Page 38 of The Fate of Us

“One thing I know about Noah is that he never does anything irrational. Never makes decisions he hasn’t thought long and hard about. If he wants you to move in with him, he means it one hundred percent.”

“Are you sure?” I ask with hesitation.

Mason wraps an arm around my shoulder. “He loves you, Anna May. I don’t think I have seen him love anyone as fiercely as he loves you.” He pauses and I look over at him. He laughs silently like he is remembering something. “You know when you came to our parents’ house at Thanksgiving, I told him to make his move or else I would make you mine. The fact that he didn’t and I took you on that date just for him to realize what he wanted proves to me that his decision didn’t come lightly. He didn’t think he deserved you. Even though he wanted you. So I know that whatever you guys are doing together is the right thing.”

I nod my head. Hearing the words from Mason help. I needed that extra bit of belief from him that what me and Noah are doing is the right move.

“Now that we can move on from talking about your annoyingly perfect relationship with my old as fuck brother, what is this ‘I don’t know what to do about Nashville’? You are going. That’s all there is to it.”

I laugh at the sternness in Mason’s voice.

“Anna, you have been given the opportunity of a lifetime. To be in front of musicians, producers, and songwriters who are living the dream you have. The same dream they once had. If you don’t go, you’ll never make it. If you do go, you might not make it either but at least you went and found out. But I can guarantee that once those people listen to the words you put on paper, hear the sound of your voice, there is no doubting that you will make it.”

I slouch forward and throw my head back. “You make it sound so easy, Mason. But I can’t even write a song right now.”

“So who cares? Isn’t that the whole point of this thing?”

I shake my head and play a few keys. “I need to bring three incomplete songs.”

Mason grabs my shoulders and pulls me to face him. “Exactly, Anna May. Incomplete. You sitting here trying to finish a song doesn’t make it incomplete. Bring it how it is. Raw. Unbridled. Itching to become a hit.”

I bite my lip as I meet his eyes. “It’s so hard.”

“Stop being a perfectionist.”

I punch him in the shoulder. “I can’t just stop.”

He rubs his shoulder and laughs at me. “How about this? We find a way to relax your mind. Then we come back here and figure out the songs you want to take with you. We can even work on them. And then we put the damn papers in the mail because you are going. I’ll make Noah drag you there.”

He has a point. But like usual, my fear is getting the best of me. I have over a hundred unfinished songs I can bring. But my fear of rejection is causing the anxiety to roll in like a wave. Relaxing is probably the best thing I can do for myself. If I could just figure out a way to relax.

“Yoga?” I ask him. Since it’s the only thing I have found that’s brought me inner peace in seven years.

He gets up off the bench, pulling me with him. “No fucking way. I heard what you had Noah do. I am not doing that.”

“It worked.”

He opens the door to the recording room and walks to the front door of the building. “We’ll be back in a few hours, Lyn. I think the guys are stopping by to jam. But other than that, there isn’t a recording blocked out until seven. I’ll be back by then.”

I wave to Lyndsey the receptionist, as I follow Mason out of the studio.

* * *

“Oh my god.You are going to pay for that, mister!” I shout at Mason as he cuts me off on the go-kart track causing me to fly into a stack of hay bales.

I never thought when he told me I needed to relax that he would take me racing. I figured a walk or a drink. But this? I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. It was everything I needed to get out of my head.

I reverse the go-kart and get it out of the haystack and slam on the gas to catch up to Mason. He is pretty far ahead of me but I cannot let him win. Not after he cheated to get past me. This is our fifth and final race. When we started, he said best out of three but when I beat him in all three of those races, he said we were doing five. I brought it up to him that he can’t beat me in a best of five because I already bested him but I think the poor guy just wants to win one race.

I shift the gear in my go-kart and speed up to the fastest speed it will go. I turn the corners hard, making up time as I close in on Mason. He must hear me behind him because he speeds his car up too. Too bad he doesn’t know the trick I know on the gearshift to make these things go faster than intended. I am so grateful I worked at a go-kart park when I was in high school.

He goes to take the corner ahead of him and he drives too wide. I take my chance and slam harder on the gas, taking the turn so tight I think I might flip but it gives me the power I need to zoom past him and fly toward the finish line.

I park the kart, unbuckle, and climb out, jumping up and down as I watch a not very happy Mason pull up next to me.

“You cheat!”

I laugh at him. “You can’t cheat at go-karts. It’s all skill. You are just pissed you got schooled in racing by a girl.”

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