Page 12 of Coulda

“He’s not just going to try. I bet you next month we all have champagne to toast his win,” Amber predicted.

“Like I can afford that on my stipend,” Maisie laughed.

“I’ll make sure everyone has champagne if I pull this off. I’ll be glad to celebrate,” Beau assured her.

“That will be one thing I’ll let you do for me,” Maisie said to him, looking fierce. “Thank you, Beau. Regardless of how it turns out, I appreciate you trying.”

“Of course. I’m counting on all of you to keep me focused on what’s important,” he told them.

“Where are you, Colt?” Amber asked.

“Currently, I’m in Nashville. We’re fighting with the last couple of songs on this album. The record label has a different view of where it needs to go than I do,” Colt reported.

“Who’s going to win?” Harper asked quietly.

“Me, of course. I’d be glad to have reinforcements if you want to come yell at them for me, Harper.” They all laughed. Colt always had a way of asking her to come see him.

“I don’t want to duke it out with that hard-looking brunette I saw you with on the award show,” Harper said with an audibly forced laugh.

“She’s in a duet with me. Mirabelle is married with three kids and a bunch of baby goats. You’re safe,” he reported with a reproving look.

Amber could feel the tension buzzing between them, even through the video connection. “Okay, so we’ll all be at fifteen now?”

“Definitely,” Colt insisted.

“On my schedule,” Beau added.

“I’ll try my best,” Maisie said and added, “I should be in a different place in five years.”

“I’ll be here,” Harper pointed out.

“Me, too,” Amber assured everyone.

Prior to thefifteenth reunion

“This is getting ridiculous,” Amber said, throwing up her arms as they all looked sheepishly at each other. “That’s it. We’re all going to be at the twentieth. Pinky swear with me that none of us will have excuses.” She held her bent little finger up to the screen and peeked around her hand to make sure everyone followed suit.

“Okay, that’s a rock-solid promise no one can break,” she said, reminding them all of Mr. Chamberlain’s lesson in the third grade about the different types of promises and which ones to never break.

“I saw Mr. Chamberlain last week at guest story time at daycare. He wanted to know how everyone was,” Harper reported.

“He wrote me an email when they published my study on bioidentical organ replacements,” Maisie shared. “Do you get to see him often?”

“He comes whenever I call to fill in for a parent who cancels at the last minute,” Harper answered.

“We were lucky to be in his class. He’s retired now?” Beau asked.

“Yes. He retired last year. He misses the kids. You can see that,” Harper informed him.

“The best teacher ever,” Maisie added.

“Of all the brilliant minds you’ve studied with?” Colt asked in disbelief.

“In his own way, yes. He helped me survive the tough years after elementary school by equipping me with the best friends ever,” she explained.

“I’ll echo that. The music world is crazy. Knowing we still talk once a month keeps me sane,” Colt agreed.

“Should we stop talking to each other for six months before the reunion next time, just so we have to get there?” Amber suggested.

---