Page 7 of Another Postcard

“That’s what I thought.” Her tone was annoyingly smug. I stuck my tongue out at the phone, the gesture making me feel better even though she couldn’t see it until she said, “Did you just stick your tongue out at me?”

“Okay, seriously!” I said with a hint of shrill. “How the fuck do youdothat?”

“Don’t change the subject,” she clucked like she was admonishing a child. Admittedly, sticking out my tongue at her had been quite juvenile, but still…

It was my turn to sigh. “Fine, I’m worried about doing the song with Levi. I’m already fighting a battle with myself to stay away from him. This song not only means more time together, but it’s a powerful love song. I don’t have that kind of will power, woman!”

Sheryl was quiet for a minute. “Have you thought about giving him a chance?”

I pulled back from the phone and stared at it. I knew she couldn’t actually see me, it was just a thing I did. Don’t judge. Returning the phone to my ear, I sputtered my response. “What are—how can—are you crazy?” My voice was fully shrill this time. No hint about it.

“He’s a really good guy, Brooklynn. And even if you guys didn’t last, he’d never make you leave the band.”

“Maybe not,” I grumbled. “But it would be awkward and most likely heart-breaking. We would only be able to work in that environment for so long before one of us broke. And, it’s not like Levi is going to be the one to leave.”

“I guess.” Her agreement lacked any conviction. “Anyway, you’re doing the song and that’s the end of it. Love you, bye!” She hung up.

I hope she gives birth to a twelve-pound baby.

I checked my watch and decided to call Baylee. She answered on the third ring, and I felt better the minute I heard her voice.

“Hi, sweet girl!” I trilled.

“Brooklynn!” she exclaimed loudly. I laughed and suddenly, my chair was oh-so-comfy again.

“What did you do today?”

I settled in and enjoyed listening to her sweet voice chirping about all the fun things she’d done and was planning for the next few days. Eventually, she took a breath.

“How’s the band? Do you like the music? We got the CD and it’s so amazing! Cecily and I listen to it all the time!”

“Is it my turn?” I laughed. I told her about the recording session we’d had that day and, toning down my stories a little, we talked about my band mates. After an hour or so, our conversation wound down and Baylee started losing interest in the phone call.

“Love you, Brooklee!” I couldn’t help but smile at her nickname. When she was little, she was confused about my name, since I was always saying Baylee to her, but everyone else said Brooklynn around her. She combined our names and it stuck.

“Love you too, sweet girl. Put Cecily on for me.”

“Hey, Brooklynn. Judging from Baylee’s reactions, I assume recording is going well?” Her voice was full of humor and a matching excitement that she was trying to hide. Cecily liked to pretend she was too adult to obsess over Stone Butterfly, but she couldn’t suppress it completely, especially around Baylee.

“It’s been pretty amazing. They asked me to work on a song with Levi today. It’s not a duet, but it would be just me and him. It’s freaking me out a little.”

“Holy cow! Are you serious? I don’t know how you even speak around Levi Matthews. I would be totally tongue-tied.” She giggled. “I’m just saying, he’s the hottest man alive. I swear, I’m gonna marry that guy someday.”

“You girls,” I chuckled, my head shaking. “I’ll have to make sure you get to a concert soon.”

“O.M.G!!!!” Cecily screamed. “I can’t wait!! Thank you, Brooklynn!”

“Okay, Cecily,” I interrupted her exclamations. “Calm down, girl. How is Baylee doing with the move?”

Cecily drew in some deep breaths and when she spoke again, her voice had dropped back down to a normal decibel. “Better than we hoped. The Stone Butterfly albums actually help a lot. She listens to them almost exclusively. Not that I ever get sick of listening to them.”

“That’s great, Cecily.” I sighed with the small surge of relief I always felt after a call with Baylee. It chipped away at my ever-present worry for her. We talked for a few more minutes, going over my schedule for the next few weeks and planning some activities in the city we would meet up for.

After the call ended, my head tipped back to rest on the edge of the chair and I stared at the ceiling. Damn, I was tired. My phone chirped, and I lifted it up over my head so I could look at the screen without moving.

Levi: Whatcha doing, beautiful?

Me: Going to bed.

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