Page 14 of Sticks and Stones
“Somethin’ like that.” If anyone had told him the price he’d have to pay for fame, he wasn’t sure even that deadass broke kid he’d been would have been willing to pay it. “The truth, Levi? I don’t even know who the hell I am anymore.”
He could hear his publicist’s voice in his ear telling him to shut his mouth before the tabloids caught wind of his claim and turned it into a massive meltdown or mid-life crisis. For all he knew, this guy could be recording the conversation, trying to get him to open up so he could turn a fast buck selling the story, but his gut told him otherwise.
And he needed a friend. Someone outside of the music business who didn’t give a rip about fame or fortune.
“I hear that can happen,” he said, taking a swig of his beer. “I’ve got plenty of friends who lost sight of what was important along the way.”
“Maybe I never knew to begin with,” Gunnar muttered, suspecting that might well be the case. “Here’s the deal,” he said, still shocked at his willingness to open up to a stranger. “I had it all, right? Beautiful woman who was committed to me. Two great kids. A career path that would land me in the Hall of Fame, no doubt.”
“But?”
“She left me, and from there, everything just seemed to fall apart. All of a sudden she was gone. My kids were gone. And I felt like I had nothing left. No purpose anymore, ya know?”
Levi just nodded while he ate, waiting for him to continue.
“It’s not about the money anymore. It hasn’t been for a long time.” He stared at the scarred bar, wondering when he’d realized that money didn’t give him a reason to get out of bed in the morning. “I don’t need more stuff. The fancy cars and guitars don’t do it for me anymore. Neither do the vacation homes and…” He sighed. “None of it does it for me anymore. It’s just stuff. Toys my kids will be stuck with when I die.”
“Your kids still think you’re a good dad?” Levi asked, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.
“Yeah, I think so. They still want me around, at least.”
“Then that’s something to build on, I’d say.”
Something to build on.He turned those words over a few times before he thought about it… a foundation he could build a new life on. But what would that life look like and who would want to be a part of it? Would he have anyone left if he walked away from his career? Did his friends stand by him just because of who he was and what he did for them?
“It may feel like you’ve got nothing, but if you’ve got even one person who loves you, I’d say that’s something.”
“I guess you’re right.” He thought of his girls. He wished he’d been a better father to them when they were growing up, but he couldn’t turn back time. He could only be a better man moving forward.
“And I don’t imagine it’d be too hard for you to find another woman,” Levi said, smirking. He looked around the bar. There were only a few women there, but each one of them seemed fixated on Gunnar and his companion. “Even here, just look around. You could take your pick.”
“But what if the only one I want is the one I can’t have?”
“Ah, then that might be a problem.” He grimaced at some score that flashed across the bottom of the screen. “This the woman who left you?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure it’s not a case of wanting what you can’t have? Maybe if you got her back you wouldn’t want her anymore.”
Gunnar couldn’t blame him for thinking that. He probably would have too in his position. “The way I feel about her is the one thing I am sure about, man.”
“Then get her back.”
“You don’t know Gianna. If—”
“Hey, is she the cute little brunette who works in Gabby’s flower shop?”
“Yeah, you know her?” Gunnar asked, suddenly feeling uneasy. His kids told him their mom had been on a few dates. What if one of them was with this guy?
“It’s a small town,” he said. “Someone new moves to town, especially someone who looks likethat, and it’s hard not to notice. So, she’s the reason you’re here, huh? I wondered why you’d come to a place like Vista Falls unless you wanted to slip under the radar.”
“I came here because of her… and my kids.” And they were the reason he wanted to stay. “I’m kind of surprised you didn’t know about us. Isn’t the grapevine usually solid in places like this?”
He offered a bemused smile before he said, “I don’t pay much attention to gossip, Gunnar. Could be you two have made the rounds now that you’re in town, but I can’t say for sure. Why? You wanted to keep it under wraps?”
“No, but she did. For our girls’ sake, I guess. Gianna brought them here to get them away from all the craziness in L.A. She grew up in a small town and claims it did her the world of good. I guess she wanted Ramsey and Keegan to have the same experience.”
He understood Gianna’s reasoning. Their daughters were young and impressionable, getting interested in boys, thinking about college. She wanted them to make smart decisions. He did too. He just wished they didn’t have to be so far away from him.
