mesmerized, as the music transformed her in to someone he hadn’t seen in a long time. Gone was the sweet, shy girl with a world of hurt in her big, brown eyes. In her place was a strong, confident woman who knew she’d been blessed with an incredible gift.
The song speared his soul because he knew every word had come straight from her heart. It was a song about love, loss, and finding a way to move on when the only recourse was surrendering to an early demise.
She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
“That night in the hospital…” He cleared his throat as her words resonated in his head. “Did you really think about taking your life?”
“When you feel like hope is gone, sometimes it seems like the only solution,” she said quietly, looking down at her hands as they stroked the keys. “But I’m a fighter. I’ve had to be. Checking out too soon is the coward’s way out…” She looked him in the eye. “No matter what you might think of me, I’m not a coward, Drake.”
He sucked in a breath, struck by the conviction he heard in her words. “I never thought you were.”
“I stayed in Nashville because I had something to prove to you and myself. I’m not a quitter and I refuse to believe that God blessed me with this gift because he intended for me to waste it. I believe I’m supposed to share it. Even if it’s just singing in the church choir—”
“Wait a minute,” he said, holding his hand up. “You’re telling me you sing in the church choir?”
She laughed at his obvious astonishment. “Believe me, no one is more surprised by that turn of events than I was. Phil and Susan take turns going to church every Sunday, since they can’t leave the center unattended. Susan invited me to go with her once. I was reluctant at first, but I was surprised to find that I felt at home there. Outside of the center, it was the first place I’d felt truly accepted.”
He tried not to take it personally, knowing she’d never felt he accepted her completely. “I’m glad you found a place you feel you belong.”
“It’s really helped me put my life into perspective,” she said, smiling. “I’d never considered myself a spiritual person before, but now I’m beginning to think there may be a purpose for me to be here after all.”
“I know there is, Cassidy.” They shared a smile and she shifted on the bench, facing him. “Did you always know what you wanted to do with your life?”
He realized she’d never asked him that question before. “Yeah, I think so.” He chuckled. “If I’d been as gifted as you are, I probably would’ve wanted to be front and center, but since that wasn’t in the cards for me…”
She rolled her eyes, sending him a message that she didn’t feel sorry for him. “Poor baby. Instead of being a struggling musician like me, you get to produce dozens of multi-platinum selling artists. Forgive me if I don’t feel sorry for you.”
It had always been easy for Drake to handle criticism and he learned early on that he had to develop a thick skin if he wanted to survive in this business. “Things worked out the way they were supposed to,” he said, inclining his head toward the piano. “You have your gifts and I have mine.”
“Yeah,” she said, gesturing to the opulence surrounding them. “But your gifts bought you all this and mine doesn’t even put food on the table. Sometimes I think I came out with the short end of the stick.”
“No, you didn’t,” he said with certainty. “Music is the way you express yourself. Anyone can see that. Without your music, you never would’ve been able to overcome the addiction that was stealing your life and will to live.”
“You’re right,” she said, nodding her head. “As a kid, it was always my coping mechanism. I’d go to my room, put on my headphones and get lost for hours… just writing. Without that ability to escape, I probably would have ended up like my sister.”
“Have you seen
The song speared his soul because he knew every word had come straight from her heart. It was a song about love, loss, and finding a way to move on when the only recourse was surrendering to an early demise.
She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
“That night in the hospital…” He cleared his throat as her words resonated in his head. “Did you really think about taking your life?”
“When you feel like hope is gone, sometimes it seems like the only solution,” she said quietly, looking down at her hands as they stroked the keys. “But I’m a fighter. I’ve had to be. Checking out too soon is the coward’s way out…” She looked him in the eye. “No matter what you might think of me, I’m not a coward, Drake.”
He sucked in a breath, struck by the conviction he heard in her words. “I never thought you were.”
“I stayed in Nashville because I had something to prove to you and myself. I’m not a quitter and I refuse to believe that God blessed me with this gift because he intended for me to waste it. I believe I’m supposed to share it. Even if it’s just singing in the church choir—”
“Wait a minute,” he said, holding his hand up. “You’re telling me you sing in the church choir?”
She laughed at his obvious astonishment. “Believe me, no one is more surprised by that turn of events than I was. Phil and Susan take turns going to church every Sunday, since they can’t leave the center unattended. Susan invited me to go with her once. I was reluctant at first, but I was surprised to find that I felt at home there. Outside of the center, it was the first place I’d felt truly accepted.”
He tried not to take it personally, knowing she’d never felt he accepted her completely. “I’m glad you found a place you feel you belong.”
“It’s really helped me put my life into perspective,” she said, smiling. “I’d never considered myself a spiritual person before, but now I’m beginning to think there may be a purpose for me to be here after all.”
“I know there is, Cassidy.” They shared a smile and she shifted on the bench, facing him. “Did you always know what you wanted to do with your life?”
He realized she’d never asked him that question before. “Yeah, I think so.” He chuckled. “If I’d been as gifted as you are, I probably would’ve wanted to be front and center, but since that wasn’t in the cards for me…”
She rolled her eyes, sending him a message that she didn’t feel sorry for him. “Poor baby. Instead of being a struggling musician like me, you get to produce dozens of multi-platinum selling artists. Forgive me if I don’t feel sorry for you.”
It had always been easy for Drake to handle criticism and he learned early on that he had to develop a thick skin if he wanted to survive in this business. “Things worked out the way they were supposed to,” he said, inclining his head toward the piano. “You have your gifts and I have mine.”
“Yeah,” she said, gesturing to the opulence surrounding them. “But your gifts bought you all this and mine doesn’t even put food on the table. Sometimes I think I came out with the short end of the stick.”
“No, you didn’t,” he said with certainty. “Music is the way you express yourself. Anyone can see that. Without your music, you never would’ve been able to overcome the addiction that was stealing your life and will to live.”
“You’re right,” she said, nodding her head. “As a kid, it was always my coping mechanism. I’d go to my room, put on my headphones and get lost for hours… just writing. Without that ability to escape, I probably would have ended up like my sister.”
“Have you seen
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