Page 11 of Coulda

“She’s a glutton for punishment,” Maisie replied before addressing their famous friend. “Colt? Are you on tour?”

“Sorry for the background noise. I tried to find a quiet spot,” Colt apologized, taking off his cowboy hat to fan himself.

“Alabama in July isn’t where I’d choose to play an outdoor venue,” Beau put in.

“I’m getting used to the amount of water I need to drink to stay hydrated. It’s crazy. Who knows where this rollercoaster is going to end? I’m riding the wave of popularity from my last release as long as possible,” Colt answered. “In this business, it’s easy for people to forget your name, even with a few hit songs.”

“I saw you on the news,” Harper shared. “You and Beau are the hometown heroes. Everyone is so proud of you. If they had any idea what Maisie was doing, they’d name the new library after her. I suggested it but…”

“No one is going to name a library after me unless I win a Nobel Peace Prize or something,” Maisie scoffed before asking, “How are your plans to run your own daycare?”

“It’s hard. I’m working and learning at the biggest one in town now. It’s too industrial for what I want to do but the owner is teaching me how to keep the books and make a profit. She knows I won’t compete with her whenever I have enough to open my own place,” Harper confided.

“Are you taking time to sing at Murphy’s?” Colt asked.

“Oh, no. My singing days are pretty well over. I just entertain toddlers nowadays,” Harper said, smiling at Colt.

“That invitation is still open for you to come join me whenever you want—even for a day or two. I can send you plane tickets,” he urged.

“You’re too nice. You have professional backup singers now, Colt,” Harper reminded him.

She quickly changed the conversation to ask Beau, “When’s your next debate? The news of you running for office is buzzing around town.”

“I bet. It surprised me too. Things moved quickly when the current representative decided to retire,” he replied.

“Are you going to the reunion, Harper, since you’re in town?” Beau asked.

“Oh, no. I’m avoiding Miranda like the plague,” Harper confessed.

“Don’t let her keep you from going,” Amber urged.

“I won’t. It’s just not important without you guys there. Everyone else I see at the grocery store or church,” Harper explained.

“Next time, Harper. We’ll all make plans to be there for the tenth,” Colt assured her.

Prior to thetenth reunion

“They sweet-talked me into extending my contract here in Florida for six more months. They’re understaffed and I always like money. What’s everyone else’s excuse for not going?” Amber joked.

“I had every intention of getting there. Unfortunately, the bill I’m sponsoring is floundering and the only chance of getting it passed is by meeting with those in opposition one by one,” Beau shared.

“Are you talking about the one for funding for free mammograms for those under a certain income level?” Maisie asked.

No one commented on the tears shining unshed in her eyes. Maisie’s mother passed away about a year ago. She’d ignored the lump in her breast and without health insurance, she knew the test would be more expensive than she’d considered it beneficial to get. By the time she collapsed, the prognosis had been dire. Maisie hadn’t been able to talk her into trying to fight. Her mom hadn’t had the strength or the willingness to leave her family with a burden of debt.

“Yes. That’s the one.”

“I should have left the think tank and gone to work in the private sector,” Maisie whispered, shaking her head.

“Stop that. Maybe that would have been an option if they’d caught it early. Your mom didn’t want anyone to know. By the time you found out, it was too late. You need to stop beating yourself up,” Harper chided her.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Maisie muttered.

“Just imagine if it was my mom or Amber’s. They might have had all the testing and still decided that it was too much to undergo surgery, chemo, and radiation,” Harper reminded her. “No one gets to make that decision except for the person affected by the disease.”

“I know. She probably wouldn’t have chosen to have anything done, regardless. Mom hated doctors’ offices and being poked and prodded. It would have been her worst nightmare to go through those treatments,” Maisie admitted, dashing away the tears.

“I do appreciate you helping others in her position, Beau. Maybe having you in politics isn’t a waste of your intelligence after all,” she teased.

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