Melodies of the Heart

Chapter 20

Kassidy

Trying to work was nearly impossible. With almost no sleep and her mind full of conflicting thoughts, Kassidy had burned three loaves of bread, dropped a tray of sweetheart cupcakes, and made a mess of the kitchen when she used baking soda instead of flour.

"That's it," her dad finally grumbled halfway through the day. "I know those idiots outside are distracting, but I can't have you burning this place down. Get your mother back here and you run the cash."

It wasn't the paparazzi that were bothering her, at least, not until she could see them hanging outside the bakery. Mrs. Gleeson had come in earlier to apologize for what she'd done, she hadn't realised the person who'd asked about Levi and the local girl wasn't just some tourist being a bit nosey and she'd gushed about seeing the cute couple at church.

Kassidy had tried to insist it was okay, but deep down she was upset. She was more than upset. She was scared. Not only did the paparazzi know that Levi was in town and that she was dating him, but she'd heard rumors that people had seen the lead guitarist of Fable Heart at the Birch Street Coffee Shop that morning.

Being on cash didn't end up going much better than her attempts in the kitchen. Counting money when she hadn't slept at all due to stress was impossible and at the end of the night the count was off by more than sixty dollars.

"Honey, I know you're upset," her mother said as she gave her a hug, "but tomorrow you need to be back on your A game. We're only just getting back on our feet and we can't afford to lose a single dollar. Not again."

"I know," Kassidy apologized. "I didn't sleep at all and I'm just... I don't know."

"Oh sweetie," her mom said as she squeezed Kassidy tighter. "I know it's tough. Get a good sleep tonight and get your head on straight. I'm sure everything will be fine."

It was nice of her mother to be so confident, but Kassidy couldn't find it in her to heed her mother's advice. It wouldn't be long before people were demanding that Levi go back to his real life and leave her behind, and as much as she wanted to offer to go with him, she knew she couldn't.

Her life was here, no matter how much she loved him. Her parents needed her, and her dream was finally in reach. She couldn't just give that up for someone else. All she could hope for was that he'd ask her to come visit and that he'd promise to stay faithful to her, just as she would do for him. If he could offer her that, then she would support whatever he decided.

At least by time they closed up the bakery the paparazzi had taken off. She didn't know how long they'd be gone for, though she hoped they would just give up and leave forever.

"Well, they got some great shots of the bakery," her dad said, trying to turn the lemons of the last twenty-four hours into lemonade.

"And you had all those cupcakes on display," her mother chimed in as she locked the door. "Come on, I'll make dinner and we'll watch a movie or something. Your choice honey."

Kassidy wanted to tell her mother that she was on board, but her eyes found their way to Levi's motorcycle that was still sitting out front. He'd left it behind when he'd slipped out of their house on foot, and she'd had trouble trying to tell her parents why the bike was still there.

"He couldn't get through on the bike without hurting someone," she'd told her parents. "So, uh, he just ran."

"And they didn't run after him?" her father had asked.

"They, uh, they did," she'd told them. "But he's actually pretty fast and those cameras are really heavy."

She didn't think her parents had bought the excuse, but it was better than nothing.