Page 74 of Whiskey Lullaby
“Alright. I’ll text you the address. Looking forward to meetingyou.”
I still had the phone pressed to my ear when he hung up. The dial tone eventually rang through the line and I dropped the phone to my side. “No fucking way,” I mumbled before grabbing a shirt from the floor and pulling it over my head. “Noway…”
This was my chance to do something worth a shit. To pay Grandma back, to be good enough for Hannah. I glanced down at the phone and pulled up Hannah’s number, sending a quick text for her to call me. She may have needed time or space or a clear head, whatever, but I sure as shit didn’t want her to think I’d just left her. I grabbed a backpack from the closet and threw a few shirts and a pair of jeans in it before snatching up my guitar on the way out thedoor.
______
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Thick, black clouds rolled in and the wind kicked up while I stood at the lone gas pump of the Bait and Tackle, filling up my truck. Just as I placed the handle back on the pump, John’s truck parked behind me. The unoiled hinges on his door creaked. I twisted the cap to my gas tank. “Hey, John,” I said andwaved.
“Hey.” He shoved a hand into his pocket and walked up beside my truck. “You got aminute?”
I nodded and closed the lid on mytank.
“I’ve given this a lot of thought, so don’t think I’ve come by this easy, because Ihaven’t.”
Here we go, I thought. “I appreciate what you’ve done around the farm. You’ve been a mighty big help, but I think it may be best if you started looking for work elsewhere.” I opened my mouth to speak and he held up a hand. “Now, I’m not gonna just put you out, I’ll give you time. I just think it’s best that you and Hannah not be forced to be around eachother.”
I gritted myteeth.
“She’s my baby girl, and she’s going through a rough time, what with her momma andall.”
My pulse ticked, ticked, ticked up. The blood that rushed to my face stung like a swarm of bees. I swallowed the words on the tip of mytongue.
“She…” he inhaled. “Her heart’s about to be broken enough when she loses her mother, she doesn’t need a broken heart from you to go along with all that.” He nods, the look in his eyes growingstern.
I felt my nostrils flare, and shit, I fought so many words. “I wouldn’t do that toher.”
“I think you’re a good kid, just…” He trailed off. What he meant should have been understood, but I was a stubborn son of a bitch, and I wanted him to say it. I wanted him to see what a hypocrite hewas.
“Just,what,John?”
He hung his head and mumbled, “God forgive me. You’re not good enough for her, Noah. You have to know that? She has drive,” John whispered, taking a step toward me. Conflict swirled in his old blue eyes, like he was warring with himself. He knew what he was doing wasn’t exactly right, but he also knew he didn’t want his daughter with a guy like me. “Noah, do you know what kind of reputation you’ll give her? The things I’ve heard about you, and she’s… Hannah’s…” His jaw clenched. “Getting arrested! Spending the night at your house. It’s a small town and people talk. They’re talking about my daughter like she’s some, some…” He swallowed. “Like she’s some girl you’d bewith.”
My fingers drew into a fist, his gaze drifted down to my hands and he closed hiseyes.
“I don’t doubt you care about her, but if you really care about her, put herfirst.”
I wasn’t even good enough to love her—just care abouther.
I was pissed, but the thing was: he was right. I had known it since I saw her in that church in her knee-length dress. She was the kind of girl I always wanted but could neverhave.
Girls like her married up, notdown.
And if I loved her, wouldn’t I want what’s best forher?
“Yep, I’ll leave her alone.” I grabbed the door to my truck and yanked itopen.
“Noah,I—”
“It’s fine. And don’t worry about keeping me on. I don’t need the job anyway.” I climbed into the truck, then turned to glare at him. “You know, I’d expect this from other people, but not you, John.” I exhaled and shook my head before slamming the door. “Notyou.”
I cranked the engine, shoved the gear into drive, and revved the engine. Gravel flew up behind my tires. A cloud of dust stirred into the air as I floored the accelerator and pulled out onto County Road 2, typing the address Brice had sent into myGPS.
Sixty songsand one-hundred and sixty-five miles later, I pulled off the interstate to make a pit stop and grab some food. I sat at the dirty table in a rundown Krystal’s, scrolling my phone. Hannah hadn’t messaged me back. It was a little after one, which meant Grandma would still be at her weekly lunch with the ladies from church. I dialed her number and waited for the answering machine to pick up. “You’ve reached Doris Mae Greyson, I’m not here right now, but if you leave a message, I’ll get back to you just as fast as a chicken on a June bug.”Beep.
“Hey Grandma, I, uh, I had something come up, some little singing gig up in Tennessee, so I’ll be gone for a few days. Nothing big, just a little extra money, so… just call me if you need me. I loveyou.”
I hung up and placed the phone on the table beside the half-empty ketchup bottle. It felt wrong to lie to her like that, but I didn’t want her to get her hopes up. It’s easier to fail when no one knows youhave.
