Brandon slumped in his seat and grumbled. “I can’t believe I let the two of you drag me here. It’s all going to rattle around in my head for the next month. I can guarantee that right now.”

Levi gripped Brandon’s hand and said, “Oh, you’ll be fine. I’ve never seen him sing before. Elle said it’s a rite of passage for everyone who lives in the area, and I wouldn’t want to come to see him without you. I listened to a few of the songs online. They’re fun.”

Brandon turned toward Elle. “By the way, how did Gabe get a pass on this? I’m sure he could have gotten a backstage pass if he wanted one. He might have even been offered a private tour of the dressing room.”

Elle giggled. “He was planning to come. He growled and groaned when I dropped off his ticket, but he agreed to be here. Unfortunately, he got an emergency call at the last minute.”

“An emergency call?”

Levi heard the word “emergency” and leaned around Brandon to listen. Elle said, “Yeah, this sounds like it’s possibly a bad one. A private plane went down in the woods about five miles northwest of Iron Crossing. Gabe told me it would be rough going getting to the site. The road doesn’t come closer than two miles away.”

“Why didn’t he call me? That sounds scary. I hope he’s safe.”

Elle shook her head. “How did you get to be so predictable? Gabe said that he wasn’t going to call you because he knew that you would sound all worried over the phone. I promised that I would explain his absence and keep you calm.”

Levi asked, “Do they know who was on the plane?”

Elle nodded. “Gabe said it’s some local Minnesota politician. He said that he couldn’t share a name. He was bound by his job to keep that private until they have more details on the crash and the condition of the man in the plane. I asked if it was a solo flight, and Gabe didn’t know for sure.”

Brandon shook his head. “What’s to know about the condition of the man in the plane? The trees will tear it apart like it’s a toy. There’s no way he’s surviving the crash.”

Levi sighed. “Damn. I hate when things like this happen.”

Elle said, “I’m sorry to be such a downer. I have something else from the lighter side that might help cheer you up. Actually, two things.”

Brandon said, “Well, you’d better hurry up because this show is going to start in about five minutes.”

“Well, the first is that Nate and I are having a party on Saturday, and you’re both invited. He finished his back deck, and we thought we should share it with friends. He’s flying in special ribeye steaks from the Twin Cities. It will be a gourmet blowout.”

Brandon smiled. “I’m so happy for both of you. I often think about the two of you up there in Nate’s cabin cooking up unique gourmet food. He’s a phenomenal chef. Tell Nate that he needs to give Levi and me a few pointers. We have some of the basics down, but if you can’t pan-fry it in a skillet, we’re lost.”

As Elle laughed and tried to catch her breath, Levi asked, “What’s the other news? You said you had two things.”

“Oh, right! That’s relevant right now. I talked to Larry’s people, and I told them tonight is a special occasion for the two of you.”

Brandon groaned. “You didn’t.”

“A first-year dating anniversary only happens once. Yes, I did. They told me they would talk to Larry, and they were sure he would do something special.”

Brandon held his hands up to his face. “If he calls us up onstage, I’ll never live it down with Gabe. You know that, don’t you?”

Elle shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s what will happen.”

Levi said, “I think it sounds exciting.”

Brandon sat on the edge of his seat through most of Larry Liston’s concert. He was worried about the content of the shoutout for his dating anniversary with Levi. For the first half of the show, the local audience hooted and hollered and sang along with every song. Brandon remained stoic and gripped the arms of his seat while Elle poked and prodded trying to convince him to join in with the festive atmosphere.

For some reason, an hour into the show, Brandon’s resolve began to crack. Three songs later he found himself singing along with songs he remembered from childhood. He looked to his side to see Elle and Levi singing, too. The choruses were so simple that Levi could sing along even though he was hearing the words for the first time.

When it looked like Larry was wrapping up his show, Brandon breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that perhaps Elle’s request got lost in the shuffle. Larry had plenty of loyal fans. He didn’t need to concentrate on two guys who grudgingly enjoyed his music.

Larry introduced his final song. He said, “This is a brand new one, and I wrote it for my friends Brandon and Levi. I think they are sitting right down there.”

The crowd roared while spotlights swung around to shine on the three friends sitting twelve rows back from the stage. Elle reached out to grip Brandon’s thigh. “Here we go.”

Brandon cringed. He braced himself to hear ridiculous lyrics about two guys named Brandon and Levi. He wondered how they would rhyme. He also wanted to be anywhere but in the audience for a Larry Liston show.

To Brandon’s surprise, the tribute turned out to be not only understated but tasteful, too. Larry closed the final song for his latest comeback show singing the words, “And as I cast my eyes to the shore, the lone cedar stands once more.”

Thank you for reading Heart of the Woods. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.

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