“They were sweet. Said if we made a CD, they’d buy it. Imagine that?”
The guys exchanged glances.
“We were going to wait and see how things went with you, but we were just talking and getting a CD made is something we want to do. We just needed to get the right vocalist to bring it all together.” He paused and then asked, “How serious are you about making music? Is this just something you’re playing with while you’re in school?”
Cole felt three sets of eyes staring at him, waiting for his response. They didn’t have to wait long.
“This is it, man. It’s what I want to do. Always has been. Law school is for my father.”
“So you’ll be able to play nights, weekends, whenever we can get a gig lined up?” Toby questioned.
Cole grinned. “I’m in. You book it and I’m there.”
Chapter 11
One year later…
The engagement party for Tina and Rufus was a surprise. Laura had carefully set it up so that they thought it was just another writer’s night out. A typical Tuesday at the Douglas Cafe. They were regulars now and Laura had given a few of their friends the heads up so they’d be sure to be there. Tina quickly figured out that something was up when they were led to an unusually large table, reserved for their group of ten—Jason, Rufus, Tina, Laura and the small group of friends they’d made during the past year. There was a cake in the middle of the table, and balloons tied to the edge of the platter. In shiny red frosting, the message on the cake read, “Congratulations on your engagement, Tina and Rufus!”
“I can’t believe you did this!” Tina pulled Laura in for a quick hug, while Rufus looked embarrassed. “Thank you.”
They settled in around the table, and their friends joined them soon after and more congratulations were shared. Laura was glad to see her friend so happy. Tina and Rufus had hit it off immediately and had been together since. They were opposites, with Tina being the bubbly, outgoing one and Rufus the quieter, more reserved one.
“Have you set a date yet?” Connie, one of their friends, asked.
“We’re not in a hurry. Probably a year or so from now. We want to save money, so we’ll have a nice down payment and can buy something. Plus, I’m not ready to give up the single life just yet!”
“I’d miss you too much,” Laura added. It was true. Even though Tina spent half her time staying at Rufus’s place, she was home enough and Laura knew she’d miss her fun energy. Whenever Tina was there, they were always doing something fun, and she went to almost every writer’s night with them. Laura’s own love life was lackluster. She and Jason had flirted initially with the idea of dating but quickly settled into a more comfortable friendship.
He was dating someone pretty seriously now, and Laura liked her quite a bit. She’d actually introduced the two of them, as Janet was a fellow teacher at the elementary school where Laura had landed a permanent job after six months of substitute teaching. When the music teacher had retired, Laura was there as the obvious replacement. She’d dated here and there, but there was no one so far that she’d fallen for. She wondered if she ever would.
“Are you excited for tomorrow?” Tina was sitting next to her, and no one was paying attention when she asked the question. Laura hadn’t said anything to anyone else yet, just Tina. There was too much at stake, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up—again. Over the past year, she’d met a lot of people. Most of them had encouraged her, but some had also warned that it was really tough out there for songwriters who didn’t want to perform. The bar was also very high, which Laura had realized after going to her first few writer’s nights.
She knew she had the talent, and some of her songs were pretty good, but they weren’t at the level they would need to be to be taken seriously by a major producer or record label. She wasn’t discouraged, though. If anything, she was inspired by the talented people she was surrounded by. She listened and she learned. And when she was done teaching for the day and all her lesson planning was done, she wrote, and she played. Every day, without fail. She looked forward to it. It was as necessary as breathing.
Two days ago, when Tina had gotten home from work, she stopped short when she saw Laura, sitting Indian-style on the living room sofa, her guitar nowhere in sight.
“What’s wrong?,” she’d asked. “Where’s your guitar? You’re always playing when I walk through the door.”
Laura had looked up in a daze. She was holding a piece of paper. “I got an email from Black Duck studios today. They liked my demo tape and want me to come in and meet with them. I printed it out and have been staring at it ever since, trying to convince myself that it’s real.”
“Yahoo!” Tina had squealed and rushed over to give her a hug. “Of course it’s real, silly. This is what you’ve been waiting for. Let me see.” Laura handed her the sheet of paper and she read it out loud.
“Hi Laura, thanks for sending the tape. We liked it. Can you come in Wednesday afternoon to discuss possibly working together?”
“I’m not even sure what that means,” Laura said.
“It means they like you. Maybe they want to buy one of your songs? How great would that be?”
“That would be incredible, and amazing. A dream come true.”
Laura snapped her attention back to Tina’s question.
“Yes, I’m excited. I doubt that I’ll sleep much tonight.”
“You’ll do great. Have you talked to Lily by any chance? I missed a call from her earlier.”
“I had a call from her earlier too. She just sold one of her songs to Anvil Records. Someone heard me sing it when she was here visiting us.” They’d both gone to college with Lily and now she worked as an event planner Rivers End Resort in Idaho and wrote songs on the side.
“That’s fantastic news! If it happened for her, it can happen to you too.”
“I hope so.”
“So, what are you going to wear?” Tina asked seriously.
Laura laughed. “I have no idea. You’ll have to pick something out for me.”
“I can do that.”
Laura looked around the table at her friends. Rufus had gotten a full-time job with a local software company as a QA engineer. He’d given up on doing music full-time, but had hooked up with a few other guys and played in a band with them every now and then.
Jason was still determined. He’d gotten a job too, though, bartending a few shifts a week, mostly during the day so he’d have his nights free to play. Laura knew that he’d had a few meetings with different people he’d been referred to, but nothing had really come of it. Laura wasn’t sure why. She liked his music and thought he had a smooth voice. She’d been in town long enough now though to know that it was an extremely competitive business. Every week a new batch of starry-eyed singer-songwriters rolled into town, convinced that they were going to be the next big thing.
They had been told that over and over again by others in their small towns or cities where they’d been a big fish in a small pond. But Nashville was the ocean and they were mere minnows, as they all quickly learned. During the last year, Laura had seen a number of the newcomers give up after a few months and move home, completely disillusioned. Others, like Jason and herself, were more patient. Jason had told her more than once that it could take years to get noticed. She wasn’t in a hurry, either. She knew that her songs now were vastly improved from what she was able to do a year ago.
A few months ago, David, an artist she’d met at one of the writer’s nights, had offered to help her put a demo tape together. He supported himself by doing voice-overs and narrating audiobooks and had a mini-studio in his house. Over several Sunday sessions, they managed to put together a tape of four of her best songs, including her favorite, the very first one she wrote, that had been revised so many times by now that she’d lost count. But she knew that it kept getting better and was one of her strongest songs.
Something kept her from saying anything to Jason about the meeting. She felt a little guilty
because he was here first. Though she knew that was silly, and he’d probably be thrilled for her. She decided to tell him tonight as she realized he might be more upset if he heard about it after the fact. And maybe he’d have some words of wisdom for her.
An hour or so later, when the bands took a break and they were able to talk easily, she told him her news. A range of emotions flashed across his face—initially surprise, something she couldn’t read, and then happiness.
“That’s really great news. I knew it would happen for you, eventually. And Black Duck? That’s impressive.” Black Duck was an up-and-coming label that was producing some of the newest stars in Country music.
“I know. I had to print out the email to convince myself it was real.”
He laughed at that. “I probably would have done the same thing.”
“So, what will happen when I go in there? What should I expect?”
Jason thought for a minute. “It really depends what they are thinking. If they see you as a songwriter to work with some of their existing artists, or if they want you to perform.”
Laura frowned. “I made it clear when I sent in the tape that I was looking to write and sell songs. Not perform.”
“Oh, all right, then. I’m sure that’s what they want to discuss then, and to find out what else you are working on.”
Laura relaxed and took a sip of her beer. “Good. That I can talk about. My stack of songs is taking over my bedroom.”
At a quarter to four the following Wednesday afternoon, Laura drove her faded blue Honda Civic into the parking lot of Black Duck studios. Her heart raced as she grabbed her purse, keys and got out of the car. She did a last-minute check of her outfit and brushed a stray piece of lint off her gray dress pants. She’d been tempted to wear jeans, but that didn’t feel appropriate for a business meeting. Yet, she didn’t want to overdress either.
She finally settled on the pants she’d worn to work that day and changed into a flattering, pale blue lightweight sweater set, a simple shell with a cardigan over it. She laughed to herself as she realized it made her look exactly like what she was, an elementary school teacher. But, she hoped that her music would speak for itself.
She walked through the front door, and the receptionist smiled when she saw her. She took in her outfit and then asked, “Are you here to interview for the administrative position?” Ugh. Maybe she should have worn jeans.
“No, I have a meeting at four with Harry Evans.”
“Oh? And your name?”
“Laura Scott.” She looked at the calendar and then nodded.
“Please have a seat, Miss Scott. I’ll let Harry know that you’re here.”
Laura sat on the soft leather sofa and picked up a dog-eared copy of the Nashville Scene, the local paper that listed all the week’s musical events. After about ten minutes, she was almost done reading it when the receptionist called her.
“Mr. Evans will see you now. First door on your right.”
“Thank you.” Laura made her way down the hall and lightly tapped on the door which was open a few inches.
“Come in,” a voice called. Laura pushed open the door and stepped into the office. A bald man who looked to be in his early fifties sat behind a massive desk piled high with papers and large manila envelopes.
“Laura Scott?”
She nodded and he held out his hand. “Harry Evans. A pleasure to meet you.” He saw her glance at the stack of manila envelopes and grinned. “Those are demo tapes that have come in just today, if you can believe it.”
Laura wasn’t sure what to say to that, but it was intimidating, to say the least, and reinforced how many people were trying to do the same thing that she was.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come out to get you. I was just finishing up a call. I thought we’d go into the conference room and have you meet a few other people on the team.” He led the way down the hall and Laura followed close behind, curious about who the others were and why she was meeting them.
He opened the door to the conference room and gestured for Laura to go first. She walked in and then stopped in her tracks when she saw five people gathered around a large conference table, waiting expectantly.
“Everyone, this is Laura Scott. Laura, this is the team.” He introduced them then, one by one, and their names went in one ear and out the other. It was overwhelming to be meeting with so many people at once, and Laura felt very shy and intimidated. Especially when they began discussing her as if she wasn’t there.
“The hair is good, a few more highlights could work,” said Ian, a creative looking guy with bleached blonde, spiky hair, and thick black glasses.
“She’s tinier than I remember, shorter too. I like the innocent look she has going on,” a woman next to Ian said, and he nodded. Laura thought her name was Gail. She wasn’t sure why either of them cared about her appearance, though.
“Laura, have a seat, please.” He indicated one of the two empty seats at the head of the table and sat in the other.
“So, as you can see, they are already excited to work with you. I haven’t seen you perform yet, but Ian, Gail and Billy have, and I trust them implicitly. And as I said, I liked what I heard.” He leaned forward, steepled his hands and looked at her intently.
“I have a few questions for you first. How many songs do you have? What are you working on? And how badly do you want this?”
Laura smiled. Those were easy questions.
“Just over two hundred. Another twenty or so in various stages of creation and I want this very badly.”
“Good. And the instruments I hear on the demo tape, is that all you?”
“Yes, just me and my guitar.”
“You ever play with a band before? Other instruments?”
Laura frowned. “No, I—well, I just write. I’m not really a performer. That’s not my goal.”
He looked at her and then looked around the table. They were all smiling as if they’d heard a particularly funny private joke.
“Here’s the thing. Your songs are good, really good, and we’re definitely interested in having you work with some of our other artists, maybe even doing some co-writing. But, what we’re most interested in is you. Having you perform your own music. You have a unique sound and the right look for what we think is going to be hot.”
Laura hesitated. This was unexpected. Flattering, but frightening. She chose her words carefully.
“Thank you. That’s very kind of you to say. Is the co-writing contingent on me performing, too?”
Harry looked around the table and saw that they were all in agreement. He nodded.
“Yes. I think you underestimate your ability, my dear. We all believe in you.” He went on then to tell her what they had in mind and by the time she left, an hour later, her head was spinning. He’d presented her with a contract, too, that spelled out everything they discussed and the terms of their offer. Laura didn’t have any basis for comparison, but it seemed like a generous one.
“Go home and sleep on this…then call me in the morning and tell me that you’re on board. I’ll be expecting your call.” He paper-clipped his business card to the contract, folded it in half and handed it to her.
“Thank you. It was great to meet all of you.” Laura looked around the room and they were all smiling and congratulating her. Harry walked her out and even the receptionist congratulated her. It felt completely surreal as Laura walked out of the building and then got in to her car to drive home. Goosebumps raced up her arm and she shivered, even though it was nearly eighty degrees out. Her whole world had changed, just like that. She knew if she agreed to this offer that nothing would ever be the same again.
Chapter 12
Tina was in the kitchen when Laura got home. She barely remembered the drive back. Her mind was elsewhere, replaying the scene in the conference room. It didn’t seem real. Tina smiled when she saw her, then reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of champagne.
“So, how did it go? Are we ready
to pop this?”
“Maybe. It went a little differently than I expected.” Laura set her purse down and joined Tina in the kitchen.
“Is that good or bad? Do they want to buy any of your songs?”
“They might…but there’s a catch. They like my songs and said I might be able to co-write with some of their other artists…but they want me to perform.”
Tina’s jaw dropped. “They do?! But, that’s great! Isn’t it?”
Laura bit her lip. “It’s really flattering, but it’s a lot to wrap my head around. Performing was never the goal.”
“Well, you’re going to say yes, right? This is it. This is your big opportunity. You’re better than you think, you know. There’s something unique about your sound.”
Laura smiled. “That’s what they said, too.”
“Well, they know, right?” Tina tore the foil wrapper off the bottle of champagne, wrapped her hand around the top of it and twisted the bottle slowly until they heard the distinctive pop. “This news is definitely champagne worthy.” She poured them each a frothy glass, and they took them out onto the deck and settled onto the plastic folding chairs they kept there.
“Huge congrats!” Tina tapped her glass against Laura’s, and they both took a sip. The crisp, bubbly wine tasted wonderful. And as confusing as it was, Laura did feel like celebrating.
“Honestly, it’s a no-brainer the way I see it. What do you have to lose? School just wrapped for the year. You have all summer to try this, and you seem much more comfortable on stage than you used to be.”
“That’s true. It is easier now.” Laura wasn’t nearly as nervous as she used to be when they called her to sing. She didn’t mind it as much and once she started to sing, the nerves dissipated as she lost herself in the music. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to be the focus of attention, though. She had always preferred to be in the background and the idea of having someone else sing one of her songs was so much more appealing. But they did say she could do that, too.
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