But I don’t mean the babbling water or the cattails lining the shore or the dragonflies darting through the air like living sparks of magic.
I meanher.
Pink stains her round cheeks. Her lips are still swollen from making out at the bluegrass concert like teenagers, then fucking like wild animals all night—and again after waking up. Cut-off denim shorts cling to her thick thighslike a second skin and the front lacing of her yellow peasant blouse has come undone at the top, revealing the gorgeous swell of her breasts.
Everything about her is breathtaking.
I set down the cooler and take off my boots and socks, too. “You and Erin seem to get along well.”
Tally swings her legs, grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah. She wants to be a choreographer but endured some setbacks. In a way, her passion reminds me of my own and I’d love to bring some opportunities her way. Behind the scenes, of course.”
“That’s nice of you.” I cuff my jeans and sit beside her.
“Just tryin’ to be the kind of woman who uplifts other boss babes when they need a hand.”
I smile to myself. As I said, she’s perfect—inside and out.
Goosebumps rush up my calves as my feet touch the water. “Oh, this feels good.”
Tally hums. “You ever notice how water sounds different everywhere?”
I reach into the cooler and crack open a can of beer. “Water’s water, no?” I offer the beer to her but she shakes her head.
“No, it ain’t! Some places it rushes like nature is reminding us of its power. Other places it babbles playfully. Here, it sounds like it’s tryin’ to tell a story.”
“I spend so much time near the water fishing, but I never thought of it that way,” I admit.
If I’m honest, I still don’t hear it. But I love how she sees the unusual in the mundane. The beauty in the ordinary.
“Listen, Big Guy! It’s like a song.”
She takes her guitar from the case and puts it on herlap. Carefully, she plucks the strings as if to capture the sound of the creek, but that’s not all.
Fuck, I know that melody. It’s a variation of ‘Love’s an Outlaw’, our first song. The one we never got to finish.
I chug my beer, trying to keep calm.
“Ugh, I still can’t find the right notes!” Tally looks at me, her gentle gaze holding curiosity. “Can you help me, please?”
“No!” I burst out, shocked at how hard my panicked voice sounds.
But Tally doesn’t bat an eye. Her disposition is as sunny as before. “I thought you couldn’t refuse me anything? But that sounded a whole lot like nope with a side of hell naw.”
My throat tightens and I lubricate it with a gulp of beer. “It’s not that Iwannasay no, Trouble. I think I’m gonna make it worse. Told you I’m no use for songwriting anymore… if I was ever any good to begin with.”
“No, you weren’t good, Rust.”
My chest pinches.
“You were great,” she adds with a smirk.
Heat crawls over my neck. “I haven’t written a single note or even one hook since we broke up. Believe me, you don’t need me. If you stick with it, the music is gonna come to you.”
“Relax. I’m not askin’ you to write anything. Just listen and tell me what’s wrong with this, okay?”
I grumble as she picks at the strings. It’s always been a cute tune, but it feels too shallow for the emotional lyrics, as if it lacks a core.
“Does it have to bethisparticular song?” I ask.
