CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ISLANDS IN THE STREAM
Oliver sat by the side of the pool, staring at his cell phone, willing it to ring. Maybe getting a live audition on his own merit wasn’t such a great idea after all. He should have just signed in as Oliver Heart. “Dammit!” Once again, he was guilty of overthinking the situation. He lowered his feet into the water, contemplating swimming a few laps, but his phone finally took pity upon him and rang. His heart started pounding when he noticed the number on the screen was the one he’d memorized from the Belinda Beal Theater website.
For a few seconds he let it ring while he tried to calm his racing pulse. And then he reached for the phone so quickly he nearly sent it flying into the water. Shit, if it went to voice mail, his cover would be blown. “Hello?” he answered, trying to sound normal.
“I’m looking for the artist Country Heart.”
“Speaking, it’s . . . him, uh, me.” Oliver winced.
“This is Betty Beal. I watched the video you sent to me and I’m thrilled to tell you that you’ve been selected to come to the live auditions at the Belinda Beal Theater. Can you travel to Tennessee this coming weekend?”
“Of course!” Oliver sat up straighter. “Definitely.” Sweet! He did a fist pump.
“Wonderful!” Betty said, sounding so much like Belinda that his heart skipped a beat. “So, when should I tell my daughter that Oliver Heart is auditioning?”
Oliver froze. What? He hadn’t seen that coming. “Uh . . .”
“It got past me for a moment, but then I said to myself: wait a minute. The cowboy hat did hide your face pretty well, but I knew you sounded familiar. You sound a lot like Grady. And since your reunion last year, I’ve heard Heartbeat on the radio, saw you and your brothers in interviews. It was a good try. The Country Heart thing was kind of cheesy, but cute too.”
Oliver scrubbed his hand over his face. “I was desperate. It seemed like a good idea at the time. So . . . uh, where do we go from here?”
“I suppose you didn’t want Belinda to know you wanted to audition or you would have sent the video to her in the first place.”
“Yeah,” Oliver answered slowly. “I wanted to be chosen for my talent. I wanted to be someone you wanted in your show for my voice.”
“You do country very well.”
“I’ve been practicing. A lot.”
Betty chuckled. “It shows, but you’ve got the chops to sing whatever you choose. Surely you must know that.”
“Thank you.” Oliver smiled. “I have to admit it’s all fresh and new to me.”
“No, I want to thank you, because although Belinda’s been trying to hide it, she’s miserable, and you’re the reason she’s been down in the dumps. And cranky! Shew! And I can tell she hasn’t been sleeping. In other words, she’s one hot mess.”
Oliver hated to hear she was suffering, but he was also relieved that she hadn’t moved on. “I’m curious, why didn’t you show her the video as soon as you figured it out?”
“Well . . . I almost did. But I have this amazing idea,” Betty said with such excitement that Oliver had to smile. “I actually thought of it earlier, but Belinda said you were going to launch a pop solo career and that there wasn’t any way for the two of you to remain together. So, what happened?”
“I lost interest.”
“In a solo career?”
“Mrs. Beal, I lost interest in everything after your daughter left. I don’t know how much she told you about how she came back into my life.”
“To save us from losing the farm. She had some wires crossed.”
“I know we were only together for just a few weeks, but I know without a doubt that I love her. I think I fell in love with her back when we were teenagers, and the feeling never went away.”
“Then why did you let her go?”
“Our lives were going to go in different directions, so it seemed we didn’t have a choice. And truthfully, it took Belinda being gone to show me how much I need her back in my life,” he said, but he was met with silence. He swallowed hard, thinking he must have said something wrong. “But she knew she was needed there and I wasn’t about to keep her from her parents or the theater,” he continued. “I couldn’t come up with a solution, but then my sister-in-law came up with the brilliant idea for me to audition.”
Silence.
“Mrs. Beal?”
“B-Betty,” she said, sniffling. “S-sorry, I’m a crier. So is Belinda.”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry. We’re just emotional people. Always have been, but when it comes to Belinda, I’m over the top.”
“What’s your idea?” Oliver asked, unable to wait one more minute.
“Okay, well, as we explained on the website, the weekends at the theater will be like a variety show with music and skits and so on. We’ve hired writers and it’s going very well. Talent has been pouring out of the woodwork, some of it local. But since were at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains near the hometown of Dolly Parton and not too far from Nashville, we’ve got a large pool to choose from. Everything is falling into place, but we still need someone to emcee the show. Jack, Belinda’s father, wants her to do it.”
Oliver grinned. “I can see her doing a bang-up job. She’s got the personality and the stage presence.”
“Well, yeah, if she were her bubbly, funny self. She always did make people laugh, and often not on purpose,” Betty said with a chuckle. “But anyway, I think the two of you could do it together. After all, you’ve been a performer all your life, right?”
“Yes, my sister-in-law actually suggested the same thing. But I don’t know how good I’d be at telling jokes.”
“You’d be the straight man. Belinda is the goofy one. And I’m sure your chemistry would shine through. I remember how cute you were together when you were teenagers. Belinda said the young romance was staged, but I knew from talking to her back then that there was something between you two.”
“Really?” Oliver laughed, thinking they didn’t know it, but they’d been rehearsing for this the whole time.
“I meant that in a good way, but you know it’s true.”
“Yeah, I do. Even when we were teenagers she had a sense of humor that I loved.”
“Well, I want you to bring that spark back. I want my daughter home, but I want her happy more,” she said with emotion, and Oliver knew he was making the right decision.
“So, what’s my next move?”
“I’m going to send you some material so you know the kind of humor we’re shooting for. A lot of it is slapstick and silly, but it’ll make the audience laugh. And I want you to learn ‘Islands in the Stream.’ ”
“The Bee Gees song?”
“You know your music. Written by them but made famous in country music when Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers recorded it. Belinda knows the song well, so when you arrive to audition, our house band will be ready to play it.”
“Wow, you’ve got this handled.”
“I do. I didn’t tell Jack and I don’t think I’m going to.”
“Okay.”
“But I must ask, are you ready to move to Brookside Bend? The last thing I want to do is bring you here only to see Belinda disappointed.”
“Yes, but I’ll still want to spend time in Sea Breeze. Belinda loves it here too. I won’t have to sell my house to make the move. Betty, I don’t make decisions easily, but I know this one is the right one,” he said with conviction. “I love Belinda and I don’t want to spend another day without her.” This time when she was silent, Oliver smiled. “You okay?”
“Not yet, but I will be when you put a smile back on Belinda’s face. For now, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Learn the song and I’ll see you at five o’clock Saturday. You’ll be the last performer on the list so the rest of the day isn’t disrupted.”
“Smart move. I will be there ready to roll. Thanks!”
“You betcha. Have a safe trip and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Will do,” Oliver said, and after ending the call he sat there gripping the cell phone, grinning like a madman. Did that really just happen? He sent off a group text message to his brothers and Arabella, telling them the news.
Thirty minutes later Oliver was at the rehearsal room. Everyone was talking over one another and Oliver knew he was blessed to have such excitement from the people in his life. Finally, Oliver raised his hands in surrender. “Arabella, you have to do Dolly’s part with me.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “But remember, dancing is my thing. Singing? Not so much.” But then she did a little dance spin. “This is just so cool! I knew this would somehow work out. Ohmigosh, I wish I could be there when you surprise Belinda! And her mother sounds wonderful. Oliver, I’m so happy for you.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it all,” he said.
Jesse shook his head. “I didn’t really think the Country Heart thing was going to fly. Too many holes in the idea.”
Oliver shrugged. “At that point I was ready to give anything a try,” he said. He downloaded the instrumental for “Islands in the Stream.”
“It sure sounds like Belinda misses you,” Grady said. “You’re doing the right thing. Even though it sucks to have you leave Sea Breeze. But better than being back on a tour bus.”
“After being unsure for so long, it feels amazing to know when something is so real, so right. And I wouldn’t have been happy traveling without you guys,” Oliver told them.
“I hope you can do some concerts here and there with Heartbeat though,” Grady said. “I plan to have a reunion here in Sea Breeze on an annual basis.”
“I’ll be here. And I’m going to continue to spread the word about the Susan Heart Lupus Foundation. Belinda knows how much it means to me.”
“I’ll still work on some songs for you,” Jimmy promised.
“Did you strike a truce with the hot, noisy neighbor?” Oliver asked.
“Not yet,” Jimmy said with a long, drawn-out sigh. “And Trixie still hates me.”
“Hopefully that will change,” Oliver said.
Jimmy nodded. “Agreed.”
“Okay, enough chatter. Let’s get to work,” Arabella said.
By the end of the week, Oliver could sing “Islands in the Stream” backward, forward, and upside down. He hummed it in the shower and it played in his head while he ran on the beach. He even had a dream he was on an island, in the middle of a stream. Weird. Now all that was left was for him to get things in order so he could get on the road. “Islands in the stream,” he said, and looked over to where his housekeeper was going through the fridge.
“Oliver, you know I love to hear you sing,” Gabby said. “But that song is driving me bonkers. Can you switch it to something else?”
Oliver laughed. He insisted that Gabby clear out his fridge and pantry and take the food home with her. He also set up a direct deposit to her bank, paying her to watch the house.
“You’re too generous,” she said while piling canned goods into a grocery bag. “Can’t your family use this stuff?”
Oliver waved a dismissive hand. “They’re all busy and grateful you’re helping me. And, Gabby, I trust you to keep an eye on things here.” He hoped she would get some extra time to spend with her son, Luke. “With Arabella being pregnant and Grady busy with the foundation, I didn’t want to rely upon them. Jesse and Jimmy have a lot on their plates too. This is perfect.”
“I will keep an eye on things! But I’m going to miss your smiling face. When you didn’t allow me to come over and clean for a couple of weeks, I was worried about you. I hope everything works out the way you want it to.”
“Thanks, Gabby.” He’d offered an abbreviated version of why he was leaving for Tennessee.
She smiled. “This job is already a piece of cake!” She walked over and gave him a hug. “Safe travels, okay?”
“I’m not looking forward to the long drive.” He picked up several bags and helped her out to her van.
After Gabby left, Oliver hurried back inside and started packing clothes and personal items. The fact that this was happening still felt surreal. And he couldn’t wait to have Belinda in his arms again. The mere thought heated his blood, and he sure wished he could snap his fingers and be in Brookside Bend.
Finally, he fell into an exhausted sleep, determined to get on the road at the ass crack of dawn.