Deacon
He really was going to kill Vince when he finally talked to him. His friend had been dodging his calls ever since he'd gotten off the phone with Rayna. He also knew Vince always meant well and he was the one who'd been bugging him to get off the can and get out there again. He walked down the hall to Maisie's room. If she didn't hurry up, they would be late.
"Maiz, are you dressed yet?" he asked as he approached her room. When he got to her door, she was not getting dressed at all. Instead, she was sitting on the floor with a book. "Maisie, sweetie, I thought you were changing clothes." When he'd told her they were going to meet someone, she had wanted to change. Not an unusual thing for her. She generally changed clothes at least once every day. Sometimes twice.
Maisie dropped the book and got up. "I am," she said.
He chuckled. "No, you're not. You're looking at a book." He stepped into her room. "You want me to help you pick something out?"
"No," she said firmly, a scowl on her face. "I can do it."
"Are you sure?" He always held his breath when she picked out her clothes, which was most of the time. She was very... creative. And had a stubborn streak a mile wide, so there was never any changing her mind.
"Yes." She stood there, hands on her hips, trying to look defiant. He wanted to laugh, but he knew that would just make her mad.
"So what are you gonna wear?"
"That." She pointed to her bed, and he saw the ballet skirt lying on her bed, something he hadn't noticed when he'd walked in. Audrey and Cole had given her that for her birthday. Actually, it was a whole ballerina outfit, because Maisie had seen one and said she wanted it. The skirt was a light pink with sparkles, a light kind of material, and it hit just above her ankles. It had something underneath it to make it pouf out – Audrey had described it all, but he didn't remember – which meant it was kind of big, but not overly so.
"Your ballet outfit?"
"Just this." She pointed at the skirt again. "And my sweater." She was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt, not a sweater, that was light green with a rainbow on the front. Not really a match.
He frowned. "You sure? You don't want to wear something else?"
"Yes, I'm sure." She frowned at him again and he knew he'd lost the battle. He supposed it could have been worse.
"Okay, well, let's do it then."
She glared at him. "Turn around, Daddy."
He smiled. "Okay." She was at a phase where she didn't like for him to watch her get dressed. They were far beyond the age where she'd let him pick out her clothes. He recognized his own stubbornness in her. The apple sure don't fall far from the tree. He turned around, waiting for her to put on the skirt.
There had definitely been challenges in raising a child by himself, particularly a girl child. He'd been lucky though that, in spite of her stubbornness, Maisie was a good, loving kid. She was affectionate and sweet, most of the time. Raising a daughter sometimes gave him pause. Audrey was always available to answer his questions, which had been a godsend. So far those questions hadn't been too complicated, but he was already dreading the pre-teen and teenage years. Most of all though, he loved her more than anyone in the world. She had wrapped him around her tiny finger the moment she was born and that had not changed.
After a couple of minutes she said, "I'm ready." When he turned, his eyes widened. She was still also wearing the blue leggings she'd had on under the skirt, plus she had put on a tiara and had a little wand in her hand.
"Don't you want to leave the wand at home, so you don't lose it?"
She shook her head so hard the tiara fell off. "No," she declared. She leaned over and picked up the headpiece and put it back on her head.
"Alright then, let's go." He held his hand out and was somewhat surprised when she took it. She was at an age where she was developing her own sense of self, which included a fierce independent streak. They were almost to the front door when she jerked her hand away.
"I need Rainbow!" she shouted as she turned and ran back down the hall. After a minute she came running back holding a stuffed unicorn with rainbow stripes, one she'd had since she was a baby. "I'm ready," she announced. This time, when he tried to take her hand, she pulled away from him. He just smiled to himself as he walked behind her out to his truck.
Rayna
She was sitting in one of the smaller rehearsal spaces. Sound Check wasn't super busy that day and she suspected a 4 year old might want some room to run around in, so it worked. She was checking her phone for messages when the door opened, and she looked up. Deacon walked in and she was struck again by that pulse of energy that swept through her whenever she looked at him. It was so crazy to her that that instinctual feeling she'd had about him 10 years ago was still there. Somehow it felt like fate. Kismet maybe. Something. But then she was drawn to the little girl holding onto his hand. She had on a coat but underneath she could see a fairy princess kind of skirt and little white boots. She was holding on to a stuffed animal. She had dark hair, the color of Deacon's, and when they got closer, she could see the little girl had brown eyes. She assumed those came from her mother, since Deacon's eyes were that mesmerizing shade of blue.
She stood up as they approached and smiled. "Hey, Deacon. Thanks for coming." She looked at the little girl, who was standing so close to her father that she was touching his leg, her little hand still firmly in his. "This must be Maisie," she said. "I'm Rayna." Maisie scooted a little behind Deacon. It felt like her heart skipped a beat. She is so precious.
Deacon looked down at Maisie. "Maiz, can you say hey to Miss Rayna?"
"Hey," Maisie whispered.
He gave her an apologetic smile. "She's a little shy around people she doesn't know."
She shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. "That's fine." She gestured towards the table. "Let's sit down." She led the way, sitting back down in the chair she'd been in. Deacon sat across from her, and Maisie sat next to him, still looking a little wary. She focused on Deacon. "So, from what Vince told me, your concern is really around actual touring and being on the road. Is that right?" He nodded. "I've talked to my assistant, and she would love to watch Maisie while we're on stage. And for anything else we need to do."
"I don't wanna be an inconvenience. You don't need to have someone extra come out..."
"She's not extra. She already comes on the road with me. What about rehearsals during the week?"
"I got someone who keeps her now, after pre-school."
"Okay, that's good. Jill – my assistant – is very responsible. She's older than me, maybe even you, so it's not like she's a teenage babysitter."
He frowned a little. "Don't she have things she needs to do, during shows and after?"
"She'll have everything set up and then Bucky will be there for any after parties or other things. She really does take care of me, so I know she'll do a great job with Maisie. I hope you'll say yes. I really do think you'd be perfect for my band, and we'll do anything we can to help make things easier for you and your daughter."
He looked at Maisie and then back at her. "Can I let you know tomorrow? I didn't really expect this, so just a little time to think about it. I really do appreciate you trying to work something out. That's incredibly kind of you."
"I'm sure it can't be easy. I just wanted to make sure you knew we'd support you."
"Thank you again." He stood up then and so did she. He looked over at Maisie. "Maiz, you ready to go?" The little girl nodded, not taking her eyes off her. Then she slid out of the chair, still clutching her stuffed animal, which she now saw was a rainbow colored unicorn with a silvery horn. "Can you say goodbye to Miss Rayna?" he prompted.
She reached for his hand and stood there for a second. "Bye, Miss Rayna," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
She smiled. "Bye, Maisie. It was so nice to meet you. And I hope I'll be seeing you again soon." She watched as they walked out of the room, noticing that Maisie kept looking back over her shoulder. Just before they walked out of the room, she waved at the little girl. When they were gone, she sank down on the chair, inexplicably feeling teary. She couldn't even imagine how hard it must be for Deacon, losing his wife and having to raise their young daughter. She really hoped he would take her up on her offer.
Deacon
"You shouldn't've told her none of that," he said, his jaw clenched.
Vince didn't really look bothered. "Come on, man. You were gonna pass up probably the best job you'll ever have."
"For my daughter."
"Look, she'd've found out eventually."
"Why would she? It ain't like we run in the same circles or nothing."
"Well, she had a plan, didn't she?"
"That ain't the point."
"Sure it is. Listen, I get that I overstepped but I told you, Rayna Jaymes is kinda bossy. Plus, I thought this'd be really good for you. You need to get back out there. Show people what you can do."
He didn't know what to say. The truth was he really did want that job. And it wasn't just because she was the pretty girl who stood on the stage that night at the Bluebird. The pretty girl who'd inspired him to write a song. He would be embarrassed to ever share that with her. She was a big star, a headliner, and he was just a session musician and songwriter. She was the real deal. He'd been caught up in her magic when she'd offered him the bandleader job and he had felt bad that he hadn't stopped to even consider Maisie. Maybe Vince really had done him a favor in the end. "Well, she said her assistant could watch Maiz while I was on stage. I guess that could work."
Vince grinned. "Jill's the best. So, you gonna tell Rayna you'll do it after all?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess we'll see how it goes."
Vince grinned and clapped him on the back. "Excellent! Can't wait to be out on the road together!"
Rayna
She hurried into Valentino's and looked around for Tandy, spotting her almost immediately. She walked to the table, smiling at her sister. Tandy stood up and hugged her and then they sat down. Almost immediately a server was there to take her drink order. She ordered a glass of wine and then sat back in her chair. "Sorry I'm late," she said. "I got caught up in some tour stuff."
Tandy waved her off. "You aren't that late. Maybe 5 minutes."
She smiled. "Yeah, but you're the person who deducts points for lateness."
Tandy laughed. "But not for my favorite sister."
"I'm your only sister."
Tandy shrugged. "Still." The server was back with the wine. They already knew what they wanted, so they ordered, and the server hurried off. "So how are things going?" She smiled.
"Good. Actually I had something interesting happen."
Tandy put her fork down and took a sip of her wine. Quite a healthy sip, she noted. She wondered what was going on. If it was work, she didn't want to hear. Her sister was practically their father's handmaiden, being his right hand... woman? Lamar Wyatt rarely had time for her these days, which she was happy about. He was too intense for her, too forbidding, and too inflexible. Tandy was welcome to him. "What's that?"
"My bandleader quit. Family stuff. The timing wasn't great, but he needed to do it. So, Bucky set up some auditions for me and, in an incredibly crazy coincidence, one of them was with someone that I had seen the very first time I ever performed at the Bluebird."
"Really. How long ago has that been?"
"About 10 years ago. I didn't meet him then, but I remember him as being really good. I also remember that he was really looking at me intently, which was sort of weird and sort of nice. Anyway, I never really ran into him again which sort of seems crazy in this town. But Bucky said he'd toured with Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakum and some of those guys." She could see the blank look on Tandy's face when she mentioned Merle and Dwight. Tandy was definitely not into country music. Except for hers, of course. "Anyway, Bucky got a recommendation on him from one of my band members and brought him in. And he was amazing."
"Did he remember you?"
"We actually didn't talk about that. I mean, was he supposed to say, 'remember me staring intently at you at the Bluebird 10 years ago'? He may not remember me. But he did really impress me with his guitar skill and his ability to arrange music. So I hired him." She smiled. "And he's really gorgeous, by the way. He kind of has that bad boy look to him, but he has the most soulful blue eyes I think I've ever seen. Kind of soft spoken, polite."
Tandy frowned. "Rayna, you're not going to date the man."
She made a face. "Anyway, the odd thing was that he accepted and then declined the next day. Which I thought was strange because he'd gone out of his way to thank me and talk about how he was looking forward to it when I offered him the job."
"Sounds unreliable."
"Not at all, as it turns out. He has a young daughter. And he's a widower, so he's a single dad. He was worried about having her taken care of if he was going to be out on the road. I liked him so much that I didn't want that to stand in the way, so Jill said she'd be glad to sort of babysit her while we're performing." She sipped her wine. "I asked him to bring his daughter in and, oh my god, Tandy, she's the most precious little being I think I've ever laid eyes on. And she was wearing a little tiara and was carrying a stuffed unicorn. Oh, and she was wearing one of those long ballerina dresses we wore when we took ballet. So obviously all girl. So not what I would have expected. He's kind of... rugged, I guess, so I was surprised she wasn't dressed like a little cowgirl."
Tandy was looking at her oddly. "You aren't interested in him, are you?" she asked.
"Of course, I am. As my bandleader."
Her sister frowned. "You know what I meant."
"Tandy, I don't know him except for the small amount of interaction we've had."
"And the fact that he caught your eye when you were 16 and now you're bending over backwards to figure something out so he can be in your band and take care of his daughter. Who I think you've already fallen in love with."
"She's adorable, Tandy."
Tandy just shook her head. "Well, just remember he works for you. Probably better to keep things professional."
She just laughed and focused back on her food.
Deacon
As they came off the stage, he walked up behind her they approached the steps. "You killed it," he said. She looked back over her shoulder at him. "Great show." It was the first night of her tour and she'd seemed nervous. He didn't know if she was always nervous before a show or just the opening night of a tour or if she might have been worried about him being brand new to her band. When they got to the floor, she walked beside him down the hallway.
"Thanks, Deacon," she said. "I always have first night jitters. And usually after the first song they go away." She smiled at him. "You were great. I'm really glad everything worked out for you to join us."
He smiled back. "It was fun being out there. I thought it all sounded good."
She laughed. "Well, I would hope so. You put the whole thing together."
He shook his head. "It's all on the people on the stage to pull it off."
"True. But it still has to be solid. Tight. And it was. You have a real gift at this, Deacon."
"I'm glad I lived up to your expectations."
"Are you going to the after party?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Nah. That kinda thing ain't for me." He paused. It occurred to him she might require it. "Unless you need me to." He knew after parties meant booze and he didn't want to test his sobriety at this point.
She shook her head and he thought for a second she looked a little disappointed, but she covered it. "No, not at all. It's up to you and what you're comfortable with. I mean, you know it's all radio and promotions people. Gladhanding and all that."
He nodded. "I think I'm just gonna check on Maisie. Make sure everything went okay."
She smiled. "She's probably fast asleep, dreaming fairytale dreams."
He chuckled. "She probably is."
She put her hand on his arm. "Well, we'll be pulling out early tomorrow. I'll see you then. Thanks, Deacon." Then he watched as she headed down the hall towards her dressing room. He put his hands in his pockets as he stood there, then finally he headed off himself towards the area where they'd be picked up to return to the hotel for the night.
When he got to his room, Jill was reading over in one corner. He could see that Maisie was asleep in one of the queen beds. She looked up when he walked in, closing her book. "Hey, Deacon," she said softly. "How was the show?"
He walked in and dropped his keycard on the desk. "Good. Great crowd. Rayna was really on top of her game."
She stood up. "She always is. She gets butterflies before the first show, although I have no idea why." She laughed. "She's a real crowd pleaser."
He nodded. "That she is." He glanced over at Maisie. "She give you any trouble?" he asked, nodding towards his sleeping daughter.
"Not a bit. We watched some TV and then I read to her. She went down without a problem and went right to sleep."
"Well, I appreciate it. I know it ain't really part of your job."
"Anything Rayna asks me to do is part of my job. This is probably one of the easiest things she's ever asked me to do. I know I've told you this before, but Maisie is a real sweetheart."
He smiled. He was glad Maisie had been on good behavior. He didn't want to tell Jill she could be a handful – stubborn and bullheaded. "I'm glad it went well."
Jill picked up her things. "I'll see y'all tomorrow then. Good night."
"Good night." He watched as she let herself out, then looked back at Maisie. She always looked so angelic when she slept, and he smiled to himself. She sure can be an angel, but not all the time. He was glad it had worked out to bring her with him. He felt like he needed her as much as she needed him. He walked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, then changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants. When he walked back into the room, he looked at Maisie one more time, then crawled into the other bed and turned out the light, falling asleep easily.
The next morning when his alarm went off, he was a little startled but not surprised to find Maisie in his bed. She had done that a lot since her mother had died. He knew it probably wasn't the best idea, but he hated not just scooping her up and holding her close whenever sad feelings crossed her life. It had been confusing and scary for Maisie when Samantha was going through treatment. She wasn't the same mama that Maisie was used to and so he had been the one to comfort her when she didn't understand what was going on. She had been very withdrawn after Sam's death and that's when she started getting in his bed in the middle of the night sometimes. She had mostly come out of that withdrawal, becoming the sunny little girl she'd been before Sam got sick, but she still sometimes needed that comfort.
He propped himself up on his elbow. "Maiz?" he whispered softly. She didn't stir. "Maisie?" he said a little louder. Slowly she opened her eyes, looking a little disoriented for a second, and then she sat up. He smiled at her. "Hey, sweetie."
"Hey, Daddy." Her voice was soft and still sounded sleepy. Her hair was all tangled around her shoulders and she was holding her unicorn in one arm.
He sat up on the edge of the bed. "I need to take a shower so we can eat breakfast. Can you get dressed while I do that?" She nodded. He stood up and then walked over to her suitcase, rummaging in it for some clothes.
"No!" she shouted. Suddenly she was right next to him, and she pushed at his arm. "I can do it." She had a dark scowl on her face. She was incredibly stubborn.
He stood back up and took a step back. "Okay. Pick out what you want to wear." He watched as she grabbed a pair of red shorts and a child's Bluebird t-shirt and dropped them on the other bed.
"This," she said.
Not a match, but he had mostly given up on trying to guide her. She was happier if she could wear what pleased her and he was okay with that. "Don't forget underwear," he said with a smirk. He watched as she pulled out a pair of underpants. "I'm gonna take a shower and you get dressed while I'm in there, okay?"
"Okay."
He grabbed a clean t-shirt and boxers and headed for the bathroom, after checking to be sure the door was secured. Maisie was actually pretty well behaved but he always tried to be careful. And this was all new, taking her out on tour with him. He closed the door to the bathroom and took a quick shower. He dried off and put on the shirt and boxers and quickly ran a comb through his wet hair. When he walked back out into the room, Maisie was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed and with the remote in her hand as she watched TV. He grabbed his jeans and pulled them on, then sat and pulled on his boots. He noticed Maisie had on her pink boots and he smiled. She wouldn't be able to wear them much longer – he'd have to get a larger size – but they were her favorites.
She was totally engaged in whatever it was that was on TV, and he took a minute to just look at her. He remembered being terrified when she was born, not sure he knew how to be a father. But the minute he held her for the first time, he knew he would do anything in the world to make her happy. Samantha's illness and then her death had forced him into a role he hadn't expected to play, that of a single dad, and he questioned himself regularly as to whether he was doing the right things by her. But having Audrey close by had helped him feel more comfortable. And Maisie was happy and seemed well-adjusted.
Seeing her wearing her Bluebird t-shirt had felt different than other times. Probably because he was in Rayna Jaymes' band and because it reminded him of the night he'd seen her on stage there, back before she became a star. She had never given him any indication that she remembered seeing him, so he thought it was probably just him. It wasn't that she'd haunted him or anything, but every once in a while, when he was at the Bluebird, he would think about her. When she became famous, he thought about her more often and he thought about the little song he'd written on a napkin that night, the one she had inspired. He still had it, hidden away. He'd put it to music but had never performed it. It had felt sacred somehow but also it had felt a little silly, writing a song about someone he didn't know and, up until now, had never met.
"Daddy, I'm hungry." At the sound of Maisie's voice, he realized he'd been distracted by his thoughts. He looked at his daughter and smiled.
"I need to brush your hair, sweet girl." He found her brush and ran it through her hair. "Alright, let's go eat," he said. He stood up and reached for her hand. She took it and he put his phone and keycard in his pocket as they walked out.
Rayna
She stepped out onto the walkway in front of the hotel in Charlotte. It was a beautiful spring day with just a touch of early morning chill. Her tour buses were lined up, ready to head out for Raleigh and the next stop on her tour. Bucky stepped up beside her. "Short ride today," he said.
She turned to him and smiled. "Good. Any early press on last night?"
He smiled. "High praise in the Charlotte Observer. They thought you'd never sounded better and that the atmosphere was electric."
She laughed. "Electric? Wow. It was a good start though, I thought."
"Very. So, when we get to Raleigh, we've got some press scheduled at 2:00 at the hotel. Jill's coordinated everything with your hair and makeup team and then we can head over to the venue afterwards for sound check."
She nodded. "Sounds good." Just then she saw Deacon and Vince exit the hotel together. Deacon was holding Maisie's hand and she noticed that the little girl had on a Bluebird t-shirt. She breathed in, thinking again, as she did every time she saw him, about that first time she had been at the Bluebird and had seen him. She'd been disappointed that he never seemed to indicate he remembered that night but then she reminded herself it had been 10 years ago. It wasn't as though they'd met or anything, just exchanged a glance. Or at least she thought they'd exchanged a glance. Maybe she was wrong.
"Rayna?" She was jerked back to the present by Bucky.
"I'm sorry, Buck," she said, focusing on him. "I was thinking about what I'd wear to the press event."
Bucky smiled. She'd been so lucky to find him. Or more accurately, having Watty find him. And an assistant, who was probably more Bucky's right hand than hers. "I was just saying that Watty called and he's planning to come out to your Chicago show in a few weeks."
"Fantastic. I'll be looking forward to his feedback." She glanced back over where she'd seen Deacon and felt let down that he was no longer there. Oh well, at least I'll see him when we get to Raleigh.
She had picked up her key fob at the front desk and when she turned, she saw Deacon and Maisie walking in that direction. She stopped and they did as well. "Hey," she said, noting that Maisie slid a little behind Deacon's leg. "How was the drive?"
Deacon smiled. "Good."
"Did Maisie enjoy riding on the bus?" She looked down at the little girl, wondering if she would answer.
Deacon looked at Maisie too, then back at her. "She's still a little shy. But I think she had fun."
"Great!" She leaned down, resting her hands on her knees. "I love your t-shirt, Maisie. The Bluebird Café. That's the mecca, you know." Maisie just looked at her with those big brown eyes.
"I got it for her since blue is one of her favorite colors," he said. "I do writers' rounds and stuff there sometimes and thought she'd like it." He looked down at Maisie again. "Red and pink are also some of her favorite colors. And she likes wearing them together, as you can see."
She stood up. "I think it looks awesome," she said with a smile. She looked at Maisie. "You're very stylish, Maisie."
"Thank you." Maisie's voice was so soft that with all the hustle and bustle going on in the lobby, she could almost tell herself she'd imagined it.
She looked at Deacon then. "So, do you perform often at the Bluebird?" She could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she asked.
He shrugged. "Some. But until recently, not a lot."
She wanted to ask him more about that, but she saw the bellman with her luggage cart. "Um, well, I need to get up to my room." She hesitated. "See y'all later." She raised her hand in a wave and then turned to head towards the elevators.
Deacon
It had been a little over a month, but he felt like he was settling in on the tour. Rayna was actually pretty easy to work with, he'd found, and she solicited his input regularly, on songs and arrangements and harmonies. Maisie was settling in as well, excited every weekend when it was time to 'ride the bus', as she said. He smiled as he thought about his daughter. It had not been easy adjusting to being the only parent, but he was lucky that she was pretty well behaved, in spite of her tendency to be stubborn.
When they had arrived in Cincinnati, she was ready for a nap and Jill had offered to stay with her so he could have some time to himself. After a moment's hesitation, he'd agreed. Maisie adored Jill, which was fortunate, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. He walked out into the hall and down to the elevator. On the floor below his, the elevator doors opened, and Vince stepped in.
"Hey, buddy," Vince said with a grin. "Where you headed to?"
He shook his head. "Nowhere in particular. What about you?"
"There's this German place a couple blocks down from the hotel. Great beer and great food. I was gonna head down for a bite and a brew. Wanna come?"
He thought about it. "Sure, why not. At least I can make sure you don't have too many brews." He grinned at his friend. He'd really never seen Vince drink too much before a show but figured it wouldn't hurt to keep tabs.
Vince laughed. "Rayna would kick me out of her band if she thought I was drinking too much. Apparently that was an issue with my predecessor."
"Got it." They exited the hotel and walked down to what turned out to be a small bar that served food. It was dark and quiet, but it was approaching the middle of the afternoon so a little late for the lunch crowd and early for the bar crowd. There were a couple guys sitting at the bar and a couple people at tables. They slid into a booth and a server stopped by with menus and 2 glasses of water. He looked down at the menu. "So, what do I get here?" he asked.
Vince pointed. "Reuben or bratwurst. Plus the German potato salad. Pretty damn good."
"I'll take your word for it." When the server came back, they ordered and then sat back while they waited. "This better be good."
Vince laughed. "I promise. You'll like it." He took a swallow of his root beer. "So you were wrong about Maisie, man."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"She is fun. The guys all like her. She cracks us up. That ukelele you got her was genius."
He shook his head. "Just wait til she don't get her way about something. I think that'll change." He loved his daughter, but he knew she could be a handful. She'd been exceptionally well behaved up to this point and he wanted to believe it was because he'd warned her she needed to be, but he suspected it was because everyone catered to her. She was coming out of her shell as she got to know people better and Rayna had won her over by giving her an all-access badge of her own.
"She's getting awful tight with Kenzie." Kenzie was the only female in Rayna's band, the fiddle player. Vince was right. Maisie liked to hang out with Kenzie on the bus which fortunately Kenzie didn't seem to mind. "Maybe she'll want to trade that uke for a fiddle one day."
He smiled. "She might."
"So. Was I right about all this? Rayna's cool, right?"
She was a lot more than cool, but he didn't say that. "Yeah, you're right. She's good to work for."
"Are you glad you took the chance?"
"Yeah. I am. It helps that she was able to work something out for Maisie. I'm not sure someone else would have." He took a deep breath. "I'm glad to be back on the road. I'll be honest, I missed it. I really didn't think I could do it again, at least for a while."
Vince grinned. "Well, you fit right in. And I was right too, you're the right kind of bossy to be a bandleader."
He smirked. "Shut up." The server came back then with their food. He'd gotten the reuben and he had to admit Vince was right – it was delicious. He had just taken a bite when Vince said something that almost made him choke.
"Speaking of Rayna, I get the feeling there's some sort of, you know, attraction there between the two of you." Vince concentrated on his own sandwich, not looking directly at him.
After he finally managed to swallow, he looked at his friend with a frown. "What?"
Vince shrugged, still not really looking at him. "There's just something there. The way you look at her when she's not looking. The way she looks at you when you're not looking." He looked at him then. "Anything going on?"
"No."
Vince smirked. "You want there to be?"
"Vince, you're crazy." Hell, yes I want there to be.
"It wouldn't be a big deal, you know."
"Shut up." He didn't want to admit that what Vince said had rattled him. Thankfully he left it alone for the remainder of lunch.
When he got back to his room, he found Maisie and Jill sitting on the couch with a book. Maisie looked up and jumped off the couch, running over to him. "Daddy!" she shouted. "Where were you?"
He picked her up, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "With Vince. What you been doing?"
"Jill's been reading me." He looked at Jill who smiled indulgently.
"What's she been reading you?"
"A book about animals. Daddy, I want a pig."
He set her down on the floor. "Um, I don't think a pig's a good idea. Listen, you wanna go over with me for sound check?" Rayna wanted to meet after sound check to discuss some set list ideas.
Maisie frowned, looking confused. "What's that?"
"It's where we practice some songs before the show. Make sure we're ready."
She broke into a smile. "Can I wear my necklace?" She called the lanyard with the all-access badge a necklace, mostly because she couldn't remember lanyard.
He smiled. "Yeah, you can wear your necklace." Maisie raced over to her suitcase, digging around for the badge.
Jill stood up then. "I need to check in with Rayna, but I'll be over there so I can keep an eye on Miss Maiz. Then I can bring her back here."
He nodded. "Thanks, Jill." He watched as Jill got her things together and left the room. He really appreciated Rayna having arranged for Jill to watch Maisie when he couldn't. Having Maisie with him was important and knowing she was cared for made a huge difference.
"I got it!" Maisie shouted, holding up the badge, then slipping it around her neck. "I'm ready."
He looked at her. She was wearing a little short denim skirt and a red t-shirt. Not something mismatched for a change. "That what you wanna wear?" he asked. He almost always asked in case she wanted to change into something else.
"Yes," she said. Then she ran over to her bed and grabbed her unicorn. "And I'm taking Rainbow." She looked at him, a little defiantly he thought, as though she thought he'd tell her no.
"Okay, but you can't lose him."
"I won't."
He held his hand out. "You ready?" She nodded and then took his hand. Until they left the room, of course, and then she pulled loose and ran down the hallway to the elevator. He just shook his head, smiling to himself. He didn't even want to think about what she'd be like as a teenager.
They wrapped up the discussion on set list modifications. He had learned that Rayna liked to be involved in that and always had some very definite ideas on what she wanted. The good news was that her ideas were generally good and that she was flexible whenever he gave a little pushback. Her idea had been to move Already Gone to the encore, which he thought made sense. It was one of her biggest hits and with the arrangement changes he'd made it was a great song to end a show with. They had agreed to move Stompin' Ground to be the opening number. He would share the change with the band, so they'd be ready.
He put his notebook back into his bag. "I'm glad you brought Maisie over," Rayna said, and he looked up. He couldn't help but be reminded of what Vince had said at lunch. The way you look at her when she's not looking. The way she looks at you when you're not looking. He thought about that and wondered if other people were thinking the same thing.
He smiled. "I thought she might enjoy it."
"It seemed like she did. I hope everything's going well with Jill."
"It's been great. Maisie really likes her."
Rayna's hands were clasped together in front of her, and she looked down at them for a second before looking back at him. "Does she remember her mom?" she asked. He hadn't expected that and didn't immediately respond. "I'm sorry, I've probably overstepped."
He shook his head. "It's okay. Uh, I'm not really sure how much she remembers. A lot of it, especially at the end, was tough so a friend of ours took care of her a lot."
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"
"You mean Vince didn't tell you all of it?" He smirked a little to let her know he wasn't upset she'd asked the question.
She smiled. "No, he didn't. Just the bare facts. Although he did tell me all about Maisie."
He grinned then. "She thinks he's like an uncle or something. He's always spoiling her." He cleared his throat. "Sam had a brain tumor. A really bad one. There wasn't a whole lot the doctors could do. She had surgery and then she started radiation, but that made her feel pretty bad, and she wanted to spend as much time with us as she could without feeling like that." He had a lump in his throat. He tried not to think about those last weeks when Sam was so sick that she mostly just slept.
"I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine. I'm sure it was hard." He just nodded. He wasn't sure he could say anything without breaking down, which surprised him. As long as it had been, he'd thought he'd be past that. Except that he rarely gave himself the time to think about it. "Well, anyway, I'm glad you brought Maisie along. She's really adorable. You should be proud of her."
He smiled a little. "I am. Most of the time. Kids are unpredictable and she, well, she can be pretty stubborn." She stood up then and put her hand on his arm.
"She's definitely got her own little personality. You've obviously done a great job with her." She paused for a second. "So, I need to go get ready, but thanks for staying and talking to Bucky and me about the changes. I appreciate it."
He stood up as well. "No problem."
"I'll see you in a bit then." He watched her as she walked out. He'd decided she probably didn't remember him. It was a long time ago and truthfully there was really no reason for her to remember. He wasn't even sure she'd been looking at him at all, although he'd thought so at the time. I'm probably imagining all of it and I need to just let it go. And Vince don't know shit. He sighed and then walked out the same way she had.
Rayna
As she sat in front of the mirror in her dressing room, she thought about her conversation with Deacon about his wife. She had hurried off after they'd talked because she was afraid she was going to cry. Actually she did have to wipe away a few tears as she walked. She'd been glad for the chance to get to know him a little better. Vince was right, he was pretty private, but she wanted to know more about him. Especially as she'd gotten to know him better and understood what a really great guy he was. He was definitely the guy she'd always dreamed he would be. She just wished he remembered her too. She sighed and refocused on her makeup stylist as she got her ready.