Chapter 6
The following week passes in a flash while Liam and I keep a running text thread going.
Nothing earth shattering or too deep. Surface level.
He even keeps his flirting to a minimum, which sends a small pang of disappointment through me.
I was full of shit the other day in the water.
Something was absolutely about to happen, and had Liam not pumped the brakes, I’m not entirely sure how far it would have gone.
Frankly, I feel like I deserve an Oscar after that performance, or a gold star at the very least.
But now we’re friends. And I get why Liam did that, which only deepens my respect for him.
I overshared far more than I usually would with someone I just met.
This is him giving me the space to focus on myself without a being an infuriatingly and no doubt delicious distraction, but a distraction nonetheless.
His texts are a steady stream of TikToks and pictures of Mutt, who looks like the most adorable little gremlin, while I send suggestions for true crime podcasts I think he should listen to.
We even FaceTimed the night of the Powerball drawing, after which he listened to me gripe for a good five minutes about wasting twenty dollars.
And sometimes our texts are entire conversations spoken only in GIFs.
I’ve filled my week with things a person who “has their shit together” might do.
I traded my morning Froot Loops for a healthy green smoothie and a twenty-minute YouTube yoga session led by a woman who speaks in a lazy dreamlike voice about energy and auras.
Following this is my daily schedule of client appointments and paperwork to transfer my license to Alabama.
Late afternoons are spent with Austin and Penny if they’re available, and if they aren’t I hone my cooking skills, working my way through a cookbook called Table for One.
I even helped Austin plan a romantic dinner for Penny. He heads out later this week to finish the last leg of his tour and wanted to do something special for her before he goes.
When I’m not with the two of them, I’m wandering downtown, learning the faces and rhythms of the town. Back in college my roommate noticed somehow I’d always end up in a deep conversation listening while someone spilled their lives to me.
“There’s something about your face,” she’d said.
And once again, I’ve invited a deluge of intimacies from strangers. Earlier this week, from the couch at the bookstore, I listened to everything from financial woes, marital issues, and everything in between.
Now the weekend has rolled around again and my calendar is a blank slate.
A glowing white square taunting me, daring me to text Liam to hang out—as a friend, obviously.
Obviously. But I talk myself out of it. Instead, I sleep in as a reward for not couch rotting all week and wake ready to tackle the pigsty I’ve let this apartment become.
Hair in a messy bun, I wash dishes, start a load of laundry, and put away my clean clothes.
I only stop cleaning long enough to make a sandwich with one of the farmers’ market tomatoes and grab a shower before diving back in.
Cranking up an eighties playlist on Spotify, I lock in on my chores.
Several hours pass without looking at my phone, which means I don’t realize it’s filled with a stream of texts until I happen to pass by and catch the glow from the corner of my eye.
When I unlock it, the notifications hit me sharp with a sting.
I scroll through text after text from old acquaintances, my aunt, Tyler, and finally Liam. Each reads some version of the same thing:
A photo of Austin and Penny has leaked and gone viral.
My heart drops into my stomach. I stare at the image on my screen, studying the way Austin looks at Penny, like she’s the single ray of light he’s been searching for.
If this weren’t a disgusting invasion of their privacy, it would be breathtaking, seeing my brother—both of them, really—look so happy.
Raised voices grab my attention, and I’m crossing the room with quick steps to peer out the window. Outside, Penny stands next to Austin’s truck, arms folded across her chest and Austin’s holding her phone, jaw clenched, his face a storm cloud of emotion.
Seeing that look on my brother’s face is both alarming and heartbreaking. Fame came with a thousand tiny blades he never saw coming—none of us did. And here it is again: one photo threatening to puncture the bubble he and Penny have existed in.
Penny pauses to take a phone call while Austin disappears inside.
I can’t hear what Penny says, but she nods to whatever they’re saying on the other end.
When Austin returns a few minutes later, they exchange a quiet conversation, Austin gives her a quick kiss and Penny heads down her driveway, leaving Austin standing alone, hands fisted at his side.
If I had to guess, she’s probably going to her best friend Josie’s house.
Maybe Josie’s perspective is what she needs right now, but I can’t leave my brother alone.
Slipping on my shoes, I’m racing down the steps and across the driveway right as the screen door to Penny’s house slams shut.
Not bothering to knock, I enter to find Austin sitting at the kitchen table, head in his hands, shoulders caved in like the weight of this situation is too heavy to hold up.
He looks devastated, gutted, and seeing him like this slices right through my own heart as well.
“Aussie?” I say, using my childhood nickname for him. I take tentative steps, as though approaching a frightened animal. “I saw the photo.”
Slowly, Austin lifts his head and scrubs a hand down his face.
“It’s everywhere, Cass. Fucking everywhere.
” His jaw works overtime. “The comments are a minefield of vitriol. Apathetic fuckers,” he bites out.
“That was a private moment. Just ours. And now, with one single photo, it’s been ripped from our hands. ”
I drop into the chair beside him and scoot until I’m close enough to lay my head on his shoulder.
“Austin, you had to know something like this would happen sooner or later. You’re the Austin James. Country superstar. Even a town this quiet couldn’t keep that secret forever.”
Austin lets out a harsh breath. “I know. I guess I hoped I’d get to do it on my own terms, ya know?
Let the world hear about Penny and me from us, when we’re damn well ready.
And the thing is, I’m used to this shit, but not Penny.
She deserves better than strangers who will never know how wonderful she is, picking her apart.
And all I keep thinking is I should have done more to protect her from this. ”
“Hey.” I lift my head, wrapping my hand around his arm. “This isn’t on you. You and Penny are both intelligent adults who knew what you were signing up for. The only person at fault is whoever crossed the line with their camera.”
Before the words have fully left my mouth, Austin is already shaking his head.
“It feels like it’s on me, Cass. Everything I touch becomes a mess eventually.
Every success comes with fallout.” He pauses and swallows hard, finally meeting my eyes.
“All I keep thinking is, what if one day she wakes up and decides it’s all too much? Being with me is too heavy a burden.”
His words are a lash to my heart. “Austin…” But I trail off as one tear leaks from the corner of my brother’s eye and he looks down at his clenched hands.
“Fame is hard. I know how ugly it can get. I’ve been living it, but she hasn’t. I can’t be the mistake she regrets.”
I reach out and cover one of his hands with mine. “Austin, I need you to look at me.”
It takes a couple seconds, but finally he does.
“You’re a good man. A good brother to me, and a great partner to Penny. She’s with you because she knows your heart. You are worth it and Penny sees it. You’ve overcome so much and worked your ass off for every good thing in your life.”
Austin’s eyes glisten and for a second he looks so young. He’s my teenage brother who stayed up half the night with me when a bad storm rolled in or stuck up for me when guys broke my heart.
“I dunno, Cass.” He lets out the most exhausted sigh I think I’ve ever heard. “Listen, I hate to sound like an asshole, but I think I need to be alone and think through this mess.”
We’re interrupted by Austin’s phone vibrating against the wood of the table and the name Tyler flashing on the screen.
“Maybe he’s figured something out. He’s been on the phone with Kate,” Austin says as he’s tapping the answer button.
Of course he will, I think. He’s Tyler. If anyone can fix this, it’s him. And with Austin’s publicist, Kate’s help, I bet it’ll be resolved in no time. I swear she moonlights as a private investigator or something. She’s managed to clear up dozens of PR messes for Austin.
I stand, give his shoulder a squeeze and ruffle my hands through his already messy hair.
Love you, Austin mouths, and I mouth it right back, heading out the door. Before I step outside, I glance over my shoulder one more time. I can see Austin unraveling, stitch by stitch, from this mess he didn’t create.
Leaving him alone feels wrong. I’ve spent years worrying about him, watching him rise and fall under the spotlight, talking him up when the world wore him down. Walking away in a moment like this goes against every instinct I have.
On the short walk from the house to the apartment, the worry follows. Should I turn around and go back? Austin had the steady presence of Tyler on the phone. There’s no one steadier in his life. But still the guilt of leaving him weighs heavy.
Back in the apartment, I see my phone lying where I left it and turn it over to see a missed call and two more texts from Liam. At the sight of his name, my belly dips in anticipation. But immediate guilt circles back around.
I should not be thinking about Liam at a time like this. My brother is falling apart and I have butterflies at the sight of a text. I’m being selfish.
My Favorite Person
You okay?
My Favorite Person
This is a load of shit. I hate it’s happening to your brother.
I’m okay. Just a lot to take in.
His reply comes almost instantly, like he’s been waiting, thumb hovering over his phone screen.
My Favorite Person
Told Sheila I’d give her a hand at the bar tonight. She threw her back out.
A beat passes then another text comes through.
My Favorite Person
Thought maybe you could use some company tonight after all this. You should come by.
I stare at the text longer than necessary, my heart kicking up in the startling way it does when it comes to Liam.
He thought to check in on me, not out of obligation, but simply because he wanted to.
Should I go to the bar when my brother might need me?
If history has taught me anything, it’s that Austin pushes me out when he’s spiraling.
But he asked me to leave him alone, and I need to respect that.
Hovering over him will only make things worse.
You think your bar is the cure for my stress today?
Liam replies with one single text that manages to light up every frayed nerve in my body.
My Favorite Person
No. I’M the cure for your stress. Old Town Tavern just happens to be where I’m standing. I’d love to see a gorgeous brunette walk through those doors.
hmmm…if I see one I’ll send her your way. lmao
The next text is one of Liam with his lower lip jutted out, and a smile drifts onto my face, despite the stress of the last hour. He warned me he’d still flirt.
Be there soon.
My Favorite Person
Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.
I’m not going anywhere. I don’t know what it is about those four innocuous words.
I know he means he’s working and he’ll be there all night, and still, butterflies do a little jig in my stomach anyway.
I’ve noticed throughout our conversations this week, Liam manages to hit this place somewhere between playful and sincere.
I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone quite like him.
Glancing down at the same athletic shorts and oversized concert tee I’ve been cleaning in, I briefly consider choosing something different to wear. But I just can’t find it in myself to care. It’s not like I’m trying to impress Liam, or anyone else at the bar. Cleaning clothes it is.
I’m grabbing my purse when I receive another text from Liam containing a photo of a stool at the bar, a handwritten sign taped to it that reads: Reserved for a hot brunette.
My Favorite Person
Saved you a seat.
I grin at the text, but my mind is still on my brother.
Once outside, guilt hits me again. I cross the driveway to the kitchen window and peek inside.
Austin still sits right where I left him at the kitchen table, head in his hands.
His phone is lying face up on the table, so I go to our text thread and shoot him a text.
You sure you’re good? I’m really worried about you.
Austin picks up the phone, one corner of his mouth lifting and the tension in my shoulders loosens a fraction.
Austin
I’m okay, Cass. Please don’t worry about me. Tyler and Kate are working on it.
I let out a shaky breath. Standing here, peeking in on him like a stalker, isn’t helping him or me.
If I don’t go to the bar all I’ll do is sit up in the apartment reading comments on the photo, getting more and more pissed with each one.
With my mind made up, I decide to take this offered distraction.
Even if that distraction is six-foot-three inches of charm named Liam Davis.