THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

sick children glow with the excitement, was a reward she wouldn’t soon forget. Cody’s schedule had been tight, yet no one would have known. He moved at a leisurely pace and gave one-hundred percent to those folks. The children and their parents had been his priority at the time. Everything else had to wait.
    At the end of each week, she completed proof sheets so Arty and Cody could choose favorites along the way. That helped her make sure the shots encompassed the diversity they needed for the book. It was already being hyped.
    Kasey posted the top three blooper shots on the bus bulletin board after each concert. It was quickly becoming a tradition. She easily picked up on some of Cody’s quirks, like his love for barbecue. Barbecued chicken, ribs, pork, beef, goat, even potatoes and corn. If someone barbecued it, he’d eat it. Not only did he love to eat barbecued anything, he also loved to grill. They had a fancy one loaded right there on the bus, and Cody spent a lot of time grilling for the gang.
    Kasey had captured dozens of pictures of Cody in different barbecue eateries, big and small, across the country. It was in a small barbecue shop in Texas that they’d teased about Cody becoming the next Bobby Flay and having his own barbecue cookbook. Arty Max grabbed that idea like a pit bull on a steak. He’d already pitched it to a New York publishing house, and they were thrilled with the idea. Kasey and Cody agreed to go to the famous Annual Texas Goat Cook-off over Labor Day weekend to kick off that project.
    The tour was successful—from the west coast across the Midwestern plains, and now working its way up and down the east coast. Sometimes they hit four cities in as many days with little down time in between. The tour had been well organized, yet there were a few times that Kasey wasn’t sure which city they were in. Itineraries posted on the plane and buses helped everyone stay on course.
    Kasey was exhausted, but it felt good to have control over something again. She had plenty of sad nights, but more often than not, she was so tired she didn’t have time to think. She thanked God that Cody had turned up when he did and offered her this escape. The photography work was mindless. She got lost in the creativity, and no one needed or wanted anything from her. What a relief.
    The busy schedule relieved her from making any major decisions and of the emptiness at home. She just followed along. Even in the hurried pace of it all, she knew that Christmas was around the corner. She hated to think of facing it alone.
    The whole Tuggle clan and all of their family members would gather at Cody’s ranch for a three-day Christmas celebration. They’d invited her, but she didn’t want to bring anyone down so she’d declined.
    “You can’t skip Christmas,” Cody insisted.
    “I can try. I know I can’t wish it away, but the holidays are going to be hard and I don’t want to drag anyone else’s down with me.”
    “You won’t. You have to come.”
    She shook her head. “I—”
    “I happen to know you don’t have anything better to do. You may as well join us. You can get more pictures. Who knows. You might just have some fun while you’re at it.”
    “Okay, okay. I’ll come. But if I get weepy, you have to promise you’ll send me to my room.”
    “It’s a deal, but I plan on making sure you’re fine.”
     
    On Christmas Eve, they’d sung Christmas carols into the wee hours of the morning, then everyone exchanged gifts. Kasey had created collages for each of the band members and road crew to commemorate their role in the big tour. Everyone loved them. It was what she did best, and the project had kept her mind in a good place.
    She got gag gifts from the road crew, and her obsession with red licorice garnered her more of the stuff than she could eat in a lifetime. The drummer had even taken the time to weave hundreds of red licorice ropes into the shape of a cowboy hat.
    The break for Christmas proved to be fun and relaxing. As much fun as the break was, the band and crew, including Kasey, were all ready to get back on the road.
     
    * * * *
     
    The first show after Christmas was in Raleigh, North Carolina. A buzz filled the air as over eighteen thousand fans piled into the arena. Once the opening band cleared the stage, Kasey took her place down in front. Tonight she’d take the final pictures. Tomorrow morning she’d head home.
    Cody opened with his first number-one song. The crowd went