Free Almost Ordinary (The Song Wreckers Book 2) by Crystal Firsdon

first?”
    Shoot me. I couldn’t get used to the title Meemaw.
    She fawned over the boys for a while, going heavy on the kisses. I held my cringes whenever she said the M word.
    “Where’s that handsome husband of yours?” Mama asked.
    “Working. He’ll be home soon.”
    “I knew he’d catch that guy. Good-looking men always catch the bad guy.”
    Katie had told Mama the Adam story, so at least I didn’t have to explain again. Thank God.
    We ate and it felt good to be with Mama and Katie. I didn’t share their blood, but they were my family.
    Mama spooned some applesauce into Zander’s mouth. “Deena wanted to come to Michigan with me to see you, you know, to bend your ear on the music biz. She’s so nice, she could really use a break. Good job, Alex!”
    “That one’s Zander,” I said.
    Mama shrugged.
    I didn’t bother telling Mama that Deena had a not-so-nice side, or that her singing sucked. “Nice doesn’t equal talented enough to make it big,” I said.
    “Do you think you could hook her up somehow like with your record company? Maybe arrange an audition or something?”
    Aaaaaand, there it was. Ever since Katie told me that Mama had spilled the beans to Deena that I worked as a songwriter for Gina Swinger and Crystal Records, I knew I’d be asked to find Deena an in with the record company.
    “It doesn’t work like that.” For the most part, it didn’t. Crystal Records didn’t take auditions from anyone who wanted to be a singer. Sure, I could call Kent and swear up and down that I knew his next huge star, and line up a scout to listen to her. When they discovered that she sucked, my word would become good as dog shit.
    “But you know people there,” she begged. “You could convince them to listen to her.”
    Yeah, they’d hate me for that.
    Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t say no to Mama. When Katie and I became best friends in the beginning of ninth grade, Mama filled the emotional mother gap that my own mother wasn’t able to. She brought me in and loved me right up.
    Deena was bad, so no way.
    But Mama considered herself my kids’ meemaw—ugh, that word!—so I had to do this favor for her.
    Deena couldn’t handle others she felt were competition to her, so again, no way.
    But I loved Mama, I owed Mama, and I didn’t want to disappoint her. “I’ll see what I can do.”
    She settled for that.
    Mama and I threw the perfect bridal shower at the local community center, mainly because Katie did all the planning and I simply agreed that she made great choices. Katie shined as the center of attention. Katie heaven.
    The last of the guests filtered out leaving the three of us to do clean-up. We stared at the huge pile of gifts. “Dang,” I said. “You and Brett made out like bandits.”
    Katie put her hands on her hips. “See, you could’ve had a bridal shower like this if you didn’t elope.”
    I grabbed a centerpiece to keep as a memento. “I didn’t want a stu—” Mama smacked me. “Yes. I really should’ve let you plan a bridal shower for me.”
    Katie huffed and walked away. “Dang, that’s a lot of leftover food,” she said.
    “Mind if I make a couple plates and take it home?” I asked.
    “Be my guest.”
    I went to the kitchen and found paper plates and foil to use as a cover. I opened the refrigerator and gathered some of every food left and wrapped it to go.
    At home I tossed Caleb’s leftovers on the counter. “Brought you a plate of food, you want it now?”
    “Yeah, thanks.”
    Then I kissed him good in case I pissed him off like I figured I was about to do. “I made a plate to take to Cooper too.”
    God, I felt like a guilty piece of shit. But I also felt sorry for Cooper. The hospital refused to release him. He was such a pain in the ass that the doctors weren’t confident he could safely go home, or that he told the truth about how he felt. There were also some complications with his blood pressure. He sat against his will in the hospital