Page 121 of Places I've Never Been

“Do I want to know how many?”

“Probably not.”

A trace of a smile lifted the corners of her lips. “I haven’t been to any of yours. Yet.”

She turned back to the wall. “I like Aerosmith too. They’re fun. Who’s this?” She pointed to a small, rough-around-the-edges flyer of the Blues Avenue Boys. Five whiskered, gray-haired men were posed with their instruments on a small stage. They all had the typical tough blues stare, but he knew from experience that was just for show.

He smiled fondly at it. “The one with the drums is Pop. My mom’s dad. He’s jammed with the Blues Avenue Boys for over fifty years now.”

Mattie touched the flyer with a delicate finger. “Do they still play?”

“Every Saturday night.” Adam pulled out his phone and tapped on the music player app. His grandfather’svoice filled the room with “Got My Mojo Working”by Muddy Waters. “He loves the standards. They cover all the greats.”

Mattie tapped her foot in time to the music and bobbed her head. She smiled at him. “That’s fun. I see where you get your edge.”

He pressed Stop and tucked the phone back into his pocket. “He’s slowing down, now. But he’s still got it.”

Mattie drifted along the wall, calling out names as she went. “Eagles. Not surprised you have that. Bon Jovi. Bruce Springsteen. Night Ranger?”

She flashed him an amused smile.

“Hey, ‘Sister Christian’ is a classic.”

“It’s a good song, it’s just…” She shook her head. “Unexpected.”

She returned to her examination of his childhood. “Billy Joel. Marvin Gaye. Creed. Journey. The Bellamy Sisters. You were all over the place.” She paused at a small piece of paper tucked between Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots. “This is the bridge from your first hit, isn’t it?”

“Most of our songs are in here, in one way or another.” He stared around at the room. “So that’s the big secret. You’ve been my inspiration for a long, long time.”

She shook her head. “The Bellamy Sisters, maybe. But your sound is nothing like ours.”

“Not the group. You.”

She blinked at him. “Me.”

“Some of it wasn’t even you, it was theideaof you.”

He looked into her eyes and felt the connection they’d shared on the island take hold. “You’re a hell of a lot more than some teenage fantasy, Mattie. You’re so talented it makes my head spin, and I can’t live with the fact that I had any part in making you doubt yourself. You’re not a backup to anyone or anything. Your words touch millions of hearts all over theworld, including mine. Please, don’t ever doubt yourself. Especially because of me.”

She turned her attention to the largest poster of The Bellamy Sisters. “I don’t mind being the backup.”

It was a live shot of their Daydreams tour. Della was larger than life, front and center, all sequins and sparkle. Piper was leather and rock. Mattie was on keyboards to the side, but the light behind her framed her hair like a halo. She had a dreamy, ethereal quality that made her look like an angel.

She stared at the poster.

“Do you miss it?” he asked quietly. “The stage I mean.”

“No.” She sighed. “Maybe a little. I miss them. I miss the music we made together. I liked it when we sang for Dad in the living room or put on a show in the backyard. It doesn’t matter where, you know?”

He thought about the garage sessions he’d had with the guys and knew exactly what she meant. He loved the crowd, the bigger the better, but if he couldn’t have that he’d be just like Pop, singing in a corner of whatever bar would have him, because it was the music that filled him, not the applause.

“Why haven’t you gone solo?”

She hugged herself like it was suddenly cold in the room. “It just didn’t feel right. Would you?”

“Hell no,” he said immediately. “I’m no good on my own. Just ask Brandon.”

He was rewarded with a soft chuckle.

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