Hitting the Right Note (7 page)

T
he town car that picked JJ up was so dark that she couldn't tell whether there was an actual driver or if it was being driven by a ghost. She stared at it for a moment, not sure if she should get in or wait for someone to roll down the window. Before she had to make the decision, the driver's side opened and a thick, clean-shaven man in a dark suit stepped out.

“Miss Judith Isaacs?” he asked with an accent that sounded more New York than Toronto.

JJ nodded.

“The name's Marvin,” he said, opening the back passenger door. “I'm here to take you to your audition.”

JJ cleared her throat. “Uh, okay.”

She reached for her overnight bag, but Marvin got to it first.

“Thank you,” JJ murmured, sliding onto the leather-covered backseat. The door had barely closed behind her when she noticed the bouquet of white tulips on the seat next to her.

Rayshawn.

He knew white tulips were her favorite. He also knew she knew they were out of season, and so he'd have had to make some effort to locate them. She shook her head. This was another part of his apology. He had been doing everything he could to make up for the argument they'd had two days before when JJ had stormed out of his place. This audition that he had pretty much pulled out of thin air was the first part. The Victoria's Secret gift basket, delivered to her doorstep with all her favorite items the day before, was another. If his goal was to wear her down, she had to admit that it was working.

She breathed in the light, fresh scent of the tulips before opening the attached card.

She held the tulips to her nose again. She would think about it.

Thankfully, JJ was able to see more looking out the windows than she had been able to see looking in, as Marvin took several roads out of Davisville, her Toronto community. Instead of heading north to the 401, the major highway, he headed west until he picked up the 400 going north.

“So, where exactly are we headed?” JJ asked, hoping she could uncover some of the mystery shrouding the whole experience. Maybe Marvin would be more forthcoming with details than Rayshawn had been in his e-mail earlier that morning when he told her to pack an overnight bag and be ready at eight p.m. for an audition.

“I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say, Miss Isaacs,” Marvin said. “But I would suggest you go ahead and relax. Take a nap even. We'll be on the road for about an hour.”

She was on the way to a middle-of-the-night audition with someone she didn't know, who lived so far out of Toronto it would take her an hour's drive on a traffic-free highway to get there. She wasn't likely to be relaxing anytime soon.

“Yeah, don't think that's going to work.”

Marvin chuckled. “Thought you might say that. In that case, there are a couple magazines on the backseat you could browse.”

JJ wasn't in the mood for browsing. She was far too wound up. She must have dozed in spite of it, however, for the next time she looked up, the town car was rolling up a long driveway lined on each side by ground-level lights. Beyond the driveway the thick foliage of tall pines worked with the darkness to keep JJ ignorant of her surroundings. After what seemed like forever, the trees parted and the driveway opened up to reveal a lit fountain surrounded by a stone pond. Behind it stood a three-story monstrosity like nothing JJ had personally seen before. Even in the poor view provided by the floodlights around the front and sides of the property, JJ could tell that the mansion was something out of an episode of the celebrity homes show,
MTV Cribs
.

“Close your mouth, Miss Isaacs,” Marvin said, opening JJ's door. “This time of year, you could catch flies like that.”

JJ hadn't even realized he had stopped and gotten out of the car. She snapped her mouth shut and tried to pull herself together. She didn't need Marvin telling whoever it was he worked for that she acted like a plum fool.

As she got out of the car and followed him to the front doors, she couldn't help but stare. The brick walkway beneath her feet led straight to the main entrance, which comprised a heavy oak doorway about fifteen feet high, balanced on both sides by thick stone columns that ran from the ground to almost the top of the second floor. Moonlight bounced off the tall arched windows to the side and offered the illusion that one could see inside the home. However, JJ didn't need to peek. As if expecting them, the front doors opened and they were welcomed into the huge entryway.

“Hi, I'm Kate. Judith?”

JJ took the hand of the fresh-faced woman standing in front of her. In her snow-white blazer and slim-fit slacks, with her hair perfectly coiffed and her makeup flawless, Kate looked like it was the middle of the workday instead of 9:25 at night. She suddenly felt underdressed in her billowy sweater-blouse and dark-wash jeans. At least she had worn heels.

“Most people call me JJ.”

“Okay, JJ it is then.” Kate smiled, but JJ didn't miss the way the woman's eyes flitted over her. “Come with me.”

Their heels clicked as they walked over marble tiles past several doors on both sides. Finally, at the end of the hallway, Kate opened wide double doors and stepped aside to let JJ into a large, windowless room with hardwood floors and maple paneling. Several ceiling-level spotlights were aimed at a stage, set up at one end. As she moved closer she saw that there were also microphones and feed boxes on the stage. Scattered around the room were women looking over sheet music, others with headsets and clipboards moving swiftly among them, and yet still others whose specific role she could not determine. Despite their numbers, the sound in the room barely rose above a dull murmur.

Before she could take in any more details, Rayshawn was at her side.

“Hey, babe,” he whispered in her ear, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Glad you made it.”

“Shawn, what's going on?” JJ asked, forgetting in the awe of the moment that she still might be mad at him. “Who are these auditions for? Are these the only people auditioning? Will I have to sing in front of them?”

“Yes and yes,” Rayshawn answered, his eyes sparkling. “But don't worry. You got this. Did you bring the music I told you to and did you practice the new songs?”

“Yes,” JJ said. “But you still haven't told me who I am auditioning for. And why would you want me to bring the Deacon Hill songs? I've never sung those before.”

“Because that's who you're auditioning for.”

JJ's mouth fell open and she felt her heart beat triple-time as the blood rushed to her ears.

“I'm auditioning for Deacon Hill?” JJ was barely able to squeak the words out. She grabbed her chest. “Oh my God, I can't breathe.”

Rayshawn put an arm around her and led her to an empty corner. “Easy, babe, deep breath. Relax. You can do this.”

The deep breath did seem to help settle her heart rate, just enough so she could punch Rayshawn in the arm.

“Ouch!”

“How could you not tell me this?” she hissed, careful not to draw attention to them. “I would have practiced more, I would have chosen better songs, I would have chosen a better outfit!”

“That's exactly why I didn't tell you,” Rayshawn said, rubbing his arm. “You would have overdone it, psyched yourself out, and then been a bundle of nerves.”

“You mean like I am right now?”

“JJ, you have got to relax. Deacon Hill is just a man like anyone else. Remember that and you'll get through this audition fine.”

Before she could argue, a throat cleared and everyone in the room looked to the stage. JJ gasped. It was him. Deacon Hill. Multiplatinum-selling recording artist and owner of the hearts of 80 percent of the women across the world. He was dressed in black jeans and a gray henley, but he might as well have been wearing a Brooks Brothers suit for how amazing he looked. Smooth, olive-toned skin; dark, close-cropped hair; and darker eyes. Not too short but not too tall. Not too built but not too lean. He was every race, every kind of singer and every woman's type.

“Good evening, everyone,” he said in the smooth, silky voice that had invaded JJ's dreams once upon a time. “And thank you for coming here at such an ungodly hour. I know this is a bit strange for most of you, but I am run by my schedule and have to get through this now, so I can fly out midday tomorrow. Kate will give you the instructions for the audition, but I just want to wish you all the best. I am looking forward to working with those of you who are chosen, in the next couple months.”

Deacon stepped away from the mike and Kate took his place, giving the instructions for how the auditions would take place. Apparently they were looking for four singers for Deacon's second line. There were eleven of them there to audition. Most would go home tonight. Those called back would stay overnight, and the final four would be determined in the morning.

JJ had never been to an audition like this. But she had heard that this was how some major superstars recruited their musicians and backup, and Deacon Hill was definitely a major star. From what she saw around the room, it seemed like a female-only audition. She tried to block out the other women as they sang, knowing it would psych her out. By the time it was her turn, she had gone through so many levels of nervousness, excitement, and fear that she was almost numb.

“You got this, babe.” Rayshawn squeezed her hand before she slipped through the crowd to the stage. She headed to the musician, and was surprised to find it was a female keyboardist She had been so busy watching the other singers audition she hadn't noticed.

“What you got?” the redheaded, gum-chewing young woman asked.

“‘It's My Time,'” JJ said, handing her the sheet music. She saw the woman raise an eyebrow as she saw the markings JJ had made.

“Alright,” she said, something that could have been a smile cracking the corner of her lips. “Let me know when you're ready.”

JJ took the mike at the center of the stage and glanced down at Kate, Deacon, and three other persons sitting in folding metal chairs in the first row. She closed her eyes.

With her eyes still closed, she nodded to the musician. She heard the strains of the song open up at the lower key she requested. Then she stopped thinking and started singing. She didn't sing Deacon Hill's “It's My Time.” She sang Judith Isaacs's. Every word, every melody flowed through her like it was her own. In that moment there was no one else but her and the music. It
was
her time. And since she didn't know if she would ever again get a chance to sing before someone as powerful as Deacon Hill, she sang like it was the last time she would ever sing.

When she finally got to the last note, she let it hang in the air like the breeze after a strong gust of wind. Then the final chime of the piano, and silence. So complete and so deafening that JJ's eyes popped open, wondering if at some point the room had emptied. She blinked and stepped back shakily from the microphone when she realized that everyone was looking at her. The busy bees with the clipboards had stopped moving, Kate's fingers on her phone had stopped typing, even the musician's gum-smacking had ceased. The silence hung for a long moment and panic seized JJ's heart like a rough fist. She had overdone it, just like Rayshawn had feared. She had wrecked the song. Totally and completely trashed Deacon's song right in front of him, and now they were about to throw her out.

“What was your name again?” Kate asked.

JJ struggled to speak. “JJ—Judith Isaacs.”

“Hmm.” Kate looked down at her clipboard and JJ noticed her strike something through. She flinched as if the pen had literally been scratched across her.

“Thank you, JJ,” she said, still scanning her list. “Who's next?”

JJ felt her shoulders slump as she returned to the musician to retrieve her music. The woman stared at her, a strange expression on her face.

“Thanks,” JJ said, collecting her music.

The redhead nodded. “See you in the morning.”

It wasn't until she was off the stage and almost back in her corner that she realized what the woman was implying.

She had made it to the next round!

JJ let out a sigh of relief. Looked like she would live to sing another day.

T
he five a.m. wake-up call was beyond unwelcome for JJ. She knew that she should be grateful that she was still at Deacon's mansion as one of five girls who had made it to the final screening, but four hours of sleep had not been nearly enough. Plus she was more than a little annoyed that she hadn't heard a peep out of Rayshawn since her audition the night before. A glance at her cell phone confirmed that he hadn't even left her a text message. This was not the time for him to pull one of his disappearing acts. But that's what you got for having a covert relationship with your manager. On days like this, their relationship was so covert that JJ wasn't even sure it really existed. But she didn't have the energy or time to contemplate that this morning. With her eyes burning, she stumbled to the en suite bathroom, took a quick shower, and changed into her other set of clothes. By the time she got downstairs, it was five forty-five.

She found four other girls in the kitchen. Another African American young woman with short hair and huge, ruby-stained lips was in a corner on her phone. A girl who looked to be a native Canadian, wearing earphones and sunglasses, was hunched over a bottle of water and some fruit. Two others chatted with each other near the refrigerator. None looked interested in talking with JJ. With a sigh she headed to the table where a spread of beverages, fruits, and pastries were laid out. Knowing better than to eat, JJ prepared herself a cup of camomile tea with a touch of honey. Then she settled at the table across from Miss Sunglasses and waited.

“Not eating?”

She was surprised when the woman addressed her.

“No,” JJ said finally. “We don't know when we'll be singing, and you don't want to sing on a full stomach.”

JJ took a sip of her tea as the woman looked down at her fruit plate of oranges, grapes, and strawberries.

“And it's probably none of my business, but you might want to skip the oranges,” JJ added. “The citrus will dry out your throat.”

The hiss of teeth drew both women's attention to the corner of the room.

“You do know this is a competition, right?” Miss Cell Phone said, scowling. “You can't be dishing out free advice. They're only picking three of us.”

“Three?” JJ echoed. “I thought Deacon needed four backups.”

“He does,” one of the women near the refrigerator commented. “But little Miss Keyboards from last night is already in one of those spots.”

JJ looked around at the other women. All the faces seemed to suggest a common knowledge of this information just supplied to JJ. “How do you already know this?”

“'Cause you learn things when you go through the whole audition instead of coming in during the last rounds,” Miss Cell Phone said, before going back to her phone call.

JJ looked down at her tea, heat creeping up her neck. So Rayshawn had slipped her into the final round of the audition. It would make sense that the others were a bit resentful. They'd had to work their way to this point, while she just came in at the last minute and stole a spot. Okay. Maybe she could find a little forgiveness for his current behavior then.

“Forget about her,” Miss Sunglasses said. “She's just mad 'cause she had to get up early. I'm Diana, by the way.”

“JJ.”

After finishing her tea, JJ excused herself to return to her room, where she did a few minutes of quick vocal warm-ups before returning to the main area to find that two other women she remembered from the night before had joined their group. However, before she could join Diana at the table again, Kate entered.

“Okay, ladies, let's go. This morning is going to go really fast.”

She wasn't lying. Just a few more rounds of group singing like the night before, and then they were asked to do one more solo audition, with a piece of their choice. JJ watched the other women enter and leave the same room from the night before for their solos. She was second to last, with Diana bringing up the rear.

“Good luck,” Diana said, nodding at JJ before she entered the room.

“You too,” JJ called back, knowing she probably wouldn't see the young woman again before she went in for her own audition.

It was a much smaller crowd than the night before. In fact, the only persons present were Deacon, another gentleman, Andrew, who introduced himself as being from Deacon's label, Sound City, and of course Kate, whose role JJ still hadn't been able to define. They asked JJ a little about her background and why she wanted to sing with Deacon Hill. For a moment it seemed more like an interview than an audition.

“So, like you were told, for this section we want you to perform something that you think represents you,” Kate said finally. “We need to know who you are as a musician—what you think your strengths are and how versatile you are. So whenever you're ready, you can give Sabrina your music and get started.”

JJ glanced over at the female keyboardist from the night before, then behind her at the band setup she had noticed when she came in. It included drums, a second keyboard, a bass like Dean's, and several guitars.

“Actually, I was wondering if I could play my own accompaniment,” JJ said, turning back to the judges.

Kate and Andrew looked at each other, surprised, while Deacon's formerly blank expression cracked slightly into something JJ couldn't define.

“Uh . . . sure,” Andrew said.

JJ chose the acoustic guitar, plugged it into an amp, and adjusted the mikes and stool until she was comfortable. This was her last chance to show Deacon Hill that she was the one he should pick as his backup artist. She knew they were looking for singers, but it never hurt to show them what else she could do, and she knew she could play a guitar like nobody's business.

“The song I'll be doing is ‘I'm Yours.' ”

She hadn't sung this song in a while, but she didn't need to practice the song that she had composed herself. She had played it with Dean until the chords were imprinted on her fingertips and the melody engraved on her heart. So when she started playing, she didn't miss a single note, and for the most part she kept her eyes on Deacon.

It was a love song. When Rayshawn first heard it, he thought it would make a great ballad. But it wasn't that kind of love song. It was a love song to her Savior. One she hadn't thought about in a long time. And as the words flowed through her lips and crawled over her heart, she remembered when she used to have that kind of love. When God used to be her every breath, her every inspiration, her reason for living and being. When her life was so completely his that she couldn't tell where he started and she ended. She missed that feeling. That place of security, the safe haven of his love. She had wandered away from it, and she hadn't realized how cold it had been outside his love, until embers of it reached out to her through this song.

When her fingers stilled on the guitar, she had to close her eyes a moment, until the emotions welling up inside her subsided. When she finally looked up, Deacon's eyes were the first to meet hers, and as he looked at her, something there told her that he knew the real love behind her song.

“Okay,” Kate said, letting out a deep breath. “Thank you again, JJ. We'll let you know—”

“You're in.”

Four pairs of eyes stared at Deacon in surprise.

He shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts. “I'm sorry. I know we're supposed to wait until after and decide together, but I already knew last night that I wanted you on my team, and after this”—he motioned to the guitar—“this just confirms it,” he said. “Can you play electric?”

JJ nodded mutely.

“Then you're gonna fit right in with Sabrina. And maybe now we can get that girl band that I've been asking for.”

“So . . . I'm in?” JJ asked, slipping off the stool.

Kate glanced over at Deacon, who nodded. A reluctant smile stretched her lips. “Well, you heard the man. You're in.”

JJ jumped off the stool and squealed, “I'm in!”

Sabrina laughed, Andrew chuckled, and Kate rolled her eyes. But Deacon was grinning from ear to ear and so was JJ. She couldn't believe this was happening. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe, just maybe, she was back in God's favor after all.