Page 88 of To Believe In You
Far faster than she would dare, he reversed down the drive and pulled onto the road. His headlights flickered behind dark trees as he drove off until a rise in the land stole him away.
24
Matt sat in the passenger seat as Tim pulled up to the gate at Gannon’s house. Gannon and Adeline’s house now. The woman in the security booth at the gate waved as they rolled past and onto the property.
All this felt eerily similar to a few months before, when he’d come with Tim to seek forgiveness and offer “Whirlwinds” as a token of his sincerity. He’d gone into it telling himself that, as long as he apologized and offered to make amends, his mission would be a success no matter how he was received.
That was no longer the case. He’d come this time to regain a spot in Awestruck, and if he failed … He’d trust God with what he couldn’t control. After a year of sobriety, the thought ought to come more easily and do more to slow his speeding pulse.
The house came into view, a blank canvas of sky beyond it—evidence that not far from the building, the land dropped away to the lake.
Hopefully Matt’s black T-shirt would hide sweat stains.
Tim shifted into park. “Don’t get off on the wrong foot.”
Matt unbuckled. He shouldn’t have told Tim he intended to come clean about Nadia before the audition. Ever since, the manager had been moping, as if honesty wasn’t hard enough. “Letting them hire me without telling them isn’t the answer.”
“Still doesn’t have to be the first words out of your mouth. Get them to buy in first.”
“You can wait out here.” He might be right back out, anyway, depending on whether John and Gannon would tolerate the baggage he brought with him.
“You’re sabotaging yourself.”
Maybe he’d given up on a couple of things too easily recently. On a bad day, a day like the accident, he shouldn’t have made knee-jerk decisions about the home improvement store or the delivery job. And what about Lina? If he’d pushed through, would he have eventually found perspective that would’ve allowed him to stay with her?
That hope seemed impossible and more than a little selfish. Still, the decision to walk away didn’t sit right.
But he’d prayed and deliberated for days over when and how to tell the guys the truth. His body protested with tightly corded muscles and waves of queasiness, but he knew the right path.
“I’m trying to eliminate bad surprises.” He hopped out of the SUV. One foot in front of the other, up the front walk. One breath at a time. He rang the bell.
Adeline answered less than a minute later. He’d been focused on Gannon and had already forgotten she lived here now too. Happily, it seemed, since she grinned as she let him in. “How are things at Key of Hope?”
“Good. The usual.” Except he and Lina hadn’t been talking for almost a week already. Once, he’d come across her with red eyes. It killed him that the next guy to earn her trust would have to clean up after Matt the way he had tried to clean up after the trust issues Shane had inflicted.
“They’re in the studio.” Adeline lifted a hand toward the hall. “You know the way?”
“Yeah, but first, I wanted to say I’m really sorry about the fight.”
“We should be thanking you. I’m glad you were there for Lina. Besides, what’s a wedding without a little drama?” She touched her own temple. “That’s not still from him, is it?”
His bruise from Shane had disappeared over a week ago. He ran his fingers over the scab on his cheekbone, the only remaining evidence of the hit he’d taken after the accident. Tim couldn’t fathom why Matt hadn’t pressed charges. “You know me, always getting into scrapes.”
She chuckled, and he took his leave before she could ask more questions—or notice he wasn’t laughing with her. All in less than three weeks, he’d gained a child—possibly—had been in two fights and had lost two jobs, one relationship, and his car.
Was Awestruck going to be another loss on that list?
In the studio, John saw him first, and Gannon must’ve noticed his arrival register on his friend’s face, because he turned.
“Hey, man. Glad you made it.” He clapped Matt’s shoulder. “Ready with those songs you’ve been working on?”
Matt shuffled to a stop and eyed the gleaming equipment. Tim had assured him he didn’t need to bring his own bass, and three top-of-the-line instruments waited here. Doing this Tim’s way by claiming one and getting to work would be easier, but as he’d told Krissy weeks ago, he’d had it easy, and look where that had gotten him. “I’ve got some news first.”
Tim, who’d followed him in after all, dropped to a seat on one of the couches hard enough that a spring clunked.
Gannon shot him a teasing look but didn’t comment.
John studied Matt. The guy had always been observant. Could he guess what Matt was about to say?
