Country Crooner (Christian Romance) (3 page)

Chelsea
was feeling so torn about what she should do with the radio station. One part of her wanted to figure out a way to keep it going because she knew that her father loved it and it was such an inspiration to the people in the small town. Another part of her knew that the station faced a lot of problems, and the likelihood of success was slim. It would be much easier to close the doors and walk away, and she was inclined to follow the path of least resistance.

She stood up from her father's bed and decided to head back downstairs to get a snack. She found some leftovers in the fridge from one of the casseroles that a neighbor had dropped off, heated a serving in the microwave, poured herself a glass of juice, and sat down at the table to eat.

As she was chewing her first bite, she heard a knock at the door and got up to see who was there. Probably another neighbor, stopping by to express their condolences, Chelsea thought to herself. Out of habit, she peeked through the peephole of the front door to see who was out there.

She could see a tall guy standing on the doorstep, with thick dark hair and baby blue eyes. He was looking off to the side, and she could see the strong line of his jaw and the five o'clock shadow of not having shaved in a day or two. He looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties-- and aging well, with a masculine look and the perfect balance between maturity and youth.

He was wearing clothing that was typical of the small town: a pair of fitted wrangler jeans, a plaid button-up shirt filled out by well-built shoulders and arms, a pair of worn boots, and he held a cowboy hat in one hand.

This guy looked vaguely familiar, and as she peered closer, she realized that she recognized the face. It was Kurt Arbuckle, she knew him from high school. They were never friends because he was two years older than she was, but she'd seen him around the school. In fact, every girl had seen him around the school. He was the type of guy that every high school girl went home and dreamed about at night. Some of her friends referred to him as "Mr. Popular."

Kurt's family moved into the area when he was a senior in high school. Even though he was the new guy, he quickly made a lot of friends and became the heartthrob of the small high school. He always seemed to be off in his own world with his buddies, and didn't pay much attention to the people who weren't within his social circle.

Chelsea
knew that he had pursued a music career after graduation, but didn't know what had happened to him because he fell out of the spotlight a few years ago. She was surprised to see him outside because she had never seen him around town when she was home visiting each summer during the Fourth of July.

Chelsea
opened the door, curious to see why he was knocking.

"Hi there! I'm assuming you’re Chelsea, right? I'm Kurt Arbuckle." He reached out in greeting to shake her hand, and noticed her acrylic nails and leather house slippers.

"Yes, I'm
Chelsea
! It's nice to see you Kurt; I didn't know that you still lived here. It's been a long time."

"I'm sorry," he stammered, "have we met before? I knew your father, but I’ve never seen you around here. He mentioned that he had a daughter and told me a little bit about you, but I was pretty sure that we'd never met in person."

"Well, we kind of met in high school. I was a sophomore when you moved here your senior year. We were in the same home economics class for a semester."

Kurt thought for a moment and tried to remember talking with her in high school. It had been too long, and he couldn't place her in any of his high school memories.

"It's hard to remember everyone that I met that year, because I was new to the school. I do remember that home economics class, though. It was a fun class."

"Not a big deal, we were only in one study group and did our final project together."
Chelsea
said jokingly, but half-serious. Even though their group had spent a few hours working together on their final project, she wasn't surprised that he didn't remember her, because he always seemed to be self-absorbed during class.

"I have the worst memory, and can never remember small details like that. Plus, my attendance wasn't great the last semester before graduation." He paused, and they stood there for a moment in uncomfortable silence. The breeze gently blew his hair and he squinted in the sunlight, as if he was waiting for Chelsea to invite him in. "Anyway, I know that you're probably busy, but I wanted to talk to you for just a minute. Is it all right if I come in?"

Chelsea
hesitated, should she invite a strange guy into the house? He didn't seem like he was dangerous or threatening in any way, so with a small mental shrug she stepped out of the way and opened the door so that he could come in.

"I was just sitting down to eat some leftovers for lunch, are you hungry?"

"No thank you, I just ate." Kurt looked around the front room and noticed a pair of patent leather high heels in the corner next to a designer handbag, a Cosmo magazine, and a bottle of
Fiji
artesian spring water. The accessories seemed out of place in the small town, humble home.

"Go ahead and sit down,"
Chelsea
motioned to the couch. She sat down in the armchair next to the couch. "So what can I do for you?"

"Well, the reason I came to talk to you is because I heard a rumor that you’re thinking about shutting down the radio station. Is that true?"

"I haven't decided yet, but it is a strong possibility. I just don't see how the radio station can continue running without my father here to manage it."

"You can't shut it down," Kurt said forcefully. "That's not an option. We’ll have to find another way to keep it running."

Chelsea
was surprised by Kurt's strong opinion in regards to the radio station, especially because she wasn't even aware that he was involved. Her father never mentioned anything to her on the phone about Kurt, and she knew all of the employees that were previously working for the station. "So, have you been working for the radio station? Why is it so important to you that it continues?"

"I moved back here two years ago, and I've seen how much it means to the people in this area. Especially some of the kids in the poorer parts of town... they look forward to the opportunity to participate by singing on the radio show. In fact, instead of roaming the streets and getting into trouble, they spend their free time practicing their music to sing on the radio. If you shut down the station, then they aren't going to have anything to work towards."

"I feel bad for the kids, but they’re just going to have to find another hobby. I’m supposed to be back to work by Monday, and there's no way I can keep this radio station running from my home in
California
. My job keeps me busy, and I just don't have the time."

"Well, you are going to need to figure something out, because out town can't lose the radio station. It's been a great point of connection and inspiration for so many people. You can't pull the rug out from under them, they will be heartbroken."

"There's nothing to figure out, because I can't do anything about it. Everyone will need to face the truth, which is that every good thing eventually comes to an end. So I guess I need to be the one to wrap everything up since my father isn't around anymore."
Chelsea
shrugged, and pulled her feet onto the couch in a cross-legged position. She was surprised that the conversation had put her in such a defensive position. She barely knew this guy, why did she care about his opinion?

Kurt could feel his blood starting to boil; this big-city diva had no idea what this radio station meant to the people in this town! He knew that
Ch
elsea
had moved away, but he was hoping that there was a little bit of her father left in her. He was looking for the compassion and selflessness that he had seen in her father, the compassion that had kept the radio station going for so many years.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, staring at each other-- as if they were challenging the other person to break the silence. The only sound in the room was the tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room and the gentle hum of the air conditioner.

Kurt finally broke the silence, trying hard to keep his voice despite the anger that he was feeling.

"No. Absolutely not," he said firmly. "If you close the station, you’ll be ruining the lives of so many people. Those kids used to get into so much trouble around town, and now they’re doing something productive with themselves. They have something to work towards, and if you shut down the station you’ll be crushing their hopes and dreams."

Kurt's face was turning a little red, and he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He reminded himself to breathe deeply a few times to keep his temper in check. Why wasn't this girl listening to what he was saying?

Chelsea
could hear the anger in Kurt's voice, and her own suppressed feelings of frustration, grief, sadness, and anger started to surface as well. She had been through a lot that week, and couldn't hold in her own emotions.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have anything else to say to you. I'm out of options, so those kids are just going to have to find something else. There's nothing that I can do. I didn't go to college so that I could grow up to be a radio DJ. And even if it was something that I was interested in, the station is in a financial bind and won't make it through the end of the month."

She fought back tears and couldn't decide what would feel better; to scream at him or to curl up in a ball on her father's bed for a good cry.

"I know that it's hard for you to see how much of an impact this is really going to make, because you haven't been around here lately. You're stuck in your high-end
California
lifestyle, and it looks like you have the same short-sided attitude that is so common out there. It's going to be easy to go back to your fancy lifestyle and use retail therapy to soothe your conscience. You come here and crush all of these kids’ dreams, and then head back home to spend a day at the spa to soothe away your stress. I see how it is."

"Excuse me? You act as if I'm some kind of a bully that came to town to ruin everyone's life. That's not what's going on here. I came back home to mourn the death of my father, and take care of the things that needed to be done as a result of his passing. I feel bad for those kids, I really do. But there is nothing that I can do."
Chelsea
threw up her hands in frustration, who did this guy think he was?!

Kurt had grown up a small town boy, throughout his childhood he lived in quiet country communities and knew what small town living was all about. Like
Chelsea
, he had moved away after high school and became caught up in the glamour of living in a bigger city. A popular record label signed Kurt soon after graduation. It was the classic music success story: a small-town boy discovered by a successful record label, and he quickly hit it big.

Chelsea
hadn't paid much attention to his music career, but she’d heard his name here and there on the radio and knew that he had experienced a lot of success in the music industry. He was the modern version of a country singer, with a silky-smooth voice that had a hint of a jazz crooner, and many of his songs had a little bit of a pop beat to appeal to the masses. It was a unique style, and had quickly become popular amongst the younger generation. His forte was singing love songs, and the ladies swooned over his sexy voice and slick guitar skills.

She knew that initially he had been a big sensation in the music industry, and was confused about why he was back in his hometown. She pushed the thought out of her mind, knowing that she didn't care to know anything about this guy... especially because he was being so rude to her.

Kurt stood up and glared down at
Chelsea
, sweat forming on his brow. "I know you're dealing with a lot right now, I've been through my own troubles over the past few years. I was hoping that by talking with you I would find that you had a piece of your father's caring heart still in you, but it's obvious to me that you’re too caught up in your own world to care about how your selfish decisions are going to affect other people. Go ahead, tear everything apart here, and then head back to your city living in
California
. After you’re done, I'll still be here trying to clean up the mess that you leave behind."

Chelsea
was speechless, but didn't even get the chance to respond, because Kurt quickly stomped out the door. She watched him out the window as he walked down the sidewalk, his fists clenched and his neck red from anger.

Chelsea
sat on the couch and cried, not caring that her food was getting cold on the kitchen table. How could a guy be so insensitive, especially when the wound of her father's death was so fresh? Kurt had said some pretty harsh things about her, and she wondered if there was any truth to his words: Was she just a big-city girl who had forgotten her small-town roots?

Why had her father left such a mess? Moreover, how was she supposed to clean up the mess before she needed to be back to work next week?

She had a lot of questions in her mind to sort through, and those questions seemed to pile up higher and higher as she tried to make sense of the events of the week.