Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies (An Adams Grove Novel) (7 page)

“You won’t know if you don’t try.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see, then.”
And if it isn’t right, will you give me a chance?

“Good. Let’s go back out there and see what kind of trouble Jake and Shutterbug are causing with your boys.”

There wasn’t much left but some random scraps of crust and Shutterbug looked like she’d probably had more than her share.

Kasey stacked the empty boxes.

Cody reached for them. “Here, I’ll take those out to the trash. And let me at least pay you for the pizza.”

“Nope. We can barter though.”

“You want to take it out in trade? Please tell me you don’t mean with photographs.” He looked to the heavens. “Please let this be my lucky day.”

“No.” She swatted at him. “I was thinking more along the lines that y’all could play me a song or two.”

“That’s not exactly the same thing I was thinking, but yeah, that’s doable.” Cody grabbed a couple of the guys and asked them to get guitars from the bus.

“We’re on it.” Pete threw a stack of plates in the trash. Jake was right on his heels, like a little shadow. “Jake, you wait here.”

Jake looked disappointed. “Where are they going, Mom? Do they have to leave already?”

“No, honey. They’re going to play some music.”

“We love music,” he said.

Cody nodded. “My kind of guy.”

The guys came back in with a couple of guitars, a set of maracas, and a small drum.

“Cool,” the drummer said. “I was eyeing that fancy hat box on the shelf, but that’ll work even better.”

Jake ran from the kitchen. When he returned Kasey hitched a breath.

Cody looked up and saw Jake with a guitar.

Kasey’s jaw went slack, but she didn’t say a word about him carrying his father’s guitar.

“You okay? I can go get another guitar for him to play with. We have a trailer full of equipment out there.”

“No, no. It’s okay. It’s fine. Nick would love it.” Her brows knit together a little. “I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s fine.” Kasey sat down on one of the bar stools and put on a strained smile.

“Come here, Jake.” Cody lifted Jake up on his knee and helped him with the position of the guitar. “Do you know how to do the chords?”

“I don’t know.”

“Here. I’ll help you.” Cody held the guitar in front of them and placed his own fingertips on the chords, then guided Jake through the strumming motion. “Good job. Now kind of do it in time with the song.” Jake watched Pete and tried to mimic his strums. “You’re a natural.”

Cody couldn’t stop smiling at the serious look on this little boy’s face. You’d think he was cracking the code to cancer or something.

“Sing for us, Pete,” Cody said. “We’ll do one of your favorites.”

“You’re the singer.”

“Don’t go all modest on us.” Cody put his hand on top of Jake’s and helped pick through the beginning of Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” “Your favorite. Come on, man.” Cody leaned in toward Kasey. “He’s a good singer. You’ll love this.”

Pete closed his eyes through the first few chords, then started singing. Everyone else joined in, some playing, some singing along.

Cody nudged Kasey to get her attention, then nodded toward the front door. “You’ve got company.”

Kasey jumped up and went to the door to greet Scott. One of the roadies must have heard him at the door and let him in.

Cody watched her. He recognized that look on Scott’s face from last year. He’d kind of hoped he’d fallen out of the picture by now, but if he was still around, then it was likely something more was going on between the two of them.

Scott followed Kasey into the room, then walked over and extended his hand to Cody.

“Been a while,” Scott said.

“Yeah, it has.”
Could have been longer and I’d have been okay with it.

“Didn’t know you were going to be in town. Good to see you.”

Bullshit.
“Concert’s flooded out.”

“We’re playing music.” Jake strummed the guitar with enthusiasm.

“I see that.” Scott edged closer to Kasey, but she stepped out of Scott’s zone. “That’s what Kasey was just saying. It’s a mess down there.”

Cody felt a little joy rush through his veins when she dashed off to the kitchen. Scott’s little claim-stake move didn’t work.

“Nice that you had somewhere to stop as you passed through.”

“Couldn’t have worked out better,” Cody said.

Kasey came back in the room carrying a bottle of water. She leaned on the edge of the sofa a safe distance from either of them.

Scott said, “Yeah, I stopped in the diner and they mentioned Kasey’d just picked up fifteen large pizzas. I figured something was up.”

You sure as heck knew what was going on by the time you drove up and saw my name plastered all over the side of one of those buses.

“How long y’all going to be around?” Scott asked.

Longer than you’d like, I’ll bet.
“Couple days.”

Scott’s radio sounded and a staticky message, that probably no one but Scott understood, interrupted the greeting. “Duty calls. Good to see ya.”

Cody was thankful something took him out of the picture just then. It looked to him like Sheriff Scott Calvin had signed up to be next in line for Kasey’s affections, and that shouldn’t even bother him. Scott was a nice enough guy, but right now Cody had to admit that he felt like the guy was just in the way.

Kasey closed the door behind Scott and came back to the couch. Cody grabbed her hand as she walked by.

The guys transitioned from the song they were playing to Cody’s very first number one song, “It’s a Tragedy.”

Jake belted out the words. Cody liked the thought of Kasey playing his music enough that her son knew all the words to his songs.

“You’re a good singer, Jake,” Cody said.

“Me and Mom sing in the car all the time.”

Kasey blushed and stood up. “Come on, Jake. It’s time to call it a night, buddy.”

“Mom?”

“Sorry, sport. You need your sleep. Give everyone a high five, then run get in your jammies and brush your teeth.”

Jake raised his hand in the air and then zoomed around the room, slapping everyone’s hand in the process and then flinging himself into Cody’s arms. “G’night!”

“Sorry,” Kasey said, reaching out for him.

“Come back when you’re changed and I’ll come tuck you in,” Kasey said to Jake.

“I want you to tuck me in,” Jake said to Cody.

“Me?” He looked to Kasey to see if she was okay with it.

“You don’t have to.”

“No. No… it’s fine. I want to.” Cody stood, lifting Jake as he did. “We’re good. Come on, little man.” Cody spun Jake from his hip to his back and then galloped back to his bedroom. He waited in the hall as the little boy changed into his pajamas and then ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Jake came out and smiled a toothy grin. “All clean!”

“Good work,” Cody said, then stooped to let Jake climb onto his back again. “You ready for a crash landing?”

Jake laughed and bobbed his head. “Yes!”

Cody galloped around the corner to Jake’s room, then let go of Jake’s legs and let him fall back onto the bed.

“Good night, bud.”

“Prayers first,” Jake said.

“Right.”

Jake scrambled to the floor and knelt beside the bed with his hands folded on the comforter. Cody followed his lead. Jake peeked up at Cody and whispered, “You have to close your eyes.”

“They were closed. I was checking to see if you were checking.”

“Okay,” Jake said. “Dear God, it’s me, Jake. Thank you, God, for helping me to do the things we should, to be to others kind and good; in all we do, in work and play, to grow more loving every day.”

“A—” Cody started but Jake continued on.

“God bless Daddy in heaven, and Mommy, and Grem, and Aunt Riley and Uncle Von, and Mr. Scott, and Shutterbug is sorry for chewing the rug on the back porch, and God bless the parade tractors and all of the band and the songs and Cody for bringing me home before and coming here again tonight. He makes us happy.”

“Me too, buddy.” Cody hugged Jake.

“Amen.” Jake unclasped his hands and nudged Cody. “Now you say it.”

“Amen.” Cody said and then Jake scrambled underneath the covers and squeezed his eyes tight as Cody tucked them in and around his little frame.

K
asey watched from the hallway as Cody tucked Jake into bed. She hoped it hadn’t made Cody uncomfortable. Her heart hammered and she suddenly felt hyperaware of the emotions that had been buried since the day she lost Nick. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time.
Since you, Nick.

Cody looked surprised to see her standing there as he walked out. “He’s the coolest kid.”

She smiled extra wide, hoping he wouldn’t notice the tremble of her lip. “Yeah, he is. Best thing in my life. He thinks you’re pretty cool too.”

“I am.” Cody slipped his arm around her waist.

“And modest.” She loved how he kept things light. He made it easy to be around him. If she didn’t know firsthand just how big a star he was, she’d never believe it. He was more down-to-earth than just about anyone she knew. Too bad they didn’t make Cody Tuggle in a regular working-guy-dad model.

“Come walk with me. I have a little something for you,” he said.

“For me?”

“Yeah. You. I don’t see anyone else standing next to me,” he teased. “Am I wrong or is your birthday Saturday?”

“It is.” She was surprised at the thrill him remembering it stirred. “I can’t believe you remembered.”

“I didn’t exactly. I saw your calendar in the kitchen. I knew it was the first week of September, but couldn’t remember which day. I do have a gift on the bus for you though. I’d planned to mail it this week, but since we’re here…” He pulled his arm from around her like he knew she’d be uncomfortable in front of everyone like that.

“We’re gonna step out for a second. Pete, you got Jake?”

“I’ll listen for him,” Pete said.

She lowered her voice. “Where are we going?”

“Just to the bus.” He led her to the front door and held it for her.

What are you up to? What are the guys going to think?
She hesitated but only for a moment, then she stepped outside and he closed the door behind them.

The wind was kicking up but the air was as sticky as a midsummer night. The cloud cover made it extra dark. She let Cody take her hand and lead her to the huge bus.

He punched in the code to open the door. Flush-mounted LEDs illuminated each step. He climbed in first and then held out his hand to help her.

Cody hit a switch and the room warmed to a soft glow.

Kasey let go of his hand and walked ahead of him. “Wow. It might look the same on the outside, but it’s totally different on the inside.”

“Do you like the colors?”

Kasey walked through the space taking it all in. “I do. Yes, very soothing. It’s so much brighter.”

“Yeah. They have a new designer and she talked me out of the dark colors I usually have and into the tan and teals. I’m glad she did.”

“Reminds me of turquoise and desert sands. It seems so much roomier too. It must be the color.”

“A little, but I think having separate chairs instead of everything being a blocky couch really works in here. There’s more empty space and wait until you see it with the slide-outs. They did some amazing flipping and folding. This thing even exceeded my expectations.” He motioned to the far side of the bus. “Are we clear on this side if I open the slide-out?”

“There’s no fence on that side,” she said.

He pushed a button and the motor hummed as the room expanded.

“It’s like those Transformers Jake loves so much.” She spun around in the center of the space. Inlaid glass tile, hand-tooled leather inlay on the overhead compartments, and the floors looked like hand-scraped wood planks. Comfortable, but no doubt high-end.

Cody looked proud of the new digs. “I don’t know how manly all this is, but I’m liking it.”

“I don’t think anyone is going to challenge your manhood.” She remembered the exact thought that had gone through her mind the first time she’d photographed him.
This guy could wear a pink tutu and look masculine.

He opened a double cabinet over the sink and took down a white glossy box.

Does he have the market cornered on those white glossy boxes?
It looked just like the one he’d given her last year at the last concert before she left the tour, only this time the ribbon was shiny steel blue, like his eyes, instead of teal.

“You really didn’t have to do this.” Her name was printed on a small white envelope tucked into the top of the box. She tugged on the ribbon.

Her mind wandered to last year. Jake had taken the long length of ribbon and run through the yard with Shutterbug, not even ten pounds soaking wet yet, running after him. They’d played with that ribbon for a week until it was so frayed it looked like dental floss.

“It worked out perfect that I’m here to actually give it to you. I’d planned to mail it, and you see how well I planned that.”

She tugged the silk ribbon free and laid it in her lap, trying to contain the nervous jitters by biting down on the inside of her lip.

Cody sat down next to her. His leg felt warm against hers. She wanted this warmth, welcomed it. He smelled of soap, shampoo, something fresh.

She resisted looking up at him. With her eyes lowered, she gently peeled the white paper from the box. Inside, another box of black velvet was about the size of a watch box. She flipped open the hinged lid, and lifted a gold bracelet from the box.

“It’s beautiful.” Three charms dangled from it: a camera, a white-gold music note, and a teddy bear. Between each charm there was a silver-and-gold bead.

Cody fingered the teddy bear charm. “This one is chocolate diamonds.”

“Like Bubba Bear?”

He nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. They don’t make red licorice diamonds, but I’ve put in first dibs if they ever do.”

I love red licorice, but chocolate diamonds are a-okay.
“I think I may like chocolate diamonds better.”

“I was thinking they match your eyes.”