Gypsy Hearts

by Lisa Mondello

  The manager shifted his jaw to one side and scrutinized Brock in a sidelong glance. “How do I know you’re any good? You might drive away my customers.”

  “I just finished a gig at the Wild Horse Saloon and feel like playing for a small crowd tonight, is all. I tell you what. Let me play one song and if the crowd doesn’t mind I’ll keep going. Sound fair?”

  The man shrugged. “Wild Horse Saloon, huh? Knock yourself out. Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet. Like I said, I’m expecting a friend to come by in a bit.”

  “When you’re done, take a look at the menu.” He waved a waitress over. “It’s on the house,” he called to the waitress over the noise. She nodded and then went back to her paying customers.

  Brock knew he could have easily played his guitar alone in his hotel room until it was time to meet Josie. But back at the hotel, he wouldn’t hear the hum of the room or feel the intimacy of sharing his music. That’s all he’d wanted his whole life. He didn’t need to be a star. He just wanted to play.

  Within minutes of getting the manager’s approval, Brock was climbing onto the stage. He was worlds away from the panic he’d felt the other night at the Wild Horse. The crowd wasn’t interested in him or what he was doing. They were talking, laughing, and enjoying their dinners. He was just in the background, part of the wallpaper. They didn’t know his name and quite frankly, Brock didn’t care. If they enjoyed the music while they ate their dinners and had a few drinks, that was fine by him.

  Brock selfishly played for himself tonight.

  With the first strum of the guitar, he tuned out the chatter of the crowd and sang the song he’d written for Josie, knowing she couldn’t hear him. Still, he kept his eyes fixed on the door, waiting for her to appear.

  Josie’s stomach growled as she stood outside the small pub at the end of Main Street. She was hungry and tired from searching all day for apartments and couldn’t wait to tell Brock about the new place she’d found.

  She needed his comfort too. Getting Dexter settled in a local shelter had been harder on her than on the cat. As her faithful companion had been placed in the kennel, Josie felt like her arms were being ripped from her body. But now that she’d found a nice apartment, Dex would be coming home to whatever home she created soon.

  A small group of people bustled through the door to the street. She waited for them to exit the pub before making her way inside. Before she even had a chance to enter, however, she heard Brock’s voice over the microphone.

  Brock was gone for good.

  A tear trickled down her cheek as she watched from the front of the pub to the stage beyond the dinner crowd. He stood on the stage, playing his songs like she’d never heard them played before. The raw emotion with which he sang each word was lost to the people sitting at the tables having their dinner. He was alone and Josie was sure he hadn’t seen her yet. She longed to rush right up to the stage to tell him the words she couldn’t say before. She loved him.

  But the sadness in his voice, the torment in his eyes told her a story the words of his song didn’t. He hadn’t been successful getting the record company to agree to keep her on and it was eating at him.

  She wasn’t running. Not this time. Her appetite suddenly gone, she waved to Brock to get his attention as the song wound down. His smile was bittersweet.

  “When are you leaving?” she asked as they met in the middle of the pub.

  Brock reached up and touched her face. “Tomorrow.”

  The console was bigger and newer than the one she’d been used to at DB Sound. There was no duct tape covering the splits in the padding or any makeshift speakers. This studio was state of the art for serious business. The fine wood panels gave the room a light and airy feeling. Josie thought of all the music stars who’d stood on the other side of the glass wall and sang the hit songs she’d heard on the radio since she’d been a child.

  She’d gotten what she’d wanted. She’d made it to Nashville. No matter how angry her mother had been with her for leaving, Josie knew she’d be proud to know she’d made her dreams come true. She only had one regret left and that was that her mother would never know Josie’s success.

  Regardless of whether her mother could remember her or not, Josie decided it was time to remember her roots. She’d be moving into her new apartment over the weekend. Dex could come out of the kennel and would protest only slightly until he became acclimated to his new home. But after that, she’d arrange for monthly trips to Texas to visit her mother.

  She’d thought of moving her mother to a facility in Nashville, but after years of being at her present nursing home, she’d made friends with the nurses and other patients. It wouldn’t be fair to selfishly want to have her in Nashville just to make it convenient for Josie to visit.

  But even though her mother didn’t remember Josie as her daughter, it was important for her to establish a new relationship. Josie was determined to be there for her mother in any capacity she could.

  “Can I help you?”

  Josie turned to find a man coming into the studio. He was old enough to be her grandfather, with a kind face and a big smile. How different it would be to work in a place like this.

  She extended her hand. “Josie Tibbs. I spoke with Ron Albani last week backstage at the Wild Horse Saloon.” Awareness dawned on his face and Josie felt her spirits rise for the first time since she’d said goodbye to Brock.

  “You were touring with that new fella Ron went on about. I’ve been waiting for you to stop by. Ron said you were looking for a job in a studio.”

  He shook her hand and introduced himself as Pete Harrington, the owner of the studio. His smile remained.

  Now that it was certain she wouldn’t be going back on the road with Brock, she needed something permanent.

  “Yes. I’ve just relocated to Nashville and am looking for steady studio work.”

  “What experience do you have?”

  Josie was prepared for this question. She’d rehearsed it a thousand times in her head. There was a time she would have bitten off her tongue rather than mention her association with Grant Davies. But it was part of her resume. His name opened doors. What she did when she walked through that door was up to her.

  “I’ve done some studio work lately with Brock Gentry and I worked with Grant Davies on his early work. I’ve brought some CD’s, both live performances and studio work.”

  “We’ll have a listen to those in a minute. But I must tell you, I trust Ron’s judgment. It’s not often he talks my ear off about a new talent. You really impressed him.”

  She couldn’t keep the smile from her face.

  Pete sighed. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the need for another full-time sound engineer. I can give you a job, but it’ll be ground floor, basically whatever sessions aren’t spoken for by my longtime engineers, possibly as an assistant if they like what you can do. It’ll be mostly grunt work. Does that sound like something you can handle?”

  She nodded. “I’m willing to start at the bottom, if that’s what it takes.” She’d do boring dog food commercials again if she had to. She was willing to pay her dues if it meant she’d be able to eventually work in music again.

  He chuckled. “I have a feeling you won’t stay there very long. We have a lot of influential music industry folks pass through these doors. You might pick up some time working with them on the side. If you’re as good as Ron said, word will get around and you’ll be taking your pick of sessions.”

  Josie left the studio with a smile and a dull ache in her heart. This is what she’d wanted. She’d come back to Nashville and landed a job in a good studio that would give her a chance to advance in her career.

  But as the door closed behind her and she felt the cool air hit her face and the smell of fried food assault her nose, she couldn’t help but think of Brock.

  She could go about her day. Lord knew there was a long list of things she had to get done before she started working. She needed to have her things trucked o
ver from Texas. She needed to pick up the keys to her new apartment and then get Dexter out of the kennel. She’d sleep on the floor for a few days until her furni ture arrived. There was so much to keep her occupied. But she had a feeling that no matter how she filled her day, her mind and her heart would be seeking out Brock.

  She was in Nashville because of him and because of the confidence he’d had in her ability. His friendship had helped her break out of the chains holding her back. She wanted to call him and share the news with him, but it would have to wait until late tonight. He’d call if he was free. He’d left this morning and was probably doing a sound check in whatever city Will had scheduled him in tonight. She’d check her messages when she got back to the hotel just in case there was a change of plans.

  Josie crossed the street and started walking the eight blocks to the hotel, all the while fighting with herself about whether or not she should call. His cell number was burning a hole in her pocket. In the end, she decided against it. They’d said their goodbyes this morning as if it wasn’t the last time, but Josie knew it was only a matter of time. They both had to move on. Both of them had new beginnings. Alone.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Will boomed as they left the conference room. Pointing to the room where their private talk had taken place, he continued in a quieter tone. “This is what we’ve been working for. You don’t just walk into a major record label office and start making demands until after we’ve agreed on a deal. They’re ready to hand you everything you want on a silver platter.”

  “No, Will. I never agreed to this, which is why I insisted on another meeting before we signed. What they’re offering is everything you want. Not me. I have to admit I’m to blame in part for some of this. We haven’t been communicating too well, you and I.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s taken me far too long to figure it out, but you and I don’t see me the same way.”

  “For instance?”

  “You were the one to broach the subject of changing the band around.”

  “I thought we settled that. You wanted the band back and they agreed.”

  “All except for Josie.”

  Will’s eyes narrowed. “Josie put you up to this,” he accused.

  “Actually, I can come to conclusions pretty well on my own.” Brock tried to keep his irritation from getting the better of him. He hadn’t been quick to see the rift between Will and Josie and for that he was sorry.

  “What does that woman want? I set her up with a sweet deal. Her own career is going to explode!”

  Brock laughed. “You think that was all your doing? Don’t pretend that she didn’t have anything to do with where she is right now. She’s good at what she does, which is why I wanted to work with her in the first place.”

  “And that’s all?”

  “That’s all you need to know. The rest of it is none of your business.”

  Will shook his head and laughed hard. “Everything about making you a star is my business, kid. You haven’t been around this town long enough to know how it works. You don’t see things like I do.”

  “You’re right. Because you’re taking me somewhere I don’t want to go. This is bad timing, I know, but there need to be some changes with us.”

  Brock stood a few inches taller than Will, but as Brock straightened his back, it wasn’t the extra height that gave him the advantage. It was his resolve to make some changes.

  “For starters, I’m not ‘the kid.’ You can make my image into anything you want as long as you see me as a partner and the image is something we both agree on. That’s number one if we’re going to be working together.”

  Will seemed momentarily affronted by the notion, staring at Brock with wide-eyed disbelief.

  “I’m not wearing flashy clothes, or allowing you or anyone else to mold me into what they want as if I’m some Gumby doll. You can get anyone to be that for you, Will. But that’s not what I am and not the way I want people to see me. I don’t want to be hiding behind all that glitz.”

  “This is Nashville, Brock. This town loves all that glamour.”

  “Then I guess they don’t want me.”

  Will actually swayed. “You’re talking about throwing away a record contract? Listen to what you’re saying.”

  “I’m hearing myself just fine, Will. And if all this record company wants is a fake face and a puppet, they can find it in someone else. You know what I want. If they want me, they’re taking me on my terms. Otherwise ‘the kid’ is walking.”

  The day had started out sunny with a promise to stay that way. Not that Josie had enjoyed any of it, however. Dexter would be flaming mad at her when she got home.

  She’d wrapped up her first solo session, another radio spot. It had gone off without a hitch and her client seemed happy. It didn’t sting as much as she’d thought it would, and Pete seemed impressed that she’d done well. Josie only hoped her work had impressed him enough to want to move her into some real studio work soon. Everything in its time, she thought.

  Josie had foolishly thought that a change of scene wouldn’t bring on memories of Brock. There were new people to meet, fresh faces, and different procedures. She had plenty to keep her mind occupied on anything other than missing Brock.

  She’d been wrong. They’d spent time in the studio and had shared moments on the road. Though miles away from where it all started, this studio still brought back memories of those late night sessions with Brock.

  Lost in her own thoughts as she straightened out the equipment in the sound room, Josie didn’t hear the door open and then shut.

  Her thoughts were broken by the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

  “Is that you, Pete?” she called, walking out front. She was eager to talk to him about her next session. But it wasn’t Pete.

  “I can’t believe I almost forgot how beautiful you are,” Brock said, his smile slightly askew and that dimple she’d seen the first day teasing her.

  Her breath caught in her throat and she felt the pounding of her heart against her ribs. “You can do better than that, cowboy,” she said. “You look good.”

  He ran a hand down the front of his dark tweed jacket and unfastened the button to reveal a black buttondown shirt tucked into black jeans. The black cowboy boots he wore were brand new.

  “Yeah? Will and I made a compromise. I’ll dress up nice as long as I don’t look like a clown.”

  “This suits you much better.”

  “I think so.”

  Laughing, she launched herself into his arms. It felt good to have him holding her again. She’d missed his face and the deep timbre of his voice that had comforted her on their journey from Texas to Nashville on more nights than she could count.

  “Please say you’re staying in town for a few days,” she said, almost afraid the answer would be no. After all the publicity generated by the show in Nashville, Josie was sure Will had lined up a string of gigs at much larger venues than they’d had in the past month. For days after the Wild Horse Saloon gig, Brock had been the talk of Nashville musicians.

  His arms were still wrapped around her as he bent his head lower to give her a kiss. “I’ll be in town for a little while. I’m going back into the studio to do some additional tracks. I’ve got some new songs that I think are a better fit for an album.”

  Her heart pierced. She wouldn’t be there this time to share that experience with Brock.

  Rallying some enthusiasm she didn’t feel, she said, “Oh. That’s great.”

  Smiling, Brock glanced around the studio. He pulled away from her and walked into the sound room before turning back again.

  In her wildest dreams, Josie never imagined it would be so hard to be this close to Brock and not touch him. Just those few moments in his arms had her longing for more. Memories of his gentle hand on her back flooded her mind. The way his lips touched hers with a heated passion so strong she thought she’d burn to ash.

  She wanted to follow Brock, han
g on his heels. No, she wanted him to hold her again. Instead, she tied her hands in a knot around herself.

  “How do you like this place?”

  “The studio is state of the art, like no place I’ve ever worked.”

  “Good, then I’ll have to make sure we book some time here if they have the space available.”

  “You’ll have to talk to Pete about that. He does all the scheduling.”

  Maybe he’d put her on as a second to assist whomever the record company brought in to work with Brock. It wouldn’t be the same as how it had been in Texas. She wouldn’t be the one to produce or run the show, but it would give her a chance to be with Brock again and have him close by for a while.

  His dark eyes swept over her, penetrating her to the very core as if he could read her mind.

  “How long are we going to dance around this, Josie? I’m dying here.”

  He opened his arms wide and as she laughed, she flew into his embrace again. He felt so good and suddenly all the uncertainty of leaving him seemed to melt away.

  “I’m dying here too, Brock. But if working in this studio is a way to keep you in town for a while, then I’m all for it. I’ve missed you.”

  “Me too. But we won’t have to be apart anymore.”

  Startled by his words, her eyes flew open wide. “What?”

  “I couldn’t do it, Josie. I couldn’t sign that contract if it meant losing you.”

  She stared up into his face and sighed. “You didn’t take the contract? Brock, I don’t want to be the reason you have regrets.”

  “Yeah, you said that. But no matter what you thought I was leaving behind, lady,” he said, tipping her chin up with his fingers, “I would have regretted losing you more.” And then his mouth came over hers and he crushed her against his chest in a warm embrace she never wanted to end. Breathing him in, she realized she’d missed him more than she’d allowed herself to acknowledge these last few days. But now he was here, he was real, and she couldn’t imagine the thought that he’d go away again.

  Still, this wasn’t just about her. It was about what Brock had given up to be with her. A tear slid down her cheek. “This is something that’s going to follow you. I can’t believe you turned down that record deal.”