Page 27 of Nashville Lights

The kitchen is a welcoming bustle of the Boone family morning routine.

“Roxanne Savannah!” Aunt Lou pulls me into a buxom hug the moment I step into the kitchen. It’s been a while since anyone used my full name. My middle name is my mother’s name, and it always kicks up bittersweet nostalgia when I hear it. “Child, it’s abouttimeyou came back. What took you so long? We’ve all missed you and your brothers so much.” Aunt Lou finally releases me and holds my shoulders, drinking inthe sight of me. “Look at you, baby girl. You have no right to be this beautiful. Especially when you’re being run ragged by all those troublesome brothers of yours. How’s Vaughn?”

She strokes my hair, touching my face. All the little gestures that I remember from the warmth of the summers I spent at her house. “Vaughn’s fine. He sends his love.”

“Where is he this weekend?”

“He’s…” He’s shacked up with his new strawberry-blond obsession, but I don’t mention that to Aunt Lou. She’ll have a conniption—mainly from excitement because she wants to be a great aunt as soon as possible and no doubt Vaughn’s babies will be her favorites. “He’s in Nashville, taking some much-needed R&R after the tour.”

“Sit down and tell me all about it, sugar pie.”

Aunt Lou guides me to the table. There’s no sign of Nate or Daisy or the boys, but the table is already in the process of being piled high with mountains of food.

“Mornin’, Sunshine,” Betty-Ann sets a mug of steaming coffee on the table in front of me. “Best get in quick before the locusts descend. The boys are out in the fields, but they’ll be in before long.”

“Thank you, Betty-Ann. I can’t believe I slept so late.” I hold the mug between my hands, blowing on it. “Usually I’m up with the birds.”

“I kept you up far too late last night.” Dakota pulls a tray of fresh-baked biscuits out of the oven. “Besides, you’ve been so busy, I figured you needed the rest.”

Dee and I talked for hours, about the tour, about herand Tobias’s business, about our currently-dismal love lives, and about life in general.

We talked about everything except the one thing I’ve still never confessed to anyone, and hardly even to myself.

But I dreamt of him last night, my subconscious digging up some particularly sweet forgotten memories. And new ones too.Of the way he looked in the moonlight, allll grown up and hotter than any One Who Got Away has any right to be.

I’ve seen him twice in the past eight years, but the half hour we spent together last night has hit me hard.Will I see him today?

“I haven’t slept that deeply in alongtime,” I confess.

“You definitely needed it,” Aunt Lou insists. “You also look like you need plenty of home cooking, Roxanne Savannah Tucker. Are they not feeding you on that tour bus?” Lou tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear and plants a kiss on my cheek. “Skinny or not, it’s so wonderful to have you home, honey.”

Home. It sure does feel that way. “It’s good to be here, Aunt Lou. How have you been? And how’s Uncle Earl?”

“Oh, you know. We’re fine. Your Uncle Earl is a little more hard of hearing these days and his memory isn’t quite what it used to be, but other than that we’re doing just fine.”

With my back to the door and Dakota and Betty-Ann bustling around to get even more food on the table, I almost miss Uncle Earl shuffling in. He’s older than Aunt Lou, and he’s definitely aged quite a bit since I was last here.

“Morning, everyone,” he holds a hand up in greeting ashe slides into a seat at the head of the table. At first he doesn’t notice me amongst all the activity of the chefs.

“Earl Tucker,” Lou scolds him, “look who’s here.”

His eyes light up when he sees me. “Roxie. What a surprise.” He struggles a little to get up, so I jump up to give him a hug. “When did you get here, honey? Just now?”

Lou pats his arm affectionately. “Earl, Roxie’s been here since yesterday. You remember, we talked about it last night.”

Earl chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. In that moment, he reminds me so much of my father it takes my breath away. The similarity pulls at something painful and buried inside me. “Ah, yes, of course.”

“It’s great to see you Uncle Earl. You’re as handsome as ever.”

It’s true. He might look older, but when they were young, he and my dad were stunning looking men. Vaughn looks a lot like both of them once did. Except he’s taller and more built. Not to mention he acts like a maniac most days. Even so, everyone has a soft spot for Vaughn.

A gigantic plate of food is placed at my place setting.

“Hope you’re hungry, darlin’,” Betty-Ann grins.

Dakota laughs. “No one’sthathungry, Ma.”

“She’s skin and bones!” Betty-Ann exclaims.

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