Coasting into work a few minutes early, I grab clothes from my bag and change in the restroom. I’m surprisingly eager to turn off my brain and go through the motions since the relaxing weekend I had planned was anything but. It was life-altering and necessary but not the vegetative state I had planned.
My ponytail is barely through the back of my hat before Lainey pounces. “I’m gonna need a whole lotta tea, ma’am.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, hoping she means sweet tea for the six o’clock rush. But her face says otherwise.
“First of all, why didn’t I know you were in a band?” She pushes around me, trying to force eye contact while I pull a clean rag from a cabinet and fill a bus tub with soapy water to start cleaning.
“Because I’m not,” I answer truthfully.
“Ohhh, I see. So how many McHotties do you just happen to sing with?”
“Ahh,well… one’s hot, and two are a lot cuter when they’re not tricking me into unplanned performances. But I’m not in a band.” I tilt my head and shrug, continuing about my business.
“Sure.” She rolls her eyes. “You just went viral performing with some random smoke-show cowboy. I didn’t even know you could sing!”
“It’s Tennessee, Lainey. Everybody can sing.”
She shrugs and rolls her eyes, conceding the point. “Not to kill the vibe, but your boyfriend was here yesterday.”
“Nathan?” I clarify, but I know who she means.
She makes a face like she licked a lemon drizzled in dish soap. “Yeah.”
I pause, my heart rate ticking up when I correct her. “Ex-boyfriend.”
Dang, that feels good to say.But a seed of anxiety roots in my stomach.
Nathan has mentioned he can pick up a shift any time he needs extra money. Since he’s worked at Pop’s on and off since high school, he walks right into the kitchen to see Dave any time he wants.
I should’ve seen this coming. I’ll never be able to avoid him here.
Lainey’s dramatic sigh pulls me out of my mini spiral. “Oh, thank goodness you dropped that jerk,” she says with a hand over her heart. “He was mad as a hornet, too. He told Dave you’re a liar and you didn’t even visit your mom this weekend—said you were cheating on him with some guy in Nashville, and you have this whole secret life he didn’t know about.” She laughs at the absurdity. “I’m glad you weren’t here. That other time he got mad at you scared the crap out of me.”
“Me too,” I confess. “I’m sorry you had to see that. If anyone ever talks to you that way, leave. Thefirsttime.” I drag the industrial trash cans out of their enclosure and squat down to begin scrubbing.
“For sure. But that video! OH. MY. GOODNESS. Lucy, what happened in Nashville? I need to know. And don’t you dare say ‘What happens in Nashville stays in Nashville.’”
Okay,fair. That does sound like something I’d say.
“Ah, well, buckle up.” I pause, debating how much I should say. “I broke up with Nathan on Friday.”
“Big fan of this story so far.” Lainey stands guard with her hands on her hips, eyes shifting between both doors, watching for customers or Dave.
“After I left there, I went straight to my mom’s house in Cookeville. Sam stopped by on his way to Nashville, and I helped him get ready for a gig.His. Not mine,” I emphasize, pointing at her with a wet rag. “I was bribed, blackmailed, coerced—all the shady tactics—before I agreed to go with him. I only helped him because the other guys had to work and it wasn’t far from my mom’s house,” I explain. “That was my one and only gig. Ido nothave a secret life of any kind.”
“I find it hard to believe that was the only time y’all ever sang together.” She eyes me skeptically. “But who’s Sam? I thought DC was the cute musician guy. Why don’t you tell me these things? Your life’s better than a movie.” She pouts, wanting more, but everything’s so new. I’m not ready to share all the details for her entertainment, so I distract her the easiest way I know how.
“You’ve seen Sam in the drive-through—chocolate shake and fries with a side of honey mustard and three cherry lollipops.”
“No way! That’s the same guy? I love him.”
“Yep, that’s Sam Haynes. Rising country star with a sugar habit. Here, look.” I wipe my hands on my pants and pull my phone from my pocket, showing her a picture from mom’s porch with my siblings. “See? We were at my mom’s on Saturday. He’s family. No secrets. Here’s all of us with DC last week.”
“Sam’s always so nice to me,” she swoons.
“Yes, he’s very polite in drive-throughs.” I laugh.
Good. She took the bait. I’ll just have to keep Liza away from her or we’ll have a teenage catfight on our hands.
