Page 133 of Shattered Melodies

I finished my second whiskey, then headed back to my hotel. By the time Jimmy arrived, I was pacing the room like a caged animal.

“Alright,” Jimmy said as he walked in, eyeing me warily. “What’s got you so wound up?”

I ran a hand through my hair, probably making it stand up in all directions. “You’re not gonna believe this, Jimmy.”

I launched into the story, pacing back and forth as I recounted my meeting with Leon. Jimmy listened silently, his eyebrows climbing higher with each new revelation.

“Holy shit,” he breathed when I finally finished.

“No kidding,” I snorted, flopping down onto the bed. “What the hell am I supposed to do, Jimmy? This could be my ticket out, my chance to finally be free of all this bullshit.”

He sat down in the chair across from me, his expression thoughtful. “Look, Liam, I can’t tell you what to do here. This is a big decision, and it’s got to be yours.”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. “I know, I know. But fuck, Jimmy. How am I supposed to make this kind of choice?”

Jimmy was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “Can I ask you something?”

I peeked out from between my fingers. “Shoot.”

“If you take this deal, if you walk away from everything will you be happy?”

The question hit me like a punch to the gut. Would I be happy? I thought about Oakwood Grove, about the ranch, about Caleb. I thought about making music again, about being free to just be myself.

“Yeah,” I said softly, surprising myself with how sure I felt. “Yeah, I think I would be.”

Jimmy nodded, a small smile on his face. “Then I think you have your answer.”

I sat up, my heart racing. “But what about my dad? The company? Everything I’ve worked for?”

“Liam,” Jimmy said, his voice gentle but firm. “You’ve spent your whole life trying to live up to your dad’s expectations. Don’t you think it’s time you lived for yourself?”

CHAPTER 36

Stirring the Pot

CALEB

As I strummed the final chord, the music faded away, leaving a sense of satisfaction hanging in the air. I couldn’t help but grin at Sarah and Mark, feeling like we’d just traveled back in time to our high school days.

“Damn, we’ve still got it,” I said, wiping the sweat from my brow.

Sarah laughed, setting her bass down. “Speak for yourself, cowboy. My fingers are killing me.”

“Oh, come on,” Mark chimed in, twirling his drumsticks. “You loved every minute of it, Sarah. Don’t even try to deny it.”

I nodded in agreement, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. God, I’d missed this. The easy banter, the rush of creating music together. It felt like coming home.

But there was still something missing. Or rather, someone.

“Man, Liam would’ve loved this,” I said, my voice softening at the thought of him.

Sarah and Mark exchanged a knowing look. “He’ll be back soon, Caleb,” Sarah said, reaching out to squeeze my arm. “And when he hears what we’ve been working on, he’s gonna flip.”

I nodded, trying to push down the ache in my chest. “Yeah, I know. It’s just weird without him, you know?”

Mark snorted. “Weird? Try impossible. Remember when we tried to replace him for that one gig ?”

I groaned at the memory. “God, don’t remind me. That was a disaster.”

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