Page 23 of When in Rome

There’s a hearty roar from the crowd and affirming nods, beers raised, and wide smiles.

“Good! Now someone get me a drink!”

Emily is a goddess. That’s all I can say, because everyone does exactly as she says. The music cranks up, laughter starts again, everyone turns back to what they were doing before we walked in, the man behind the bar helps Emily down and then puts a beer in her hand.

And that’s that.

No one treats me differently. No one stares. No one asks for an autograph. For the next half hour, the Walker sisters and I laugh and drink and talk. I honestly forget that I’m considered important everywhere else in the world. Yeah, they want to know what it was like dating my ex, Tyler Newport (I imagine a lot like dating that vain Disney queen who constantly looked in the mirror and asked who was the fairest of them all). They also want to know my favorite thing about being a singer (an issue I sidestep because my career crisis has spiked to epic heights and I completely blank on any good aspects of it), but those questions end pretty quickly, and then our conversation moves along.

“I have to admit,” I tell the ladies after finishing my first beer and feel a little more loose. “I was worried everyone was going to freak out when they saw me walk in. I’ve been in the middle of fan mobs before and I was terrified it was about to happen again.”

Madison laughs, because to any outsider, a “fan mob” sounds like a whimsical scene in a Disney movie. In reality, it’s painful, scary, and such an invasion of emotional and physical security that it’s difficult to bounce back. But most people have no idea about any of that so I forgive her the chuckle.

“If they looked interested, it’s only because this town’s been looking for something to talk about ever since Kacey got knocked up and everyone was sure it was Zac’s but the baby ended up just being her husband, Rhett’s, after all. They’ve been bored ever since.”

Emily leans over the table a little farther. “But seriously…I was sure it was Zac’s. Especially after the wayhe—”

“Looked at her at church that Sunday! Yes!” Madison slaps the table making their beers slosh. Annie only contributes to the conversation with a quiet smile and chuckle. “But anyway, we’re all good people around here. We just needed to set them straight from the start. They won’t bother you now, and you don’t have to worryabout anyone leaking your visit on social media, because in case you haven’t noticed, there’s no cell service around here. Our brother doesn’t even own a cell phone.”

I’m not surprised that he doesn’t own a cell phone. I am, however, curious at the way my skin prickles from only that tiny mention of Noah. How my mind flashes a montage of his hands on my body, his moody mouth eagerly exploring mine. The zing of rightness that flew through me when our skin touched.

“So,” says Emily, leaning onto her forearms. “Where were you headed before you broke down in Noah’s front yard?”

I take a sip of my second beer and then lick my lips. “Uh…here actually.”

All three ladies frown.

“Here?” asks Madison. “As in Rome, Kentucky? You camehereon purpose? Why the hell would you do that? I’ve been trying to get out of this town for years now, but Annie and Em won’t letme.”

“You’re damn straight,” says Emily before Annie gives them both a frustrated look and whips out a little pocket notebook, adding a tally to some sort of chart. “Sorry, Annie. I mean, you’redarnstraight,” Emily amends, adding a jaunty little arm gesture to the worddarn.

Annie sees my confused look as I peer at the notebook. The names Emily, Madison, Annie, and Noah are all written and have marks beside them. Actually, Annie doesn’t have any marks, and Noah has at least twice as many as the sisters do. This makes me smile for inexplicable reasons.

“I’m trying to break them of swearing so much. When anyone reaches twenty tallies, they have to pay twenty bucks to the cussing jar,” says Annie, closing the notebook and setting it aside.

I laugh lightly. “And why’s that?”

“Because she’s a wholesome, sweet, little baby angel,” says Emily with a taunting smile.

Annie sticks her tongue out at Emily. “At least one of us should make it through the pearly gates and represent for the Walkers.”

Madison grins sardonically. “Pearly gates? I’m just trying to make it past the city limits of the fu—orking town.”

Annie smiles. “Nice catch.”

Madison tips her beer. “Only because I love you and also because if I get one more tally I have to pay up. Now, will you return the love and ever let me leave Rome?”

In unison, Emily and Annie both say, “Nope.”

Emily, who I get the feeling is the mother hen of the sisters, adds with a final note to her voice, “Noah’s back, and we’re family. This is where our roots are, and where we belong.”

Noah’s back?I really want to ask Emily where Noah came back from, but I don’t get the chance.

Madison sighs and so much is conveyed in that one expelled breath. Longing, defeat, resolve. A whole slew of emotions I’ll probably never learn the origin of because I’ll be gone by Monday. She turns her eyes back to me. “Sorry, we get sidetracked easily. We were talking about why you came to visit.”

Now that I’ve spent a few days in the town, I can understand her astonishment. It’s not exactly a regular tourist destination. I take another drink of my beer to buy me some time to formulate an answer. But then the room wobbles a little, and my tongue feels heavy, but loose at the same time. Momentarily distracted by this sudden sensation, I blurt the truth. “I searched Google Maps for the nearest city called Rome, because that’s where Audrey goes inRoman Holiday.”

I’m met with blank stares, and I wonder what part of that statement is shocking them more. I decide to start with the least odd part of it. “You know…the classic movie?” More blank stares. “Oh, I’m sure you know it. It stars Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Audrey plays Princess Ann who runs away from her life ofroyalty one night, and…you have no idea what I’m talking about?”

---