Brianna picked up her purse and caught up with the rest of the group, her heart pounding and stomach sinking to the bottoms of her shoes. She practically dragged her feet as she walked at the back of the group. Maybe if she stayed back there she could avoid going to the counter altogether and her family might miss her in the crowd.
Fat chance.
She stared down at the road so she didn’t notice when someone slowed down and started walking beside her.
“We missed you at dinner last night,” Rachael said, startling Brianna. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, everything is fine.” Brianna gave Rachael what she hoped was a bright and cheery smile.
Rachael tilted her head. “You sure? It looked like you were ready to ditch us today too. And we’re walking pretty slowly back here.” She lifted her chin at the rest of the group, which had gotten a ways ahead and was just disappearing around a bend in the road.
“Okay, you’re right. I almost did ditch.” Brianna stopped walking.
Rachael smiled. “I knew it. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“Well, the coffee shop we’re going to? That’s my uncle’s shop. He and my aunt basically took me in when I was a kid.” Brianna decided not to elaborate on that. She didn’t know what Rachael would think. “I’ve worked there since I was a teenager. They weren’t exactly thrilled to find out I’d gotten into the workshop this week.”
Rachael’s eyes widened as realization dawned on her. “They didn’t know you’d entered, did they?”
“No. They didn’t even know I play.” Brianna expected her to be surprised at that, but Rachael gave her a sympathetic smile instead, encouraging her to continue. “I don’t share my music with my family because they’ll take it away.”
“Take it away?”
“My family has a history you could say. My uncle is trying to shake that off and he believes the way to do it is to work hard, not waste your time pursuing music. Doing that can attract the wrong people, lead to the wrong lifestyle.” Brianna shook her head. “It’s hard to explain. My family won’t physically stop me, but it’s more like…” She searched for what she wanted to say. “My uncle will give his opinion and it’ll oppose mine, and his words will have the weight and gravity of granite beneath a city and my words will only be words. Flimsy and gone as soon as I say them. Dismissed.”
Rachael smiled and nodded. “I had to hide my talents too. My father would have stopped me because he wanted to keep me low, to crush me, and the best way to crush a woman is to keep her from doing what she’s meant to do.” Rachael grabbed Brianna’s hand. “It sounds like your uncle is opposing you out of love, trying to protect you. But the end result is the same. You have to stand up for yourself, Brianna. Trust that you know what’s best for you.”
“It’s hard because he does love me, they all do. I feel like I’m more a part of their family than I am of my own. My cousins April and Hannah feel more like my sisters some days. Okay, a lot of days. And I hate to say it but my uncle feels more like a dad to me, and my aunt like my mom. I don’t want to let them down. They need my help at the coffee shop, and I owe them for taking me in all the times my parents were in trouble.”
“Brianna, I know you feel like you owe them, but it’s not like that with family—true family that loves you. I’ve come to learn that lesson since Jake came into my life and his family welcomed me without strings or conditions. Are you sure it’s your family that’s putting pressure on you, or is it you putting pressure on yourself to stay?”
Brianna laughed. “Maybe a bit of both.”
“The sooner you get it figured out, the sooner you can keep doing what you love.”
The knot in Brianna’s chest that had been building since Anthony announced their destination loosened. “Thanks, Rachael. You’ve been a huge help.”
Rachael grinned and chuckled. “Oh, it’s completely self-serving. I just want to hear you play more. You have true talent, and I’m excited to see how far it will take you.”
“Thank—” Brianna’s words were cut off by the roar of an engine. A car flew around the bend in the road. It sped up, heading straight for them.
Brianna grabbed Rachael and pulled her back just as the car swerved at them before disappearing up the road.
“Oh my God!” Rachael covered her heart.
“Are you okay?” Brianna asked, her own heart pounding out an erratic drumbeat. She saw some of the group reappear around the bend, Jake in the lead and sprinting now that he’d caught sight of them.
“I’m fine,” Rachael answered as Jake got to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Dammit, angel, you are not to leave my sight from now on,” Jake said. “Are you all right?”
“I am because Brianna saved me,” Rachael answered. “She pulled me out of the way just in time.”
Still holding Rachael, Jake’s fierce gaze fell on Brianna and softened. “Thank you. Badger’s right; you’re something else.”
Brock said that to Jake?Her heart fluttered. “It was nothing. Anyone else would’ve done the same thing.”
“No, Brianna. Other people would have saved their own asses first.” Jake stroked Rachael’s hair. “I am in debt to you.”
