Page 42 of Love Songs

“Well, I should be on my way,” I said, shaking both Waylon and Ian’s hands. “Thank you for letting me play. It was great meeting you both.”

“The pleasure is all ours,” Waylon said, as he walked me back to the door.

I paused, noticing a help wanted flyer looking for vocal and guitar instructors taped to the back of the door. Waylon followed my line of sight.

“Any interest in teaching?” he asked. His tone hopeful.

“Nope,” I said. “The thought has never crossed my mind.”

But as I made my way to the fire station, the idea rattled around in my brain like a persistent earworm. Yes, my voice was better, but how much longer would it hold up to the demands of touring? What would I do if I couldn’t sing anymore? I didn’t have a backup plan, but then, the band had done well, and I’d managed my royalties wisely. Theoretically, I could retire today without a worry, but what would I do then?

I was still musing with my future when I reached the fire station. The bay doors were closed and when I went inside, the building was eerily quiet. Through the large glass windows between the bay and the rest of the station, I noticed that one of the fire trucks was gone.

The tappity-tap of toenails on the tile floor echoed down the hall and Eldi appeared. She lowered her head, her whole body wiggling with her tail, as she approached me with a happy dog face.

“Hey, pretty girl,” I said, accepting a sloppy dog kiss. Conor’s voice drifted into my head with one word:ew. I laughed. “Conor doesn’t know what he’s missing, does he?”

Eldi let out a littlewoofin agreement.

“Hi, there,” a casually dressed woman with sleek black hair tied up into a ponytail leaned out of an office off the front hall. “Can I help you?”

“I was hoping to see Lieutenant Holliston,” I said, standing up and brushing dog hair from my jeans. “Is he around?”

“Sorry, no.” She stepped fully out into the hall and toward me with an apologetic expression. “They got a call out about ten minutes ago. I don’t know when they’ll be back.”

“Oh.” My shoulders dropped along with my heart. We hadn’t made plans to keep in touch. I hadn’t told him about the offer I’d put on the house, either. We’d parted with a smile, a “See you later”, and a kiss that felt like goodbye.

“You’re Dallas Blade, right?”

I nodded. My throat was too tight to push words through.

“Can I have him call you when he’s back?”

“No, it’s okay,” I croaked out. “I have a plane to catch soon.”

She was quiet for a second. Her voice was soft when she asked, “Will you be back?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” she said, her dark eyes warm and her smile kind. “Conor’s seemed more settled this week, and I have a feeling you might have had something to do with that.”

I smiled in return. I’d only just met— “What’s your name?”

“Donna.” She smiled up at me.

I liked her.

“Thank you, Donna.” I handed a box of truffles to her, and her eyes lit up. “These are for you all here.”

“How did you know these are our favorite?” She clutched them to her chest like she was Gollum and had just found her precious.

“Lucky guess.” I shrugged. “Save a few for the rest of them.”

She snorted. “Maybe.”

I left disappointed that I didn’t get to see Conor once more before leaving, but at the same time looking forward to coming back and seeing him again.

Several hours later, I returned home feeling like I’d left something behind, and I knew exactly what. Conor had somehow taken a little piece of my heart and kept it with him. For the first time in my life, I’d found someone not enthralled by my celebrity status, who wanted to be with me forme. Was it fast? Hell, yes. But Kirk’s parents were living proof that when you know, you know. His parents said they’d known before their first date was over that they would be together forever. And Conor was the first person I wanted to call when I landed and let know I was home.

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