Page 112 of A Country Kind Of Love
Cleo’s phone rattles against the coffee table. They’re both slumped on the sofa in Cleo’s apartment enjoying their first day off in over a month. The agenda involves early 00s movies and five different flavours of Pop Tarts—Snickerdoodle is the clear favourite.
Her phonerings again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Peyton stretches and manoeuvres her crab like hold on Cleo so she can reach for the phone.
“It’s only Garrett.” She places it back on the table and slides back into her positionon the sofa.
There’s another vibration that jolts Peyton from her horizontal position. This time it’s her phone.
“It’s Garrett.”
There’s a string of text messagesthat follow.
Answeryour phone.
I know you’reignoring me.
I have good news.
Pick up.
“Maybe I should answer?” Cleo rolls her eyes. It isn’t uncommon for Garrett to bombard them. Last week he called Peyton fourteen times to tell her and Cleo that Shonda is throwing an event for the label in three weeks. He wanted to know if either of them had any specific dietary requirements. She thought someone had died.
Peyton picks up. “Hi, Garrett.”
“Thank god! One more ignored call and I would’ve been banging downyour door.”
“No need for that Garrett,” Cleo pipes up.
“Anyway, I’m going to take a guess that you haven’t seen the emailI sent you?”
“Nope,” they say in unison.
“Okay, well check it!”
“Right now?”Peyton asks.
“Yes!Right now!”
Cleo opens her phone.“Which one?”
“The lastone I sent.”
It’s only 11 a.m. and he’s already sent five emails. The subject reads,Welcome to the exclusive club. Cleo jumps forwards. Peyton does the same, reading line for line over her shoulder.
“What is this?” Peyton puts Garrett on speakerphone.
Their names are mentioned amongst Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, the Zac Brown Band, and Faith Hill. They keep scrolling. Peyton holds her breathin suspense.
Then it clicks. The second paragraph down confirms hersuspicions.
“We’re going to number one?” Peyton whispers.
