“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’s fine. Ma just really had a hard time after dad left and then passed away. We all did. She’s been doing a lot better the last couple years, but she still has her days.”
“What happened, to your dad, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Cam sat up a bit straighter in the recliner. “He moved to Alaska for a good paying job in the oil fields. Things were always tight here on the farm. He said it would finally allow us to have the life we always wanted, but Chase and I were fine. Mama was happy. It was him. He wanted more."
Cam took a breath and continued, “He called pretty regularly at first, but then the calls became more scarce. He said he had gotten a promotion and that the job was demanding. About eight months after he left, Mama got a call saying he had passed away. There was an accident with some of the heavy machinery he worked on. I was ten and Chase was eight.”
“I’m so sorry,” Maggie wiped at a tear that streamed down her cheek.
Cam just nodded. After a few minutes, he said, “You know, you’re good for Chase. I can tell he really likes you. You two seem really happy together.”
His words stabbed at her heart. Maggie managed a thin smile. “He’s been a blessing to me.”
“Well that’s good. Seems like he’s always running away from us.”
Maggie tilted her head, “What do you mean?”
“After he graduated and things didn’t work out with Amber, he’s only been back to the farm a handful of times. Mama FaceTimes him every week to try to stay in touch and give him a chance to see Delilah and Banjo. I just don’t understand… How could he abandon us just like our dad did when he knows how much it hurts?”
Maggie’s muscles tightened. She felt the need to defend Chase. “Have you ever talked to him about it?”
“What good would that do? I don’t want him to feel obligated. I want him towantto be here.”
“I’m not defending him for not coming to visit, but if he wants to make it as a singer, doesn’t it make sense that he’d live in Nashville or Los Angeles?”
Cam snorted. “Yeah, he’s really gonna be able to make a good living doing that.”
“He had his big break, you know.” Maggie regretted the words immediately after she said them.
“What do you mean?”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. It’s not my place to say.”
“Well it’s not like he’s ever gonna tell us. But, clearly it wasn’t that big of a break if he’s still managing a bar. He could do that here in Alabama where he could actually help out his family on a regular basis. Where he could spend time with his mom.”
“He had the chance to play at the Hollywood Theater. But he gave it up.” Maggie couldn’t hold her tongue. Cam needed to know all that Chase had sacrificed to come home.
“What’s the Hollywood Theater?”
“It’s the most prestigious music venue in Los Angeles. Anyone who plays there is almost guaranteed to make it big.”
“So why’d he give it up? Did he flake out? Couldn’t handle the pressure?”
Maggie felt anger rising in her chest. She couldn’t take another second of Cam putting Chase down. “He gave it up for you. He was supposed to play there this weekend, but when your mom called and told him about your accident, he flew home immediately. He gave it up to be here.” Maggie turned and walked out.
After closing the door to the guest room behind her, tears welled in her eyes.Why am I crying? This isn’t my family. Chase isn’t my boyfriend. This is all just… made up. I gotta get out of here before I mess anything else up… and my heart gets irreparably shattered.
Maggie started throwing clothes into her backpack. When all of her stuff was packed, she made the bed and sat down to write Chase a note. Chewing on the pen cap, she tried to think of a way to encapsulate her feelings and explain why she had to go. It felt like waves were crashing into the shores of her mind, jostling all coherent thoughts from her brain. So, she simply wrote, “Thank you for everything.-Maggie.” Then, she put the note on the bed, grabbed her backpack, and reached for the light switch. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Tears were streaming down her face and she couldn’t pinpoint the reason.Why is this so hard? Just walk away, back into the life you know. LA was just an escape, Alabama was a whim, it’s time to face reality.
Chapter 35
Chase
“Maggie,”Chasesaidashe knocked on her door. He heard muffled noise, so he slowly pushed it open while covering his eyes. “Maggie, it’s me. I’m coming in.”
“You can open your eyes.”
Chase squinted and slowly lifted his lids. Maggie was sitting on the floor at the end of the bed. Her eyes were red and swollen.
