Fighting for redemption . . .
I've lived most of my life in darkness, beneath the shadows of secrets and
addictions. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt the only girl I'd ever
loved—the one who brought me into the light. In my entire life I'd made one
promise—a promise I'd intended to keep. I've broken that promise and now I
have to live with the fallout. Dixie Lark hates me, and I have to tell her that I
love her. I also have to tell her a truth that might destroy us forever.
Can she love me, even if she can't forgive me?
Learning to move on . . .
Gavin Garrison broke his promise to my brother and he broke my heart in
the process.I may never love anyone the way I've loved him, but at least I
won't spend my life wondering "what if." We had our one night and he
walked away. I'm beginning to move on, but my brother's wedding and a
battle of the bands are about to throw us together again.
Our band is getting a second chance, but I don't know if I can give him one.
How do you hand your heart back to the person who set it on fire once
already?
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Excerpt
Prologue
“In the end, we are all just humans…drunk on the idea that love, and only love, can heal
our brokenness.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
Gavin
“I need a Michelob Light, two Jack and Cokes, a bourbon on the rocks, and a Sex
on the Beach,” a waitress calls to me over the crowded bar.
“Yes, ma’am,” I shout over the din while filling the order quickly, tossing an
umbrella into the fruity drink and briefly wondering what the hell kind of group orders
such random drinks. It’s an odd number, so probably not a double date.
Once her tray is full, she takes off into the crowd and I take a few more orders
from patrons sitting at the bar. The house band announcing that they’re taking a break
and I’m grateful that the bar is full enough to keep it from being quiet.
Silence has always been my enemy. Hence why I play the drums, the loudest most
deafening musical instrument in existence. They’re the only things that drown out the
sounds in my head. Once my customers and waitresses have been taken care of, I do a
quick wipe down of the bar and restock the highball glasses.
It’s in the brief moment when the pool balls knocking together and the raucous
chatter die down that I hear it.
Someone is playing the piano, the old Wurlitzer that sits abandoned in the back
corner of the Tavern. It’s not the music itself that stops me where I stand. It’s the way it’s
being played. Effortless yet meticulous, a combination that I’ve only known one musician
in my entire life to be capable of.
Glancing in the direction where the melody is drifting from I notice I’m not the
only one mesmerized by the sound. Half the bar has made their way to the back corner to
get a closer listen. My boss, a perpetually red-faced man named Cal, is going to kill me,
but I have to see. I have to know if it’s her. My body propels itself around the bar just as
a voice from my right calls my name, startling me out of my trance.
Turning, I look directly into a pair of gleaming green eyes beneath a perfectly
even bob of blond hair.
Ashley Weisman stands across from me in her pencil skirt and oxford dress shirt
with two too-many buttons undone to be here for professional reasons.
“You’ve been avoiding my phone calls,” she says evenly.
“Been busy.” Huffing out a breath, I place my hand gently on her elbow and
attempt to steer her toward the exit.
Stilettos planted firmly on the liquor-sticky floor, she purses her full red lips at me
and glares into my eyes. “You can’t ignore me forever. I’m your attorney. Besides,
what’s the rush, Gavin? Not even going to offer me a drink? What kind of bartender are
you?”
“One who doesn’t have time for this right now. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I can’t explain it, but deep in my soul—if I have one that is—I know exactly
who’s playing the piano behind me. I don’t know why she’s here, I don’t know if she
knows I work here, and I sure as hell don’t know if she’ll want to see me. What I do
know is that she and Ashley cannot cross paths right now. Not yet. Not before I’ve told
her everything.
“I think I’ll take the drink now, thank you very much.” Twisting out of my reach,
she hops up onto a barstool and steadily ignores the scowl on my face.
The music continues swirling around us and all I know is right now, I need to
know who is playing that damn piano.
Clenching my fists, I walk around behind the bar and wait for her to tell me what
she wants.
“I’ll have a screaming orgasm, please.” Her eyes gleam and I meet her interested
gaze with a dispassionate one. “Multiples, actually.”
I barely suppress a loud sigh and grab the Bailey’s and a top shelf bottle of vodka.
Once her drink is mixed I set it down in front of her.
“On the house. Feel free to take it and go.”
A frown mars her attractive face. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in such a hurry
to get rid of me. You have a hot date later?”
I can’t help it, I glance over toward the piano. The music speeds up and so does
my heart rate. The notes call to me like a siren song and I know I won’t be able to keep
myself from barreling over there for much longer.
“The piano player? I saw her when I came in. She’s pretty.”
“You done?” I nod to a newbie bar back named Jake to come get her empty glass
and he does.
“Oh, I see,” she says evenly, watching me carefully. “It’s her, isn’t it? The one
you’re so eager to get your shit together for, huh?”
“I need to get my shit together regardless, Ashley. You know that. How about
helping me do that instead of causing more trouble?”
She frowns as if I’ve insulted her. “I’m not trying to cause trouble. I’m curious.
Pretty sure curiosity isn’t a crime.”
Closing my eyes, I inhale through my nose and exhale out my mouth like the
meetings have taught me. “You know what they say about curiosity.”
Cal walks by and I call out that I’m taking my break. Without waiting for his
response or approval, I move out from behind the bar and make my way through the sea
of bodies separating me from the girl behind the piano. Once I’ve navigated the
treacherous waters, I see her.
It’s smoky in here tonight and several women I’m not familiar with are
surrounding her but I see her sitting there—playing her heart out—and all I can do is
watch.
She doesn’t make music, or create it. She is music. It flows through her as she
plays and it’s an incredible sight to behold.
There she is. My beautiful bluebird.
My stomach tenses and my throat constricts.
She shouldn’t be here.
I shouldn’t be here.
Seeing me here will hurt her and there is nothing I wouldn’t give to prevent that.
Before I can even begin to formulate the words in my mind that I should say to
make this okay, to make it somehow hurt her less, the music stops and she turns as if she
can feel me standing there. Applause breaks out around us but it fades into background
noise.
There isn’t a name for the emotion that crosses her face, darkening her eyes and
causing the fire in them to flare at me. It’s part shock, part betrayal, and complete pain.
My jaw clenches and I force my eyes to remain on hers even though they’d prefer
to close and block out the sight of her wounds deepening.
“Taking requests?” Ashley’s voice calls out from beside me. Her expression says
she’s genuinely impressed by Dixie’s talent but I can guess what my temperamental
Bluebird will see.
Dixie Leigh Lark arches an eyebrow at her and then shoots me a scowl of pure
disgust before answering with a short, “not at the moment.”
“Too bad,” Ashley answers with a shrug.
I step closer to Dixie just as she shoves the piano bench backward, scarping it
across the hardwood floor. Before I can blink, we’re face to face and if looks could kill,
someone would be performing CPR on me in a matter of seconds.
“Dixie, I—”
“Go to hell, Gavin,” is all that escapes her beautiful mouth. Her rage hits me with
the force of a ten-foot plate glass window shattering over me.
I turn to watch her storm out, running a hand over my head and feeling the heat of
several angry glares from other women around me.
Ashley smirks from behind her glass as she polishes off another drink I didn’t
realize she was holding. “Well that escalated quickly.”
Yeah. It did.
I am so fucked.
My Review
Life doesn't always turn out how you expect and sometimes parts of you get broken along the way, but there is always hope and even broken pieces can be rebuilt into something beautiful. My heart is a piece of mosaic art at this point.
Ya'll I just don't even know where to start on this one. Having just finished with tears in my eyes, happy, content tears! don't panic, I just don't even know where to begin.
I have always been up front with my love of Caisey's books. But hand to God this is her absolute best work yet. I fell so fast into this story that it is like I was there living and breathing every moment. Gavin and Dixie have held me captivated since Leaving Amarillo and their story is not one I will ever forget or ever tire of reading.
I won't lie. A lot goes on in this book and half of it is painful and raw. But damn it if isn't beautiful in it's own way through it all. I think I experienced every emotion one could imagine while reading Missing Dixie. There are so many lines in this book that spoke to my soul. I felt these words bone deep. I know that sounds crazy but that is what some books do to me and this was one of them.
I'm a mess of emotions and sad that this book is over. So I know my review is probably just a bunch of rambling but I cannot adequately form the words to give this book justice. This was the perfect conclusion for Dixie and Gavin and not even close to what I expected. I have been blown away!
I am happier because I've known profound sadness, wiser because I've made epic mistakes and learned from them. But I am still standing.
Ya'll I just don't even know where to start on this one. Having just finished with tears in my eyes, happy, content tears! don't panic, I just don't even know where to begin.
I have always been up front with my love of Caisey's books. But hand to God this is her absolute best work yet. I fell so fast into this story that it is like I was there living and breathing every moment. Gavin and Dixie have held me captivated since Leaving Amarillo and their story is not one I will ever forget or ever tire of reading.
I won't lie. A lot goes on in this book and half of it is painful and raw. But damn it if isn't beautiful in it's own way through it all. I think I experienced every emotion one could imagine while reading Missing Dixie. There are so many lines in this book that spoke to my soul. I felt these words bone deep. I know that sounds crazy but that is what some books do to me and this was one of them.
I'm a mess of emotions and sad that this book is over. So I know my review is probably just a bunch of rambling but I cannot adequately form the words to give this book justice. This was the perfect conclusion for Dixie and Gavin and not even close to what I expected. I have been blown away!
I am happier because I've known profound sadness, wiser because I've made epic mistakes and learned from them. But I am still standing.
This book to me, deserves more than 5 stars. It is for sure one of my top reads of the year!
***ARC provided via the author in exchange for my HONEST review. Thank you!***
About the Author
Caisey Quinn lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her daughter. She is the bestselling author of the Neon Dreams series as well as several New Adult and Contemporary Romance novels featuring southern girls finding love in unexpected places. You can find her online at www.caiseyquinnwrites.com. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
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