hoping she’d see the funny side of it.

“That cake will ruin me,” she said, tense and prickly. “I should check on…,”

Brenda looked around, but couldn’t find anywhere to run to. “Fine. Give me the cake first. I don’t want to lose out on the opportunity if someone asks for your autograph. You might forget you wanted to talk to me again.”

That shot landed and I winced. “I deserve that.”

“You do. Follow me,” she said and took me to a corner of the room that seemed to be ignored. That might be because it was stacked with shelves of books. “What do you want?”

She kept her distance, putting her arms over her chest, but it only made her look more cute. She had on a pink, cotton dress that came down to the floor with a denim jacket over it, her usual white canvas shoes on her feet. Brenda looked every inch the school teacher, cute, but cuddly.

“I know you’re mad at me, and you have every right to be. I’m sorry about what happened. I’d become so comfortable with how things are here in town, I forgot what it was like in the rest of the world. That’s no excuse for ignoring you, and I’m sorry. I also wanted to give you that sheet music. The guitar to violin music?” I pulled it out of my back pocket and handed it over to her.

She took the music, her lips parted just enough that I could see her teeth. Was she…smiling? I couldn’t tell because she’d ducked her head down and her hair fell over her face. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Um, well,” I stood there, uncertain of whether I should try to ask her out again or let her go.

A slow song started to play from the radio and I knew what I should do. “Care to dance? Nobody can see us back here.”

I saw she was about to decline so I put my hands together and gave her my best, straight-up puppy dog eyes. “Please.”

“Fine.” She answered me and I grinned. I held my hands out to her, happy when she stepped into my arms.

It felt good to have Brenda in my arms, right even. I tensed when she brought her face up to look at me and it’s there in an instant, that spark that burns between us. It’s undeniable and I see it reflected in her eyes. She feels it too.

I can’t believe I’m feeling the things I feel for her after such a short amount of time, but Mom always did say I’d find the one, one day. Were these feelings what she’d meant? She’d told me I’d wake up one day, feeling as if I’d been hit with a frying pan, and that all I’d be able to think about was the one, the woman I couldn’t live without. That’s exactly how I felt right now.

“Cash,” Brenda sighed my name with sadness, as if she was about to tell me she had to go. I wanted to finish this dance and the only way to stop her that came to mind was to kiss her.

So, that’s exactly what I did. As we swayed to the music, my lips came down to hers and I felt amazement as she kissed me back, even leaned into me a little bit as she did so. We stopped dancing as I put my hands up to each side of her face. The moment might have gone on forever, might have turned into more, if I hadn’t seen the flash of a camera go off.

“Come on, man, really? Not cool. Not cool at all,” I protested, hating the guy for interrupting the moment that should have lived in my memory forever as the closest I’ve ever been to heaven.

“Sorry, Cash, I’m with the local paper. Have a good night,” the guy said and dashed away before I could jerk the camera out of his hands. I would’ve too, if I’d been a little quicker.

When I looked around, Bren was gone. She’d run away again. I want to chase her but this time? This time, I refused. I can’t chase her all the time. She needs to make up her mind, on her own. If she wants to be with me, she’ll find me, or phone me. If not, I can’t force her to give me a chance. Even if I wanted to run after her and give her a million reasons as to why she should give me a chance.

Just as I was about to walk to my family, I remembered the cake. It wasn’t on the shelf where I’d left it. So, she’d taken the cake. Literally.

I shook my head, chuckling quietly to myself. She really did take the cake, actually.

“Cash, Cash!” Stacey gushed as she rushed up to me. “Are you really going to match our earnings?”

“Of course, just tell me how much and I’ll write you a check.” I suddenly felt very deflated and sad. “I’m going to head home. Let me know what the total is when it’s all over and I’ll be glad to write a check for you.”

“Thank you so much. I take back everything I ever said about you. Except that part about you being a jerk to Brenda. Because you were a jerk to her. I’m still mad about that.”

“Yeah, I know. I”m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose though. I’ve got to readjust to life in a small town, and then going out into the wider world. I forgot that I have to keep Brenda safe. I won’t forget that again, if we ever work this out.”

“You will, if I have any say in this.” Stacey winked at me, but then frowned. “But if you hurt her, or treat her like a fifth wheel ever again, I will hurt you. Like, castrating hurt you. Not just break your kneecaps, kind of hurt you. I’ll mean it.”

“And make it hurt the whole time, no doubt,” I voiced, knowing I shouldn’t laugh but I felt it bubbling up. I hugged her tight, enjoying the moment with my sister, but sadness was settling in.

I didn’t see a way for this to work out, at all, if Brenda wasn’t on board. I stuck around for another hour or so, before I headed home with Mom and Dad. My phone buzzed just as I was going into my room. I saw it was my manager and took a deep breath. “Listen, I’ve got good news…,”

“Stop, because I need to know if you’ve seen the news that broke about 20 minutes ago?” Rhonda asked and I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me.

“What news?” I asked, but my phone pinged.

“Look at the link. You need to do some damage control, stat, Cash.” Rhonda hung up before I could even answer.

I saw the link, clicked it, and saw it was a news article. “Gold digger sinks her claws into country music darling.”

“What?” I said and opened the article. The picture was the one the photographer snapped in the library, of me kissing Brenda. I quickly scanned the article. An insider had leaked info about Brenda and her monster hospital debts, and made it read like the only reason Brenda even wanted to date me was to get the money for her hospital bills out of me. I was her pay day, so to speak. The insider said that’s what Brenda herself said.

Anger burned hot and bright. I grabbed Dad’s keys, sped over to her place, and pounded on her door. I’d been burned so many times, used for my money by so many people, that I was raging about being fooled again.

“What the heck, Cash?” Brenda said as soon as she opened the door. “You’re going to break my door down!”

“Care to explain this?” I held the phone in her face. I expected shock, but I didn’t expect her to go pale. Or to close the door in my face. Again.