Page 4 of Song For His Siren
She got her shower stuff and headed to the campsite shower to clean up. After that, she sat out by the fire with her guitar, thanking her muses for another successful day.
"Hey, Calli."
She looked up to see Michael coming over to her site.
"Hey, Michael," she said. "Good day, huh? I just counted tips."
"It was."
She couldn't help but notice he wouldn't meet her eye. She knew this moment was coming. She had thought they would drag it out for the week, not letting her know she was canned or the band was breaking up or whatever was happening, but it looked like he was going to be upfront. She should have known. There was a reason she had been singing with the MacGregors for years. They were good guys, every one of them. No wonder they wanted to settle down.
"What's going on?" she asked. He just sat in the seat next to her, still not meeting her eye. "Are you here telling me this is your last show?"
He just looked over at her. "Yeah, we’re here for the next week. Then, we’ll take the break for the holidays and January like always, but with a baby coming in March…"
"Of course," she said softly. "I did see this coming. Good things can't last forever."
"I wanted to see if you ever thought about settling in town with us. We still want to play together, but maybe more of a weekend thing, not a travel-the-fair-circuit thing."
"I don't know..." Part of her wanted to keep singing with the Flying Kilts, but that wasn't the life she craved.
"Just think about it. You could work at MacGregor's Pub and sing with us," he said with a soft smile.
Calli tried to think about what that would look like, bartending at a local pub and singing on the weekends. It could be a good life, but it did seem rather sedentary to her.
"I'll think about it."
"That's all I'm asking. You're family, Calli."
He stood from his seat and squeezed her hand before heading back to the camper. She knew it was coming. She would need to find Bridget soon for that tarot reading. If anyone could help her figure out the next step, it would be Bridget and her cards.
2
CALLI
The next morning, Calli woke to the sun on her face. It was going to be a good day, she told herself. Yes, the band she had spent the last four years with was breaking up, but she had never feared a new adventure. That was what this was. That was what she told herself, anyway. She opened the door and stepped down, only to feel something unfamiliar under her feet.
She stooped to examine what appeared to be a bundle of weeds tied together by a red string. She picked it up and examined it. That was exactly what it was. It was a big bundle of weeds. Weird. She didn't think too much of it as she just tossed on the counter of her little kitchen and headed to the stage.
She had hoped to get to Bridget, but one of the pub wenches was home with a sick kid, so Callie helped out there when she wasn't singing. It helped with tips, and if the band was breaking up, she needed all the money she could get right now. Tomorrow, she would find Bridget.
She made it back to the campsite and showered, but when she came back from the shower, there was another bundle of weeds on her front step again.
What the hell?
She looked around and didn't see anyone close by, save for Mason over by the big camper.
"Hey Mason," she called out.
"What's up, Calli?" he asked, walking over to her.
"Did you see anyone around while I was at the shower house?"
"No, but I just got back. I drove into town to get some beer. The cooler’s packed if you want one."
"Maybe. I'll be over in a bit," she said as she carried the bundle into her camper and set it on the counter next to the one she got this morning. The two neatly tied bundles baffled her. Where on earth had these come from?
That night, she called her sister and turned in early. She was tired from singing and waiting tables all day. She counted her tips and fell asleep, feeling a bit more like her band breaking up wasn’t the end of the world.
