One (Bar Dance) (15 page)

“Double platinum. First two weeks.” Alice was looking at me oddly.

“What?” I said defensively since I didn’t know what to make of her look.

She shook her head. “You don’t even need to go on tour to make money girl. I am so jealous I just want to kneel down and kiss your shoes.”

I rolled my eyes. “You realize that I have no fricking clue what you just said to me right?”

She looked to Bray. “Send me contracts.” She came and gave me a hug then packed her stuff and left.

Mike just gave me a hug with a nod to Bray.

Tony handed
his case to Bray. “See you money.” He said as he hugged me. Tony grabbed his case and walked out the door.

I raised my eyebrows to Bray. “What was that?”

“That my friend, was loyalty in the truest form.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“I need coffee. You wore me out.” Bray said as he guided me out of the room. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his phone.

I went in his office and started brewing him a cup of coffee. I grabbed a water bottle and was getting ready to sit when Rand walked in.

“How was it?”

“Your brother made me cry.” I said with a smile that I know went clear to my eyes. It ha
d been a fun day. Exhausting but fun.

Bray walked in and fetched his coffee. He sat in his chair with the phone still to his ear. “Seven it is. I’ll be there.”
He put his elbows on his desk. “You two up for dinner at the Airport Marriot?”

I could feel suppressed excitement rolling off of him in waves. I looked to Rand. He shrugged at me.

“Casual or dressy?” I said in answer to the question.

“Both.” He said with a Cheshire cat grin.

I turned back to Rand and bugged my eyes out. He started laughing at me. I knew right then and there that I was in major trouble with these Frasier men.

Bray grabbed in coffee and leaned back in his chair.

Yeah. Big fat hairy trouble.

Chapter Eighteen

I thought that I was in trouble in Bray’s office. That wasn’t trouble. Standing in front of my closet I was in bigger trouble.

I had scrubs. I had dancing clothes.
Old interview clothes. I even had the required little black dress. Classy clothes not so much. Professional clothes? Nada. Not one scrap of anything that I was finding appropriate for a business dinner which this apparently was. This was twice that I knew I had serious clothing issues.

Rand of course was ready to walk out the door. He had a new pair of jeans, a white button down shirt, nice cowboy boots and a sport coat. So I did what any self-respecting
girl does at a time like this. This time I called my friend in a panic.

Angie picked up on the second ring. She was already laughing at me. “I’ve been waiting for you
r call.” She said as her way of answering. “Tight jeans. Fairly new if you have them.”

“That I got.” I was starting to breathe right again.

“Your pink, spaghetti strap cami, heels or your dancing boots.”

“Black closed toed heels. Not so high that I can’t walk
. Will that do?”

“Perfect. When you pull in the parking lot text me. I will meet you just outside the hotel. You can have my white pullover.”

“Thank you. I owe you one.”

“Love ya girl.” She said as she hung up.

With that crisis averted I finished getting ready in record time.

Angie did meet us at the door. I put on the pullover. It had a loose weave with long bell shaped sleeves. It had a straight body that landed at crotch height. The neck line was slouchy so that it barely showed the straps on the cami.
It had a silvery hue that my earrings and bangles matched. I finally felt dressed and comfortable. She led us in and to the table where Bray was sitting with a slightly older man. His phone was on the table upside down playing one of the songs we recorded today.

Both me
n stood as we got close. Angie simply sat down next to Bray. “Vince this is my brother Rand and the woman I wanted you to meet. Terra Chapman.”

“Vince Ross.” He held out his hand and we both shook i
t, one after another. I looked at the table and decided that either one chair had been removed or one had been added. I took the chair next to Vince and sat. Clearly if you have been to one hotel restaurant you have been to them all. Wood tables, wood chairs, either wood or tile floors. This one was wood. Open, airy feeling until the place fills up with people. It was busy in the place but not overly so. That meant that we could have a conversation without having to yell it across the table at each other.

Bray started the conversation. “Vince is an old friend of mine. We’ve worked together in the past.”

Vince smiled at me. “What he means is that he has thrown some talent my way a time or two. They made me money so I still talk to him when he calls.” He motioned to Bray’s phone with a chin lift. “That you?”

I gave him a tentative smile. “Guilty. We recorded it earlier. He,” I pointed at Bray, “Made me cry twice today.”

“I have a fist mark to prove it.” Bray rubbed his chest. “Not only can she sing she has a mean right hook.”

I must have had a horrified expression on my face. “I’m so sorry…”

Bray cut me off with a wave of his hand. “Just warning Vince.” Then he winked at me.

So I glared at him. That made everyone chuckle at me. I was not finding this humorous so I just rolled my eyes instead.

The second song had just started playing and Vince held his hand up to silence all of us. He listened intently from the first long note to the last one. His eyes had been going from Bray’s face to mine throughout the entire song. When it ended one tear escaped my eye. I swiped it away and Vince saw me do it.

Bray lifted his phone and turned it off.

The waitress came to take our drink order. I asked for a glass of white wine. Vince stopped her. “Bring a bottle of house white and red.” She nodded and left.

Vince leaned back with his elbows on the arms of his chair. His hands together near his face. “You know where we will disagree Brayden.”

“You know how I feel about touring. I won’t do it.” Bray answered back.

“Have you discussed it with Terra?”

“Nope.” Was Bray’s quick response.

Vince looked to me. “I will want you on tour. Three to six months on the road a year.”

I was already shaking my head no.

Vince dropped his hands so that they rested in his lap. He studied me. I had my hair up in a twist so that he couldn’t see the pink tips of my hair.

Bray finally spoke. “Terra can you take your hair down.”

I nodded and pulled the one clamp out. I shook my head so that my hair would fall naturally brushing just past my shoulders. “Right now she works in a hospital as a nurse. Children’s cancer section. She adds colored chalk to her hair just to entertain the kids and cheer them up.” Bray said to Vince. “
Do you see where I’m coming from?”

The waitress came with two bottles of wine. She made the big production of opening the bottles. Vince just glared at her. “Please pour a glass of white for everyone.” That seemed to shorten her antics. She pulled out a pad of paper. She was beginning to speak. He waved her away. “Give us fifteen minutes then come and take our order.”

I wanted to not appear shocked at his dismissal of the waitress so I opened my menu and pretended to study it even though I made my choice in about fifteen seconds. I closed my menu when Vince started speaking again.

“Who’s her manager?”

“I am.” Bray answered.

“Who’s her producer?”

“I am.” Bray answered again.

“Have you given her a choice in the matter?”

“Nope. Haven’t even given her contracts yet.”

Vince gave a smile that sent shivers down my spine. “So that gives me time to throw some people her way.”

“Not gonna happen my man. My brother lives with her. You think that I am going to let
anybody
screw with her?”

Vince paused but Bray continued. “I wrote every song that she is going to sing. You think that I’m going to let anybody screw with
me
?”

Bray nodded towards his phone. “That was Alice, Tony and Mike that recorded that. They are already loyal to her. I have a call to Stubbs. I also have the Hall brothers on board.”

“Fuck.” Vince threw his hands up in the air. “I’ll have contracts e-mailed to you by the end of the week.”

Bray who had been leaning on his arms that were crossed on the table in front of him leaned back. He sipped at his wine with a self-satisfied smile on his face. I felt like I missed a whole hell of a lot in that conversation. I also felt like a spectator at a tennis match. Watching the ball be volleyed back and forth between combatants with each strike gaining speed and power. I gulped the last of my wine and set my empty glass in front of me.

Vince refilled it and topped everyone else’s up. “Well little lady. You just got yourself a Label. Congratulations.”

He actually sounded proud.

I looked to Bray. “Is that a good thing?”

Vince threw his head back and laughed so hard that most of the people in the restaurant looked towards us.

Bray nodded his head. “The best thing.”

I looked to Rand. He gave me a nearly identical look back as if he had no clue what just happened either.

Angie just sat back sipping at her wine. She had a smile on her face and was slightly nodding yes to me.

Vince got himself back under control and motioned to our waitress. “We’re ready to order now.”

Angie and I both got Salmon. All three men ordered a slab of meat. Vince, of course, asked for his to be cooked rare. His words were. “Just warm enough so that it doesn’t moo.”

And I thought that I was in trouble before.

Thank god he didn’t order Fava beans with it.

Chapter Nineteen

Rand had his arm wrapped around me as we watched first his brother say his vows to my friend Keiley. Then Keiley say hers back. It was really kind of silly since they were already married. It was sweet though. You could tell that those two were made for each other. Their kids were standing with them. Adam and Keiley may not have made them but those two kids were definitely Adam and Keiley’s.

Bray had encouraged me to sing for them. I politely refused to do it. This was their day. They need
ed to shine. Not me.

Rand and I were now sitting on the couch after the day’s festivities. We were both in running shorts and t-shirt lounging against each other on the couch. Rand asked even though the game was still on. “You ever dreamed of your wedding?”

“When I was a little girl I thought that I would ride in on a white horse in my pink dress.”

“Not the other way around. A white dress and a pink horse?” He asked with a smile in his voice.

“Nope. I was going to look exactly like Cinderella but in pink. How about you?”

“Not until recently. Seeing Adam and Keiley today
was just, I don’t know, amazing.”

I nodded against his chest. “You hungry?”

“Yeah.” He said, “But not for food.”

He proved it when he nibbled on every important piece of my body from my lips to the other lips. Then he made love to me. We may have been on the couch but he definitely made love to me. When we were through and I could focus my eyes again, he said to me. “Now I’ll make food.”

I put one hand against his cheek. I loved his blue eyes. They were clear and bright today. I lifted my head and put my lips to his. “When I can move again I’ll go clean up and give you a hand.”

By the time I got back Rand had everything covered. We were having Chicken Kebobs, minus the kebab stick, with rice.
He had even made my dipping sauce. He was a quick learner when he actually liked something. I was sipping on the beer that he had given me while he put a plate in front of me. I had the first bite in my mouth when he asked. “You ever think of kids?”

I chewed carefully avoiding looking at him. “Why?” I finally asked.

“I don’t know why. It’s all that I have thought about today. Marriage and kids and the white picket fence that you are supposed to be thinking of.” He sat down his fork and turned to me.

I took a bite of rice before setting my fork down. I was actually hungry. I swallowed and put one hand against his cheek. “I’ll talk seriously about this with you. I promise that I will.” I turned and picked up my fork pointing it to the food. “As we eat. Even after we eat but right now the food is hot.” I smil
ed to soften my words. “And it’s good.” I forked up a bite of rice holding my other hand under it. I gave a bite to him as a peace offering.

He took the bite and made a face at me.
I thought about it for a full minute. “I work with kids. I deal with them day in and day out. Mostly not under the best circumstances. I think that slowed down the clock that everyone talks about.”

I shrugged at him when he seemed to need more. “It was just me and mom when I was growing up. Along with every other kid that mom felt a responsibility to take care of. In an off hands kind of way.” I left it at that.

“I haven’t even met your mom.” He cocked his head to the side. “I don’t even remember you mentioning her.”

“My mom Mary and my dad Sean.” I spelled it for him. “Divorced when I was sixteen. Mom now has a companion. Shawn.” I spelled that for him also. “They go here and there as their mood changes. No brothers. No sisters.” I thought about it for a minute. “Mom didn’t even call on my birthday.” I shrugged. “I didn’t call her on hers either.”

He made a face at me as if to say, you have got to be kidding me.

“My dad S-E-A-N is now married to Gloria, Glory.
His third wife. She has three kids. The oldest reminds me of Dakota. I saw all of them at Christmas.” I added helpfully. “I just don’t think of home and hearth with two point five kids.”

“You’ve met all my family. Mom usually demands a on
ce a month dinner with all of us. I think with all that has been going on with Adam it has slipped her mind. I wouldn’t be surprised to get a call in the morning telling us when dinner will be ready tomorrow night.”

I smiled at him as I finished my last bite. “I never really had a family that was around. I would be okay with yours. I like what I have dealt with so far.”

He smiled at me. Then I watched it fade. “Would you go on tour if they asked you to?”

“I don’t think so. They haven’t asked and Bray refuses to go.
” I thought about it for a minute maybe two. “I’m okay being in a crowd. I just don’t think that I could do it for an extended period of time.” I chose my words carefully. “I like having you here with me. Just you and me. Living on a bus or having to eat with ten other people for every meal. Not going to happen.”

I watched Rand closely. I could see the relief flow from him. “Besides, this is just a one-time thing I think. I don’t see it being more than just something that I did for fun for a while.” I shrugged. “How many people are really going to buy it? I few hundred if I’m lucky.
” I shrugged as best that I could. “I don’t see it as anything more than that.”

I went in search of something for desert. I found nothing. Not even a cookie. I closed the freezer when it didn’t magically produce a carton of ice cream. “
Your brother has put a serious dent in my sweet buying habit. Get dressed. We need a road trip.” I had my hands on my hips with a mock scowl on my face.

“I could give you dessert.” Rand said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“You already did that. Now I need ice cream. Your stuff is hot. Not cold.”

“You’re just no fun.” He said as he retrieved his shirt from the floor by the couch.

I laughed at him. “Sure I am. Just not right now.”

Rand took another spoonful of my ice cream two hours later as we sat in bed.
I had the sheet pulled up over my lap but that was all that I had on. He didn’t even have that covering him. “You’re right,” He said to me with a light kiss. “You are a lot of fun.”

“Told ya.” I said as I finished the ice cream.