Chapter 3
The cheerful chirping of birds woke Leo. No traffic noise filtered in from outside. She opened her eyes, pushed up on her elbows, and looked around, disoriented for a moment. Bright sunlight fell into the room through a dormer window. While she was used to waking up in unfamiliar beds, this clearly wasn’t some hotel room in London, Berlin, Barcelona, or Sydney.
After a second, she remembered.
She was in Fair Oaks, in her old room.
As much as she didn’t want to be here, at least it meant she didn’t have to rush to meet the band for rehearsals and sound checks, attend interviews or CD signings, or have lunch with execs from the record company. She let herself fall back against the pillow and closed her eyes.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and the scent of frying bacon drifted up. Leo had nearly forgotten that everyone got up at the crack of dawn here. She yawned widely.
A knock came at her door. “Breakfast is ready,” her mother called, just as she had for nearly every morning of Leo’s childhood.
What a strange déjà vu.
“I’ll be right there,” Leo called back. She climbed out of bed and listened at the door to the bathroom for a moment to make sure she wouldn’t walk in on Holly again. When all remained quiet, she entered and quickly brushed her teeth and washed up. Her clothes were still neatly folded in her suitcase. No sense in unpacking since she had no idea how long she would be staying. She picked a clean T-shirt and got dressed, knowing her father didn’t allow pajamas at the table.
Only when she was halfway down the stairs did she remember that her father no longer had a say in what she wore for breakfast.
Holly was already in the dining room, pushing his wheelchair to the table. Once again, she was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, white sneakers, and no makeup. Clearly, she dressed to be comfortable, not to impress anyone. Somehow, Leo found it to be a refreshing change from the women she knew.
“Good morning,” Leo said.
Her father didn’t return the greeting.
Holly straightened from where she had set the brakes on the wheelchair. “Morning.”
Leo walked toward her seat, the chair where she had sat as a child—and promptly collided with Holly, who had taken a step toward it too. Apparently, it was her seat now.
Holly grabbed hold of Leo’s arms to keep her balance, and Leo instinctively rested her hands on the nicely curved hips. Mmm. Her perfume or shower gel or whatever it was smelled good.
“Sorry.” Holly quickly stepped back and chose another chair.
Her mother entered the dining room with a stack of pancakes. “Good morning.” She kissed Leo’s cheek, but all Leo could feel were the ghost imprints of Holly’s hands on her arms. She shook herself out of her strange daze and sat too.
The table in front of her was loaded down with buttermilk pancakes, hash browns, fried eggs, and bacon—a far cry from the egg-white omelets, granola, and grapefruit she usually had for breakfast. The mug of coffee with cream her mother set down in front of her was usually a big no-no too since coffee irritated the throat and dairy produced phlegm that could affect her voice.
“Yum.” Holly rubbed her hands. “Breakfast heaven.”
Leo’s mother beamed at her from across the table before turning toward Leo. “When was the last time you had a homemade meal?”
“It’s been a while.” After eyeing the food for a few more seconds, Leo pierced a pancake with her fork, lifted it on her plate, and squeezed a dollop of maple syrup on it. Her nutritionist would have a heart attack if she could see her. The first bite nearly had her moan out loud. The taste immediately evoked memories of her childhood, and she had to admit with some reluctance that not all of them were bad.
“Quiet night?” her mother asked Holly.
“Pretty much. We got up once. I think it was around three, right, Gil?”
Leo’s father grunted something that could be interpreted as a confirmation.
She sat at the table, as quiet as her father, while her mother and Holly chatted about the weather, town gossip, and all the good players the Kansas City Royals had lost this season. Their small talk was so far removed from Leo’s world, where the only topics were album sales, sexy costumes, and concert attendance numbers.
It occurred to her that Holly appeared much more like a family member than she did. Holly cut her father’s pancake into small pieces that he could eat more easily, while her mother stirred just the right amount of cream into his coffee. They worked together like a well-established team, as if they had done this exact thing hundreds of times already and no longer needed to speak or even think about it. In comparison, Leo felt discordant, like a badly tuned guitar.
The pancake sat like a ball of lead in her stomach, and she wasn’t sure if it was all the sugar and fat or the out-of-place feeling she couldn’t shake.
She was glad when everyone else finally cleared their plates and breakfast was over.
Her mother started to stack the dirty plates, but Holly stopped her. “You made breakfast. Let us clean up.”
Jeez, was she trying to be on her best behavior because Leo was here, or was she always like this? In Leo’s experience, no one was this nice without wanting something in return. She just hadn’t figured out yet what it was that Holly was after. Was she trying to get into her parents’ good graces so she would one day inherit some of the money Leo had sent them?
While her mother wheeled her father into the living room, Holly and Leo cleared the table and carried the breakfast dishes into the kitchen. She rinsed the plates and handed them to Holly so she could load the dishwasher.
Their hands brushed. Warmth climbed up Leo’s arm and flowed through the rest of her body. She looked up, but Holly continued to put the plates into the dishwasher, completely unaffected.
“What?” she asked as if sensing Leo’s gaze on her.
Leo quickly directed her attention to the dirty forks and knives. “Nothing. You just…um… You’ve got a scratch on your chin.”
“Oh. That.” Holly fingered the inch-long, scabbed-over scratch that stood out against her fair skin. She closed the dishwasher and leaned against it. “Kitty love bite. I was helping out my mother yesterday, and one of her feline customers didn’t appreciate it.”
Feline customers? Oh, right. Beth Drummond was the only veterinarian in town.
“You helped out your mom yesterday?” Leo’s mother said as she stepped into the kitchen. “Holly, you’re working too much. Why don’t you take the day off?”
“No, I—”
“I insist.” Her mother’s glance traveled from Holly to Leo. “In fact, why don’t you two head into town? Holly could show you around and point out what has changed, and you could have a nice lunch at the diner—my treat.”
Yeah, right. Sightseeing in Fair Oaks. That would take all of two seconds.
Holly didn’t look any more enthusiastic than Leo felt. “I don’t think I’ll want lunch anytime soon after all those pancakes, Sharon.”
“Mom, I hardly think Fair Oaks has changed that much. I can get around on my own. Holly doesn’t need to play tour guide on her day off.”
“Nonsense. She spends too much time with sick people and not enough with people her own age.” Her mother spoke right over both of their protests. “Go and have fun. Maybe you’ll meet some former classmates.”
That wasn’t Leo’s idea of fun either. What could she still have in common with her classmates who had never left their small town?
Relentless, her mother shooed them out the door.
When it clicked closed behind them, Leo clutched the porch rail. Damn. Even her manager usually couldn’t steamroll her like that. She turned toward Holly. “You don’t need to babysit me. I can find my way around town just fine without a guide.”
A wry smile brought out Holly’s dimples. “Has it been so long that you forgot how things work around here? If we go our separate ways, how long do you think until word gets back to your mother that I abandoned you?” She shook her head. “No, thanks. I want to keep eating those delicious pancakes.”
Pancakes. Holly didn’t really expect her to believe that was all she wanted from the parents of filthy rich superstar Jenna Blake, did she?
“I have to run some errands anyway.” Holly tugged on her arm. “Come on. I’m driving.”
“Why are you the one who gets to drive?”
“Because I fall asleep within a minute of getting into a car if I’m not the one driving.” Holly strode toward a red Jeep Liberty parked at the curb. It was an older model but looked well cared for.
Leo stared after her, then jogged down the stairs to catch up. “You’re kidding, right?”
As Holly parked her Jeep in the small town square, the canopy of gray clouds hanging over Fair Oaks parted, and the July sun cast shadows across the pockmarked asphalt of Main Street and its cracked sidewalks.
Downtown consisted of a single row of stores, all housed in old brick buildings: Ruth’s Diner, a little mom-and-pop grocery store, a beauty salon, a hardware store, the grain and feed, a tiny pharmacy, Johnny’s Bar & Grill, a bakery, and a body shop with tires piled up in front.
On the other side of the square, behind the courthouse, were the library; the post office; Casey’s gas station; and the Fair Oaks Ledger, the town’s tiny newspaper.
“Wow,” Leo muttered as they crossed the street. “I forgot how small this town really is. It’s claustrophobic.”
“It’s endearing,” Holly corrected.
Leo shot her a disbelieving glance. “If you say so.”
As they strolled through town, memories played through Leo’s mind like snapshots in a photo album. There was the bar—the only one in town—where she’d had her first gigs. Not that the locals had really appreciated her guitar riffs or her choice of music. People here mostly listened to country, not pop. But maybe that was a good thing. Here, she wasn’t a big star; she was just the Blakes’ daughter who had returned because her dad was sick.
A gray-haired man waved from behind the counter of the hardware store.
Leo stared. Was that Mr. Gillespie? He’d already been older than Methuselah when she had graduated from high school. Must be the fresh country air.
Holly waved back. That was what people did here.
When Leo had first moved to New York, it had taken some time to get used to people not nodding or waving at each other in passing.
Just when Leo thought they might actually make it to the grocery store without anyone stopping them, two women in their mid-twenties rushed toward them. “Excuse me… Are you Jenna Blake?”
For a moment, Leo was tempted to tell her she wasn’t, but lying to someone who might be a fan wasn’t her style, so she flashed her well-practiced pop-star smile and nodded.
One woman elbowed her friend. “See! I told you it was her. I’m a big fan. I have all of your albums. They’re so awesome. Could we get an autograph?”
“Sure. Got something to write on?”
The two women rummaged through their purses and then held out a pen, a magazine, and a scrap of paper.
Leo signed the autographs and then handed pen, paper, and magazine back.
“Hey, Holly, would you mind? I’d love to get a picture with Jenna.” The two women held out their cell phones.
Holly patiently snapped pictures.
“Thank you so much!” One of them gave a little hop like an excited teenager.
Two retirees on a bench across the street watched as if they couldn’t understand what was so exciting about the return of the Blakes’ daughter.
“You’re welcome. And thanks for listening to my music.” Leo continued down the street, walking at a faster clip. If they didn’t make it out of here, other autograph hunters would follow. “You said you had errands to run?”
Holly smiled as if she knew exactly why Leo had reminded her of the errands. “I just need a few things from the grocery store. Want to come or wait out here?”
If she stayed outside, she would draw attention. “I’ll come with you.”
The bell above the door jangled as Holly pushed open the store’s front door.
Two middle-aged customers blocked the aisle, little shopping baskets hanging from their arms. “Did you hear about Lizzy Wilmers?” one of them said. “Her dog pooped on the front lawn of the courthouse.”
“Again?” The other one laughed.
Leo struggled not to roll her eyes. What Fair Oaks lacked in size, it made up for in gossip. It was one of the many things she didn’t miss about the place.
“Hi, Sheryl. Cora.” Holly gave them a bright smile.
Leo could feel their gazes burning into her as they squeezed past. The whispers started before they even made it around the corner. She tried to ignore them as she followed Holly down the aisle.
Thankfully, Holly seemed to know exactly what she needed and was done within minutes.
The woman behind the cash register stared at Leo while she rang up Holly’s purchases. Just when Leo thought she would ask her for an autograph, the woman said, “Oh my God, Leo, is that you?”
Truth be told, Leo had no idea who the woman was. Her blonde hair seemed to be bleached, so maybe she had looked a lot different fourteen years ago. “Um, yeah. It’s me.”
“So you’re back?” the woman asked.
Leo rocked on the heels of her boots. “Just for a little while.”
The woman’s gaze raked over her. “Yeah, you look like you could use a break. I guess being a superstar and touring all over the world takes a lot out of you.” She giggled like a teenager.
Great. People in small towns weren’t any better than tabloid reporters who felt free to comment on the way she looked.
“Everyone’s going to be so excited to see you.” The woman clapped her hands. “A bunch of us get together every Saturday at the bar. You should come and catch up.”
Holly had bagged her own purchases while the cashier had been busy talking to Leo. “She’ll make sure to do that,” she said and pulled Leo from the store.
Leo exhaled sharply. “Thanks for the rescue.”
“You have no idea who she is, do you?” Holly laughed.
They effortlessly fell into step as they walked toward Holly’s Jeep. For a moment, Leo faltered, amazed to feel in sync with someone from Fair Oaks, even for a few seconds.
“Nope. Should I know her?”
“I’d think so,” Holly said with a grin. “You and Jenny were in the same class all the way from kindergarten to high school.”
Leo stared back toward the grocery store. “Jenny? That was Jenny Keller?” Great. Jenny had been the town busybody even back when they were teenagers. So much for staying under the radar. By lunch, everyone will know I’m here.
“It’s Jenny Bonnett now. She and Travis got married right out of high school.”
No surprise there.
“You know, Jenny meant it.” When they reached the Jeep, Holly unlocked it and placed her purchases in the back, next to neatly sorted medical supplies. She closed the rear hatch, turned, and leaned against the car. “You really should come have dinner with some of your old friends.”
Leo managed not to grimace out of politeness. “No, thanks.”
“What? Now that you’re a star, you’re too good to hang out with us little people?”
“It’s not that. I just… Jenny and I have never really been friends. She and her girlfriends never gave me the time of day when we were in high school…unless they could gossip about me.” When she had come out to Ashley, her best friend back then, Ash had told Jenny. The next day, the entire town had known—including her homophobic father.
“I didn’t exactly have a lot of friends in high school either, but people can change, can’t they?” Holly said softly.
“In my experience, they usually don’t.”
“After your father’s stroke, Jenny brought over her famous green-bean casserole. She and the rest of town made sure your mother ate. They were there for her.”
And you weren’t.
Holly left it unsaid, but the unspoken words hung in the air between them.
God, she was so sick of the reproach coloring Holly’s voice and the looks she’d been giving her since the moment she had rung the doorbell. She abruptly turned and marched away from the Jeep and its owner. But, of course, she knew she couldn’t escape her in this small town. Holly was her father’s nurse, so she needed to deal with her.
“Come on,” she called over her shoulder. “I need some coffee.” What she really needed was something stronger, but it was too early for a drink. Besides, she didn’t want to start any rumors about Jenna Blake having an alcohol problem. For now, coffee would have to do.
The familiar smell of grease and brewing coffee teased Holly’s nose as she followed Leontyne into the diner.
“Morning, Holly,” Ruth said from behind the long counter. She adjusted her glasses and stared. “Leontyne Blake, is that you?”
Leontyne’s shoulders heaved beneath a silent sigh.
What the heck was wrong with her? It couldn’t really be so horrible to be back in Fair Oaks and talk to the locals for a while, could it? Or was it because she was just Leontyne here, Sharon and Gil’s daughter, instead of superstar Jenna Blake?
Somehow, Holly had a feeling that wasn’t it.
“How’s life treatin’ ya in the big city?” Ruth asked.
“Can’t complain too much,” Leontyne said.
Ruth smiled. “That’s what your father always said when I asked him how he’s doin’.” Her smile waned, and she glanced from Leontyne to Holly. “How is he, honey?”
“Hanging in there,” Holly answered. “And he says thanks for the pie you sent home with me last time.”
He hadn’t really said that, and they both knew it, but Ruth grinned and nodded anyway. “I’ll get you a piece to take home with you—blueberry, his favorite. Take a seat anywhere you like. I’ll be right with ya.”
Leontyne stepped past the glass-enclosed pie case without giving the displayed desserts a glance.
The other patrons of the diner watched as she settled into a booth along the back wall. Holly nodded a greeting in passing before sliding into the booth opposite her. She leaned her forearms on the table, and it took her a moment to realize that Leontyne had done the same. They were unconsciously mirroring each other.
She slid one arm off the table and leaned back.
The swirling of the ceiling fan overhead and the chatter in the background were the only sounds interrupting the silence between them.
She was grateful when Ruth stepped up to the table, pulling a small notepad from her apron pocket. “What can I get you, honey?”
“Just coffee,” Leontyne said.
“For me too, please.”
Ruth pressed her notepad to her ample chest. “No breakfast? But, honey, we’ve got biscuits and gravy as our daily special today.”
The mention of her favorite breakfast made Holly’s mouth water, even though she wasn’t hungry at all. “I know, but I already had breakfast with Sharon and Gil…and Leontyne.”
“Are you sure?”
Holly nodded and patted her belly. “I’m still stuffed to the gills.”
“All right. Just holler if you change your mind.” Ruth marched away and returned with their coffee. She flipped over the white mugs on the table and poured coffee from a glass pot.
Leontyne doctored her coffee with creamer, took a sip, and then grimaced. Probably not the low-fat decaf latte she was used to. She put down the mug and looked across the table at Holly. “Leo.”
“Um, excuse me?”
“You called me Leontyne. Other than my parents, no one calls me that. If you’re going to judge me, you might as well call me Leo.”
Blood rushed to the surface of her skin. “I…I’m not judging you.”
“Oh yeah? Totally feels like it.”
Holly opened her mouth, but before she could answer, someone stepped up to their table.
Chris, who worked in the kitchen, shyly grinned at her and placed a chocolate milkshake onto the table in front of her. “Your mother mentioned you were on night shift when she dropped by earlier. I thought you could use this.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“I made it extra-thick.”
What was she supposed to say to that? She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she had no desire whatsoever to go out with him—or anyone else. Even without glancing up, she could feel Leontyne’s…Leo’s grin. “Thank you, Chris. That was very, um, nice of you.”
He smiled broadly and lingered next to the table for so long that she started to fear he would ask her out again, but then he tipped an imaginary hat and went back to the kitchen.
Holly slumped against the back of the booth and stared at the extra-thick milkshake.
“That was Chris?” Leo asked, staring after him. “Chubby Chris with the braces?”
“Yes, that’s Chris. He lost the braces—and forty pounds.” Which didn’t make her any more interested in him.
“You know,” Ruth commented as she passed their table with a couple of dirty dishes, “you should really give him a chance. That boy is crazy about you. A pretty, young thing like you shouldn’t be alone.”
Holly bit back a groan. Not that again. She ignored Ruth and stirred her milkshake with the straw. “Want some?” she asked Leo.
“Nah. He’s so not my type. Wouldn’t want him to think I want a piece of his extra-thick anything.”
Holly’s first sip of milkshake nearly shot out of her nose. She sent her a glare but couldn’t help chuckling. Leo might be a spoiled egomaniac, but she had a great sense of humor. “He’s not mine either…my type, I mean.”
“No?”
Leo studied her, clearly waiting for her to elaborate, but Holly didn’t want to get into her complicated love life—or lack thereof—with Leo, so she shook her head.
“Maybe you should tell him that…him and Ruth.”
“I did—repeatedly—but…” Holly shrugged.
“Don’t you mind that half of the town is poking their noses into your business?” Leo ran one hand through her honey-blonde hair. “It used to drive me crazy.”
“I’m not a fan of their matchmaking attempts, but that’s their way of showing they care.”
Leo snorted into her coffee. “That’s their way of satisfying their curiosity.”
“Wow.” Holly regarded her with a shake of her head. “You really hate this town, don’t you?”
“Let’s just say the feeling’s mutual. There’s not much love lost there for me either. I never fit in.”
That wasn’t the way Holly remembered it. She knew what it felt like to be an outsider, and she had never thought of Leo as one. The locals talked about her with pride.
They drank their beverages in silence for a while.
From behind the counter, Ruth lifted the coffee pot invitingly. “How about a refill? Or some breakfast after all?”
“No, thanks. I think we should get going. Looks like we’re going to get wet if we don’t hurry.” Leo waved her hand toward the diner’s large front windows.
A curtain of dark gray clouds loomed directly overhead, blocking out the sun.
Holly’s eyes widened. Oh shit. How had she missed that? If they didn’t make it to the car within the next minute, they’d get drenched.
They put some money on the table, scrambled out of the booth, and rushed to the door.
“What about that piece of pie for Gilbert?” Ruth called out.
“Next time,” Holly shouted back before the door closed behind them.
Side by side, they hurried toward the Jeep. Leo slowed a little so she wouldn’t leave Holly with her shorter legs behind.
The air was thick with the threat of impending rain. A gust of wind rolled a Coke bottle down the sidewalk. Thunder rumbled not too far off in the distance.
As they crossed the street, the first drop splashed on her head and then trickled down her scalp. Leo winced. Then the second droplet hit her nose. Within seconds, the sky opened up, and rain pelted down on them.
“Run,” Holly shouted.
They sprinted the last few yards toward the town square. Holly blindly pressed the button on her key fob, and they tore the doors open and dove onto the Jeep’s front seats.
Breathing heavily, they sat in the car. Water dripped down Leo’s hair and trickled into her shirt. Not that it mattered. She was soaked to the bone anyway.
Holly hadn’t fared any better. Her wet T-shirt clung to her full breasts.
Leo tried not to stare. She really tried. But Jesus… No wonder good, old Chris was so smitten. Holly might not look like a runway model, but there was something about her that captured Leo’s attention—and it wasn’t just her breasts.
Unlike Leo, Holly didn’t seem to have a problem keeping her eyes to herself.
Her poor gaydar, which normally was very reliable, was having some kind of early midlife crisis since she had met Holly. At first, she had assumed Holly was straight, but when they had talked about Chris in the diner, Leo’s gaydar had insisted that Holly wasn’t interested in him because she was attracted to women. But then why didn’t she even glance in Leo’s direction? Maybe she’s just got better manners than you do.
Holly started the Jeep and carefully backed out onto the street, where large puddles were quickly forming.
The windshield wipers slashed back and forth across the glass, set to top speed. Holly’s knuckles turned white as she clutched the steering wheel. She leaned forward and squinted through the rain-smeared windshield.
Leo hoped Holly could see more than she could. She could barely make out the road in front of them.
A flash of lightning burst through the clouds, and thunder boomed above them.
No way would they make it home in this weather.
“Why don’t you pull over?” Leo raised her voice over the thunder and the low music playing on the radio. “You can’t see a thing. We’re going to end up in a ditch!”
Holly stopped the car at the side of the road. She waited a few seconds, but when the thunderstorm showed no signs of letting up, she turned off the engine.
They sat in silence, which was interrupted only by the drumming of the rain on the Jeep’s roof.
Under different circumstances, it would have been a strangely romantic moment. This would make a good song. The thought surprised her. She hadn’t written a new song—a least nothing worth recording—in what seemed like forever.
Holly ran her hands through her short hair, which now stuck to her head in sodden, dark auburn strands. She shook herself like a dog, showering Leo with raindrops.
“Hey!”
“Oops.” Holly flashed her a mischievous smile. “Sorry.” She still had barely glimpsed in Leo’s direction, instead watching the play of lightning outside.
Leo peered down at herself. Her white T-shirt was nearly see-through now, revealing the outline of her bra and her hardened nipples. The paparazzi all over the world would have paid a fortune for a snapshot like this, as would her fans, men and many women alike.
But Holly wasn’t interested in her involuntary wet-T-shirt contest. It was a refreshing change from being ogled twenty-four/seven, but it stung that Holly didn’t seem inclined to help pass the time by talking to her.
“What exactly is it that you don’t like about me?” The words burst out of her almost without conscious thought.
Holly turned her head and stared at her. “What? I don’t…”
“Is it that I got out of here,” she swiped her hand in a gesture that included the entire town, “and you didn’t?”
“Who said I didn’t get out—or that I wanted to?” The thunderstorm nearly drowned out their voices, so they had to shout at each other to be heard. “I got my bachelor of science in nursing at Mizzou. I chose to return, as hard as it might be for you to understand that.”
“What is it, then?” Leo shouted over another bout of thunder. “My music? My sexual orientation? My—?”
“Nothing. I like you just fine.”
“Could have fooled me.”
Holly’s knee bumped into the middle console as she whipped around to face Leo. “If you really want to know… I hate the way you abandoned your parents.”
“Abandoned? I’m here, aren’t I? Stuck in Fair Oaks, in this car. How is that abandoning them?”
Holly let out an unladylike snort. “Yeah, you’re here, but for how long? I bet my meager paycheck against your millions that you haven’t even unpacked your suitcase so you can hightail it out of town all the faster.”
Leo had already opened her mouth for a snide response, but what could she say without lying?
“Come on, admit it.” Holly’s gaze pierced Leo, her vibrant blue eyes relentless. “This is just another one of your drive-through visits.”
“So what if it is? You don’t know anything about me. Did it ever occur to you that I have my reasons for not wanting to stick around? What makes you think you can judge me?” Leo thumped her fist against the middle console. She was shouting at the top of her voice now, even though her manager would have told her to cut it out. Shouting could harm her voice. But to hell with Saul. And to hell with Holly too. If she wanted to shout, she would, goddammit.
“I wouldn’t need to judge you if you finally got your head out of your ass and got over whatever it is that irks you about this town or your parents!”
“My relationship with my parents is none of your damn business!”
“The hell it isn’t! Your parents are good people. They deserve better than having to find out what’s happening in your life through the tabloids because you never visit. You never call.”
“Why would it even matter to you?”
“Because…” Holly blinked as if she hadn’t seen that question coming. “Because I care, dammit!”
That shut Leo up, but only for a moment. Her manager and her ex-girlfriends had said the same thing, but most often, it turned out that all they cared about was her money and her fame. Why would Holly be any different? She was after something; Leo just hadn’t figured out what it was yet.
“I care enough about your family to have been at your grandfather’s funeral last year—unlike you,” Holly added.
“I was in the middle of a concert tour in Australia. What was I supposed to do? Cancel it?” This time, it was Leo who sprayed Holly with droplets of water when she wildly shook her head. “It wouldn’t have done my grandfather any good. I get that you think I’m an egotistical bitch, but people depend on me. My band, my manager, the crew, the label, my fans… I can’t just drop everything and cancel a tour willy-nilly.”
“Willy-nilly?” Holly blew a drop of water off the tip of her nose. “It can hardly be called willy-nilly if you’d wanted to be there when your grandfather died or when your father had his first stroke.”
Another lightning bolt flashed, and Leo felt as if it had hit her right in the chest. She gripped Holly’s hand, which was resting on the middle console. “W-what did you just say?”
Holly stared down at the hand on hers. “I know it’s not really my place to—”
“No.” Leo cut her off with an impatient wave of her free hand. “Did you just say…this wasn’t the first stroke my father had?”
Thunder crashed. Holly’s forehead creased into a frown. Her lips moved, but Leo couldn’t understand a word.
“What?” she shouted.
“No, it wasn’t,” Holly said so quietly that Leo could hardly hear her, even though the thunder had faded away. “Didn’t you…didn’t you know?”
“I didn’t know a goddamn thing!” Because I never visited. I never called. Guilt penetrated the armor of her anger, but she shook it off. The phone worked both ways. Her mother could have called her at any time. “When…when did that happen?”
“Last year in the spring. It was a mild one, compared to the stroke he had in May. He had some physiotherapy, and I came in a few times a week to help him with his exercises, and he seemed to fully recover.”
Leo sank against the back of the passenger seat and stared straight ahead, through the windshield. Outside, the rain became lighter and the thunder stopped. A ray of sunshine broke through the dense bank of clouds. Jesus. She’d had no idea.
“Leontyne,” Holly said quietly. “Leo…”
Leo didn’t turn her head to look at her. “Just drive.” After a second, she added, “Please.” She realized she was still clutching Holly’s hand and quickly let go.
Holly turned the key in the ignition. The engine came to life, along with the radio. She switched it off, and they made their way home in silence.