Graceless (Grace Notes #2)

“She wants to use all your connections,” she corrected. “You heard her. She thinks she can just wave the sibling card and magically invoke a career.”

Brynn paused.

“I actually think she’s serious,” she told her. “And I also think she secretly cares about music for music’s sake.”

“She hides it well,” Savannah said drily. Brynn gazed at her thoughtfully.

“She hides a lot of things well,” she pointed out. “I suspect there’s a lot going on beneath that prickly surface.”

“I wish she’d just tell me,” Savannah sighed. “She’s so angry with me that she won’t even confide enough for me to make amends.”

“You know, I honestly think she’s trying to, in her own way. Little digs here, little jabs there. A revelation, followed by withdrawal. Might be the only way she knows how.”

“Do you think I should try to get her professional help?” Savannah worried. “She’s been through a lot and there’s clearly something going on.”

“I think,” Brynn kissed her forehead, “that there’s time enough for that. I think you should just keep trying to reach out for her. Not as someone taking responsibility for her. Just as her sister.”

Later that afternoon Savannah sought out Cassidy, finding her in the third floor music room. It was a large comfortable space, and through the window the main view was of the branches of a hundred-year-old oak tree. The leaves cast a dappled light across the floorboards, making her feel like she was hiding in a vast green cocoon. It was Savannah’s favorite place in Nashville to write. The room housed her guitar collection, a handful of cushy armchairs, and a beautiful vintage piano. She found Cassidy on the piano bench, her fingers caressing the keys without playing a single note.

She jumped when Savannah lightly knocked on the open door.

“Sorry,” Cassidy said, sitting bolt upright.

“What for?” Savannah asked. “You can be in here whenever you want.”

Her sister shifted on the piano bench, swinging around away from the keys.

“It feels very… yours,” she said. “All the instruments.”

Savannah sat in the armchair opposite.

“They’re for anyone to use,” she reassured her sister. They sat quietly for a moment.

“It’s like sitting in a treehouse,” Cassidy said softly after a while. “It’s the most peaceful room in your house. It actually feels private.”

“I like that about it too.”

“Then why live in a glass house?” her sister regarded her with a frown. Savannah laughed.

“It feels like being outdoors,” she explained. “Besides, there’s thirty acres and a stack of tall trees between us and the road. It’s still private.”

“You’re kind of weird,” her sister said after a while. Savannah couldn’t hide her smile. It was the most sisterly thing Cassidy had ever said to her.

“Yeah, well, you’re related to me,” she pointed out. “I suspect you’re probably kind of weird too.”

For a moment, Cassidy almost smiled back.

“Did you want something from me?” she said instead.

“I was just thinking,” Savannah tried, “that you literally arrived with a knapsack. I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a shopping trip with me. Get some more clothes and whatever else you need?”

Cassidy considered for a long moment. Savannah practically held her breath.

“What, is it embarrassing for you, your sister schlubbing around in old clothes?”

“No,” she said quietly. “I actually really like your style. If you’re happy, I’m happy. But if you need more than four dresses and one pair of shoes, then we could just go have a fun day out together.”

Cassidy’s expression closed.