Page 42 of Places I've Never Been

“There’s nothing backup about you. And you know what? This song we’re writing is going to take us—you and Delusions of Glory—to the next phase. I can’t wait for the world to hear it.”

She gave him an impatient look. “How are they going to do that? We haven’t even written it yet.”

He sat on the nearest bench and kicked his feet out in front of him. “So let’s get started. Tell me what you have so far.”

“Really?” She eyed him with suspicion.

He held up his hands. “I told you, we’re starting over. Show me what you have.”

She shrugged and flipped open her notebook. “Snippets, really. Nothing solid. Remember when I asked you what you wanted to sing about? You never answered the question, which makes it a lot harder.”

You, he almost said out loud. I want to sing about you.

Instead, he said, “Maybe since the last song talks about a sick little girl, we should focus on a happier kind of change. Making new friends? Meeting a stranger, getting to know them until they become something more?”

“Are you talking about me?” Exasperation colored her tone.

“Maybe.” He blinked innocently at her.

“What about the old friends?”

He thought of Johnny J. They would always be friends, no matter how far apart they were, and no matter how much time passed. “Who says you can’t keep the old friends while you make new ones?”

She got a funny, distant look in her eyes, and then dipped her head and wrote furiously in the notebook.

“What? Did I say something cool?” He leaned forward.

She covered the page with one hand so he couldn’t see what she wrote. “Keeping old friends while making space for the new is a great idea for a song.”

He thought about it, then hummed a few notes that had been circling around in his head. They could work. He sang them out loud just to try them out.

“Who says we can’t keep old friends while we make a little space for someone new?”

She nodded. “Let’s start with that and see where it goes.”

Adam waved at the cabin. “Want to work over lunch? They can take us back while we eat.”

Mattie glanced at the beach and the table that remained out there like a monument to stupid decisions everywhere.

She stood up. “I’d like that.”

As they head into the cabin, he heard her hum the little tune he’d just composed on the fly and grinned.

Chapter Eleven

Several days later, Mattie had settled into a morning routine that included a refreshing outdoor shower, coffee, and a daily check-in with her phone. Dealing with everything at once and then shutting the phone away in the drawer left her feeling remarkably free. The days were peaceful, and the words came easier without the constant chatter from the real world.

She sat on the bed and scrolled through the texts waiting for her, then dealt with the ones she thought were the most urgent. She sent a quick note to Lizzie, reassuring her that all was well. Another to Piper, who kept a steady stream of updates coming whether Mattie wanted them or not, including the latest headline that read,Bellamy Babe Bamboozles Boyfriend. She had to admire the effort at alliteration, but it was old news now, and most of the blogs had moved on to fresher meat.

She tapped out a quick note to Kat.Making progress.

Coming home soon?Kat sent.

They weren’t anywhere near done with the first song, much less the other two. This place was fantastic,and she felt more relaxed than she had in a long time. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to finish fast anymore. Besides, they’d only been here nine days.

Finally, she replied,Not that much progress. Still working on song 1.

Kat sent back a wide-eyed emoji.What’s taking so long?

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