Page 64 of Sweet Music
So, Bella decided to just buckle down and focus on work.
She kept her phone in her hand during his lunch break, and when she didn’t hear anything she relaxed a little. If Cody wasn’t texting, then the kids at school weren’t talking about it, so he could enjoy one more day and they could talk about it when he got home from school. Then he would have the whole winter break to adjust to the idea.
It was good to worry about Cody, because it kept her from picking apart her own feelings about Cash leaving.
On Cody’s behalf, she felt furious that Cash would let the band come to pick him up without talking to the boy first about what was happening. Though she and Cody both knew he wasn’t going to stick around forever, the two of them still had plans that Cash would clearly be breaking.
Maybe it will be easier for me when he leaves. I can build up my resistance to his charm while he’s away, and then when he comes back I won’t fall back into thinking I’m in love with him again.
But she wasn’t sure it was possible. How could she have helplessly lost her heart to the same mantwice?
The door swung open, and she steeled herself to talk honestly with the boy. But she could tell by the look on his face that he already knew.
“He’s leaving,” Cody said flatly.
“I heard in town that people had spotted the tour bus,” Bella said, nodding.
“Did he message you?” Cody asked.
“No,” Bella said quietly. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know,” Cody said, scowling. “It’s fine, I guess. He has to work. Everyone’s parents have to work, right?”
Bella nodded.
“But he didn’t even say anything,” Cody said after a moment. She could hear the hurt in his voice now.
“He’s not used to being a dad,” she ventured. “Maybe he just needs a little practice communicating.”
Cody nodded, but his eyes narrowed like he didn’t buy it.
She could hardly blame him. She didn’t really believe it herself.
“Come on,” she said. “Put your stuff down while I fix your snack. I got more of those pretzels, and I’m not going to burn them this time. Probably.”
That earned her a half-smile. Cody slumped off to his room and she heard his backpack hitting the bed. She headed into the kitchen and put some frozen soft pretzels in the oven, thinking about how the last time she’d done this, Cash had stormed in and turned their lives upside down. It was hard to believe that it had only been afew weeks ago.
Now instead of feeling nervous excitement at the prospect of seeing Cash, she figured they were both just feeling a little sad.
He’ll come back to see Cody,she told herself.I think.
The two of them had hit it off so thoroughly. How could he not?
“It’ll be okay,” Cody said as he stepped into the kitchen with her. “He’ll be back.”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” Bella said, smiling up at the boy.
“And besides,” he went on. “We’ve got the Lawrences now, and they’ve got about a million family things they want us to come to.”
It was true. Now that Cody had been taken in by Cash’s family, his world had gotten a whole lot bigger and more interesting, having his dad be away wouldn’t be as big of a deal as she was making it.
“They love you,” she said honestly.
“I love them too,” he said, eyes on the floor, but the corners of his mouth pulling up. “It’s nice to have a big family.”
“Hey,” Bella offered. “Maybe we can go back and visit the dogs tomorrow.”
They had done a few more volunteer visits to the shelter over the past week. And Cody had begun to develop a real bond with the older retriever from their first trip. Last time they went, she couldn’t tell which one of them had been more excited to see the other.
