Katie is standing in her office, facing the window with the arm of her glasses between her teeth. Her eyes run across the parking lot and the skyline that she can barely see and she sighs.

There's a soft knock on her door.

"It's open." She answers, tossing an unread file on her desk. A man she hasn't seen before pokes his head it. "Can I help you?"

"Flowers for Katie Hurst." He says, handing her a bouquet of daisies.

"Thanks." He nods and closes the door behind him.

She looks them over and pulls a card from them just like the violets she got the other week. She bites her lip as she reads the handwriting.

She drops the flowers to her desk and picks up her office phone, her voice echoing throughout the halls of Big Loud.

"Morgan Wallen to Kate Hurst's office please." She states with a sigh then hangs up. She waits a few minutes then her door opens. "Michael?"

"Morgan isn't here today but I can, y'know, pass whatever it is along to 'em."

She groans and scrubs a hand down her face. "Will he be in Monday?"

"I dunno."

Katie licks her lips. "I'll just- shit." She mutters. "I'll talk to him when he gets back, then."

"Cool." He nods. "You doin' okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I dunno, you just seem pissed." He shrugs. "You, uh, wanna talk about anythin'? Y'know friend to friend and not as co-workers?"

She looks at him for a second. "Can I trust you?"

Without hesitation, he nods. "Yes."

She takes a deep breath in. "I think Morgan's upset that I'm hookin' up with someone else but now he's been sendin' me flowers so-"

"He's been sending you flowers?"

She points to the bouquet on the desk. "Violets couple weeks ago and daisies this week. I don't know what is issue is but I'm just- I can't- I don't know."

"Maybe he's tryna apologize."

"Yeah, sure." Her cell chimes. "Shit. I gotta go, gotta go see my daddy."

"See ya Monday." Michael gives her a one armed hug then he's on her way.

She sighs heavily as she lowers herself back into her chair, looking at the bouquet of daisies on her desk. She clenches her jaw and shakes her head as she grabs her scissors.

She angrily cuts the ends off the stems then drops them in an old tall glass vase the last woman that had this office left behind then sets it on her desk.

She lets herself smile at the flowers then gathers her things, heading out for the weekend.

Maybe Morgan's trying to apologize and that's it. Maybe she's just over thinking it.

+++

"She's datin' Riley."

"Who?"

"Katie. She's datin' Riley." Morgan runs a hand through his hair as he picks up his beer can.

Michael sighs back. "She's datin' Riley." He repeats.

"I know. I know!" Morgan stands. "I know we were kids when we last dated but that chemistry we had is still there. We're supposed to be together, Michael. She's supposed to be with me. I loved her- still do."

"Is that why you skipped today?" He doesn't say anything. "She's datin' Riley, man. She's moved on."

"You- you ain't seen the way she looks at me. The last time we hooked up it was like no one else existed. It was-" He gets to his feet. "It was so... indescribable. On tour we could've hooked up but we didn't. We should've, though."

"Why didn't you?"

"She met Riley and they've been together ever since. I've been sendin' her flowers to, I guess, apologize or hopefully tell her that I love her."

"Man," Michael looks up at him. "The best way to tell a girl you love her is to actually fuckin tell her you love her. Not hide behind flowers to try to send a hint but to tell her that you fuckin love her."

"I can't do that. Not now."

"Dude, you're Morgan Wallen. You can damn well do anythin' you put your mind to."

He sighs heavily. "It's not that easy."

"Stop feelin' sorry for yourself and get her before her and Riley get serious."

Morgan nods. "You know what she's doin' tonight?"

"Said somethin' 'bout her dad."

He checks his phone. "It's his birthday."

"How- how'd you know that?"

"We dated for a few years, man." Morgan picks up his guitar. "I gotta get goin'."

"You're not- you're not gonna go see her, are you?"

"No, I just need to get my shit together."

"Good. I can tell you's got a lot on your mind. Y'ain't been focused none on writin'."

He sighs and nods. "I'll see you later, man."

"Good luck, Wallen."

+++

Katie and her father are reunited at last and she's really loving it. She's always wanted to leave Sneedville but being back made her actually miss it.

Right now, she's wandering out the small shop looking for the right things for the party she's throwing for her dad.

"Kate Hurst." She looks up from her liquor selections at the mention of her name. "Wow."

"Uh, thanks." She chuckles uneasily. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Ouch." The stranger laughs with that familiar, charming laugh and it hits her.

"Johnny Ford, well I'll be." Kate pops a hand on her hip as she looks him over.

Since high school, he's gotten so much more attractive. He's not that scrawny-turned-slightly muscular boy anymore. It's obvious he's been working out. His long hair isn't long anymore, it's cropped which really brings the attention up to those vivid green eyes and trouble-making, straight, white toothed grin of his. She can't help the blush that colors her cheeks as her sight shifts downward.

He's finished his sleeve; he's inked from shoulder to wrist. That's another point toward handsomeness. His cut off is probably supposed to be loose but it's tight across his chest. His jeans are stretched across his beefy thighs and cover the shafts of those boots he wore all throughout high school.

"How's it goin' Ford?"

"Real good, Kate. What're you doin' home?"

"It's my daddy's birthday."

Ford nods and looks her over. "You look good."

She blushes. "So do you."

"You back home for good or are you still in Atlanta?"

"I live in Nashville, actually."

"What? Figured you's livin' in Atlanta."

"No, when I graduated I moved there and got a job at a record label."

"Wow." He chuckles. "That's excitin'. More excitin' then what I've been doin'." He rubs the back of his neck. "Just got released from jail a couple weeks ago."

She doesn't know what to say to that.

"It was a misunderstandin'." He sighs. "You busy later? We could get somethin' to eat at that diner."

"Yeah, I am." She lies. "But, we should stay in contact with each other. Here, lemme give you my number." Ford bites his lip as he hands her his phone. "It was nice seein' you, Ford."

"You too, Kate." He smiles back, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "See ya."

"Bye." She watches him walk away.

Kate quickly finishes up her shopping and heads back to her car, wanting to get home before her dad to set up for his birthday.

+++

Kate finds herself staring at her framed picture of the train trellis back home. She can vividly recall those summer nights where her, Taylor, Morgan and Ford would stay out hours past curfew, swimming. She smiles at the photograph.

When her phone starts ringing, she blindly picks it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, been thinkin' 'bout you. Haven't heard from you in a couple days."

"Yeah, sorry. I've just been busy." She sighs back.

"You wanna come over?" Riley asks, hope in his voice. He hasn't seen her for a while and he actually misses her. He knows that sounds clingy as hell but when she's with him, he wants to be the best version of himself.

"Yeah, I'll be over in like half an hour."

"See you then, baby."

Kate sighs again as she hangs up. She's questioning everything now and she's not sure why. She's got a good job, great boyfriend, beautiful home so why does she feel so... empty?

She has to get an album release party set up for Morgan since he's releasing his first full length album, The Way I Talk. Kate's been elbow deep in all that legal bullshit that comes with the business side of music. She's stressed, yeah, so maybe seeing Riley will be good for her.

Kate pulls up to his house and smiles when she sees Riley sitting on the front porch in a white rocker.

"Hey beautiful." He greets, standing to kiss her.

"Hey." She responds, sitting next to him in a matching chair. "Sorry I've been MIA lately."

"I just been worried 'bout you. I know you've got a lot on your plate." He takes her hand. "Anythin' I can help with?"

"Nah, it's all some stupid shit." She huffs. "Gotta plan a party for Morgan."

"For what?"

"Album release." He nods, brushing his thumb across her hand. "Didn't think I'd be doin' party planning on top of managing."

"Things'll be alright. You're smart, you got this."

"Didn't say I wasn't smart. Just overwhelmed." She mutters back bitterly. "I gotta call around to see what I can book."

"Check out the Ruby. They got a pretty cool venue." He says. "It's near Vanderbilt."

"I'll call 'em." Kate nods. It's obvious she's stressed. She's got so much on her mind.

"C'mere." He says, pulling her hand. She sighs heavily as she sits on his lap, one arm around his shoulders while one of his is around her waist. He rests his chin on the top of her head and rubs her hip. "You're doin' great, okay?"

She closes her eyes and presses herself closer against him. Riley's heart melts as he kisses the top of her head, wrapping his arms tighter around her. She's been nonstop since she's gotten back from Sneedville, she could crash at any moment.

And that moment is now.

Within seconds, Katie is asleep in Riley's arms. Maybe he's the one for her, the one she's supposed to be with for the rest of her life.

Maybe.

"I love you." He whispers against her hair, closing his eyes too.