I know neither Deacon nor Rayna are in this chapter, but I thought it fit in here. Just a shot snippet from back home.
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Maddie got home from school and looked around the house to make sure no one else was around, then she snuck up to her room, grabbed her guitar and snuck out the back. She pulled out her phone and texted Teddy.
"Going to Zoe's for homework/dinner be home at 9:00?"
Teddy texted back a few minutes later.
"OK, but no later than 9:00."
Maddie knew that Teddy had been more lenient with her since the accident and she was more than willing to take advantage of that.
She waited at the bus stop that took her out of Belle Meade and arrived about 30 minutes later in Waverly. She got off the bus and headed across the street to a club called the Douglas Corner Café. She'd called at 1:00 to get on the list for the open mic night, and they said she was 2nd so she'd be playing around 8:15. That would give her enough time to play a couple of songs and get home before Teddy suspected anything.
When Maddie walked in the door she found the manager. "Aren't you a bit young to be in here?"
She lied, "I'm 16."
"16, huh?"
"Yeah, just turned 16 a couple of weeks ago. I'm here to play the open mic night. I talked to you on the phone. My name is Madeline."
"Right, Madeline, 8:15. Madeline what?"
Maddie thought for a second. She didn't really want to use her real last name, too many associations with the mayor. She thought about using her mom's maiden name like Rayna did, but everyone knew the Wyatt's in Nashville, Jaymes was out too. She wanted to make it on her own, not just as Rayna Jaymes' daughter.
"Claybourne. Madeline Claybourne."
"Well, nice to meet you 16 year old Madeline Claybourne, you're on second."
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Maddie nervously sat through the first set. She had never sung on stage without Daphne, and without the support of her mom in the audience. She wasn't sure she was ready when they called her name.
"And the next person up is a young singer songwriter. This is her first time playing here. Please give a warm welcome for Madeline Claybourne."
The audience waited patiently as Maddie walked up on stage, pulled out her mother's old guitar and started to play. She started with Ho Hey since she knew it so well. There were definitely people clapping at the end of that one, so she felt confident going into the next one.
"I wrote this song with my dad who's one of my musical inspirations."
Maddie began to play the song that she'd been working on with Deacon before he and Rayna had gone back out on tour. She had finished it by herself and she was really proud of it.
After she was done she smiled at the applause then walked off stage trying to hurry so she wouldn't be late for her curfew. As she did she walked past the manager.
"Not bad 16, why don't you come back and play next week?"
Maddie beamed, "I'll be here!"
Then she ran out the door barely catching the bus back to Belle Meade.
Back in the bar the manager was chatting with one of the other singer/songwriters after Maddie left.
"That girl was young, but pretty good, especially on guitar. What was her name?"
"Madeline Claybourne."
"You don't think she's Deacon's kid do you?"
"Nah, she probably just grabbed his last name as a stage name. When I first started playing I was Roger Hendrix." Both guys laughed at Roger's obvious lack of relation to Jimi Hendrix. "I think I'd know if Deacon Claybourne had a kid."