Page 141 of Fire and Icing

“I do,” Cody insists. “You’re going places. You’ve got one of those voices that people want to hear over and over. And you’ve got a way of handling yourself on stage.”

“Well, thanks,” I say.

“Don’t thank me. Just get me backstage passes,” Cody laughs, but I can tell he’s not joking.

“Okay. I will.”

The cowhands whistle the signal that the cattle are getting restless.

We finish our sandwiches and are back on the ATVs for another few hours until the whole herd is relocated and secured behind the gate in their new pasture.

I can’t shake the way Cody reacted to my news. Even Greyson, in his own stoic way, was proud of me. Excited for me to have this opportunity.

They’ve got nothing to lose if I pursue a career in music. Very little, anyway. They can get another rookie.

We park the ATVs in one of the barns and then we say our goodbyes. Patrick hops up into the front passenger seat of my truck and Greyson slides into the back.

The afternoon is cooler than it has been all day. A few storm clouds gather on the horizon. I breathe out a long sigh as we pass grassy ranchland on a road flanked by fencing. It’s peaceful out here. The only place that ever gave me this same feeling was the private beach on Marbella. The resort beach is always clotted with tourists. But the beaches on the North Shore are mainly for the residents. Sometimes no one’s out there and you have the whole ocean to yourself, or at least that’s how it felt to me.

Patrick says something and I blink. I almost forgot the guys were in my truck.

“Did you get to talk to Emberleigh?”

Greyson just studies me in the rearview mirror.

“Yeah. I did.” I pause and glance over at Patrick. My face must tell the rest of the story. “She’s processing things.”

“That bad?”

“You know a bit about her past?” I ask.

I glance into the rearview again. Greyson nods once.

“We know everything there is to know,” Patrick says. “At least the broad brushstrokes. We’ve lived less than six miles apart our whole lives. Greyson and I are a few years older than the two of you, but we know Emberleigh. We knew Drew. We knew her parents.”

“Well, let’s just say the idea of me potentially leaving didn’t hit a harmonious chord.”

“Makes sense,” Patrick says. “After three of the most important people in your life take off and leave you, well, you don’t do well with people spreading their wings. Especially not people who matter.”

“I guess the good news out of all that is that I matter to her.”

“Obviously,” Greyson says.

The way he says that one word gives me a spark of hope. I matter to her. This might not be easy, and it’s definitely not what I wanted to put us through so soon after we started dating. But you don’t get to schedule when a music industry rep reaches out to you. And this kind of opportunity might never come again.

“Give her time, Dustin,” Patrick says. “And a little bit of space.”

Greyson adds, “But not too much.”

“Yeah. That’s the plan. I’m just going to keep showing up. She’ll see my intention. Leaving her is not an option. Not even remotely.”

Patrick claps me on the shoulder. “You know, we could have gotten a different rookie. The position was posted to anyone who qualified. I’m glad it was you.”

Greyson nods once from the back seat.

I could have ended up at any station. But I landed here. And I’m glad I did. These guys have quickly become my friends.

“Me too,” I say, looking each of them in the eyes.

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