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where that came from.”
    “No worries John,” she said as she grabbed his hand and led the way back up the path.
    Making their way back through the lush gardens, Randa and John were feeling and acting like a couple of carefree teenagers laughing and seeming to be sharing a private joke. Taylor spotted them and made her way toward them.
    “Randa, you and John missed it! Noel asked me to sing and everyone loved it.”
    “Of course they did Taylor,” Randa said. “You are always amazing. I’m so sorry we missed it. John would have undoubtedly enjoyed hearing you sing live. We went on a walk and he showed me more of the property. We came across a beautiful blue pond and there was a bench on one of its banks, so we sat down and talked and let the enchanting surroundings embrace us.”
    “I’m afraid that the time slipped away from us Taylor. My apologies to you and Fox,” John said as he squeezed Randa’s hand that he was still holding.
    John seemed more relaxed and carefree than Fox had seen him in years. When Buck and Claire got divorced, Fox knew that John lost a lot of his innocence. It was hard to watch, but there was little Fox could do other than to be there for John in times that he was needed, which were rare because John shrugged things off and tried to keep his sadness to himself.
    John and Randa said their goodnights to the partygoers and he walked her to his home.
    Opening the door, John stepped aside letting Randa enter the house first. “Can I fix you a drink?”
    “How about a Mai Tai?”
    John laughed. “The only reason that I know how to make one of these is because my mom drinks these too.”
    “How wonderful! I don’t drink hard liquor, but I love a sweet, fruity drink.”
    John nodded. He was so riveted by this beautiful lady. “Occasionally, I will have a mixed drink, but I prefer a nice ice-cold Budweiser Longneck,” he said as he handed her the drink and opened a beer for himself.
    “Mmm thank you. It tastes delicious,” Randa said as she took a sip. John led the way into the grand living room. Randa glanced around, looking at the pictures displayed. They were the same ones that were on display the last night that John’s parents were together. That night was portentously etched into John’s memory. He remembered every word of the fight that had put an end to his parent’s marriage. New pictures were added through the years, but they were mostly all of John.
    “Is this your Mom and Dad?” Randa asked pointing to a portrait hanging on the wall.
    “Yes, that is Buck and Claire. They divorced when I was fifteen. My mother married Tom, the man she was having an affair with, shortly after I graduated from high school. Once she and my Dad divorced, she was rarely at home and my Dad has never returned to the ranch. Their fight that night woke me up. I heard everything. Overnight my world literally was turned upside down. My relationships with them changed and my nice orderly life turned into spending hours alone. Fox primarily became my parent during that time, besides already being a great friend and mentor to me.”
    Randa could feel John’s deep sorrow.
    “I’m so sorry for you.”
    “Thank you Randa, but it happened a long time ago.”
    “Unfortunately, time doesn’t always make the pain disappear.” Randa said briefly, glancing at him as she continued to move about the room. John marveled at her for a moment, intrigued at her uncanny ability to sense the somber tone in his voice, which attempted to mask his hurt. But since he had learned that she was the writer of many of Taylor’s songs, which had mirrored his deepest feelings, he really wasn’t totally surprised. This lady possessed a great deal of depth, which was most likely apparent to anyone who spent even the slightest amount of time with her.
    Silently, John recounted the many wonderful times that he spent in this room with his Mom, Fox, and his Dad when he was home. Almost every one of John’s Christmases had been