The car was another silver lining from La-La Land. As if silver linings mattered. If she sold it, she’d have enough for the next six months of groceries, feed, and utilities. But then what? Drive around in the beat-up ’67 Ford Ranger that came with the house?
The leather interior was ripped and faded and smelled like a used wallet. The floorboards were worn. The passenger side window crank was a wrench. But the engine ran like a top, the old radio still hummed songs from the great Nashville stations, and the dinged-up and slightly rusted bed was perfect for hauling feed and hay. And Imani loved it.
“Just a bunch of us going over to Justin’s for fireworks,” Imani said, her hand on the doorknob. “His parents will be there.”
“Fireworks? Hearts Bend puts on the best fireworks show in Tennessee. You know Buck is giving a concert, right?”
“So?” Imani shrugged. “We were at his house last week for a guitar pull.”
Pardonez-moi.How ordinary to be friends with a country music great and his wife.
Gemma considered the request. “Be home by eleven. Remember second gear sticks so you have to double clutch.”
“I know, I know. Pops showed me.”
Pops wasn’t technically Imani’s grandfather, but since she had arrived on Gemma’s doorstep two years ago, the teen had been more than embraced by the Stone family. “Can I stay out until midnight? Iamsixteen and it’s the Fourth of July.”
“Oh, is there a special curfew dispensation for the Fourth?” Gemma’s eyes met Imani’s and in an instant,shewas the teen begging her parents to extend her curfew.
“Please…”
With a sigh, Gemma agreed. “Stay in a group. If Justin’s parents aren’t home, you leave. I’m not kidding, Imani. If I find out they weren’t there—”
“You’re the best.” The girl smacked a kiss on Gemma’s cheek and shot out the door without a backward glance.
“Hey, don’t worry about the chores and animals. I’ll tend to them by myself.” The passive-aggressive move didn’t work. Imani was in the truck, windows down, radio blasting, heading down the driveway, the tires spewing dust and what remained of the gravel.
Oh to be young. Oh to know then what she knew now.
Closing up the house, she hopped off the low, rotting-board porch and headed for her car.
She should ask Mama for tips on how to wield “mother guilt.” The woman was a master. Of course, she’d learned from the guru, the Yoda of the Guilt Force, Granny.
Down the long drive, she paused and glanced in the rearview mirror which framed the rambling farmhouse and red barn. A shallow satisfaction soothed her inner scars. Life was good, finally, and getting better.
This was the time to stop striving, bury old dreams and put down new roots, create a life from her rubble, and with time, forget she’d ever wanted to be a star. Forget she’d wanted to make a difference in the world. Forget she erroneously believed she was meant for something more.
To the herd, to Imani, Gemma was “something more.”
She found her parents among the Fourth crowd, staked out at their usual spot under a moss-laden oak. Their circle of chairs surrounded a card table and a food table covered with a red, white, and blue cloth.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.” Mama gave her a quick hug then scanned her empty arms. “Where’s your chair? Your sunscreen, your hat, your sunglasses?”
“I left them on the kitchen table.” Gemma sat in one of themanylawn chairs her parents provided.
“Where’s Imani? Did you forget her too?” Mama reached for a plastic bag from Hearts Bend Apothecary. “I spotted this cute top at the drugstore for her.” Mama pulled out a ghastly lime-green thing with a faux velvet green trim. “What do you think?”
“For a dust cloth?”
“Honestly, Gemma.” Mama sighed and held up the shirt for inspection. “It’s darling. She’ll love it. Where is she?”
“She drove the truck. Wanted to hang with her friends.” Gemma took the sack with the shirt and stuffed it in her Prada bag. “When she comes by, don’t mention this to her in front of her friends. She’ll say she likes it so she doesn’t embarrass you.”
“Maybe she will like it.” Mama made a face.
“Probably. She adores you.”
“I’m her granny, of course. Think of all she’s been through. We’re here to see she gets a good start in life.”
