Tied Up In Heartstrings (4 page)

We’re both giggling like
school-girls and reminiscing as we walk down the hall to our suite. I feel normal for the first time in months. I’m so happy that I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something for myself. Just when I think I’ll never get back to normal again, I see a glimmer of the old Alexis peek through the darkness. But I’m careful not to be too hopeful that the darkness is ceasing. I can’t set myself up to fail.

We make it back to the room and scurry off to the showers. “Thank God for two bathrooms. Four girls and one bathroom would have been a nightmare!” I say after Whitney gets out of the shower twenty-five minutes later. She’s always been a bathroom hog. I guess that’s why we made perfect roomies. I’m completely dressed and showered in the time it takes her to wash her hair!

I’m wearing a white eyelet, sleeveless cotton dress with brown sandals, and my hair is braided over my shoulder. It’s a comfortable beach outfit for dinner, and then later, since I’m pretty sure we’ll end in a local bar. I’m also hoping to escape these ladies at some point and have a bit of quiet time on the beach. We’ll have to see. Before leaving for dinner I grab my cell and head out to the balcony to call my baby girl. I’m sure Kate is feeding the kids before getting them ready for bed, but I need to hear her voice and sing her special bedtime song. I dial the number.

“Hey,
sis, how’s the beach?” Jason answers on the first ring.

“It’s great, warm and sunny. Believe it or not, I think this may be just what the doctor ordered. I’m really relaxed, and it’s nice to catch up with the girls. How’s my little mini-me? I miss her like crazy!” I whine a little at the last sentence.

He snickers, “Well, I’m not convinced that feeling is mutual. She’s having a blast torturing the boys! Poor little bastards don’t stand a chance with Sierra and Lyla. They’re ruling this roost! The boys are all being forced to play some game of house. The little brats are all wearing tutus and barking. I’m not really sure what’s going on in their storyline. I was just wondering if I was going to need to bill you for the therapy that I’m sure they will need after today.”

I’m laughing at what my daughter’s idea of playing house could be - turning my twin nephews into tutu-wearing animals or whatever else she’s come up with. “Wow, sounds like Sierra. She is dog obsessed, lately. She’s been asking me for a puppy every day. Thank you for giving her that! I definitely owe you and Kate a few days away. Let me know when I can cover and stay with the kiddos. Can I hear my baby girl’s voice before we head out to dinner?” I ask.

“No problem, sis. We’ll let you stay with these rug rats anytime! But for now, just go and have a great night. Love you,” he says right before he passes the phone to a squealing little girl.

“Hi, Mama, we’re playing house and I bought a dog and named her Petals. She wears a pink ballerina dress.” She fills me in, talking so fast she barely takes a breath.

“Nice, sweet girl, remember to be super sweet to that puppy. I would hate for the little rascal to bite you!” I say, with hopes she gets the message that picking on her older twin cousins isn’t acceptable.

I know she understands when she responds, giggling, “Mama, I know how to take care of puppies, silly.”

Oh how I love the sound of my giggling girl. “I love you as high as the sky, precious girl! Sleep well and I’ll call you after breakfast tomorrow. Do you want me to sing your song before we hang up?” I ask, but she sounds a bit distracted.

“No, thanks, Mama. You can sing to me at breakfast. I
gotta go. Auntie Kate wants to talk to you. Love you, Mama,” she exclaims, and that’s it as she hands the phone off to Kate.

Kate fills me in on their plans for the weekend. I know my baby will have a great time. Kate is like another supermom. Since she has three of her own, adding Sierra to her group doesn’t really cramp her style. I’m so grateful that my brother chose this woman to spend his life with. She really is amazing. I remind him all the time that he’s a lucky bastard. We talk for a little while about the beach and what we girls are up to. Then I disconnect to finish getting ready for our night out.

We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at the hotel. Now the girls and I are walking to a little bar down the street. There’s a big wedding at the resort this weekend, so we thought it best to escape the wedding crowd.

Apparently, that country music star we heard the girls talking about this morning is attending the wedding, so there are tons of fan girls hanging out in the hotel bar and restaurant trying to catch a peek. I haven’t been interested enough to ask who it is. I’m trying to escape the crowds, not go toward them. I have no interest in chasing some star down for an autograph or anything else. I’m all too happy to find another bar that’s not too crowded.

“Hey…it’s open mic night, Alexis. It’s about time you get back up on a little stage, don’t you think?” I give Kelsey a look that will clearly state my intolerance of her peer pressure, but it seems my look has no effect.

“No chance, my friend. There’s not enough beer in this bar to get me on that stage!”  We walk into the quaint bar that overlooks the ocean. In the corner is a small little stage with a
mic and what looks like a few performers prepping to sing. There’s even a Martin guitar in the corner. I really like the feeling of this place. We find a table on the deck so we can look at the ocean. We place our orders with the waiter, and then settle in to listen to several performers, enjoying the entertainment.

The mood takes a little bit of a dive when Kelsey tells us about her ex’s most recent refusal to meet the requirements of their divorce decree. He’s really put her through the ringer. I have a lot of pent up frustrations that I would very much enjoy releasing on him, but I won’t, since I don’t want to cause any more issues for
Kels.

I really do want to cheer her up, so maybe, I think, I could sing her a song to put a smile on her face. There’s a cute song on Whit’s playlist that we were all singing to today. We’ve made it our honorary weekend theme song. I’ll sing that for her.

I get up from my seat, taking my Blue Moon with me, and approach the audio tech beside the stage. I ask him if he has the instrumentals for the song I’d like to sing and he tells me he doesn’t. I’m trying to think of another song when I feel someone beside me, a little too close. “Alexis Phillips, is that you?” He asks inquisitively.  “My God—it—is—you,” mystery guy stutters before I can turn around.

Oh my…right beside me is Garrett McKenna.
Like
THE Garrett McKenna
. He has a hat and sunglasses on, even though it’s dusk. I’d recognize him anywhere. How could I ever forget that face? I feel like I’m floating as he stares at me with those mesmerizing gray eyes. Damn…he’s still so beautiful. I know men don’t want to be referred to as beautiful, but damn I’m not sure of another word to describe him.

I was a freshman when we used to sit in the park on campus and sing together. Really, he would play guitar and write his songs and I mostly harmonized with him. It was all in good fun, because I liked hanging out with him and he allowed me to be me,
not
because I kind of had a major crush on him. We lost touch years ago, after he left college to pursue his music career in Nashville.

He got a recording contract and is doing really well for himself. I’m shocked to see him in this bar. I know he notices my reaction, since my mouth seems to have stopped working and is hanging wide open. “Um…hi,” that’s it…that’s all I can say. Yep, I officially look like the biggest loser!

“Alexis, stop looking at me like that. You’re going to blow my cover and, right now, that wouldn’t work out very well. It’s just me, the same ole Garrett!” He lightly slugs me on the shoulder, trying to reassure me.

“Garrett! Oh my God. I can’t believe you’re here. How are you? Never mind, I know how you are. I see your face on the cover of magazines all the time,” I ramble like those crazy fan girls we saw earlier. He flinches slightly, but then his gorgeous smile sweeps across his face.

He takes my hand, guiding me away from the stage and over to a less crowded corner of the bar. The butterflies that one would usually feel fluttering in your stomach are sweeping though my entire body, and it feels much more like an elephant stampede than butterfly flight. What’s wrong with me and why am I so star struck? Isn’t this the same guy I used to hang with on the west lawn? Nope, this is Garrett McKenna. The Garrett McKenna. The CMA artist of the year, the playboy that’s constantly surrounded by screaming fangirls and different beautiful celebrities at the red carpet events. I wonder where all the fans are?

He’s wearing an expression I don’t quite recognize. It looks happy, but at the same time concerned. Maybe he’s worried about being recognized with me beside him. “Alexis, I’m so happy to see you. What are you doing here?” he asks. I tell him I’m great and that I’m here with the girls, pointing over to our table outside. “How are you, sweetheart? I think about you all the time. I heard about Jed, but I wasn’t really sure the best way to handle contacting you. I couldn’t really show up at
the funeral without bringing a lot of unnecessary attention. I did think about you and wonder how you were.”

Wow…I can hear the concern in his voice. But I don’t need anyone else feeling sorry for me. Not even superstar Garrett McKenna. Besides, he couldn’t send a card, a letter, or pick up the phone? I’m at a loss as to what to say. “I’m actually doing okay, Garrett. Sierra, my daughter, is growing up and that’s fun to watch. The girls and I are here for a little beach getaway,” I reply with my ‘Fake it till you make it’ attitude. “I was going to sing a song for Kelsey, but they don’t have the instrumentals for the song. Why don’t you come back to the table with me and say hello to everyone? I know they would love to say hi to you, too.” I say, reaching for his arm to pull him toward the girls.

He stops me, wearing a huge grin. “You were going to sing, Alexis?” he asks.

“Yeah, but I can’t now. I wanted to sing our weekend anthem and they don’t have it. This isn’t really a country music kind of crowd, I suppose. Please, come over with me,” I implore him again, knowing this would make their night just as it’s done for me.

“Not yet, Alexis. What song did you want to sing?” I have no idea why he is so interested in what I was going to sing. I’m obviously not singing it now.

“
Killing Little Umbrellas
by Sarah Darling. Kels is kind of in a funk. She’s just gone through an insane divorce from an idiot, and I wanted to cheer her up. No biggie…now I have you to cheer her up,” I say, feeling like I’ve hit the goldmine of cheer-ups for Kelsey.

“No, lady, you want to sing that song and I want to hear it, so I’ll play guitar for you. Just don’t say who’s accompanying you. It’ll start all kinds of craziness, and I’m happy to catch up with you girls tonight without all that nonsense. I don’t want a bigger crowd getting in the way,” he explains, pulling me back toward the stage. “Come on. Let’s do this!”

How could he possibly jump on stage with me and play a song we’ve never done together. Is he insane? “Wait, Garrett! Do you know that song? Hold on, I can’t go on that stage with you. Let’s just go to the table. Kelsey will be so happy to see you that she’ll forget all about her mood.” I’m pleading with him.

“No way,
Lex. I haven’t heard your voice in years and that’s a crime by my standard. Up you go.” He lifts me by the hips and sets me on the stage, then leans over chatting in the tech’s ear. The lights on the back of the stage dim and he pulls the bill of his hat down even lower to mask his identity before he jumps up on the stage. He grabs the guitar in the corner and stands waiting for my signal, but doesn’t say anything.

I speak to the crowd. “Hey, I’m here with my best friends in the world. We’ve all
kinda had a rough year or so and we’re here celebrating our friendships this week,” I say holding up my beer, saluting in their direction. “This song has kind of become our weekend anthem and one of my girls needs a little pick me up tonight. Thanks to my longtime friend back there for playing the acoustics, so I can sing to my Kelsey girl!” I inform the crowd, looking over at my three friends and their shocked, but overjoyed expressions.

I nod my head in Garrett’s direction, desperately trying to avoid eye contact with him. He begins playing the chords for the song. I’m completely awestruck. But right on time, I sing to the crowd, looking towards my friends, who are all wearing huge-ass grins. It’s obvious they’ve figured out who’s on stage with me. He’s the only longtime friend that I have that I’ve sung with. They’re all jumping up and down and singing along. When the song ends, Garrett quickly jumps off stage and heads in the direction of our table. I thank everyone for listening and follow right behind him.