by Thia Finn
“I’m going to let Peri take over the meeting now since this is her baby. Show her the respect she’s earned guys, please.” With that, he nodded at the group, gave Peri a reassuring hug and walked out wishing the group luck. The band knew it was a difficult decision for Cash to walk away from them since he had been with them from the beginning. His hard work had gotten them this far and pulled them through some rough times, and now that they were reaping the rewards. But Cash seemed ready to jump on to the new opportunities, leaving the band in Peri’s capable hands.
“Hey guys, I want to start by saying how excited I am to get to work with you all on a more personal level. I mean, I know you all pretty damn well, but now, it’s going to be great.” Peri spewed the words out faster than they could follow.
“I think you can calm down, Peri,” Chandler said through the speaker. “It’s just us, honey, and we are so proud of you for taking care of us like we know you will.”
“Hell, yeah, you’re right. You all know me. We are going to have a kick ass time on this tour with an awesome headliner. When it’s over, the US will never be the same! Everyone will know who Assured Distraction is!” She mimicked a coach giving a pep talk.
She relaxed some when the group laughed at her enthusiasm. “So, shall we go over the first week of the schedule? I want you all to know where we will be, and honestly, that’s probably enough info to take in all at once.”
Gunner chimed in, “You’ll be lucky if this bunch of dickheads can manage to make it to the plane on time. No offense, Cupcake.” She laughed over the speaker.
“You mean we don’t have to ride on the bus this round?” Carter asked.
“Uh, yes and no. We will be joining them in Seattle, so we are flying to meet them. The bus will be leaving a few days ahead of you.” Peri’s news caused the group to give a collective grown.
After reviewing the first week’s calendar, she told them she would check on anything they had questions about and made sure they all had her cell number. When the guys made their way out the door, Peri stopped Chandler from ending the call and moved directly in front of the laptop. “I’m so excited Chan,” Peri squealed into the screen.
“I am, too! Oh, my, god! It’ll be so great to have another girl on the bus that isn’t a groupie. I have a bet with Keeton on how long it will take before we get the first one for an overnighter.”
“Yeah, at least, you know better what to expect. It won’t be a shocker like the first leg of your last tour was.” Chandler agreed.
“Have you met the little cutie that’s biting at Ryan’s pant legs like a little puppy?”
“Yes, I met him when he stopped in here yesterday looking for Ry. It was an interesting seeing them meet. He hadn’t met Hayden before yesterday. His mom and Ryan met a long time ago when Ryan was a kid.”
“Oh, yeah? Ryan seemed pretty convinced of his singing skills. He said they had played together last night.”
“What? Ryan was supposed to be taking Krissy out last night. I set up the date night myself at the Driskoll. Wonder what happened?”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to have a good outcome if he canceled on her.” Chandler surmised.
“Well, hey, I’ll let you go. Maybe I can ask him about it later. We’ll have plenty of time to hang out soon!” Peri logged off.
When she got to the front of the building, Cash was talking to the four guys. “Let’s go back to a practice room and listen to some of your music.” Peri caught the look Cash shot at Ryan as though he didn’t expect too much from the kid, but he was willing to humor Ryan. “You all want to join?” With nods of acceptance, they followed Cash down the hall.
Peri knew Hayden’s nerves settled down after playing the first few bars of the song by the look on his face. He apparently started with one of his own, and his deep rich vocal tones were amazing to hear. Its unique quality easily caught everyone’s attention.
“Hayden, that might just be the sound we are looking for,” Cash told him with a smile. Peri was happy that Cash was going to have the opportunity to do this job. He loved discovering and promoting new talent. She knew he hated handing over his prized jewel for the tour but he knew AD was on their way to the top of the charts and she could handle them. His expertise shined in getting newer bands moving in that direction. Hayden was something he could start fresh from the beginning. “Have you ever laid any tracks of your music?”
“No, sir. I’ve never had a chance to go to a studio since I live so far from anything. I mostly play in the bars around home in East Texas.”
“Then I’m glad you’re here. How many songs do you have written?” Let’s go down to my office and talk some more kid.”
“Guess my work is done here. I think I’ll add talent scout to my résumé.” Ryan said to the group as they all walked back to the front of the building.
“What résumé, dickwad? You know you don’t have enough skills to write a fucking résumé.” Carter loved pushing Ryan’s buttons.
“At least our résumés would look alike then, shit-for-brains.” Ryan countered.
Peri, shook her head and said to herself, “Oh, yeah, just a sample of the vocabulary and banter I have to look forward to for the next few months.”
At the front door, Ryan stopped mid-stride. “Oh damn, I've got to get to Tiffany’s, and it’s all the way up north of the city. I better take off.”
“Sounds to me like someone’s buying a suck-up gift,” Gunner said with a laugh.
“Yeah, well, some of us have a woman we care enough about to try to make things right when they fuck up.” Ryan shot back as they rounded the corner almost running into Krissy. “Kitten! God, I’m so glad you came to see me.” Ryan advanced on her leaning in for a kiss.
“Back the hell up, Ryan. I’m not here to see you. I’m here for a job interview. Peri called a few days ago and wanted me to take a new position that she was doing part-time now that she got a promotion. It will pay me more money than I’m making now, and I’ll be able to move into my own apartment without a roommate.”
“Why would you want to move right now? You still have a few months on your lease, don’t you?” He wasn’t sure where this was all going.
“I did until your dumb ass came busting into my apartment last night. After the yelling and screaming, the landlord showed back up this morning, and when I let him in he saw the door to my bedroom. He was furious, Ryan. He’s meeting with the owner today to see if it’s grounds for eviction.”
“Kitten, I’m sorry, and I feel bad about it, but why didn’t you let me in?”
“Don’t turn this around on me, Ryan. Everything that happened is your fault. Who kicks someone’s door in?” He knew she was still angry because her tone left no doubt. The distance she put between them made him angry, but he knew he deserved it.
“I’ll pay to have it fixed. I can get someone out there today.” He wanted to make it right for her.
“Your damn right you will pay for it! I told him you would but he said the noise alone was enough, and then there were my neighbors complaining. Now with the door, who knows?” Ryan knew the others tried to ignore their exchange, but Krissy’s voice kept getting louder in the small reception area.
“Come on. Let’s go over there now and talk to him.” He tried taking her hand to lead her out but once again she pulled away.
“No, you’ve done enough. Hang out with your little boy band. I’m here for an interview, remember?”
Peri stepped up and wrapped her arm around Krissy’s shoulder. “We can do this later if you need to.”
“No, no. I’m dressed and here. Besides,” she looked at Ryan, “I’m not ready to talk to his dumb ass. He’s such a dick sometimes.”
“Slip into the restroom and straighten your face, and I’ll tell the boss you’re here.”
Ryan watched as the two disappeared down the hallway. “Great. She’s pissed at me, may be homeless, and I’m about to leave for a three-month tour. I’ll never have
a fucking chance to make this right with her before we go.” Ryan wasn’t talking specifically to Gunner and Carter, but they were still with him.
“Surely, she’ll come around before we go but what was that shit about being a boy band?” Ryan didn’t address Carter’s comment hoping he would drop it. Even though the guys liked to harass each other constantly over everything, they were like brothers and never liked seeing each other having problems.
“Guess we’ll see.” Ryan finally commented as he headed out the door with his head hanging.
Looking at Gunner, Carter said, “I fucking hate leaving if they can’t get their shit together before we go. He’ll be devastated if she breaks up with him.”
“Maybe we can get Chan to talk to her if it comes down to it,” Gunner added. “She might respond to a female who’ll be with us.” He didn’t want to interfere in their problems.
“Yeah, maybe Peri and Chan both can take her out for a girl’s night or something and talk to her.” Carter offered.
“Fucking good idea. Sometimes you think just like a female.” Gunner cuffed him on the back of the head.
Carter spoke in his best female voice. “Yeah, honey. I think we should plan them a perfect day out, like at a spa.” He examined his nails. “That’s right. They need a spa day before hitting the road. It’ll make them all mushy about each other, and they can share all their feelings all day long.” The two men laughed at each other as they left the building.
Walking out of the office, Peri and Krissy were laughing.
“I know you’ll enjoy this job. I’m so glad you’re going to be making a little more money here.” Peri commented.
“Yeah, me too. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and the old bastard won’t kick me out after all.” Peri wondered if Krissy’s mind was already in overdrive wondering what she would do if he did. Surely Krissy had some money saved but maybe not enough to pay for an apartment alone, and she might have to find another roommate.
“Hey, is Sawyer going with y’all on the tour?”
Peri’s smile dropped instantly. “No, there wasn’t a paid position for him on the tour.” Peri wasn’t actually lying when she told this information to Krissy. He didn’t have a job on the tour.
“Have you made the decision to take the job here or stay with your old one?” Peri changed the subject.
“Yeah, I think I am. I’ll have benefits here, and I don’t have them where I work now, so I’m glad about that. With the benefits and more money, it’s going to be a better job.”
“Great! Oh, you are going to love working here! I’ll tell my boss, and you can start tomorrow if you want to so I can train you. I have so much to do before we leave.”
“I’ll have to give notice before I leave my other job, though. I don’t want to burn any bridges because I might need them later on. I can start maybe on Monday?”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right. Job references are important. I was getting ahead of myself. Everything will work out for the best, I’m sure.”
“I hope so; I need them to,” Krissy said her goodbyes, promising to call Peri soon.
Peri, on the other hand, couldn’t believe all that had happened in the last several weeks. The first big change was Sawyer, her long-time boyfriend, had decided to go back to California. He’d taken a job with a label that was too good to turn down. Where Sawyer had missed LA, she didn’t want to go back to the LA-way of life. The culture and lifestyle in Austin were the perfect fit for her, and with this new job and salary, she had no desire or need to leave. She could make it on her own here, and she was ready to forge ahead.
It was still heartbreaking to see him leave a couple of months ago. She didn’t need a man to make her life complete, but she loved Sawyer on some level. She missed him, but she was not in love with him the way she needed to be. He’d been a part of her daily life for a long time, and now he was gone.
Their relationship changed with the move to Austin, and they grew apart. They both felt it not long after relocating and tried to hang on to each other, but she knew their time had come to an end, just as she knew a long distance relationship would never work for either of them. The split seemed sedate to her. How could someone you’ve been in love with for two years fade to black so easily? Maybe they were never in the ever-after kind of love. As much as she hated all of it, she knew it was the best thing for both of them. There was so much else going on, and she was numb over that change in her life. She hadn’t even told Chandler or any of her other friends yet. She hadn’t told anyone. She was too sad, and maybe too embarrassed to share it yet. She was still mentally adjusting to it all. The question that lingered, though, was whether she was ready to admit it out loud to everyone else.
“Oh. My. God. Chandler! You don’t mean it?” Peri was talking fast and loud. She was so surprised at the news of Chandler and Ryder’s reconnecting. Peri knew when he showed up at the studios something major was going to happen.
When everyone but Chandler and Ryder came out of the room, the band couldn’t say anything but how happy they were for Chandler. KeeMac filled Peri in on their reunion while Chandler and her father continued to talk. Peri was thrilled for Chandler, too. When Chandler lost her parents and then learned the identity of her birth father, her entire outlook on life changed. She was so torn apart by her parents’ passing and their letter with the news of her adoption.
“That’s right. He’s my dad, and we are both so happy to find each other. Keeton and I are going to stay in his suite so we can spend time together before we both have to get back out on the road. It’s going to be the best visit ever!”
Two days later when Keeton, Chandler, and Ryder showed up at Cash’s office, Cash was surprised to meet Ryder Steel again. This time was under much more relaxed circumstances. Cash was also surprised at how things had turned out with the father-daughter reconciliation and to learn about the firing of Steel’s manager, Paul. If the situation had been left up to Paul, Ryder and Chandler would probably never have found each other. But things have a way of working out as they’re supposed to and that’s what happened for Chandler and Ryder. And now, here they were, standing in the doorway of his office together for some reason.
“Come in, come in! And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I can see that whatever has been going on, it’s made our Chandler a happy girl.”
“I am probably the happiest girl ever, but I’m possibly about to make you the maddest agent ever.” Chandler was afraid to mention it to Cash at this point.
“So, what’s going on? KeeMac, you have something to tell me?” Cash was afraid to guess at this point. Surely these two hadn’t done something crazy like decided to quit the band or something.
Ryder spoke up. “Well, I’ve been talking to my guys, and we’ve decided we need a new opening act for the European portion of our tour. We are going to add a few more overseas dates, and postpone the ones here in the U.S. for now. The band wants to take some new blood with us with the ability to get the crowd ready to rock. We want Assured Distraction to open for us. It’ll be for three months, and if we can get them set up in time, we want them to leave with us.”
“Hot damn. That’s outstanding news.” Cash jumped up and congratulated them all. “I do believe we can get the logistics worked out for everyone. It’ll be quick but we can do it.” He returned to his desk and picked up his phone to call Peri into his office. “Peri, we need you in here to discuss a change in scheduling.”
Cash knew when she walked in Peri was confused as to what was going on with these four. “Is there a problem, Cash? Is something wrong already? We haven’t even left yet, and there’s already something changing?”
“No, Peri,” Chandler jumped in and hugged her tightly. “Everything is the best, EVER! Assured Distraction is going on the European tour with Steel!”
Their time had finally come. They would be playing the big stages in the largest venues and making big money, maybe long before any up-and-coming band had a right to. They had to grab this by the
horns. Even more, they would realize their ultimate dream of playing their music for big crowds, getting recognized for their talent, and appreciated by fans. After this tour, they would be launched into stardom.
The band had one weekend before departing for London, where Steel’s tour kicked off, and AD was quickly finding themselves in a storm of activities to get ready. Now that the group was banking funds, they had surplus cash for a change, so the guys wasted no time blowing some on celebrating.
“We are fucking kissing Austin goodbye!” Carter yelled over the loud music in their favorite old haunt, their last hurrah before embarking on new adventures in Europe.
Chandler was the only one who had been there before, so the rest of the band was excited about the trip. Top off the international tour with playing venues with Steel – the global gods of rock music – and everyone was on an adrenaline high.
Gunner stood with the group and raised his glass. “To Assured Distraction: may Europe be filled with hot women and our songs make them all love me.”
Everyone laughed. “Hey, douchebag - they’ll love ya – so long as the girls don’t understand English,” Carter added before clinking his beer glass with the others for the toast.
Peri and Chandler had talked Krissy into trying to smooth things over with Ryan. She still was not happy with him but didn’t want him leaving when she was angry.
Ryan walked around on egg shells with her, praying he wouldn’t do anything else wrong to set her off. They were friendly at best. He hadn’t slept with her since he had returned and it was killing him. At least she wasn’t yelling and screaming at him. He was still waiting to hear if the eviction would happen, and all he could do was pray it wouldn’t. It seemed to be the only thing keeping his head off the chopping block for the time being.
