A Song to Remember Read online

  A Song to Remember

  Kay Correll

  Rose Quartz Press

  Copyright © 2019 Kay Correll

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any matter without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental

  * * *

  Published by Rose Quartz Press

  022619

  This book is dedicated to all the people who understand the magic of music. The way a song can transport you back in time, bring back a memory, make you stop and just…

  listen to the melody.

  And to all my choir nerd friends in high school… you helped bring the magic of music to life.

  Contents

  Kay’s Books

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Also by Kay Correll

  About the Author

  Kay’s Books

  Find more information on all my books at my website.

  * * *

  COMFORT CROSSING ~ THE SERIES

  The Shop on Main - Book One

  The Memory Box - Book Two

  The Christmas Cottage - A Holiday Novella (Book 2.5)

  The Letter - Book Three

  The Christmas Scarf - A Holiday Novella (Book 3.5)

  The Magnolia Cafe - Book Four

  The Unexpected Wedding - Book Five

  * * *

  The Wedding in the Grove - (a crossover short story between series - with Josephine and Paul from The Letter.)

  * * *

  LIGHTHOUSE POINT ~ THE SERIES

  Wish Upon a Shell - Book One

  Wedding on the Beach - Book Two

  Love at the Lighthouse - Book Three

  Cottage Near the Point - Book Four

  Return to the Island - Book Five

  Bungalow by the Bay - Book Six

  Click here to learn more about the series.

  * * *

  SWEET RIVER ~ THE SERIES

  A Dream to Believe in - Book One

  A Memory to Cherish - Book Two

  A Song to Remember - Book Three

  * * *

  INDIGO BAY ~ A multi-author sweet romance series

  Sweet Sunrise - Book Three

  Sweet Holiday Memories - A short holiday story

  Sweet Starlight - Book Nine

  * * *

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  Chapter 1

  Sophie Brooks was in trouble. Big trouble. She’d promised more than she could deliver, and failure didn’t sit well with her.

  She dropped a handful of paperwork on her desk in the back room of Brooks Gallery. Right now she had an art show coming up and only one artist displaying his work when the event had been billed as a multi-artist show. Her art show was part of the Autumn Arts Weekend in Sweet River Falls. She’d promised she’d hold a multi-artist showing at her gallery with the artists present for the opening.

  That wasn’t going to happen.

  It had been bad enough when Lance Jones had pulled out. His wood carvings always drew a crowd as well as his personal appearances. He was charming, funny, and told wonderful stories about the pieces he carved. But she understood. His mother was ill, and he had to go to California to take care of her. He’d left her a few pieces of his work for the show, but it wasn’t the same as having him here in person.

  Then Belinda Morgan had pulled out because she said it wasn’t worth her time if Sophie couldn’t deliver some other big-name artists.

  Not that Belinda was much of a big name herself…

  Lovely. Just lovely. And she had just two weeks to solve her problem. If there was even a solution. How could she find any artists to come here and display their work on such short notice? Shows were booked months in advance, if not more, not at the last minute. It made her look like she didn’t know what she was doing.

  And maybe she didn’t.

  If her mother were still here, she’d know what to do. Her mother had been able to charm everyone. No one would ever have dared pull out of one of her mother’s art shows.

  But she wasn’t her mother, as clearly seen by this failure she had on her hands now.

  She rubbed the back of her neck and cocked her head from side to side. She needed a solution, and she needed it fast.

  She stared at the wall across from her desk as if it would give her an answer. The wall replied with stony silence.

  “I don’t need a vacation.” Chase Green practically spat the words into his phone. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine. You’re snapping at everyone. You’re going to lose your favorite backup guitar player, not to mention the fiddler. You hate changes to the lineup of musicians who accompany you.”

  “I do,” Chase admitted. He raked his hand through his hair. He needed a haircut, but he didn’t need a vacation.

  Sam, his manager-slash-agent-slash-friend, continued, “You need to go away for a bit. We don’t have anything scheduled for the next few weeks.”

  And that was a problem, too. And it was more than just a few weeks. He didn’t have another gig for eight weeks.

  Eight weeks.

  Not even a smaller one in some lousy venue.

  He just needed…

  He sighed. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe he should take a break. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken any time off. Even if he wasn’t on the road, he was busy recording or writing music or promoting.

  “All right, fine. I’ll take a short trip. But make sure I don’t lose those musicians.”

  “Great. I’ll see you back here in, let’s say, three weeks.” Sam sounded relieved.

  “Two. Maybe sooner.” Chase clicked off his phone and shoved it into his pocket. He looked around at the walls of his apartment that he’d just recently moved into.

  He scowled.

  Well, it had actually been about a year ago when he’d moved. He didn’t have a darn thing up on the walls. A single table with two chairs sat by the window. His bedroom had a bed, an old wooden crate for a night table, and a lamp with a crinkled lampshade.

  He was hardly ever here. It wasn’t like he needed the place to be all jazzed up. Maybe he should just stay here this week and fix it up. Try to live like a regular human being.

  No, sitting around in this lousy apartment was no way to spend a couple of weeks.

  A man his age should live in a nicer place than this. Own some nice furnishings. Things certainly hadn’t turned out like he’d planned. He glanced at the gold-plated record in a frame, resting against the wall. It seemed like an eternity since he’d gotten that. Though, to be honest, he felt like he only deserved half of it. Or maybe even less than that.

  He crossed into his bedroom and pulled out a battered suitcase. Now, where the heck was he going to
disappear to for a couple weeks? Or maybe just one week…

  Beth Cassidy hurried through the Brooks Gallery to the back room where she knew she’d find her best friend, Sophie. She felt kind of guilty that she and Sophie hadn’t been spending as much time together since she and Mac had become… well, boyfriend and girlfriend. Though boyfriend and girlfriend seemed like silly terms for people their age.

  Sophie had invited her over for a quick drink tonight. Beth had missed their happy hours spent sipping a glass of wine in Sophie’s loft above the gallery. She only had about forty-five minutes until she was meeting her mother and the boys for dinner, but she’d been determined to at least stop by for a quick visit.

  “Soph?” Beth poked her head into the office.

  “Hey.” Sophie turned and gave her a warm smile.

  It didn’t fool Beth. She could immediately tell something was wrong by the stressed look in Sophie’s eyes. “Hey, yourself. And what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  “Nice try.” Beth walked over and hugged Sophie. “Spill it.”

  “Well, I’ve promised a multi-artist show for the Autumn Art Weekend.”

  “I saw the flyer. The town has a lot going on that weekend. Always nice to try to pull in more tourists in the offseason. Hope it doesn’t snow…”

  “My artists have cancelled. Well, two of them.”

  “Bet one was that snobby Belinda.”

  Sophie tossed her a wry look. “Yes. She pulled out after Lance had to cancel. Though, his mother is ill and he’s leaving to go be with her. I don’t fault him for that.”

  “Well, we’ll just have to find you some other artists.”

  “It’s just two weeks away…”

  Beth frowned. “That’s not much time, but I bet we can figure something out. You’re showing your work, aren’t you?”

  “My jewelry isn’t really art.”

  “Of course it is. And you heard Mac when he saw it. He thinks you’re very talented, so it isn’t just your best friend telling you that you are.” Beth grinned, then snapped her fingers. “Hey, what about that photographer? The one Mac said he loved his work so much? Hunt, somebody.”

  “Hunt Robichaux? I do have some of his work still for sale here. I wonder if he would be willing to come here for the show. Maybe bring some more photographs.” Sophie’s brow creased. “That might work… if he’s available. His photos of the mountains and the river are amazing. He has a great eye and a remarkable talent for capturing unique angles and lighting.”

  “There, that’s one. It’s going to work out, trust me.”

  Sophie gave her a grateful smile. “When have I ever not trusted you?”

  “Smart woman.” Beth laughed as she and Sophie headed upstairs to the loft for their quick happy half-hour.

  They settled into two comfortable chairs by the window overlooking Sweet River. Sophie kicked off her shoes. “So, how goes the mayor race?”

  Beth’s relaxed attitude fled out the window. “It’s… going. Sometimes I wonder…”

  “If you’re crazy for running for mayor?” Her friend grinned at her.

  “Well, I’m pretty sure I am crazy for running, but it’s something I need to do. We need to get someone in there who isn’t just one of Old Man Dobbs’ buddies, doing his bidding.”

  “I hear you on that, but your life is already crazy busy with your teaching job, the boys, and now dating Mac. No one would blame you if you pulled out of the running.”

  “Not happening. I can figure out a way to make it all work. I have to. Besides, Mom is great with helping me with the boys. Mac is super supportive of… well, of everything.”

  “He’s a great guy. I’m glad you two worked things out.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had much time to drop by. I miss our happy hours.” Beth looked down on the river walk behind Sophie’s loft. A couple walked by, hand in hand in the low lights from the streetlights that were just beginning to illuminate the walkway. How many times had they sat in this very spot, talking or just sitting quietly?

  “I know you’ve been busy. We just have to do what we have to do, right?”

  Beth frowned. “I guess. But sometimes it would be nice to have more time to do what we want to do, instead of getting bogged down in what we need to do, wouldn’t it?”

  “We’ve got responsibilities. Nothing we can do to change that.”

  “Yeah. When did we become adults, anyway?” Beth laughed. In her mind she still pictured Sophie and herself as young, carefree high schoolers.

  “I’m not sure how it happened.” Sophie nodded agreeably. “Kind of just crept up on us, I guess. We’re not those same two carefree kids running around in high school, or convinced that studying for exams in college was the most excruciating, overwhelming responsibility we’d ever have.”

  Beth raised her glass and clinked with Sophie’s. “To adulting. May we both survive it.”

  Chapter 2

  Chase wasn’t sure what made him remember a vacation from his childhood, but memories had suddenly flooded his mind in broken detail. One of the last fun family times he could remember. He, his parents, and his brother, Garret, had gone to a small town in Colorado and stayed at some lodge there.

  The memories had convinced him. He’d thrown his hastily packed suitcase and guitar in his car and headed out from Nashville to Sweet River Falls. He’d stopped somewhere in Kansas to spend the night to break up the eighteen-hour drive. By the end of the second day, he wondered why he’d picked a place so far away from home. If he could even call Nashville home. He was used to road trips. He’d made enough trips on the bus with the band, but then he wasn’t the one driving.

  He finally pulled onto Main Street in Sweet River Falls and parked his car. He couldn’t quite remember how the town looked all those years ago, but it was charming now. Like the kind of small town you’d see on a postcard. The town bustled with people walking along the sidewalks. A sign on a nearby storefront proclaimed the best coffee in Sweet River Falls.

  He stretched as he climbed out of the car and turned his face to the afternoon sun. That’s what he needed. Coffee. He entered Bookish Cafe. A lady with a friendly smile greeted him. “Welcome.”

  “Ma’am.” He nodded at the woman.

  She set down a stack of books she was carrying. “Can I help you find something?”

  He looked around at the display of books but nodded toward the counter across the room. “I’m looking for some of that best coffee in Sweet River Falls.”

  She grinned at him. “You’ve come to the right place.” She held out her hand. “I’m Annie.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Lindsey over there will get you some coffee.” She nodded toward the counter.

  “I was wondering…”

  “Yes?” Annie looked at him.

  “Well, when I was a young boy, I came here with my family. To town, I mean. We stayed at a lodge. It was on a lake and if I remember correctly, it was also right by a river. They had a bunch of cabins and a big dining room to eat at. I don’t suppose you’d know the name of it?”

  “You’re in luck.” The woman’s eyes twinkled. “That’s Sweet River Lodge. My best friend still runs it. Nora Cassidy.”

  “I thought I might try and get a cabin there for a few days.”

  “Go grab yourself a coffee, and I’ll call Nora and see what they have available.”

  He walked over and got a tall black coffee. Their sign in the window wasn’t far from the truth. It was an excellent cup of coffee. He took a few sips and waited for Annie to finish her call. She came over to where he was browsing through a book on hiking trails in the area.

  “Got you all set. Here are directions.” She handed him a piece of paper. “Cell service is kind of spotty around here, so even if you put the lodge in on the map on your phone, there’s no guarantee you’ll get service well enough to follow along on your app.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate this.” />
  “No problem. I’m not surprised you remember the lodge. It’s kind of a magical place. Nora has a lot of repeat customers who come back year after year.”

  He didn’t know if he remembered it as magical, but it had been one of the last places his family had enjoyed a normal life. Before everything had exploded and their world had been turned upside down.

  A strong yearning to return to that simpler time pulled at him. Maybe he’d find the peace he was looking for at the lodge.

  Or not.

  He finished his coffee, said goodbye to Annie, and hurried back outside, eager to see the lodge again.

  Chase pulled up to Sweet River Lodge as the late afternoon sun sprinkled golden rays across the lake. The place looked different than he remembered. More cabins. A bit more updated in a rustic kind of way, not that he was one hundred percent sure of his memories of the place. He climbed out of the car into the chilly Colorado air. A tangy scent of pine trees and fresh earth drifted on the breeze. He followed the signs to the office and went inside to register.

  “May I help you?” Another friendly face.

  “Annie from Bookish Cafe called?”

  “She did. I have a cabin all ready for you. I’m Nora, by the way.”

  “Chase. Chase Green.”