Mayfly Melodies

Thirty

Bailey

A lot of country music is sad. I think most art comes out of poverty and hard times. It applies to music. Three chords and the truth—that's what a country song is. There is a lot of heartache in the world—Willie Nelson

"You know I really am sorry about this. I could cancel..."

"No, no, don't worry about me." Mae waved her off. She was sitting on the edge of Bailey's bed scrolling through her phone as Bailey changed into a fresh pair of faded blue jeans and a nice flowy white blouse. "I'll just hang out with your brothers. I did always want to see where you grew up and Travis promised he'd take me into town later this afternoon. That shirt is super cute by the way."

"Thanks. But I still feel bad about leaving you here to fend for yourself." Bailey looked at her reflection in her bedroom mirror, turning this way and that to get a look at the entire outfit. Her curls bounced down her back as she took herself in. A bundle of nerves sat in her stomach. She didn't normally get anxious before going to see Noah but today was different. Today, they were telling Caroline about their relationship. Today, everything could change.

Mae tossed her phone onto the bed and leaned back onto her elbows. "Don't feel bad. Though, I do expect to meet this guy someday if things go well. He needs the ex-bandmate stamp of approval."

Bailey smiled at her over her shoulder. "Of course. And let's not call it the ex-bandmate stamp of approval. Let's just call it the friend stamp of approval."

Mae nodded and smiled. "Okay."

Something odd in Mae's voice made Bailey turn around. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Mae ran a hand through her blonde hair. It looked like she was trying to choke back tears. "It's just...I'm just glad that we're still friends. That's all. I was worried that showing up here unannounced after how things ended would just, I don't know, put things over the edge or something."

Bailey perched next to Mae on the bed. "You thought I wouldn't want to be your friend anymore?"

Mae shrugged noncommittally. "I haven't talked to Kyra since that last day at the lawyers' office. I keep hearing about all of these things that she's doing and it just seems like she has no regrets, you know? And she and Cole are still together. It's just been hard. I've been feeling like I had no one to talk to. That was why I wanted to come out here. David and Julio were going to send their own representative to talk to you about a demo but I volunteered. I wanted to see you. I've missed you."

Before she even realized what was happening, Bailey was pulling Mae into a hug. "I've missed you, too. I didn't know how to reach out either. But I am glad that you came out here. And when I get back from Noah's maybe we could do what we used to when we lived together. A little bit of wine, okay maybe a lot of wine, some chocolate and a really bad rom-com and we can just, I don't know, catch up? Start over?"

"I'd like that," Mae said as she moved out of Bailey's arms. She dabbed at her eyes with her shirt sleeves. "Now, you should go before you're late. I really don't want you to screw this up because I was having a moment."

"Don't worry. You could never mess this up. That's entirely my job." Bailey stood and Mae followed her to the door. "Why don't you take a minute? I'll send Travis in from the barn and he can show you around Tishomingo whenever you're feeling up to it."

"Thanks, Bailey. Now, go."

Grinning, Bailey left Mae where she stood and headed for the front door. She trotted down the front porch steps and made a bee-line for the barn where she informed Travis that Mae was waiting for him in the house before she walked to Gertie. She yanked forcefully on the handle—Gertie appeared to be in a bad mood today for the door stuck—before the door opened and climbed into the driver's seat.