“Sutton, Harris told me about your single,” Poppy, Harris’s girlfriend beams. “This is so great. You deserve it, big time.”
“Thank you,” I smile as warmth sneaks up my cheeks.
“What happened?” Lia asks.
“Her single is in the Top 100 ranks for country music on Apple,” Poppy explains.
“No way! Congrats,” Lia beams. “Is this ‘He Ain’t Worth the Heartache’?”
“Yeah.”
“I love that song,” Lia sighs. “Such an empowering one.” Everyone around us says their congratulations. In the time I’ve known them, I’ve become like a little sister to this group, with being the youngest and all. It’s nice since I’m the oldest in my family. It gives me a break from the big sister role to have people I admire and can lean on when I need to.
“Abbie told me she took your photo today,” Faith, another one of Abbie’s friends, says.
“Yes, it was a lot of fun.”
“I’m glad. Are you guys going back on tour?” Faith looks from me to Knox.
“Not at the moment. We’re working on the second album and performing at more local shows,” Knox speaks up.
“Yeah, what he said.” I fling my thumb over my shoulder in his direction, and Faith laughs.
“That’s cool.”
I nod, taking a sip of my cocktail.
“Oh, I love this song.” Lia drags Axel to dance, who smirks and begins moving to the beat.
“Let’s go.” Ainsley reaches for Knox’s hand and looks at me.
“Y’all go ahead, I’ll be there in a bit.”
Poppy and Harris follow them, leaving Faith and me by the bar.
“Single life, am I right?” Faith giggles, waving down the bartender to order another martini.
“Yeah,” I sigh. I won’t lie and say I’ve never dreamed of meeting that perfect guy for me. Harris teases me about it all the time. I wish what I wrote into my songs was inspired by real life, but my love life isn’t as exciting as a country song.
“Hey, where’s everyone?” A deep voice draws my attention, filling me with tingles.
“Hi, they’re dancin’.” I point to the dance floor while I smile at Gavin, standing before me in jeans, a plaid shirt, and a cowboy hat.
“Hey, Gav, you want a drink? I just ordered,” Faith calls over her shoulder. She talks to him with such ease, I feel a pang of envy. Why do I feel so shy around him? Usually, I’m great at talking to people.
“A beer would be great. Thanks, Faith.”
I watch as he reaches for his wallet in his back pocket, the brim of his hat shadowing his face as he lowers his head.
“Don’t worry about it. This one’s on me. You can grab the next round.” Faith swats his cash away when he tries to pay the bill.
“Thanks.” He rolls his eyes and takes a sip of beer. “Abbie told me your song is doing really well,” Gavin directs his attention to me.
“It is, thanks. I’m really excited.”
“Congrats.” A shy smile frames his lips, showing off one dimple on his left cheek.
From the little bit I know, Gavin is an introvert like Abbie. I can see that as I watch him drink his beer and scan the bar with a careful eye. He sticks to himself mostly, talking here and there, but never giving too much of himself away.
“I love this song,” Faith squeals when Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart” begins to play. “Let’s go dance.”
“You two go,” Gavin says, leaning against the bar.
“Aw, come on, cowboy.” I reach for his hand and drag him behind me, the effects of two whiskey sodas hitting the pit of my stomach like a wildfire.
Gavin fights me a bit, trying to halt my pull, but he lets me drag him toward our friends. Dancing and singing, Faith and I yell the lyrics. Gavin stands awkwardly, swaying a little and drinking his beer. I dance toward him, grabbing his free hand and shaking a bit to get him to loosen up. He humors me by moving his feet, but I shake my head.
“You can dance.” I lean up to his ear and say loud enough so he can hear me, breaking the nervous streak I’ve been carrying around him.
“I’m a terrible dancer.”
“You can’t be that bad. Just do this.” I show him by dancing in front of him, feeling free as I move to the music and continue my sing-along. Gavin chuckles and shakes his head, starting to move more of his body.
“That’s better.” I twirl around, leaning in at the same time Ainsley does as if we were in a band singing into the same microphone. Laughter mixes with the music as one song transitions to another.
My favorite part of being on stage is dancing along to my songs. It’s such a natural part of me.
When I’m out of breath and parched, I walk to the bar and order another drink. Tonight, I’m celebrating. Tomorrow, I’ll nurse my probable hangover.
Gavin
I wipe my brow with the back of my gloved hand and lift a wood board. Carrying it toward the fence, my uncle holds the other side and helps me steady it. Fixing fence lines is one of the most tedious jobs on a ranch and one of my favorites when I need to clear my mind. Few things calm me as much as riding around the quiet ranch and using my hands to fix things. The only thing that keeps me grounded more than manual labor and ranch work is my daughter.
Penny is my reason for living and working so hard. She deserves to have everything she wants, and I’ll make sure she’s the happiest girl despite the circumstances in our lives.
“You got it steady?” Uncle Mark asks me as he angles a nail onto the slab of wood.
“Yup. Go for it.” I hold the board as he hammers in one end to the post.
Weather, animals, and time deteriorate the wood fences around the ranch. Periodically checking on them is important if we don’t want to risk losing any cattle or horses. It wouldn’t be the first time
