It seemed like only yesterday she was picking those flowers on the side of the highway for Pawpaw. She had even fallen in love with a man she believed would never take a chance on her. The long drive to the city left Evie with a lot to ruminate on, and for some strange reason, thesituation with the maniac driver left her feeling something strong instead of something frightening.
The lovely Dutch windmill on her right and the rumbling of numerous semis made her think of that cherished day all over again, the day he aired up her tire. It all started with a flyer. The butterfly effect was downright crazy in her life. A while ago, she was being scolded by her boss for not having enough projects done on time. And now she had been a hit with the Laysville residents with all of her local work. Her work at the café with both advertising and menu designing proved to be excellent when Joey’s numbers doubled in a month. Not to mention the salon had hired her to redesign their sign as well as their menu, and so many people raved about it on the local discussion page.
That was well before she signed off and things had taken an ugly turn.
But now, with the radio playing and the singing full in her lungs, she thought that maybe she would open her Facebook again. It had been well over a week, and perhaps the mental break was worth it.
Her car stereo buzzed, and her display showed that Caleb texted her a video. There was no way she was going to watch it though. She wasn’t that kind of driver. She’d wait until work, but it made the drive all the more annoying with the anticipation.
Evie arrived at work and inched into a parking spot that was barely big enough for her little sedan. She scoffed, “I hate when people can’t park within their own lines.”
She looked at the time and saw she had fifteen minutes to spare. Glee! She picked up her phone and watched Caleb’s video.
He was sitting in a workshop of some sort, and she could see a truck behind him. He had his acoustic guitar on his lap and a nice can of Diet Coke on the table. He was so handsome in his hoodie and sweatpants. He said, “Good mornin’, baby! I know you have a long week ahead of you with your presentations and stuff.”
Her eyes twinkled.
“I wanted to wish you luck, and in case if you’re stressed or anxious, I thought I’d play you a little song.”
When he strummed a chord to check the tuning, Evie jumped because a loud howling came from off the camera. Shelaughed hard!
Caleb reached down and patted something off the camera. “Quiet, Charlie. This is a solo project! There aren’t any backup vocals here!”
Evie smiled. Love filled her body as she realized then and there that Charlie had gone everywhere with Caleb. He was in nearly every photo of him, even in his truck, and in every video when he was on work sites.
He must’ve been a therapy dog.
Caleb began again nervously, yet cutely, “I’m the greatest singer in the world, so you know.”
She snickered. He was so damn charming when he was playful. She adored this side of him.
He strummed and sang, Brooks and Dunn’s “Brand New Man.”
No amount of restraint could contain her laughter. Evie squeezed her face and laughed so hard she about choked! It was one of her favorite songs, and the lyrics were perfect in that moment in their lives. Joy absolutely consumed her as she danced and sang along. It didn’t mean anything to her that he was off pitch and a little off time. His deep country accent and darling smile were all that he needed to charm her.
Then she hit the harmonies when they came in on the second verse.
Evie threw her head back and let it all out with happiness. She sang loudly, happily, and giggled with everything he did. There was no way in hell she could possibly be afraid of her presentations now.
Or even life for that matter.
He was in her corner. He was standing behind her, beside her, and leading her all at the same time. Tears came of both delight and comfort.
That dopamine rush hit like a metric ton of cocaine and ecstasy all at once without the lethal effects. Caleb was one intense drug, one that left her with no ill side effects. Just pure good things.
After the song was over, he simply smiled and said, “Love you, baby. You got this.”
The video ended, and she giggled. She had tried to control her emotional side a bit since being with him, but no girl in her right mind would’ve been stoic after that.
She called him, and he answered. She chuckled and said, “You have no idea how much you made me smile! You’re an absolute man!”
He laughed and looked at his workers getting the sander ready. “Well, you’re an absolute woman! I recorded that a while ago. Normallyyou jump on my messages in an instant. I started to feel like I was no longer your number one guy.”
She laughed at his sarcasm. It was his cute way of flirting. “You’re always going to be my number one guy. Especially with those amazing singing skills.”
“Yeah, I meant to tell you. I’m leavin’ for Nashville next week. Dolly and I got a date planned for a record deal.”
Evie snickered, holding her knuckles to her face. “Tell her I said ‘hello’, I love her music, and that I’ll happily share.”
