“What’s the rush, mate,” Nick asked. “You act like you are on a deadline.”
“It’s already past midnight so you don’t have much time before morning.”
* * *
They drove only a few minutes before pulling up in front of a gorgeous house. There was a sign stating it was a bed and breakfast, and Nick quickly figured out the second part of Sam’s plan. It touched him Sam had gone to so much effort. The evening had been surreal – Nick could hardly believe they had gotten married. It was not something he had been actively working on. He and Kate had discussed maybe going to Las Vegas after this tour finished, but it had been purely speculation. Based on the rules Nick had set in place, they didn’t get much face time together and Kate was still holding to his edict, even though it was no longer an issue. When the car stopped, Sam got out and went inside. He was back with a room key in mere moments.
“Okay, guys. Top floor, room seven,” he said. “I’ll be back to get you in the morning, say around eleven?”
Nick took the key and held his hand out to Sam. Sam took it and Nick pulled him into a quick hug. “I owe you, mate,” he said, releasing him.
“Hey, not a problem. I figured I better act while the irons were hot. Didn’t want either of you changing your mind.”
Sam got into the car and it drove off into the night. Nick was surprised Sam left them there, no security lagging behind, but he had seemed to know the place well. He took Kate’s hand and led her inside. The staircase was to the right and they walked the two flights up to a door with the number seven on it. Nick unlocked the door, standing to the side to allow Kate to enter first. The room was decorated in white lace and there was a king sized bed in the middle. Nick smiled, locking the door behind them. It was dimly lit but there was more than enough light to see by.
“Come here,” Nick said, as Kate moved into his arms. “This has been so incredible.”
“Not what I expected when Sam told me to make sure I got into the front car. I thought there was something going on.”
“Well there was, love,” he answered, teasing her. “Just not what you were thinking.”
“No, not what I was thinking. And you even had a ring – makes me wonder if you weren’t behind it.”
“Hey, this was all Sam,” he said, hugging her tighter. “I bought the ring in LA, before the whole Garwood fiasco. I brought it with me because I liked what it meant - even kept it in my pocket for good luck. “
“Are you sure this is what you really want, Nick?” Kate asked, in a serious tone. “I know you haven’t been a big fan of marriage and how binding it is. It’s not too late to undo this.”
“I have never been more certain of anything in my life,” Nick said softly, his lips touching hers. “But the big question is whether or not you are, Kate. You know being married to me is going to be difficult. I’m not a romantic, in any sense of the word, and I don’t know much about sharing. I only know I love you.”
“And I love you enough to want to make it work,” Kate answered, pulling his head down to hers, deepening the kiss. Nick made a noise in his throat before scooping her up in his arms and placing her on the bed, lying down beside her.
* * *
Sam was back at exactly eleven the next morning. He and the driver pulled in front of the house to find Nick and Kate waiting for him, sitting on the front steps. Sam took a minute to look them over; he was sure he hadn’t seen Nick so relaxed in ages. Nick had his arm wrapped around Kate’s knee, holding her to him and his head was bent, listening to what she was saying. His hair fell between them like a light cloud, as he had left it loose. That, more than anything, told Sam he was relaxed - the only time he ever left it down was on stage or as he was going to bed. Nick stood up as Sam got out of the car and he reached down to help pull Kate to her feet. Kate was smiling too and it made Sam feel good that he had made the right decision.
“Looks like you two had a good night,” Sam observed, as they got into the back seat of the car.
“It was very good,” Nick confirmed and smiled, watching Kate as she blushed a little at his comment.
“You didn’t miss much. Only one of the light booms falling and breaking two lights.”
“You’re serious?” Nick asked. “Are they fixable?”
“Your crew is working on it,” Sam confirmed. “Mickey sounded confident when he was telling me earlier this morning.”
“It’s always something, mate. Someday I’d like to get through just one tour without something breaking.”
“That’s why you have insurance,” Sam reminded him.
“Oh I know,” Nick said. “I’m not sure which is worse: the cost of the insurance or the equipment – it’s about the same.”
“Here,” Sam said, handing an official looking paper to Kate. It was an off-white color and was written in Italian. The only thing Kate recognized was her name and Nick’s, and it was stamped with an upraised mark. “What’s this?”
“It’s your marriage certificate,” he told her. “You’ll need it to change your name.”
“I’m not changing my name.”
“Did you know that?” Sam asked Nick.
“I knew,” Nick confirmed. “She wants to stand on her own two feet professionally. And, personally, I think it’s a good idea. It will keep things out of the press longer; the less people know and all that.”
“I’ll buy that,” Sam agreed. “I’ve been surprised the tabloids haven’t been making much of Kate being the only woman in your band.”
“Well, let’s just say money talks,” Nick answered, mysteriously.
“What does that mean?” Sam asked.
“The American papers are too busy with other tidbits to chase after me. The British ones I paid off to kill any story.”
“And they agreed?”
“All right, there were some threats of a lawsuit over what happened when my dad passed, when they were out trying to get a story at the house. The agreement to drop the lawsuit, and a few extra dollars, kept the story basically dead,” Nick answered confidently. “Everything is ready for the flight tomorrow to Tokyo?” Nick asked, changing the subject.
“As far as I know. Mickey said we all need to be at the airport by six.”
The car pulled up at the hotel and the three of them got out and went inside. Sam whispered something to Nick and he smiled, taking Kate’s hand in his as they got up to the floor. Keeping a hold of her hand, Nick followed Sam into the general room and all kinds of cheers went up. The other guys had done some quick decorating and there was food, champagne, and a big cake on the table at the back of the room. Nick and Kate were crushed by a wall of well-wishers – all the guys seemed exceptional happy at what had taken place.
Chapter Eleven
The months after the European tour had ended were trying for both Nick and Kate. Nick dove into his job at the studio but it was apparent the lack of planning and leadership which was in place was going to more than try his patience. Jerry’s general manager had quit while Nick was on the road and the remaining managers were trying to keep things running without any direction. Nick came back to chaos at its best and it was taking a toll on their still-new marriage. In between working to get things back to normal, Nick was also trying to get the rest of the songs written for his next record album and it was going very badly as he didn’t have the time nor the solitude he needed to get it done. Kate, thankfully, was not a needy person, and she had left him alone while he tried to work out his frustrations with his music. Most nights Kate went to bed long before Nick slid in beside her. Sometimes days would go by and the only way she knew he was still there was he usually woke her up when he came to bed. Kate never said anything but would watch him as he quietly undressed and got into bed. Nick was getting a lot of headaches and if something didn’t get resolved soon, the stress was likely to give him a heart attack.
Kate came out of the bathroom on Friday night and was surprised to find Nick sitting on his side of the bed, partially undress
ed for bed and smoking a cigarette. He smiled when she walked in the room, but she could see it was superficial at best. She slipped her robe off and climbed on the bed behind him. He stiffened when she pushed the shirt off his shoulders, thinking she was wanting his intentions in bed. She could see he was in no mood for it; she was sure he had a terrific headache. Instead, she started massaging his back, just below the shoulder blades. She pushed out more than one big knot in his muscles before moving to the tops of his shoulders, along the base of his neck. She felt him relax, leaning back against her as her sure fingers kept working out his tension. Ever so gently, she started up the sides of his face. She had learned this when her father was sick - it helped him relax enough for the pain medication to kick in. And it was doing wonders for Nick. He moved only to put out the finished cigarette in the ash tray but was a prisoner to Kate’s touch. He was almost asleep sitting up when she finished.
“Kate,” he started, but she put her hand over his mouth.
“SSH,” was all she said. She pushed him down on the bed and reached over to turn off the lamp on his side of the bed. She pulled the covers over on him and lay on his chest. “Sleep,” she told him quietly. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Nick nodded and wrapped his arm around her in response, asleep in just a few minutes. Kate laid awake for a little while, listening to his even breathing. She didn’t have all the answers but had a few ideas she had been working on to help. It had taken her some time to notice the toll the stress was taking on him since she had been working hard herself. The studio manager had been ecstatic to have her talents and found her more than enough work to keep her busy. But it wasn’t like Nick to be so distant with her and she had noticed it getting worse in the last month or so.
In the morning, Nick was out of bed before she woke, but listening to the quiet house, she could hear the light sounds of an acoustic guitar. It was Saturday morning; Nick didn’t normally work weekends and she wasn’t currently working on any session. She pulled her robe on and went down into the kitchen. Starting the coffee, she pulled two mugs out of the cupboard. She went to the fridge, got out the milk, and poured some into the bottom of one of the mugs before adding sugar to both. Then once the coffee was done brewing, she quickly poured each mug and headed to the back of the house where Nick had his music room. Inside was a huge piano, a few folding chairs, and simple desk near where she found Nick sitting, strumming an old guitar and adding notes to the near empty sheet music in front of him. She set his cup of coffee down on the desk, away from the music, and sat down in one of the chairs across from him.
Nick put the guitar on the stand and set the pencil down, picking up the mug. “That smells heavenly,” he commented.
“I thought you might like a cup. I was hoping we could talk for a little bit.”
“It’s a nice distraction,” he answered. “That was the best sleep I’ve had in weeks, love.”
“You can’t go on the way you are, Nick. You’re going to have a stroke or worse.”
“I’m certainly learning I’m not an executive,” he agreed, nodding. “I’m starting to wonder if it was a good idea to buy out half the studio.”
“I don’t think it was a bad investment,” Kate said. “I just think you need to get a good general manager in there to pick up and run things.”
“I’ve been looking, love. Haven’t found anyone I really think could do the job. And they need to be able to do it without my looking over their shoulder every five minutes.”
“I have an idea to run by you.”
“I’m listening.”
“Why don’t you get Mickey back here to get things straightened up until you can hire a manager?” Kate asked. “Mickey’s a walking planning machine and organized chaos seems to be his specialty.”
“He’s on tour with the new band he’s been promoting, At Last,” Nick told her. “Somewhere in Colorado right now, I think.”
“Bet you could still get him back. He’s only managing small groups because he’s waiting for you to get ready to start touring again. You’re normally his full time job.”
“It won’t be this year if I don’t start making headway. I only have about five songs completed. I can usually write a song in about a week or three. It’s taken me since we got back from Europe to write what I have.”
“I also think you need to buy Jerry out,” Kate continued, with a definite tone. “I believe he’s a major part of your frustrations.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. Every time I think I have something solid working, he goes along behind me and changes it,” he confirmed. “I’m sure we don’t have what it takes to be partners.”
“Will he sell to you?” Kate asked.
“Might... if the price is right. He’s been talking about wanting to retire at some point and travel. Maybe I can get him to agree to something.”
“At least you could do things your way,” she said. “You wouldn’t have someone changing stuff when you weren’t looking.”
“True,” he agreed. He looked at her and smiled. “I’m really sorry, love. I know I’ve been a right bastard to you lately.”
“I never expected every day to be roses with you, Nick. Marriage is give and take and we’re still really new at it. Neither of us had a lot of experience with marriage, or long relationships for that matter.”
“No, we haven’t. But I need to learn not to shut you out. That’s a new concept for me.”
“I only want to add to your strength. That’s why I’ve left you alone to deal with things.”
“I think your idea of calling Mickey might be a good one,” Nick said pensively, clearly chewing the idea over in his head. “At least help me get a good framework in place while I keep looking.”
“And I would also sit down with Jerry and tell him what you are doing. Hopefully he will respect that and let you run with it. He tasked you with the daily running of things – he should stay out of it.”
“I’ll start talking to my attorneys about buying him out. I think you are spot on with that also.”
Kate stood, picking up her now empty coffee cup. “I’ll leave you to your work. I didn’t want to not say anything this morning.”
“What were you planning to do today? Do you have to go into the studio?”
She shook her head. “No, I finished with the end of the keyboard tracks I was doing. It’s all vocals now.”
“Let’s go do something, love,” he prompted. “Maybe go for a drive to Santa Barbara.”
“You’re sure? You won’t get any work done that way.”
“It’ll be here when I get back. I’d like to spend a quiet day with my wife.”
“I’m going to go take a shower. Then I can be ready pretty quickly.”
“I’ll finish this verse and meet you at the door.”
Kate smiled and walked out of the room. Nick turned back to the guitar, picking it up and going back to where he had left off. He knew his lack of creativity was a product of the stress he was enduring and was actually looking forward to spending the day with Kate. He knew of a restaurant along the coast which was quiet and out of the way. His hair wasn’t its normal long length and he found that he wasn’t being recognized quite as much as when it was flowing down his back. A ball cap and his sunglasses should take care of the rest.
Nick’s car had a sunroof and he opened it while they drove up the coast. The weather was beautiful and the conversation was animated between them as they enjoyed the scenery. Almost to Santa Barbara, Nick pulled off at one of the beach parks and they got out, kicking their shoes off as they started walking on the sand to the water, hand in hand. The water was warm as it lapped at their ankles. Kate began kicking the water toward Nick. In turn, he started to chase her and she tried to evade him, both of them landing in the sand, laughing, as he caught her. The look of love was back in his eyes – the look she had been missing for the past couple of months.
* * *
Nick called Mickey once they got back. He agreed to c
ome back and help Nick put some kind of structure in place at the studio. His new band was done with their mini-tour so it was a good time for him. Nick also did some research and came up with an offer to Jerry for the rest of the studio, which he rejected as he didn’t think it was high enough. Jerry countered with a number making Nick swear loud enough in his office to make his secretary, Terry, blush. But Nick wasn’t going to give up – and he had his people make a larger offer - one Jerry agreed to. Once the dust settled, Nick would be the sole owner of Empire Records on April first. And, with Mickey running the daily stuff, Nick had been able to get the rest of his music written and sent off for the arrangement work to be done. Now all he had to do was find a manager to run the place, since Mickey would be traveling with the band once they started touring again.
Nick found early on it was easier to have Mickey on the road with him than to have to find him if something went astray. Three things he had learned toward the beginning of his career – drag his manager on the road with him, hire the same security each time, and record and tour with the same band members. The first kept all kinds of surprises from being an impediment; the second, you knew who the security guys were, their quirks and they knew yours; and lastly, the music didn’t have to be learned by more than one set of musicians and what the fans got on stage was pretty close to what they heard on the record. Nick’s shows were always sold out and, if there was time in the schedule, it wasn’t unusual to have another night added, which always sold out as soon as it was advertised. Nick would do promotional spots on the local radio stations and that brought out fans in droves.
* * *
Nick had barely sat down behind his desk when Terry poked her head into his office. She was a no-nonsense person he had been lucky to find when he first bought out half the studio. She was in her late fifties and was very protective over Nick. No one got past her either on foot or on the phone.
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