Page 137 of Sing You Home (Nashville Star 1)

Seth leans back and exhales.

Jace floats him a relieved look.

With Jace’s help, Luke staggers to his feet, leaving Seth to quietly slip out the front door.

All Sal wants are strong drinks to paralyze her mind, numb her heart, and muffle the sound of her throbbing head. She’s cried enough, drunk enough, slept enough to chase Luke out of her mind. But now morning’s arrived, and so has Lacey.

Sal has no idea how her sister tracked her down, but track her down she did. And she came bearing muffins and coffee and an extremely chipper attitude.

She winces as Lacey rips open the blinds. “Lace,” Sal says, her voice smothered. “Can we just ... stay in the dark?” She burrows deeper into the blankets.

“No,” comes her sister’s pert reply.

Sal groans.

The bed shifts as Lacey plops beside her, resting a hand on Sal’s back. “You need to eat something, Sal.”

Sal struggles to sit up. Her hair, a bedheaded mess, halos around her. She’s still in her dress from last night, making her feel like a very slinky Cinderella, only without the glass slipper. Only without her happy ending.

At the thought, Sal’s eyes well again.

“Oh, Sal,” Lacey whispers. She scoots close, curling into the covers next to her.

Sal rests her head on her sister’s shoulder, not even bothering to stop the tears flowing fresh from her eyes.

She feels so confused and lost. All she can do is think of Luke and the argument from last night. Of him denying the photo. Of the love they shared.

The truth. That’s all she wants.

Wiping her eyes, Sal pulls back to look at Lacey. “I don’t know what to believe, Lace. Everything is so fuzzy.” She takes a breath. “Did I believe he cheated?”

“At first, yes. But, Sal, you were in the hospital,” Lacey says. “You had just seen this awful photo with no explanation. You had lost the baby. You were heartbroken. Hormonal.”

“What about you? You thought he did.”

Guilt crosses Lacey’s face. “You’re my sister. I was on your side.”

Sal takes a shaky breath. “And now?”

Lacey gives Sal a hug. “I was wrong. Luke never cheated on you, Sal. Then or now.”

Sal closes her eyes. Though Lacey’s words are reassuring, they still don’t know the whole story.

“Sal ...” Lacey’s soft voice makes her look up. “You went to the place where you spent your honeymoon.” She gestures at the hotel room. “This doesn’t bode well for you.”

Sal sob-laughs.

Tucking a lock of hair behind Sal’s ear, Lacey says, “The way he loves you, Sal ... hell, the way he looks at you ...” Lacey’s lips curve up and her eyes go dreamy. “We all want that.”

For a moment, Sal sits silently, only to look up when there’s a knock at the door.

Lacey sighs but gets up to answer it.

The person behind the door has her frowning. Seth.

“What do you want?” Lacey demands, propping a hand on her hip.

Ignoring Lacey, Seth peers past her. Sal presses her lips together, resolved not to cry when she sees his sympathy-filled face. “Sal, I know you’re confused. You need answers and I brought ’em.”

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