Page 55 of Rock and a Hard Place

He hoped the counselor spoke the truth.

“I wish I could help, I really do. I’ve been trying to locate her, but there is so much red tape blocking the process. Her caseworker hasn’t returned any of my calls or emails. At this point, I don’t know when I’ll learn anything, if ever.”

His heart fell. A heavy silence weighed between them, his despair palpable.

“Listen, Libby and I had a bit of a connection. It’s possible she might contact me. If she does, I can have her get ahold of you. Or if I hear any news, I can let you know.”

“That would be awesome. Thank you. You don’t know how great that is to hear.” It was so amazing to speak to someone who actually knew Libby and cared about her.

“Well, it’s a long shot. I may never hear from her.”

“But you might, and it’s the best news I’ve heard in weeks.” He gave her his cell number and their manager’s office number, too. “I’m in Europe on tour, so I might notget your call. But leave a message, and it’ll catch up to me. Miss Orman, I can’t thank you enough.”

“No problem. I’m happy to do anything I can.”

Peter heard the sound of a school bell in the background.

“I’ve got to go, but, Peter, thanks for calling and good luck on your tour.”

“Thank you.” His spirits improved. At least one other person out there wanted to help Libby.

A few days later as the sound check dragged on, Peter sat on a stool mid-stage waiting as the engineers made adjustments. Each minute felt like an hour. He glanced up and noticed Adam and Garrett gesturing back and forth. When they noticed him watching, both froze.

“What?” Peter asked, irritated.

“Nothing,” Garrett said.

“We have something to show you,” Adam confessed. “But we don’t want to upset you.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“You’ve been about to rip our heads off for the past week,” Adam answered.

“Yeah, well. Sorry,” Peter said, not meaning it. “Can we do it later?”

“No, we can’t,” Garrett stated, impatient. He spoke intohis mic: “Hey, Brian, play that video now, will ya?”

Peter saw concern in his brothers’ eyes. Each held an acoustic guitar.

The lights in the arena dimmed. Garrett and Adam started to play.

An image of Libby, larger than life, filled the giant screens on each side of the stage. A smile lit her beautiful face; her blue eyes sparkled. Next came a picture of them talking, heads close as if sharing a secret. At first, Peter was confused, as he’d never seen the pictures before. He realized Adam’s voyeuristic ways with his camera finally paid off. A few seconds later, another image appeared, this time of him and Libby sitting on the large boulder at Parfrey’s Glen. Her long, blond hair blew in the breeze. Light freckles sprinkled her cheeks and a look of utter contentment shone on her face.

Transfixed, Peter moved across the stage for a direct view, never taking his eyes off the screen. Photo after photo appeared before him. Many showed the two of them together laughing, all with the beautiful backdrop of Parfrey’s Glen. He had no idea Adam had taken all these pictures on that perfect September day. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

As the images continued to materialize across the screen, his brothers played an achingly familiar tune. The song he wrote for Libby: “Angel Kisses.”

Peter released a breath that he felt he’d been holdingfor days. This was their tribute to her, for him. Garrett and Adam never understood how much he cared about her until she was torn away.

When the song ended, a final photo filled the screen of the two of them walking up the path toward the bus. Her hand held firmly in his, she gazed up at him with total trust. Every emotion of love revealed on her face.

He missed her with every ounce of his soul, but now he had a bit of her back. Her image remained on the screen after the music ended.

Adam stepped next to him. “I thought you might like this. We could play your song with this video playing in the background.”

Garrett stepped beside him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “I’ve been a jerk, and I was wrong. I didn’t realize how much she meant to you. I guess I was jealous of how happy you were. I took her away from you and that was wrong. Here’s a little bit of her back. It might give you a reason to want to sing again.”

Garrett’s eyes searched Peter’s. Peter saw the heartfelt remorse from his brother, and he nodded his forgiveness.

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