Page 2 of Stay A Little Longer
But his friend Lemon, the girl he’d known for years, didn’t sound like this. Somber. Sad. Pitying. And hehatedthat he’d answered the phone. He’d rather have driven on in silence with only his own thoughts to taunt him than to hear Lemon sounding so sad and to know he was the cause.
He didn’t want Lemon’s pity. He wanted her spitfire sass and backtalk. He wanted her to crack a joke or pretend to flirt with him like they usually did. He hadn’t thought it was possible but his mood plummeted even further at the sound of her quiet voice.
“I’m sorry, Trent.”
He grit his teeth, “Damnit, Lem. Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“You know exactly what.” He growled.
Another heavy sigh came through the speakers, “I’m the one that told you to tell Heath the truth. I’m the one that told you to put yourself out there and take a chance. None of this would be happening if I hadn’t pushed you.”
“Bullshit. Don’t be a martyr in my life, Lem. I told Heath because I wanted him to admit he wanted me too. That’s on me. I wanted my happily ever after and it’s nobody’s fault but my own that it blew up in my face. I should have known better. Hell, he’s not even gay. I had some fantasy that if I told him he’d admit that he’d been hiding too but he wasn’t hiding. He was living his truth and I was living in a dream world.”
“You were only living in a dream world because I shoved my happily ever after in your face. It’s all my fault. I somehow managed to get the guy and keep making my music and I was totally out of line pushing you to go for it with Heath.” Lemon countered with a little bit more of the spark he’d expected, “It’s my fault. Just blame me so we can be on the same page. I don’t like fighting with you, okay?”
He managed a small snort for her sass, “Okay, fine, it’s all your fault. My life is a mess. I’m out of the closet, the bright light of the suns burns like hell and I blame you completely.”
“That’s more like it.” Lemon’s smile was obvious through the line, “So, since this situation is all my fault, I figure I owe you.”
“Owe me?”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m calling. Where are you?”
“I thought you were calling to check on me?” He asked with confusion.
“I am, dumbass. Just answer the question. Where are you?”
“Uh….” He hesitated and Lemon laughed.
“Don’t give me some crap about being in Nashville. I know you. You’re a lot like me. I mean, there’s a reason we’re friends. You bolted that city and probably that state as soon as you got burned. So, where are you? Where are you going to hide and figure out your next move?”
Trent scrubbed a hand through his hair as he stared out the windshield of the rental at the open highway in front of him. She knew him well. He’d started packing his bag before he ever hung up the phone with Rick. He’d rented a car under one of his aliases. It wouldn’t be hard for his team to track him down but it had given him a chance of escaping the cameras, at least for a little while. It was a move Lemon had easily predicted because when her life had gone to hell a few months ago, she’d done the exact same thing.
Lemon groaned when he was silent for too long, “You’re heading home.”
“Uh… yeah?”
“You can’t go home, Trent.” She cut him off when he started to interrupt, “And don’t say it’s what I did. I know that too but it’s different for you. Nobody was trying to track me down. Nobody cared enough to stalk me because I wasn’t leaving on the heels of the biggest gossip to ever hit country music. With you, they’re going to want you in front of their cameras and they’re going to expect you to go home to lick your wounds.”
He groaned, because he hadn’t thought it through that far. She was right. Again. He could only imagine the media that would descend on his small hometown. On his family. He still needed to talk to them, to explain, but he’d thought he could put it off until he got home. Now he could see that going home would only bring his troubles to their door and there was no guarantee they’d let him inside in the first place.
He couldn’t go home. Not now. Not yet. Not when he wasn’t even sure he was welcome. He’d have to find somewhere else to hide.
“Yeah.” Lemon filled in the silence when he was quiet, “I had a feeling if you took a second to think it through you might change your plans.”
“Stop reading my mind, woman.” He rubbed at his eyes as the headache he’d been contending with all day throbbed harder.
“I’m not reading your mind I’m just smarter than you.” She teased, “So, you’re headed to Texas but you can’t go home. I figure that leaves only one option. Somewhere you can disappear for a little while and nobody will think to look for you.”
“One option? Try a million. Texas is a big fuckin’ state, Lem.”
“Nope, I meant one because you need somewhere that you won’t be alone, getting lost in your head and making stupid decisions like when you decided to drive to your mama’s like the media wouldn’t be smart enough to look there first.”
He snorted, “I see where you’re going with this.”
“It’s about time because I’m flashing a neon welcome sign, babe. Come to Fate. You’re probably no more than a few hours away. Come here and let me put you up for a while, for as long as it takes for you to decide what you want to do next.”
