The Girl He Left Behind Read online

  “I guess not,” he said reluctantly. “But I’ll never change my mind that it’s the music that counts. Not all this other stuff.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m tired of this old argument, Adam. Yes, the music is important. Of course it is. But having your name and face out there, connecting with all those people who plunk down their money to buy your music and see your shows is equally important. In the long run, maybe even more important. And Rolling Stone! I mean, you’ve arrived. They hardly ever put a country star on their cover. The fact they want you means they consider you a crossover artist, and isn’t that what you wanted?”

  Before he could answer, his cell rang and he saw it was Austin calling.

  “Gotta take this,” he said, waving Bethany off.

  Accepting the call, he said, “Hey, bro. What’s up? Thought you were gonna send over that contract.”

  “I am. I will. But something’s happened,” Austin said.

  “Oh?”

  “Mom’s had a heart attack.”

  “What?” Adam stood. “When?”

  Bethany, alerted by his tone, frowned and got off his desk.

  “Right after I texted you, she collapsed. I called 911 and I’m riding in the ambulance on the way to the hospital right now. They’ve got her stabilized but it’s pretty serious. I think you need to come.”

  “Of course. You’re sure she’s gonna be okay?”

  “They think so, but we’ll see what the docs say when we get there.”

  “Okay. Keep me posted. I’ll try to get out on a flight tonight.”

  “What?” Bethany said when he hung up. “What do you mean, get out on a flight tonight? You have that interview tonight, Adam!”

  “This is more important.” He quickly explained what Austin had told him.

  Bethany opened her mouth, probably to protest, but closed it again when she saw the look on his face. She sighed wearily. “Okay, I’ll call Rolling Stone and explain. Hopefully they can postpone the interview for a few days and still make their deadline.”

  “Don’t make any promises. I have no idea how long I’ll be gone.” Adam was already packing up the stuff on his desk that he wanted to take with him.

  “What do you mean? Surely you won’t be gone that long.”

  His voice hardened. “I said, don’t make any promises. I’ll call you when I know my mother’s condition.”

  “I could come with you...” she said hopefully. “I can take care of everything from—”

  “It’s better if I go alone,” he said, cutting her off.

  “But—”

  Ignoring her, he strode out to the hallway where his secretary, Donna, had a desk. “Donna, get me on a flight to Austin tonight, however you can. And I’ll need a rental car when I get there.” Unfortunately, his personal plane was down for repairs.

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll be upstairs packing. Oh, and get me some cash, too, will you?”

  Because he knew she expected it, and because he was in no mood for any kind of scene right now, he told Bethany goodbye, dropped a hasty kiss on her lips and said he’d be in touch.

  Then he headed up to his bedroom to begin preparing for his first trip home to Crandall Lake since the day twelve years ago when he’d boarded the bus that had brought him here to Nashville—and success beyond his wildest dreams.

  * * *

  Eve drove slowly home after dropping the twins at Bill’s. It was always a wrench to see them leave. Sharing custody with him by alternating weeks was the fairest thing to do, she knew that, but just because it was fair didn’t mean she had to love it. She missed the twins when they were gone. Okay, so they were only fifteen minutes away, just on the other side of Crandall Lake, but the truth was, they might as well have been on the moon in comparison to where they lived with her.

  After the divorce, Eve had stayed in the starter home she and Bill had bought a few months after they were married. Well, he’d bought it. She certainly hadn’t had any money to contribute. She was only eighteen and barely out of high school. He was twenty-two and had been working at a good job for almost a year, ever since his graduation from college. The house was a small ranch style with three bedrooms, two baths and an attached garage. The only thing that made it different from its neighbors was the front porch Bill had paid extra to have added because he knew how much she loved having a front porch with a swing. Although the neighborhood was quiet and nice, it wasn’t anything special, and it was on the wrong side of town in terms of prestige.

  Bill and his new family, on the other hand, lived in the most fashionable part of Crandall Lake, right near the park and the river. Their home was a stately five-bedroom Colonial on a heavily wooded lot. There was a beautiful pool and they even had a tennis court. Bill was an avid tennis player.

  Bill’s new wife, Melissa, had already given him a child. Will was eleven months old, and the twins were crazy about him. They were crazy about Melissa, too, whom they called Missy. For days, it was “Missy this” and “Missy that” after they’d spent a week with Bill. Their attachment to Bill’s new family was a continual source of disquiet to Eve. She worried that because she was a working mother with limited time, and Melissa was a stay-at-home mother who always had lots of time to bake and play with her two and their baby brother, that one day the twins would prefer to live with their father full-time.

  How would she handle it if that happened? There was no way she’d agree, of course, but what good would refusing do her if the twins resented her for it? She didn’t want them by default. She wanted them to want to be with her.

  Olivia was always telling her she worried way too much, that she borrowed trouble, but Eve couldn’t seem to help it. She was a worrier, always had been. “Anyway,” as she’d told Olivia just last week when they were discussing the scary possibility Eve might be laid off from the paper, “I don’t have to borrow anything. Trouble just seems to find me!”

  Thinking about the twins and Bill and the whole rumored-layoff thing had pushed all thoughts of Adam Crenshaw out of her mind, but when she arrived home and saw the People magazine lying in the middle of her kitchen table, they came rushing back.

  Did he ever think about her?

  Wonder how she was doing?

  Weigh those two little words—what if?

  She doubted it. Because he had never, not once in all these years, tried to contact her. And unlike her failed attempts to call him in those early days, it would have been easy for him. After all, she had been here in Crandall Lake the entire time.

  Quit torturing yourself. Throw the stupid magazine away. Adam Crenshaw lives in a different world, one you’ll never be a part of. And that’s the way it was always meant to be. You knew that at the time. You have built a good life here. You need to remember that and stop mooning over what might have been.

  The magazine gave a satisfying thud as it hit the wastebasket.

  Chapter Two

  Donna had gotten him a seat on a red-eye arriving in Austin at one in the morning. As the plane banked, preparing to approach, Adam gazed down at the lights of the city. Although he was tired, he could never sleep while flying.

  By the time they landed and Adam picked up his rental car, he knew it would be close to 3:00 a.m. before he arrived in Crandall Lake. Austin had wanted him to stay with him, but Adam didn’t like being in someone else’s home—he liked his privacy—so his brother had booked a room at the Crandall Lake Inn. Adam couldn’t help smiling wryly at the thought of him, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, the eldest of the “wild Crenshaw boys,” actually staying at the posh inn. Of course, it might no longer be posh. He might find it had gone from its long-ago glory to a faded facsimile.

  But as he pulled into the driveway of the three-story inn, he saw that it had retained much of its charm. In fact, it still looked el
egant and the kind of place that attracted only the best. Adam wondered if he would be considered part of that elite circle now.

  “Mr. Crenshaw? Welcome to the Crandall Lake Inn.” The young woman at the desk gave him a bright smile, and he could see the excitement in her eyes. “I hope you had a good trip.”

  He nodded, returning her smile.

  “We’re so happy you chose to stay with us,” she continued as she swiped his credit card and gave him his keys. “Your suite is on the second floor, with a river view.”

  “Thank you.”

  Because he had only brought one bag, plus his guitar, with him, Adam turned down the help of the bellman and went up to his suite on his own. When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was the grand piano in the far right corner of the living area, which was large and well lit, with a wide expanse of windows and French doors overlooking the river. He wondered if this was a special suite chosen especially for him. He doubted there’d be many grand pianos at the inn. He was happy to see it. If he ended up having to stay in Crandall Lake for a while, it would help him to have it there. When he was writing music, he preferred to sit at his own piano with his guitar nearby. He would have to remember to thank the manager in the morning.

  To the left of the living area, an open door revealed the bedroom beyond. Setting his bag and guitar down, he walked over to the French doors, opened them and went out onto the wide balcony, where there were several wicker chairs and a table as well as potted plants. There was also another door leading into the bedroom beyond. The cool night air felt good, and the musical rush of the water below sounded soothing and perfect for sleeping.

  He knew he should hit the sack immediately. He wanted to be at the hospital early in the morning, and he hadn’t slept much at all in the past twenty-four hours. But he was wound up and he also knew he wouldn’t fall asleep easily. Deciding a hot shower, followed by a glass of brandy from the minibar, might do the trick, he went into the bedroom and began shedding his clothes. First, though, he would text Austin, let him know he’d arrived and see if there was any change in their mother’s condition. Austin’s answer came within seconds.

  Welcome home. Mom sleeping. No change. More tests tomorrow. See you in a.m.

  Reassured, Adam headed for the shower. Ten minutes later, standing under the hot spray, he could already feel some of the tenseness leaving his muscles, and he slowly relaxed.

  It was going to be interesting, being back in Crandall Lake. For the first time since he’d known he was coming, he allowed his mind to venture into the area he’d unsuccessfully attempted to banish from his thoughts many years ago.

  Would he see her?

  And if he did, what would he feel?

  What did he feel?

  He remembered how hurt he’d been by her decision. Her desertion. By the fact she had never tried to contact him afterward. When he’d discovered, a year or so later, that she’d gotten married scant months after he’d left for Nashville, he’d realized how right he’d been. She’d never really loved him. All she cared about was that family of hers. He’d been a fool to ever think otherwise.

  Hell, he hoped he would see her.

  And when he did, he would make it clear to her and anyone else in the vicinity that she meant absolutely nothing to him.

  Less than nothing.

  And when his mother was out of danger, he would persuade her to come and live with him, or at least to allow him to have a house built for her on his property in Tennessee. Then when he left Crandall Lake this time, he would not be back.

  * * *

  “I have something to tell you, Eve.”

  Eve looked at Olivia, who sat at the kitchen table, a glass of red wine in front of her. Her tone seemed awfully serious. “Oh? Something happen?” Olivia constantly had problems with her mother-in-law, and lately the problems had seemed to be escalating.

  Olivia nodded. “You could say that.”

  Eve lowered the heat under her spaghetti sauce. “Cryptic doesn’t work with me, Liv. You know I suck at mysteries. I never know who dunnit.” Satisfied that her sauce would simmer while the pasta cooked, she poured herself some wine and turned to face her cousin and BFF, as the kids would say.

  Olivia’s expressive brown eyes met Eve’s. “I almost called you yesterday, but decided this was something I had to tell you in person.”

  Concern. That was what Eve was seeing. She frowned.

  “Adam Crenshaw was at the hospital today,” Olivia said slowly.

  The statement hit Eve like a blow to her stomach. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at Olivia. “A-Adam...is...is here? In Crandall Lake?” But he wasn’t supposed to be coming to Texas until September. In fact, Eve had planned to tell Olivia about his upcoming concert tour tonight.

  Olivia’s eyes were soft with sympathy. She was the only one besides Bill who knew about Adam. Eve, in a low moment years ago, had finally told her cousin about him, but Olivia’d been sworn to secrecy. In fact, they never talked about him. Olivia, like Eve, understood it was better not to dwell on things that couldn’t be changed.

  Eve, shaking inside, sank into the chair across from Olivia. Her cousin reached across the table and took Eve’s hand.

  “Are you okay?” she said softly.

  Eve swallowed. “I guess I have to be, don’t I?”

  “Oh, hon, I know how you must feel. I’m sorry, but I knew you needed to know.”

  Eve nodded. Olivia did know how she felt. Olivia had been through worse. She’d lost her beloved husband, Mark, four years ago when his helicopter crashed in Afghanistan. Thea, her little girl, had been born after he died. “Wh-what was Adam doing at the hospital?”

  “He came because of his mother. She had a heart attack yesterday. Apparently, his brother called him, and Adam came home. He told me he got in late last night.”

  “You talked to him?”

  “Yes.” Olivia worked the day shift in Registration and Admissions at the Crandall Lake Hospital.

  “I thought you said Adam’s brother brought her in.”

  “Yes, she was brought in late yesterday afternoon, after I’d gone home for the day, but several things were left off the admission form, so I went searching for Austin—you know, the brother who’s the lawyer. He’s the one who filled out the forms. By the time I found him, Adam was there, too.”

  Eve knew who Austin was. She’d even seen him a few times, but she didn’t really know him and had never spoken to him. Crandall Lake was a small town, but not that small. People pretty much knew everything of interest or importance that was happening, but not everyone was on speaking terms with everyone else. “Is Adam’s mother okay?”

  “She will be, according to the doctors, although there are more tests to run. But even if she is, she’ll be recuperating for a while, and apparently Adam’s going to stay right here in Crandall Lake while she does. In fact, he told me he hopes to bring her back to Nashville when she’s well enough to travel. He said he wants her to live with him.”

  Eve got up to check the pasta while Olivia kept talking. But each word her cousin uttered contributed to Eve’s sense of unreality. Was this really happening? Was Adam Crenshaw really here? In Crandall Lake? For the duration of his mother’s recuperation? As far as she knew, he had never come back here before. She also knew—courtesy of the very efficient gossip network in Crandall Lake—that he’d taken care of his mother financially once he’d begun to make money, so that she’d never had to work again. And Eve had also heard how Lucy Crenshaw visited her son often. People had speculated about why he never came to Crandall Lake, though, and what they could do to get him to come. His appearance now was bound to create a huge splash.

  Oh, God. What if she should run into him? What would she say? Could she manage it and act normal? Or would she fall completely to pieces like that old Patsy Cline song?
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  “Do you want to know anything else?” Olivia asked after a minute. “Or do you want me to quit talking about this?”

  Eve didn’t immediately answer. Instead, to give herself time to calm down, she tested a strand of pasta, then turned the burner off and poured the pasta into a waiting colander sitting in the sink. She didn’t look at Olivia.

  “Eve? You okay?”

  “Yes.” But she wasn’t. She was a mess.

  “You sure?”

  Eve sighed deeply. Turned away from the sink and met Olivia’s eyes again. “How does he look?”

  “Want me to say he’s really ugly in person? Or do you want me to be honest?”

  “Be honest.”

  “He looks even better than in his photos. Sexy and handsome and charming. But nice. Awfully nice. I can see what you saw in him, Eve. He didn’t act like a big star at all. He just seems like a regular guy. A decent, regular guy worried about his mother.”

  Yes, even at eighteen he’d been all of those things. He’d been many other things, too. Sweet. Reckless. Sensitive. And lonely. He’d always tried to hide his gentler qualities, though. It hurt Eve to think about him, about the way he’d been with her, about how much she’d loved him, and how much she’d wanted to go away with him. That was why she had tried to erase him from her mind, to not think about him. But that had always been impossible. And always would be.

  “What are you going to do, Eve?” Olivia asked as Eve finally picked up the drained pasta and dumped it into the pasta bowl sitting on the countertop. Absently, she ladled sauce over the steaming spaghetti.

  “I don’t know. I mean, I probably won’t even see him.” But her mind was whirling. If he stayed long enough, chances are she would run into him. Then what?

  “What if he calls you?”

  “He won’t.” Eve put the bowl of spaghetti on the table. Took the casserole dish filled with her signature turkey meatballs out of the microwave where they’d been staying warm and set them on the table, too.