11

That Saturday, there were rumors that the legendary James Cantor, the man who made star careers, had rolled into their little town. The knot in Beau's stomach tightened when he saw Chiles turn white as a sheet. He reached across the wooden table at their booth and covered her hand in his. "Are you all right?"

He watched her shake off her dismay and put on her smile number three, the one she used when she was nervous. "Yea,of course. Why wouldn't I be all right? I'm sure he's just visiting and wanted to see how I'm doin' and all that. "

"You just look a little pale..."

"I just don't feel all that well. Must have been something I ate. Do you mind if we take this to go and just go home. I wanna just lie on the couch with you and have a hot mug of tea."

He wanted to remind her that she hadn't eaten since that salad at lunch but thought better of it. Instead, he just gave her hand a light squeeze before going up to the counter and changing their order. His shoulders were rigid as he leaned against the edge of the wooden bar. Everything had been going so well and the last thing he wanted was to have anything bring it to a full stop.

Chiles was quiet during the entire ride home and went straight to bed with a quickly murmured, "I'm exhausted." It made Beau lose his appetite too, the worrying and the paranoia. He put the takeout in the refrigerator and got ready for bed himself, knowing there was no way he could get any writing down tonight. He headed to her room, where he had seen her disappear and was about to slip under the covers when he heard her small voice in the dark. "Beau, I-I really don't feel well. Do you mind if I just... I just think I need to be alone tonight." She was huddled, her knees hugged to her chest and the last thing he wanted to do was leave her like that. But the little fists her hands made, so tight her knuckles were white, made him want to grant her every request.

"Yea, all right." He tucked her in and tried to ignore the way she flinched when he kissed her forehead good night. "I'm in the next room if you need anything."

He had one foot out the door when he heard her small voice. "Beau?" He turned back, hoping she'd change her mind. "I'm sorry I'm- I mean, I'm sorry I don't feel well."

He sighed. He could almost feel her hugging herself tighter. "I'm sorry too. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning," he said, knowing full well this was much bigger than what she had let on.

He closed the door just as she whispered to the darkness. "Maybe..."

The next day, after church, they find him waiting for them on the front step of the house. He was just as Beau had remembered him. He lost a bit of weight, his usual black suit hung off his frame, and he had lost a bit of that fight in him, but he was still the man who showed up at the rehab center one day and turned his whole world on its head.

"James," Chiles was the first one to speak. Since last night, she had been quiet. Their breakfast was spent in unnerving silence and her whole spirit just seemed to have drifted off. She stepped forward and gave the man in black a quick hug before pulling back, her arms wrapped around herself and fingering the light fabric of her sunday dress. "How've you been?"

"I'm all right. Now let me have a look at you." He lightly held her by the forearms at arm's length. "You look good, Chiles. Healthy. Are you happy here?" She nodded mutely, wisps of her hair escaped her bun. "And Beau, how are you doing? Taking care of this one, I hope."

Beau was at once cautious at the sound of his voice. There was James Cantor, the slick businessman he had come to loathe. He had seen glimpses of the man whom Kelly fell in love with years ago, the man who really just wanted to help his wife and thought he knew best, but it was still difficult to reconcile the two. Kelly used to say he reminded her a lot of a younger James and he had taken it to heart. He would never let Chiles get to be the way Kelly was. For all his teasing, he was grateful and glad that Chiles never drank at the bar or even curse at him when she was angry.

"I'm doin' all right, James. What brings you all the way out here?"

"Straight to the point. I always liked that about you." He still had his hands on Chiles, who was now looking distractedly in every direction to avoid the looming confrontation between the two men. James' ability to reduce her to the scared church mouse she used to be angered him.

"Cut the bull shit, James. What are you here for?"

"Maybe you should invite me in. Manners-"

"James, tell me what you're here for before I throw you off my property."

James sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which flopped lifeless across his forehead. "Well, Beau. If you must know, I'm here to take Chiles back with me to Nashville."