Sweet Harmonies

by Melanie Shawn

  “You'd co-write with him, possibly do a duet that gets launched on each of your projects.”

  Karina nodded again. She hadn't heard anything yet that she wouldn't have actually suggested herself. This conversation was going well.

  “So, here's the thing,” Bernie began, and Karina cringed. She knew that tone, and she knew that phrase. Coming next was the part she wasn't going to like.

  “We need to talk about your direction for the next album,” Davis jumped in.

  “I can do you one better,” she responded coolly, “I have three rough tracks laid down. Let's go listen.”

  Bernie looked relieved and Davis looked enthusiastic as Karina led them through the halls to her home studio. When they arrived, she gestured for them to sit. When they were seated, she cued up the three tracks and played them without comment. She wasn't going to beg on behalf of this work, and she wasn't going to justify. The music could speak for itself.

  When the last chords of the last song died out, Davis enthused, “Great, great, Karina. Really great work!”

  Karina nodded her thanks, but didn't get her hopes up. This was how it always started. Next would come the, “If you could just make it a little bit more...” portion of the conversation.

  “Here's the thing,” Davis began, and Karina reminded herself to remain calm and professional, “It's a little...complicated...for what you usually do.”

  “I agree,” Karina said, behaving as if what Davis had said was a compliment rather than a complaint, “I think it's a real step up from my previous work. A 'next level' kind of thing.”

  “A progression,” Bernie suggested, and Karina nodded.

  “Oh, I agree, I agree,” said Davis, “It's outstanding. I, on a personal level, really enjoyed the tracks.”

  Karina nodded again, waiting for the next portion.

  “The thing is,” he continued, “We just want to make sure that progression happens in the right direction, am I right? Your fans are more used to things like simple lyrics. That repeat often. In chords C, G, or F. And peppy topics. Maybe you could just incorporate those things into this work.”

  “That would fundamentally change this work,” Karina replied steadily.

  “No, no,” Davis insisted, “It would just...spice it up a little.”

  “A little spice is all,” Bernie echoed.

  Karina sighed, allowing her frustration to bleed through her calm demeanor slightly.

  “Look,” Davis said reasonably, “We want to send Ryan out on tour with you, we really do. But in order for that to happen, you have to put out a record that we can be profitable promoting.”

  Karina cocked her head, “Is that a threat?”

  Davis shrugged, standing up as he said, “It's a reality.”

  Karina and Bernie stood as well, and she moved out of the room to show them to the front door. She felt sad, and defeated. If it were only herself in the picture, she would have thought about fighting them tooth and nail. But they'd managed to hit on her weak spot – Ryan.

  Now, she held not only her own professional future in her hands, she held his, too. And she took that seriously. She really needed to think about what she was going to do next.

  Chapter 25

  Ryan was buzzing with excitement and nerves as he walked up to Karina's door. This was the first time he was taking her on what she must consider a “real” date, a date of the caliber that she deserved.

  Sure, the things they had done so far – the ice cream, the mini golf, the ice skating at King's Pond – those had been wonderful. Ryan had loved them. But, then, he was a small town kind of a guy – of course he loved them. They were small town, bucolic activities.

  Karina deserved better than that every once in a while, she deserved sophistication and finery, and tonight he was going to give her just that.

  Ryan had made reservations at one of the finest restaurants in Lake Tahoe. He had, in fact, managed to get a table immediately next to the large picture windows which overlooked the lake. Best of all, he had been able to score a reservation which had them at the table during exactly the right time to watch the sun going down over the great glassy expanse.

  There were few sights in the world which were more spectacular than the festival of brilliant oranges and purples melding into each other as the sun sank below the horizon of Lake Tahoe each evening.

  Ryan felt privileged to be in a position to share the wondrous sight with someone so special.

  Hopefully this evening would help her to see that he was so much more than just a small town guy, but was worthy to be her partner no matter what social strata they may travel through. That was the plan, at any rate.

  Ryan also had to admit to himself that part of his excitement as he walked up to Karina's door to pick her up sprang simply from the fact that he hadn't seen her for several days.

  It often seemed to him, since he had met her, that she was like a drug to him, in more ways than one. Not only did she have a physical effect on him much like a narcotic would, but she also had the curious quality of making him crave her more the more he was around her. There was no being “satisfied” for him when it came to time with Karina Blackstone. Every moment of every day for the rest of his life would only feel like the tiniest sliver of the very beginning of the amount of time that he craved spending with her.

  Ryan wiped his palms on his thighs. He was as nervous as a schoolboy when he reached out to ring her doorbell. He had planned tonight so carefully, and he wanted it to be perfect.

  She didn't even know what he had planned for them to do, as a matter of fact. He wanted it to be a surprise. All he had told her was that she should dress up. Everything else would be a mystery to her.

  He heard the doorbell ringing out inside her house, and her answering call letting him know that she was coming. A moment later, he heard her heels clicking across the entryway. When she opened the door to him, sheathed in a curve-hugging luminescent midnight blue dress, his eyes widened and he let out a low wolf whistle.

  Karina smiled and said, “Precisely the effect I was going for.”

  Ryan extended his elbow to her gallantly and she slipped her hand lightly inside the crook of his arm.

  “And don't you look very handsome,” she said proudly, looking him up and down, “I can't wait to see what you have planned for us tonight! I love surprises, they're so exciting.”

  “I hope you like it,” he said, almost shyly. Damn. This girl had the most amazing way of making him feel tongue tied, as if every single time they saw each other, they were meeting for the first time.

  Ryan helped Karina up into the truck, which he had painstakingly detailed for this occasion. He ran around to his side, started up the motor, and they were off down the mountain.

  As they drove, they made a few stilted attempts at conversation, but mostly sat in somewhat nervous and awkward silence.

  Ryan marveled at the fact that the formality of their attire and the special occasion feel that the evening possessed seemed to be putting a spark of sexual tension in the air which was entirely different than the plain ol' garden variety Karina-and-Ryan sexual tension that usually burned between them. He liked it, of course. But he was going to need to figure out fairly quickly how to navigate it if this evening was going to end up being more than simply a few hours of them staring at each other across the table and smiling shyly every once in a while.

  Ryan turned to look at her. He decided to give conversation a try.

  “You look amazing,” he started, “Beautiful.”

  She smiled at him gratefully.

  He felt like a teenager on his first date. He wiped his palms again.

  As the truck sped through the town of Hope Falls and continued on down the mountain without stopping, Karina turned to Ryan, puzzled.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  He smiled, “It's a surprise.”

  Her voice held a tiny edge as she insisted, “No, really, Ryan. Where are we going?”

  He glan
ced over at her and saw that she was serious.

  “To Lake Tahoe,” he said, “To a really spectacular restaurant. Four star reviews. And it's got the most insane view of the lake – we'll be sitting there while the sun sets.”

  “Did you tell them we were coming?” she asked anxiously.

  “Well...yeah, of course,” he said, as if it were obvious. He was slightly hurt. I mean, sure, he may be a small town guy. But did she think he was such a country bumpkin that he wouldn't know that you needed to make a reservation at a four star restaurant?

  They drove the rest of the way into Lake Tahoe in silence, and Ryan could tell that the quality of this silence was very different than it had been before. This was not the exciting, sexually-charged awkwardness of two people out together for their first formal evening. This was tense. Ryan fought the growing sensation that he had done something very wrong, although he wasn't sure what that might be.

  When they finally pulled into the the parking lot and up to the valet station, Ryan was relieved. He was sure that when they got into the restaurant...when she saw how beautiful it was and how much trouble he had gone to...when her mind was set at rest that he did, indeed, make a reservation – then the tension would dissipate.

  Then she would look at him the way she did sometimes, with her eyes shining in admiration, as if he were the smartest, strongest, most amazing man in the world. The look he lived for. The look he would do anything to put on her face. The look he was sure he would be spending the rest of his days happily working to earn again and again. He wanted to see that look.

  But, as he opened the passenger door to let her out, the only look he saw was trepidation. He frowned. Not what he was going for.

  The valet came over to collect their keys, holding out a ticket to trade for them.

  “Do they only have valet?” Karina asked Ryan under her breath.

  “I don't know,” Ryan said, not sure where she was going with it or why it mattered, “Do you want me to ask.”

  She shook her head in the negative. The valet attendant had almost reached them. When he stood about three feet away, he stopped stock still, his jaw hanging open.

  “Oh my God, you're Karina Black,” the kid said tremulously, pulling out his cell phone, “Can I take a picture with you?”

  Feeling protective, Ryan stepped in between them subtly and said, “Come on now, the lady's trying to enjoy an evening out...”

  The kid's expression crumbled into a mix of disappointment and embarrassment for a split second before he registered the fact that Karina had swept past Ryan and was smiling brightly at him.

  “Of course, I'd love to take a picture!” she chirped, grabbing his phone and handing it to Ryan. She threw her arm around the kid and smiled radiantly as he fumblingly talked Ryan through the series of commands that would cause his phone to snap the picture of he and Karina.

  They walked into the restaurant and Ryan gave the hostess his name. She led them to their table, all the while sneaking furtive and giddy glances at Karina.

  The thing that shocked Ryan the most, however, was Karina's demeanor through all of this. From the valet to the hostess to all of the people who did double takes when they saw her pass their table, Karina had nothing but open, sunny smiles and a gracious, welcoming air.

  Which was great. It's not that there was anything wrong with that. It's just that it wasn't Karina. Where was his acerbic, sarcastic girl? Karina was a lot of things, but Little Mary Sunshine she was not. He loved her for that edge! She was far more Rizzo than Sandy, and he wouldn't have had it any other way.

  Yet, here she was, swallowing her true self, and smiling and nodding to people like some southern debutante out of the 1950s. He was confused. He wasn't quite sure what was happening, but he was quite sure that he was no longer the one in charge of the situation, if he ever had been in the first place.

  The hostess sat them at their table and laid their menus in front of them with shaking hands. She turned to walk away, but after going only three steps, spun on her heels and returned as if she just couldn't help herself.

  “I'm sorry, I know this is, like, so unprofessional and you probably just want to be left alone, but I feel like I just, like, HAVE to tell you...” she rushed through breathlessly.

  Karina laid a hand on her arm and said encouragingly, “No, that's OK...”

  “Ohmigod, I just have to tell you,” the girl gushed, “That I literally listened to Baby, You're the One on, like, repeat last summer...like ALL summer. Like...it would literally just end, and I would literally just start it again.”

  “That is LITERALLY what 'on repeat' means,” Ryan quipped, and Karina shot him a glare that was half-angry, half-panic. There was no shared humor in the look at all, and Ryan was a little taken aback. She'd never looked at him like that before.

  Still, what he had said was of little consequence. He doubted the girl had even heard him speak, she only had eyes for Karina. Literally, he smirked to himself.

  Karina smiled and hugged the girl, and then had Ryan snap a picture of the two of them with her own phone, promising to post it on Facebook later so the girl could grab it.

  As the young hostess drifted away in a cloud of bliss, Karina turned to him. Her facial expression was all smiles, as a show to the public they were surrounded by, but the look in her eyes was livid as she hissed, “You. Can. NOT. Talk. To. My. Fans. That. Way. EVER!”

  He nodded, too taken aback to speak. This “intimate, romantic” fancy dinner he had worked so hard planning was not working out the way he had intended at all.

  They studied their menus in silence, and then placed their orders with a waiter who – Ryan thanked God – was a middle aged man who seemed to neither know nor care who Karina was.

  They had barely taken the first bites of their soup course when a piercing shriek rang out throughout the dining room. Ryan, startled, looked around to see what had happened. He saw two tween girls break away from their family's group and streak over to the table.

  “Oh. My. God!” squealed the younger one, who looked to be about 11, “You're Karina and Ryan. Oh my God! It's Karina and Ryan!”

  Ryan was shocked, “How do you know who I am?”

  The elder of the two, who Ryan judged to be about 13, burst out, “Duh! Because we've only watched your video about a thousand times!”

  They were both bouncing from foot to foot excitedly. Their parents had made it over to the table by this time, with their camera at the ready. The girls scampered around the table to stand in between Karina and Ryan's chairs, and all four of them leaned close.

  “Say cheese!” chortled the balding man that Ryan assumed to be the girls' father.

  As the family wandered off, the girls chattering excitedly to one another, Ryan was dumbfounded. He felt like a deer in the headlights. Yes, of course, he knew that the video of he and Karina singing together had received millions of views. Intellectually, he had accepted that. But he hadn't really processed the fact that each one of those millions of views represented an actual person – sitting in their living room at their computer, laying on their bed with an iPad, or any number of other scenarios – watching his face. Listening to his voice. Becoming aware of something that relatively few people in the world up to this point had known or cared about – the fact that Ryan Perkins existed.

  It was a bizarre feeling.

  The young girls' high pitched and loud exclamations about Karina's presence had attracted the attention of other diners, and people were now murmuring and pointing at their table. Before they had even finished their soup, in fact, three more people had come over and asked to take pictures with Karina.

  Ryan noticed that the couple at the next table, a middle aged man and woman, were becoming increasingly angry with the disturbance. They kept glaring at Karina in a way that made him angry, but he didn't know if he should say anything. After all, she hadn't liked his flippant comment to the hostess. This wasn't the same type of situation, of course, but he didn't want to risk
it.

  This was all very confusing to Ryan. He felt on shaky ground, and he didn't like it one bit.

  The woman at the next table humphed loudly. She said to her husband, but at a volume which was clearly intended for Karina and Ryan to hear, “Some people are SO rude. Celebrities. They think they're the only people in the room. Forget about regular people who just want to enjoy their meal in peace. They don't matter.”

  “So entitled,” her husband agreed, “And she's probably not even going to have to pay for her meal. We're going to have to pay for ours, sure enough. Even after the Queen of Sheeba over here has ruined it.”

  At that, Ryan had had enough. He turned around to say something but Karina dug her fingers into his arm and shook her head.

  Ryan looked at her, “Karina, really? Name calling is too much.”

  “Ryan, really,” she insisted urgently, “Leave it alone. I'm serious.”

  He shook his head, frustrated.

  The waiter came over to their table and asked pleasantly if everything was alright.

  Karina smiled pleasantly at him, reaching her hand into her clutch and deftly sliding out her Black Amex card, “Yes, thank you. Could you do me a favor, though? Could you add the bills of every table directly adjoining this one to our bill, and charge it to this card? And please add a 25% tip for yourself, as well.”

  The waiter's eyes widened slightly but he was too professional to let any indication beyond that slight movement show through. He glanced discretely down at the card and back at Karina. He said smoothly, “Very well, Ms. Black. Thank you.”

  Before the waiter could bring them their main course, or even return with Karina's card, the atmosphere in the restaurant shifted. All of a sudden, their table was surrounded by a dozen people who were trying to get their attention. Even through the temporary disorientation caused by this sudden turn of events, Ryan had the presence of mind to notice that the people crowding around them now were wearing jeans and t-shirts, not at all the attire that they would have had on if they were fellow diners in this posh establishment. These were people that had come here specifically to meet Karina.