Chapter 48
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
“I’d love a ham and cheddar quiche too, if there’s any left from your morning rush.” I’m debating what flavor I’ll order if they are out, when Betty saves the day.
“You’re in luck, sweetheart, I have a few left in that flavor.
Can I get you anything to drink or are you set?
” She nods to my iced coffee in my hand that I raise in acknowledgment with a smile.
I wasn’t sure it was okay to bring drinks in from another place, but I guess it helps when I’m sitting at the table with the bakery’s owner, who is also drinking an iced coffee from Java Jive.
“No, the quiche will be great. Although, can I put an order in now for a mixed three dozen box of whatever cookie flavors y’all have today?
I want to drop them off at Jack’s offices when I leave, but no rush.
I think we’ll be here for a while.” Understatement of the year—between Vivian, Savannah, Cara, Cami, and myself, I’d be amazed if we’re out of here in two hours, and that’s a conservative estimate.
And I love it so much.
Vivian’s three-month-old twin boys are getting plenty of love between all of us, and are still young enough that they will nap through most of it, while I can sneak some baby snuggles in.
Davis and Henry are dream babies, and while they are itty bitty yet, I swear I might already be Henry’s favorite …
just not something I would admit to his aunt Savannah.
I know Jack’s sisters kind of had to take me in due to me being with their brother, but it doesn’t feel like that. It feels like these women have become my people, in a way that feels almost miraculous—almost as though Fiona sent them directly to me.
Of course, I’ve had Allie in my life for years, but with taking a break from touring, she’s been staying with Dahlia, helping her with all things babies at my request. When I suggested it, she was happy to help.
I’m still paying her, so it’s technically her job, but Allie was friends with Fiona too, so it’s personal, and I know that Dahlia loves that she hasn’t had to worry about lifting a finger outside of her work and growing those babies.
She’s doing most of her work out of Nashville now, which is where the babies will be delivered within the next two months or so—which is just wild.
After we all get our food and are settled in the corner table to give us a small amount of privacy, Savannah tilts her head to give me a look.
“So, Tinsley…” Savannah tilts her head the other way and glances at Vivian, who nods in some silent conversation the two have—the two sisters do that quite a bit, I’ve noticed, but I find it charming. “I know you said not to believe the gossip sites, and to just ignore them, but—”
Rolling my eyes, I raise my hand up to stop her. “Just spit it out. What did I allegedly do now? Did I cure cancer? Did I set off a nuclear bomb? Did I wear something from last season?”
Cara snickers next to me. “Maybe you’re in another love triangle, that was a fun one, until the photos they used proved to be one of you on vacation on a yacht with your own brother.”
I make a gagging noise. “I wish I could say that was the first time, but sadly, it was not. What is it, Sav?”
“The Spill posted something this morning about you going back on tour, and I was just wondering if it was true … and if it was, why you didn’t feel like you could tell us?” Savannah looks down at Davis asleep in her arms, but I don’t miss the brief flash of hurt in her eyes.
Those assholes.
The media is part of this business but sometimes I really hate the press.
I shake my head, frustrated that I can’t pull off any surprises in my life.
“Yeah, I’m sorry you heard about it that way, but I’ m going to be a part of a concert that is a fundraiser for a new women’s shelter network that’s opening in Nashville, with plans to expand throughout the region.
I … uh, I gave a substantial gift so it could be named in Fiona’s honor.
She wasn’t a victim of domestic violence, but if domestic violence hadn’t been in my life, she never would have been in that car. ”
Cami wraps her arm around my back and pulls me into a side hug. “What are they going to name it and what is the date of the concert so we can all be there?”
I fight tears at the thought that these women will just all show up for me—and the fact that I knew they would.
“It’s going to be a bigger deal than I originally planned.
Originally, it was supposed to be this fundraiser thing, but it kept growing, and I had some other friends in the industry offer to come perform, so Max thought it would be a good idea to use it to launch my next tour.
I’m going to make up the concerts that were messed up with the catastrophic events of last year, and even if I can’t do all the dances like I once could, I’m going to keep trying to train, and I suspect I’ll be pretty damn close to what I consider normal by then.
” My ribs healed, but my body just feels different with so much physical and emotional trauma on top of each other.
I’m working on it, but I’m also working on accepting that my body may just be different—and I have to find a way to be okay with that too.
“But the shelter is going to be called The Skye Network, and my tour is going to be called The Freedom Tour. Some of the proceeds of my entire tour are going to go back to fund the center too.”
“Okay, how do I get in on this? Can I make like … a freedom cookie or something then donate the proceeds to The Skye Center?” Cara immediately jumps in.
She owns Sprinkles, the best—and only—bakery in town, and I love how that’s her first question.
Not about attending concerts, getting free swag, or ways that would benefit her, but how she can give back.
“I love that! Let me talk to the owners at Java Jive. Maybe we could come up with a custom roast or something,” Cami chimes in.
“That’s amazing, Tinsley. I’m so proud of you.” Savannah reaches over and squeezes my hand from across the table while her other one holds her snoozing nephew.
“I agree. I also want to see if we can maybe get a suite and have all our family at the concert. I bet Walker’s family from Texas would want to come too—they basically want to come for anything and everything if it means seeing the babies.
” Vivian grins while balancing Henry on her shoulder and patting his back to help him burp.
“And to be clear, we aren’t asking for those suites to be donated; we will be purchasing them, so don’t even think that for a second.
We just need to get them reserved before they get snatched up! ”
“I might know a guy … but also … I can’t believe he didn’t tell me!” Cara is dating Max, the head of the music division at Lux.
“It was killing him, Cara, but I swear, I made the guys promise to let me tell you. How did The Spill even find out? What did the article say? I refuse to pull that site up on my phone.” I cross my arms over my chest, annoyed they stole any of my thunder.
“It actually didn’t say anything about the concert or center, it just said that venues were buzzing about potential dates next year and that you were expected to make a tour announcement soon, and I thought we would’ve heard that from you,” Savannah says with a shrug.
“Of course you would have, y’all are my friends. Well, at least that damn gossip site didn’t steal all my fun news, even though I was going to tell you today. And don’t worry about the suites, Jack and Wells already reserved three of them for friends and family of the Callahans and Sinclairs.”
“Is that enough? You guys have massive families.” Cara snickers. She’s not wrong.
“No! I said we would pay!” Vivian’s outcry is adorable.
“They did, I promise. Wells and Jack split the cost and paid out of their personal accounts; it was not expensed.” It was really sweet of them, but if I think about that, I’ll cry, and this is supposed to be a fun time with my girls.
“We’ll have sixty tickets, but you guys have like fifty-eight siblings and babies, so we will be tight, but I think it will work out. If not, we’ll get another suite.”
But I already know my genius-brother made a mental list, and everyone will fit, even though it was easily forty people without adding in friends outside of significant others when considering all the Callahans, Bennetts, Smith-Harringtons, and Rileys.
Wells and I may only have each other and Allie, and maybe one day her extended family, but we have found such an amazing family right here in Forrest Falls.
I think this might be the first time I’ve ever known what home feels like, and it has nothing to do with the house—or guest house—where I live at the moment.
“Speaking of things we didn’t tell each other, I can’t hold this in anymore—I did it!” Savannah raises her one free arm in a celebratory pump. My eyebrows go up as I look around for a clue because I must’ve missed something.
“Honey, what are you talking about?” Cami is the one to ask, but clearly all of us—except Vivian—are clueless. Vivian is fighting a laugh, but I think that’s only because Henry just fell asleep on her shoulder.
“I’ve been trying to get back at Liam for months for something he did a while ago. He scared the crap out of me and thought he was so funny. But you know he is damn near impossible to prank!”
It’s true. That dude makes James Bond look clumsy.
“What did you do?” Cara tucks her hand under her chin and leans forward with her elbow on the table.
The way she says it makes me realize I never did hear her whole story about how she sometimes says she’s from New York but isn’t actually.
I feel like it would be a good one because Cara is big and loud and fabulous—I’m so glad she’s my friend.
Even if she has secrets—but apparently, we all do.
Savannah smirks. “Well, I was smart and I called in reinforcements, obviously.”
“Obviously.” I gesture with my coffee for her to continue.
“The other day, Liam left a black Audi SUV at Ryan’s when he went out of town, which is somewhat unusual, but you know he has everything locked down to the nth degree, right?”
“Unless you’re Sophia,” Cara adds with a devilish grin.
Savannah points at her. “Unless you’re Sophia …
or you have Sophia’s phone number from book club, which I do!
” I must look lost as Savannah turns back to me.
“Sophia works with our brother Liam, you know super-secret stuff, whatever, but she’s their genius hacker and all things tech.
She’s quite literally saved my life before, and then lo and behold, she loves to read romance books, so she joined our book club late last fall.
She can never come in-person, but almost always video chats in, and we just prop her up on an iPad.
Okay, so anyway, I tell Sophia that I’ve been trying to get Liam back and I had an idea, so of course… ”
Cara gasps. “She offered to help you! That’s like the golden ticket!”
“That’s amazing!” Vivian’s jaw drops in awe.
Savannah nods. “I know! I didn’t even need that much help. I just needed her to unlock his car and then turn off the video surveillance for a little bit.”
Vivian giggles before adding, “He’s still salty about the glitter in the vents incident.”
“I know.” She nods proudly. “But before I came here, I popped over there and Ryan saw what I was doing, and being the good brother he is, he helped me.”
“But what did you do to his car?” I ask, still not following why this is such a big deal.
She giggles. “I filled it up … with five bags of those three-inch plastic balls that you’d find in a kid’s ball pit.”
I narrow my eyes at her because the devil is in the details here. “And how many balls were in each bag, Sav?”
“Oh, you know, I didn’t count each and every one, but the package said one thousand balls.” She shrugs and takes a drink of her coffee as the rest of us erupt in laughter.
Five thousand plastic balls?
“When does he get back?” Vivian says as she wipes away tears from laughing so hard.
“Sophia couldn’t tell me that, but she said she would triple check that all the cameras were up and functioning and may even have an extra drone or something around when he does arrive. Ryan helped me, but it was only tricky with the last bag.” Savannah preens.
“When he—” Cami can’t even get the words out. “When he opens the door, he’s going to be attacked by balls!”
“His windows are so dark, he won’t even see them!”
Cara about falls off her chair as she laughs. “Balls attack!”
“No, a sneak attack of the balls!” Cami squeals as she joins in laughing until she too is crying.
And as I wipe my own tears from laughing so hard—it hits me.
This is not a coincidence. It’s not a coincidence I’m here at this table; it’s not by chance that I’m laughing until I cry with women that I trust and love, and it’s not random that I am surrounded by the people that I’m with right now and in my life.
I am only here because I loved my friend—and she loved me both while she was here and after she left this earth.
And if there’s any way Fiona can see this moment or know what I’m feeling, I hope she does.
Thank you for being my friend. I love you forever, Fi.