Fireflies and Magnolias (37 page)

“Thanks, Georgia,” she said. No other response would come to her.

Crabs, huh? What was she supposed to do? Poke Clayton with a stick until he emerged from his shell? She’d done that by threatening to ride Odin that night. It hadn’t worked out. Besides, maybe she didn’t want to be with a man who always shut down on her when he was upset. Their life together would be intolerable, and she loathed having to pull his feelings out of him time and time again.

“I need to get to the clinic for my shift. Thanks again for today.”

Georgia only nodded, and she didn’t try to stop her when she left to tell her family goodbye.

As she was leaving, Clayton came out of his office and froze. This time, she was the one who turned away and walked out.

Jake caught up to Susannah as she was heading to her car. “Ah, thanks for letting me hold your hand in there. I think we both needed it. My God, that was powerful stuff. You and Amelia Ann didn’t pull any punches, but you managed to approach the subject with grace and sensitivity. It’s tough to pull off something like that. You should be proud of yourself.”

He ducked his chin, and for some reason, Susannah thought it adorable. They hadn’t seen each other for weeks, so she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to really look at him. A white dress shirt was tucked into worn denim. His cobalt blue eyes made her heart pound faster, but not as much as holding his hand had done. Oddly, it had felt
right
when he reached for her in the conference room. She hadn’t been surprised, and there had been no urge to pull away.

“No problem,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. “It was…nice.”

It had been more than nice. She’d lost track of where his hand started and hers ended. They seemed to meld together like two pieces of metal in a seamless sculpture.

The sun had disappeared while they were inside, replaced by gray clouds speaking of rain.

“Your collage pretty much grabbed me by the throat. I mean, I’ve seen plenty of art before, but yours…the way you drew out the power of those images using a simple arrangement and some color and all…well, it’s a masterpiece.”

His praise only added to the warm glow in her chest.

When they reached her car, she unlocked the door, but made no move to open it, hoping to continue their chat. Her brother and Tammy chose that moment to emerge from the office building, of course. J.P. had a grin a mile wide on his face. His words echoed in her ears:
He said you were charming.
And if that didn’t make her cheeks flame…

“See y’all later,” J.P. shouted a little too cheerfully, and Tammy waved as they headed to their vehicle, which was thankfully parked in the opposite direction.

Jake tipped back his caramel-colored cowboy hat, and she caught sight of his thick, curly, sandy blond hair. “I’ve kept you long enough.” He opened her car door quickly. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

That was it?
Wasn’t he supposed to ask her out for a cup of coffee or something? “Thanks,” she said with a forced smile, hopped in, and let him close the door behind her.

As she was pulling out of the parking lot, she wanted to kick herself. Had she misjudged the situation? Didn’t the fact that he’d held her hand mean he liked her? It wasn’t like she’d reached for him.

Then she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Jake hadn’t moved from where he was standing, his head bowed down a bit like he was deep in thought.

Why wasn’t he striding off toward his truck? Then a thought struck her. Could he be shy around women? He was a man who exuded such confidence and easy grace, but one of the reasons J.P.’s quick brush with country stardom had ended was because he was uncomfortable with all the attention. Maybe Jake was a like-minded soul.

The way Jake had held her hand
had
meant something.

She knew it in her bones.

A cold front blew into the South the day of the concert. Amelia Ann bundled up, grateful her professor for her last Wednesday class had cancelled it as a Thanksgiving present. It gave her more time to fuss over her short introduction. Sure, she’d aced it in the rehearsal, but it would be different in front of so many people. And it didn’t help that Clayton was nearby. He’d kept his distance during the rehearsal, and she hoped, for the sake of her sanity, he would do the same tonight. It was going to be emotional enough without adding another layer.

Of course, what she was feeling couldn’t be nearly as intense as Tammy’s apprehension. When she met her sister backstage in Rye’s dressing room, the sight of her pale face made her heart catch. She didn’t bother to take off her coat. Simply wrapped her arms around Tammy, who let go of J.P.’s hand to clutch her tight.

“It’s going to be all right,” she whispered. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I know I need to do this, but I’m afraid I might throw up,” Tammy said with a shaky laugh.

“Go ahead. Unburdening yourself might make you feel better. Just remember all the women whose lives you may change by sharing your story tonight.”

Her sister nodded against her neck. “That’s what’s getting me through this. And I know I need to do it for me too.”

Yes, everything they did, they needed to do for themselves—first, last, and always. It was the only way a person could be strong for the other people in their life.

When they separated, Tammy put on a brave smile. “We shared a shortened version of my speech with the kids at the family therapist’s office yesterday. Rory said he knew his daddy had hurt me, but Annabelle just sat there and cried. It broke my heart and John Parker’s. I hated to leave them tonight, but Louisa and Dale offered to take care of them. They couldn’t be in better hands.”

Amelia Ann had to cough to clear the massive lump in her throat. “It was nice of them offer,” she managed to say. “I know Rory and Annabelle love being with them.”

“That’s the God’s honest truth. Now, why don’t you take your coat off and greet the others? I’m going to get a glass of water.”

J.P. helped her shrug out of her coat. “You’re a comfort to her, Amelia Ann,” he whispered.

She kissed his cheek. “She’s so brave.”

“The bravest,” he replied. “I’ll find somewhere to put your coat. We have a full house tonight.”

Yes, Rye’s dressing room was packed with family, including Mama Hollins, who sat next to Daddy on a couch, sipping sparkling water from the look of it. She crossed the room to join her parents, and they both rose, taking turns embracing her.

“I’m glad you’re here, Mama.” It was a bit jarring to see her mama in such a scene, but she meant every word.

Rye had surprised everyone by calling her of his own volition—the first time since his law school days—to invite her. It was an opening to a new relationship between them, or at least that’s what everyone in the family hoped.

“I’m glad to be here. Tonight, I’ll see all my children be who they truly are. It’s like having a front row seat to a miracle.”

Daddy rubbed Mama’s back, a soft glow in his eyes. “Yes, they’re all quite a miracle.”

Amelia Ann was smiling when she turned away to find Rye. He was standing with Jake and Clayton in a distant corner, going over something on Clayton’s clipboard, in business mode.

The ribbon of nerves in her belly was turning into frayed wire. Rehearsal might have gone great, but the arena had been quiet then. Tonight, you could hear the music that was being piped into the venue as fans found their seats. You could hear the clash of conversations. People would be staring at her as she stood under the lights. Thousands of them.

Tory appeared by her side. “Rye wants everything to be perfect tonight. They’re doing the final run-down now.”

She hugged her sister-in-law. “It will be. I keep praying tonight is going to change people’s lives.”

“That’s a nice prayer. Can I get you something to drink? There’s food too, but you look too nervous to eat.”

“I am,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “I’ll eat after the concert.”

“Well, Rye has plenty of food planned for the after-party. He wouldn’t let me cook anything but the cake. I tell you what. It’s going to be one of his largest after-parties yet, and it’s the first one we’ve hosted in our home. His insistence on inviting all of the women featured tonight and their families, as well as the staff and boards from all the women’s shelters and legal aid clinics in town, made me love that man even more than I already do. I can’t wait to meet your boss tonight, Amelia Ann.”

She’d been touched by Rye’s desire to meet the people she worked with at the clinic. “You’ll like her.”

“I expect so,” Tory said. She glanced back at where the men were huddled in the corner. “Are you doing any better with how things are between you and Clayton?”

How to respond? Seeing him only made her realize the depth of her enduring pain. “I’m slowly coming to terms with it. You know, if this hadn’t happened, he would have found some excuse to draw away from me. He’s too afraid of opening himself up to someone. Better for it to have happened sooner rather than later.”

Tory’s eyes were troubled. “That’s how I felt when Rye and I broke up in Memphis, but he ended up surprising me.”

“I doubt Clayton will surprise me. I’m only worried about it being awkward for Rye.”

“Don’t worry about your brother,” Tory said. “He’s not happy about it, but he’s coping. He just hates to see you both hurting.”

Yes, they were both hurting. The evidence was there. His former vitality was gone.

“I’m going to go and see the McGuiness sisters,” she said. “I’ll catch you later.”

“Good luck, Amelia Ann. You’re going to do great.”

As she turned away, Clayton looked over. Their eyes met and held. In his gaze, she saw both accusation and longing. Pain exploded in her heart. Would it ever go away? She forced herself to make a full turn and walked toward the McGuiness sisters, who were sitting on a couch strategically located next to one of the refreshment tables.

“What are y’all doing over here?” she asked.

“Our dear brother told Sadie and me not to embarrass the family by drooling over Jake Lassiter,” Sadie said. “We’re trying not to look at him.”

“But it’s so hard,” Shelby drawled.
“My, oh my,
is that man gorgeous.”

“Amen,” Sadie added like she was in the Praise the Men of Perpetual Hotness Church.

She hadn’t felt like laughing in quite a while, and the chuckle felt good. “Yes, he is, and nice to boot.”

“Susannah here is immune, though,” Shelby said, sipping her white wine.

Amelia Ann cast a glance at her friend, whose expression made her smile. Immune didn’t seem like the right word at all. The intensity with which she was ignoring Jake seemed even stronger than her sisters’ open regard for him. After the natural way they’d clasped hands at the feature screening, she wondered what could have gone wrong between them. She’d felt certain there was a mutual interest there. Well, Susannah would tell her about it when she was ready.

Rye broke apart from Clayton, and he and Jake sauntered over to them, radiating the star power for which they were famous.

“I haven’t had a chance to kiss my beautiful sister yet,” he exclaimed, lifting her off the floor.

He was in a rare mood, but then again, he always loomed larger than life around his music.

“What a nice thing to say.”

“Hey, Amelia Ann,” Jake said with a cute wink. “You ready to introduce me tonight?”

“You know it,” she responded as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

Someone sighed, and she had to bite her lip. Must have been either Sadie or Shelby.

“Can I get you ladies anything else to drink?” Jake asked. “I’m going to wet my whistle before I’m called up.”

“Why, that’s mighty charming of you, Mr. Lassiter,” Shelby said with a coy smile. “I’ll drink anything you choose for me.”

Susannah shot her a hard glance, and Amelia Ann had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. J.P. had been right to worry his younger sisters would go all fan crazy around Jake.

“Please call me Jake. Mr. Lassiter makes me sound like my old man.” His lips twitched. “Anyone else?”

Was it her imagination, or was he looking straight at Susannah now?

“Me too,” Sadie breathed out. “Just anything.”

“Be right back,” Jake said after waiting a beat, and then he sauntered away.

“Oh, dear God in heaven!” Shelby breathed, fanning herself.

“Imagine that!” Sadie said with a dramatic sigh. “Jake Lassiter is getting me something to drink.”

“Y’all are crazy,” Rye said, “but that’s okay. Not too many women are immune to Jake’s charms.”

“J.P. is going to skin you alive for acting like twits,” Susannah told them.

“Don’t worry about J.P. none,” Rye said, taking a slug from the water bottle he always carried around before a concert to hydrate. “Jake knows the score. Y’all should ask him to autograph his new album for you.”

“Really?” Shelby said with a gasp.

Sadie clutched her sister’s arm, her eyes wide. “We can ask that?”

“Oh, for the love of Pete,” Susannah declared. “Give the man a break. He probably treasures the few moments he can snag when some crazy woman isn’t asking him for something.”

“You’re not crazy women,” Rye told them. “You’re J.P.’s sisters, and Jake adores your brother. Heck, so do I. Now, I need to check in with my guys one last time and make sure we’re ready to go.”

His band members weren’t in his dressing room tonight, and Amelia Ann smiled at that. Rye had made this concert all about family, and his thoughtfulness touched her heart.

“Amelia Ann,” she heard a familiar voice say behind her. “It’s time.”

She took a deep breath to steady herself and turned around. Clayton stood there, his clipboard still in hand.

“I’m ready.”

Expecting to follow Clayton, she was surprised when he extended his arm, acting like he wanted her to precede him. Of course, she knew her way to the stage, but it reminded her of the little things he’d done for her when they were together, like opening doors or putting his hand to the small of her back as they walked into a restaurant.