Nashville Dreams

by Pamela M. Kelley

  A wave of happy emotion swept of Laura, taking her by surprise. “That’s wonderful news. Are you excited?”

  Tina nodded. “Yes. We both are. It’s happening sooner than we expected, but we’re kind of thrilled, to be honest.”

  Laura gave her a big hug. “You’ll be a wonderful mother.”

  Dylan watched their exchange with interest. He offered his congratulations to both Tina and Rufus and a little while later asked Laura, “You’re not in any rush to have kids, are you?”

  “No, why?”

  “Just wondering. We never really talked about it. I think it would be good to wait, at least five years or so. Don’t you?”

  “I really haven’t given it a thought.”

  Cole didn’t see or talk to his father again until his law school graduation almost a month later. He grudgingly agreed to go to lunch at the club after the ceremony with his father, Claire and her boys. He was surprised to find that his Aunt Helen had flown in for the occasion as well. He had mixed feelings about seeing her. They’d always been close, but he was still unhappy about her involvement in his father’s deception with Laura. Yet, at the same time, he understood why she did it. She looked hesitant when she saw him and Cole immediately knew that his father had let her know about their conversation.

  “I’m glad you came,” he said simply as they hugged each other hello.

  “I’m so proud of you, and I’m so very sorry.” Her voice broke as she spoke and her eyes welled up.

  Cole sighed. “I understand why you did it. He’s the one I’m upset with.”

  Aunt Helen nodded and looked somewhat relieved.

  Chelsea stood nearby, looking confused. Cole hadn’t told her anything about the conversation with his father or about Laura. There was no point to it.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her,” he explained as they drove to the club together. “Are you feeling any better?” Chelsea had a horrible hangover. She’d gone out the night before with the girls and Cole had no idea what time she’d come home.

  She nodded. “I took a few Advils, and they finally kicked in. I’m ready for a good meal now.”

  The club was packed. Sunday afternoons were always busy, but there were other graduations happening and the dining room was fully booked. They had a reservation, though, and were seated right away. As they made their way to the table, his father was stopped several times. Everyone seemed to know him. It had always been like that, but even more so now that he was the Governor.

  They had a surprisingly amicable meal. The food was good, and his father was more charming than usual, telling funny stories and complimenting the women on how beautiful they looked. He always had been charismatic and larger than life. Cole’s father thrived on being the center of attention. Being a politician suited him. Cole was still furious with him, though. He didn’t know if he’d ever be able to forgive him.

  “Chelsea, you’re positively glowing today. That color suits you.”

  Chelsea beamed at Cole’s father. She sought his approval and had always been impressed by his success. He’d also helped her by introducing her to several of his more important friends, and the networking had paid off, first for an internship while in school and then for her current position in public relations. Chelsea hung on every word as his father talked about the various business people and politicians he’d been interacting with that week.

  It bored Cole, though. His thoughts began to drift, thinking ahead to his upcoming trip to Nashville. He was excited to be part of the show and hoped that he’d at least stick around for a few weeks. He didn’t have any expectations of winning, but he knew that the longer he was able to last, the more connections he’d make. And that was the kind of networking he was happy to engage in.

  He loved meeting other people in the music industry, and talking songs and the business. He also couldn’t help thinking about Laura and wondered if he might run into her again. He didn’t think it was likely, though, unless he made an effort like he did last time, to find out where she was playing. But, he wasn’t sure that was a good idea. In fact, he was pretty sure that it wasn’t. Especially now that he had a baby on the way. He needed to keep his priorities straight.

  “So, Cole…” At the sound of his name, Cole brought his attention back to his father’s words.

  “Now that you’ve graduated, you know there’s an open position for you at the firm. You could start as soon as next Monday, if you like.” His father sounded both confident and hopeful. Cole just shook his head. His father hadn’t listened to him at all. He didn’t want to make a scene by reminding him that they weren’t really speaking so it was unlikely that he’d want to work for him anytime soon.

  “I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I’m not going to be starting anywhere for a while, though. I’m off to Nashville next week and depending on how things go, I might be there for a few weeks or a few months. The longer the better.”

  His father pursed his lips as if he’d taken a taste of something unexpectedly sour. “Right. I forgot about that show thing. We can discuss when you come back.”

  “Of course Cole will come work with you then,” Chelsea said and shot Cole a look that said “what is wrong with you?!’

  Cole squeezed her hand to reassure her. He didn’t want to upset her unnecessarily, especially since she’d been feeling so awful lately.

  “I’ll get in touch as soon as I get back and we can talk about it then.” He had no intention of joining his father’s firm, but Chelsea didn’t need to know that yet.

  Chapter 18

  Laura spent all day Sunday doing what she loved most, writing songs. She sat in the middle of her living room on a thick, shaggy throw rug, surrounded by notebooks and sheets of paper with scribbles everywhere. She’d lost track of the time completely and jumped when there was a loud knock at the door. It couldn’t be Dylan already? She glanced at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see that it was nearly six.

  It was Dylan, holding a large pizza box. The smell of tomato and cheese assaulted her senses, making her stomach rumble. She hadn’t stopped for lunch. Dylan handed her the box.

  “You have that look about you. Have you had anything to eat today?” Dylan opened a bottle of wine while Laura set the pizza on the kitchen table and went to get napkins and plates.

  “I had breakfast.”

  “That’s what I figured. Productive day, though?” He poured two glasses of wine and handed one to her.

  “It was a great day. First time in ages that I didn’t have to go anywhere. It was nice.”

  They ate and then topped off their wine glasses, brought them into the living room and settled comfortably on the sofa. Dylan seemed to be in a relaxed, mellow mood, and Laura was grateful for it. He’d been somewhat moody lately, and Laura begged off ongoing out twice recently because she just didn’t want to deal with it. Staying home alone was more appealing. She sensed that he could tell she was pulling back though because he’d been on his best behavior all week.

  Dylan took a sip of wine and then casually said, “So, my lease is up in two months. I need to decide if I want to renew or not.”

  “Oh?” Laura had a sinking feeling about what was coming next.

  “It seems silly for me to renew that lease if we’re going to be getting married. Maybe I should just move in here with you?”

  A wave of panic came over her.

  “Now?”

  He laughed. “No, not now. But soon, when my lease is up. I need to let him know if I’m not going to renew.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “So, that’s it, then? I’ll tell him tomorrow?”

  “Do you have to let him know now?” Laura wasn’t ready to say yes to Dylan moving in, but she wasn’t ready to end their engagement just yet, either. She did like Dylan. Maybe she even loved him. But it all like felt too much, too fast.

  “I have to give him a month’s notice. So, a month from now.”

  “Let’s talk about it in a few weeks
then. I’m sure it will be fine. It’s just that everything is moving so fast lately.”

  Dylan brushed a wayward strand of hair off her face and kissed her gently.

  “Everything is changing for you. But it’s all good,” he said confidently.

  Cole loaded his suitcase in his truck Monday morning and had a second cup of coffee at the kitchen table while he waited for Chelsea to finish getting ready for work. He figured they’d leave together and say their goodbyes. He had no idea how long he’d be gone for. He heard the faint sound of a cell phone ringing, Chelsea’s voice answering and a moment later, laughing. Her voice was soft so he couldn’t hear what she was saying, just the occasional laugh. He wondered who would be calling so early in the morning and what could possibly be so funny. When she came into the kitchen a few minutes later, he asked her.

  “Who was that on the phone?”

  She seemed surprised by the question. “Oh, no one. Just someone from the office.”

  Of course, it was someone from the office. That made sense.

  “Busy week?” he asked.

  She brightened at the question. Chelsea loved to talk about work. “Yes! We have so much going on. We have some exciting new projects.”

  “That’s great. So, do you think you might be able to make it to Nashville at all? I won’t have much of a cheering section.” Having someone there to help calm his nerves would be awesome.

  Chelsea bit her lip. “I don’t think so. I’m sorry. I can’t take time off right now, it’s much too busy. But you’ll do great! I know you will.” She wrapped her arms around him and gave him an enthusiastic kiss that was over as soon as it started.

  “Good luck, Cole. Text me when you get there, so I know you made it.” She walked out ahead of him, climbed into her car and a moment later, she was gone.

  The next morning at eight a.m., Cole was in Nashville at the studio along with forty-seven other contestants. Everyone was friendly and most seemed as nervous as he was. There were people from all over the country, ranging in age from fifteen to fifty. And as he quickly learned, everyone was good. Some were so good that it was intimidating. He tried not to let it throw him off-balance, though. He knew that all he could control was his own performance. He’d just go out there and do his best and see what happened. He smiled as he thought of something Laura used to say, “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”

  And for week one, it was meant to be. Cole made it through the first round, along with twenty-three others. The size of the group had been cut in half. There would be another cut this next week and the week after that, and then the final twelve contestants would move on to the live shows. They’d receive a lot more attention then, and there would be guest coaches coming in each week to give extra guidance to the contestants. Cole hoped that he’d make it to that point. He wanted to go as long as possible but tried to keep his focus on surviving one week at a time.

  He really liked working with Gary Jones, his coach. Gary still toured and had an amazing voice. Even though he sometimes came across a bit grouchy, he was passionate about music, and he’d been nothing but encouraging to Cole.

  “You’re really good, you know. You have a deep, pure voice. There’s only one problem.” Gary put his hands on his hips and looked Cole in the eye. “You lack conviction. You don’t believe that you deserve to be here. You need to get over that and go own that stage. Because you do deserve to be here.”

  Cole swallowed. He was embarrassed that it was so obvious how he felt. He did feel like he wasn’t as good as some of the others and it intimidated him.

  “I’m serious. You’re as good as anyone here, and you have as much of a chance as they do.” He paused and then added, “You could win this thing if you just let go and dig deep. I know you can do it.”

  “You do?” Cole normally was confident, but this was just so important. There was so much at stake that uncertainty had taken hold and his confidence was shaken.

  “Believe, and you can achieve. Sounds hokey, I know. But it’s true. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Now, let’s hear it again, from the top.”

  Cole grinned and relaxed. And then he sang like he’d never sung before. When he finished, there was a moment of silence and then the sound of one person clapping. Gary walked over to him, pulled him in for a hug and slapped his back.

  “Now, that is what I’m talking about.”

  The next day, for the actual competition, Cole channeled the confidence he’d managed the day before when it was just him and Gary. It felt good, and he was relieved that his performance the day before wasn’t a fluke. He did even better and all four judges gave him a standing ovation. They’d only done that for one other contestant so far. He breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped it would be enough to get him through to the next round. And it was. Now, he’d be going on to the live shows.

  Chapter 19

  Laura smiled as she checked her reflection in her bedroom mirror. The dress that the studio had sent fit perfectly and the soft, caramel shade brought out the gold highlights in her hair. She wore it loosely curled. It fell halfway down her back, the longest she’d had it in years.

  “You really think it’s a good idea to wear that?” Dylan scowled as he appraised her appearance.

  Laura’s smile faded as she turned to check the back of the dress. Maybe she’d missed something. But no, it looked good to her.

  “What’s wrong with it?” she asked.

  “It’s too short, don’t you think?” He raised his eyebrows as his gaze hit where her dress stopped, just above her knees. Laura’s flash of uncertainty was quickly replaced by annoyance.

  “No, I don’t. I think it’s fine. It’s a lovely dress. The length is obviously fine with the studio. They sent it to me.”

  “Hm. Well, I don’t like it. But if you don’t care about my opinion….” He was in one of his moods again. And Laura was getting tired of it.

  “Of course I care about your opinion. But I’m wearing the dress. I’ll see you later tonight.”

  “Are you sure you’re not allowed to bring anyone, even your fiancé?”

  Ah, so that was his problem. Dylan felt left out. He’d said before that he wanted to go to the taping with her. But she’d asked, and the answer was a firm no. They had very limited space, and all the seats were spoken for. Truthfully, Laura didn’t mind. Sometimes it felt a bit smothering to have Dylan hovering around her as much as he did.

  “I’m sorry. I did check.” She gave him a peck on the lips and grabbed her purse as she opened the front door and waited for him to leave before pulling it shut behind her.

  The drive to the TV studio didn’t take too long. Laura had been looking forward to it all week. She’d been shocked and flattered when Harry called a few weeks ago to say that his good friend was one of the executive producers on the New Voices show and he wanted to know if she’d be interested in being one of the guest coaches.

  “Really? They want me? I’m so new myself,” she’d said when he raised the idea.

  “That’s why they want you. They have a mix of guest coaches, and they always have one guest coach who is very new and seeing success. That’s you. And a bonus, you’ll get to perform. I don’t think I need to tell you how good that could be for your sales?”

  “I’d be honored to do it.”

  All Laura knew was that she was assigned to be Gary Jones’s guest coach. As the most senior coach, they liked the idea of giving him someone new and fresh. When Laura arrived at the studio, she was greeted by a young woman around her own age, who introduced herself as Amelia.

  “I’m one of the show coordinators. If you follow me, I’ll bring you in to see Gary.”

  Laura followed her down a long, winding hallway and to a large studio room. She recognized Gary Jones. He rose when he saw her.

  “Welcome to the team! I’m a fan already. The show sent me your CD. I understand you wrote most of the songs yourself?”

  Laura nodded. “Thank you. Yes, I wrote all o
f them, actually.”

  Gary grinned. “Excellent! Okay, so let me fill you in on how this is going to go…”

  He gave her the lay of the land and said each contestant would come in one at a time and they already had their songs chosen. Both she and Gary would work with them to help coach them to do the best job possible. Gary was down to eight contestants on his team and one by one, they came in and the day flew. Laura loved every minute of it. She tried to make each contestant feel at ease and pointed out their strengths and made suggestions for what they might change a little to improve their performance.

  They were hesitant at first but by the end of each session, they were all feeling more confident. A few had expressed how inspiring it was that Laura was their coach.

  “This gives me hope, that anything is possible. You’re so new and yet doing so well. I hope to follow in your footsteps,” Gina, one of the contestants gushed when they finished. She was talented too, they all were.

  “I hope you do. You’re doing a great job,” Laura encouraged her.

  She left, and Gary waved in the next artist.

  “This is our last one. Laura Scott, meet Cole Dawson.”

  Laura looked up, and her jaw dropped when she saw the gorgeous blonde guy from the bar standing before her. The one who thought he knew her. Cole Dawson. Why did that name sound familiar?”

  “It’s nice to see you again,” she said as he shook her hand. His touch gave her what felt like an electrical shock and she pulled her hand away quickly. He looked just as surprised to see her. But Laura knew that they didn’t tell the contestants who the guest coaches were going to be. They liked to catch their reactions on air. Cole had turned pale as a ghost which was an interesting reaction. Everyone else had been much more enthusiastic. Maybe he was just nervous. Laura could certainly sympathize with that.

  “Cole’s father is the Governor of South Carolina,” Gary said.