Tate (10 page)

“Oh, please don’t think that I’ve been miserable for the last few years. I just stayed busy because I haven’t found an opportunity that made me happy like this.”

I let her comment sink in a minute. She was quiet and I figured she was thinking, too. “I’m glad that you shared it with me,” I said, finally.  She didn’t respond. I sat up, looked her way, and found her asleep.

I turned off the TV and lay there watching her, thinking about the day we’d shared. I looked at the clock and saw that two hours had passed. I realized that sleep was not going to happen for me. I was excited in a different way than Maisie tonight. She made me happy. I wasn’t quite sure what to do about that – I just know that she did.

Suddenly, she sat up and looked around as if she was confused. She looked toward me and whispered, “Are you awake?”

“I am. Is something wrong?”

“No, I don’t think so. Would it be OK if I came over there and lay with you?”

“Sure,” I said and scooted over, throwing the covers back for her to get in.

“All I want is to share the bed with you. Is that OK, Tate? I just haven’t felt the closeness of another person in so long.”

“How close, Maisie?” I asked as she joined me. “Do you want me to hold you?”

“Do you want to?”

I pulled her into my arms. “It’s all I can think about.”

I scooted closer and wrapped her in my arms, my body spooning hers, and she started to cry.

“Are you missing him…”I began, but she interrupted me.

“Always, but I’m crying because I want to spend the night in
your
arms.”

“He’d want you to move on,” I whispered in her ear, nuzzling her neck. “He’d want to see you happy. You were happy today, Maisie, I felt it. He’d have loved seeing your smile with each new experience.”

She scooted closer, still crying, and I hugged her a little tighter.

“I haven’t felt happy like this in so long that I didn’t remember what it felt like.”

“Did I do that to you, Maisie?”

“You did,” she said, and turned in my arms to face me. “This big’ol cowboy walked into my life and made me feel happy again.”

I framed her face with my hands. It felt as though I touched every inch of her face in one touch, her skin so soft and delicate as I brought her to my lips, that none of it seemed real.

***

When we got up the next morning, we headed back to Melbourne. We had the rest of the day before I took her to the airport Monday morning to return to Nashville. We didn’t do a lot, just content to spend the day together.

At the airport, I dreaded her getting on that plane. She was so happy over the weekend that I feared when she got back to her routine she’d wonder if she was really ready to let go of her past. “Call me when you get home, please,” I said.

“I will.”

“I don’t want you to go,” I said, and hugged her.

“I have to. I need to think some things through.”

“Don’t think, Maisie. Just go with your gut.” I leaned to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“I’ll call you.” She turned to go to the gate and didn’t look back, and I prayed that it was because she was looking forward.

***

Maisie

I felt so torn as I walked away from Tate. I wanted to run back and tell him that I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to yell
thank you for opening my eyes!
But my eyes filled with tears and I didn’t want him to see me crying. My brain was on overdrive the entire flight.

Dion picked me up from the airport, and being the good friend he is, he only asked if I’d had a good time. I wasn’t ready to talk about what I felt, so I just said yes. It was after eight when I arrived home, and I dialed Tate’s number.

“Well, hey! Are you in safe?”

“Yep, just walked in. Thank you again for an amazing weekend. Call me tomorrow. Good night, Tate.”

“Maisie, wait, I want to tell you something. At first, I was just curious to see what you were all about - you know, that whole intrigue me or piss me off thing. It was intrigue. When you told me about Blake, it intrigued me more, because it was so personal, so private to you.
Why me
, I wondered, but I thought harder and I could tell it was because you felt like you could trust me with a piece of your heart. Can you trust me, Maisie? Can you, because I want to get to know you better. It’s OK if it’s a little at a time. I can wait. Slow will work, but I need to know if you can trust me?”

“I do. Good night, Tate.”

***

Tate

We completed three more tracks, giving me a total of ten. I was ready to head home on Thursday. Maisie and I talked each evening. Nothing deep; I knew she’d open up when she was ready. It was late when I arrived, so I sent her a text message.

Back in Nashville. Call me tomorrow evening.

She didn’t reply, so I went to bed. I had an early meeting on Friday with Audra, Nigel, and the concert promoter; we were setting up dates for a tour. I’d be opening for Macon Bentley for the first couple of shows and then I’d be the headliner for the second leg. Audra had lunch delivered and the execs from the record label joined us. They were pleased with what we presented. It was a long, busy day, and all I could think about was five minutes to talk to Maisie.

“How was your time with Andy?” Audra asked.

“Really good. They’re doing the final tweaks and it’ll be complete. I’ll go back in a few weeks,” I said proudly.

“The album release party is in the planning stages. I’d like you to ask Ami to go with you.”

“No.”

“I think you’d make a cute couple,” she said.

“No,” I said again.

“Tate…”

“I believe I can choose who I’d like to spend my evening with on my own,” I interrupted. “Ami Woodson wouldn’t even be on my top one-hundred list.”

“It’d be a good career move…”

“I told you from day one that I will allow you to guide my career decisions. I’ll take your guidance into consideration. I will make my decisions based on your thoughts as well as my own, but you won’t pick my dates. I played along for the GRAMMY Awards, but not this time.”

“You have the same management, same label…”

“No, Audra. Period.” I decided to keep Maisie to myself a little longer.

It was after seven when I arrived home. I was trying not to rush her, but I wanted to pick up the phone and call Maisie in the worst way.
Let her call
, I kept telling myself. I kicked back in the recliner and had just popped the cap off a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer when my phone rang.

“Well, hey!” I said when I saw it was her. “I was hoping I’d hear from you today.”

“I saw your text when I got up this morning, I knew about your meetings, so I didn’t call. I was busy and didn’t have an opportunity to call you during the day. I was busy finishing up a couple of dresses for some event that Ami is hosting. She’s coming tomorrow to pick up the finished dresses so they can match up shoes, jewelry, and of all that. She made an appointment for three, but she won’t show up until five, saying something more important came up.”

“Why do you put up with that shit?” I asked, and realized that it came out like a bark. “She’s rude and disrespectful of your time,” I added in a nicer tone.

“I made $650 profit off her last two dresses. I’ll take her shit a little while longer,” she laughed.

“Have dinner with me tomorrow,” I said, changing the direction of our conversation. I didn’t ask, I suggested.

“I’d like that.”

“Good, ‘cuz I’m tryin’ real hard not to jump in the truck and come over.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She was still holding back a little. I got that, but I’d sure rather be there than here.

***

Maisie

Ami was still at the shop at ten ‘til six. She loved the dresses, so I’d hoped she would be gone by now. When Tate walked in, I saw the claws come out.

“Ami,” he said with a nod, acknowledging her.

“Tate,” she purred. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you!”

Tate looked past her to me. “How much longer will you be?”

“Soon. I’m done with Ami, she was just getting ready to leave,” I said, urging her to hurry.

“Audra and I were just talking about you this morning,” she said, ignoring my comment. Her voice dripped with sugar. “I hear your release party is coming up!”

“Yep.”

“You here for a fitting or something?” she asked.

“Nope. We’re going to dinner as soon as you’re done,” Tate said.

“I’d love to join you!”

“This is a date,” Tate said, and I watched Ami.

“Oh, so you’re
finally
stepping out, leaving Blake behind,” she said, directing the comment to me, but her eyes never left Tate.

It sounded snarky, and it pissed me off, but I remained cool. I could see Tate seething. He turned to her, his face red and his eyes blazing.

“I think you’re done here. We have plans,” he said. I could see him struggling to remain calm.

“Protective of our little seamstress,” she snapped back.

“Tate, it’s all good. Ami, I’ll have some sketches for you in a few weeks. I already see a flesh-colored sequin fabric. I’ll be in touch.”

“Oh good, I’ll be all sparkly and look naked. Sorry I touched a nerve there, cowboy.” She turned, and flipped long curly blonde hair over her shoulder.

“She’s a bitch,” Tate said after she was gone.

“She is, but she’s a good customer, probably the best next to Carlene. Where are we going to eat?”

“Wait. I gotta get this off my chest or I’m gonna be pissed all night. You aren’t a doormat. Don’t let her walk all over you. If she walks, then someone else will come along.”

“I don’t know about that. Come on, let’s go eat,” I urged.

“Maisie, that bitch just makes my blood boil,” he said as we drove away.

“Please, let it go so we can have a good time. Where are we going?”

“Barb-E-Que and Blues. I met Barb Evans a while back and she invited me to come in. They serve BBQ, have a pool hall, and the bands there play the blues. Clever name take on their offerings, don’t you think?”

“I’ve never even heard of this place,” I said.

“It’s on my side of town,” he explained. “I haven’t had anyone I wanted to share the experience with, until now. There’s a group there tonight called Down South. They’re mixin’ some blues with some zydeco and I hear it’s awesome.”

“A new adventure!” I declared.

We drove across town and the place was like a saloon, swinging doors and all. It was packed, and loud, when we entered. The band was already playing and it was very upbeat. Barb came to meet us and took us to a table in a quiet corner where we could see and hear, but not be in the middle of everything. Tate ordered beer and fried pickles. While we waited, I looked around, happy for another evening with him.

“This beer is good,” I said after a sip, looking at the dark brown bottles that the waiter delivered.

“It’s the house beer - micro-brewed. Dang, Maisie, the way you put your lips on that bottle makes me want to crawl across the table and kiss you,” he said with a wicked grin.

“Love these pickles,” he said changing the subject, and shoved four in his mouth. “I’d never even heard of them until Carlene ordered them.” I watched him toss more pickles in his mouth, followed by a drink of beer. He was good company. He was handsome, and I felt lucky that I was the one he wanted to spend his evening with. His sandy blonde hair curled on the neck of his shirt. It was white and freshly pressed. It was not one of the ones I’d taken in - the jeans either. He looked comfortable. His eyes sparkled as he watched me appreciate my view, and when he grinned, slight dimples appeared that made me smile.

“You better be careful around Ami,” I said, finally.

“What does that mean?” he asked.

“She’ll write a song about you if you piss her off. You know,
Mama Had a Plan
is about Nathan Kell. Ami’s mom all but had them walking down the aisle when he backed away because Ami was too serious.” As I said the words, Tate laughed out loud. He laughed so hard that it had me laughing, leaving me with tears running down my face, and my belly hurt.

“I’d ask you to come sit beside me, but I sure like looking at you,” he said with a flirty smile.

“Stop it!” I laughed.

“I need a dress.”

“You what?”

“I need a dress for the ACM Awards,” he said. I just looked at him, waiting for whatever came next. I drew my brows together and scrunched my face. “What are you talking about?” I asked finally, when he didn’t say anything more.