Page 10 of Rock and a Hard Place

“They like this spot,” Peter said, jumping easily from one boulder to another. “It’s close to the interstate, and we pass this way a lot when we’re traveling between Chicago and Minneapolis. Mom is always trying to make us feel normal and keep us grounded.”

“But you are normal.”

“Are you kidding?” He gave her a look of disbelief. “We’re far from it.”

“But you have a mom and dad and a big family that spends lots of time together.” To her, they seemed like themost magical, perfect family, almost as good as hers had once been.

“We spend too much time together.” He ran his fingers through his long bangs, pushing them out of the way. “I can’t tell you how often I wish I could ditch my family. I never get any privacy.”

“That is one thing I have a ton of.” She looked out at the creek as it rushed over age-old rocks. Her days were filled with solitude. But sometimes she wished someone special cared about her. It might be nice to have a friend to keep her from spending too much time alone, or to drag her into a game of Frisbee, or to talk to about nothing at all.

Peter’s voice brought her out of her silent lament.

“I’d trade my little brother, Adam, for more privacy any day.”

They laughed and their eyes connected, giving her another jolt. She thought of her younger sister, Sarah. Libby would trade anything for one more day with her. She swallowed down the hurt she felt whenever she thought of her.

“I shouldn’t complain,” he continued. “But once in a while, it’d be nice not to have every minute of my life planned.”

“What do you mean?” She hopped from one large rock to the next, putting those thoughts behind her.

He considered her carefully. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

Her backbone stiffened. “Of course I do.” She hated being talked down to. She left his side and moved ahead, jumping from rock to rock as she crossed the stream.

“Don’t get all stuck-up on me, but do you really understand what I do?”

“Yeah, you sing with your brothers. You travel around in your bus and perform. I’m not a total moron.” Why did he have to show his jerk side? Everything had been perfect.

“I didn’t say you were a moron, but there’s a lot more to it than that.” Peter easily leapt over the rocks to reach her. He held her arm to slow her down. The stream rushed by noisily; the earthy smells of moss and ferns surrounded them.

“Okay, for example, we just came from New York City, where we were on Rock Hits Live.”

She stared blankly, arms crossed, refusing to admit her ignorance.

“You don’t know what that is?” He shook his head in disbelief. “It’s a live music interview show. Do you ever watch TV?” he asked.

Libby huffed a sigh of irritation. “No. I haven’t watched TV for over a year. Okay?” Which was true, Aunt Marge’s ancient set was always turned to one home shopping network or another.

“Really?” he responded.

She could see the unasked question behind his eyes.

“Okay, listen,” he said, determined to help her understand. “We just came out with our third album.”

“Yeah, well, anyone can upload music. We have a media class where kids create them for extra credit.” Ahead, an enormous boulder dominated the end of the trail; the creek poured out on each side. Libby climbed over the surrounding rocks, reached the top, and sat. Peter followed.

“You’re right, it’s not that hard to record and upload music. But we’ve got a major recording contract. We spent a month in the studio recording our latest music. We’re doing massive publicity for our new CD.”

The more he spoke, the more she noticed a serious side to him. This was his life and clearly his passion. Libby’s pulse quickened as she listened. It seemed even more impossible he’d be here talking to her.

“Every day is filled with rehearsals, interviews, and appearances. So between all that work and travel, it doesn’t leave much time to think, let alone relax.”

Peter’s concentration moved from Libby for a moment as he noticed their surroundings. They perched on top of a huge boulder in the heart of the glen. Every inch of the steep, rocky sides dripped with silky moss, and ferns poked out their feathery fronds. The moist scent of the glen’s lush vegetation filled the air. A cool mist floated around them. This was Libby’s magic place.

“This is amazing.” Awe colored his voice.

“Yeah, it is. I’m glad you like it.” She leaned back on herhands and inhaled a deep breath of nature’s gift. “So, when are you done? When do you go home?” She ran her hand over the cool, gritty rock, afraid to hear the truth.

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