Dissonance

by Michele Shriver

  “No,” Chase interrupted him.

  The producer’s chair swung forward. “I beg your pardon?”

  Great. Now I might’ve pissed him off. Musical integrity was important to Chase, though, and he wouldn’t back down. “I don’t want to record someone else’s song,” he said. “Kenzie and I talked about this before we came over here. We’d like to team up, write an original song to record.”

  “But I’ve got a whole catalog of possible songs that some of the best songwriters in the industry have offered me, just for this project. For you two to record,” Keith said. “Guys like Jon Nite and Ross Copperman.”

  “Ross Copperman, really?” Chase might not know the name, but Kenzie was apparently impressed. “He’s written for Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line.”

  Okay, those were names Chase had heard of, so he should probably be impressed, too. And he was, maybe a little. But not enough to give in. “I’m sure they’re great songs,” he said. “For other artists. Not for me.” His voice was firm. Maybe he was arrogant. Maybe he’d piss Keith off so much that the whole project went down in flames before it started. It was a risk he’d take. “I’m sorry, but I don’t like recording other people’s songs. I feel like it stifles my creativity.” It wasn’t entirely true, since Chase had never recorded anyone else’s song, but he had a hunch if he did, it would.

  “You’re serious?” Keith asked, and Chase couldn’t tell if he was impressed or amused, like he thought Chase might be a little bit crazy.

  “Yes. And I’m afraid that’s a deal breaker for me.”

  “I see.” Keith looked at Kenzie. “And you feel the same way?”

  Chase turned to her as well. What would she say? She knew the names Keith had just dropped. What if it was her dream to record one of their songs? Come on, Kenz. Don’t let me down.

  After a hesitation that seemed like an eternity to Chase, but in actuality was probably mere seconds, she nodded. “Yes. I’ve been wanting to get more involved in writing my own music, and I want to work with Chase on this. We’ve already got some ideas, and I’m confident we can come up with something special. And from the heart.”

  She said it so convincingly that Chase almost believed that they did already have ideas, when in fact they hadn’t even begun to discuss it. Yeah, he liked Kenzie’s style. Quite a lot.

  “Okay.” Keith drew the word out in a way that made clear he was still a little skeptical. Or maybe a lot. “And if I say ‘Yes, you can write an original song,’ when can you have something for me to look at, or better yet, listen to?” he asked. “Because I told you, I want to move fast on this.”

  “The ACM awards, I know. They’re in April right?” Even Chase knew that much. “So two months away. Not a problem. I’ve written songs in a half a day before. The best ones take me a little longer, though,” he admitted. “Maybe give us a week?”

  “A week? You can get something ready in a week?”

  “We sure can,” Kenzie told the producer. “And you’ll love it, too.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” Keith answered. “What if I hate it?”

  “I don’t think that’ll happen,” Chase said. “But if you hate it, truly hate it, then we’ll record one of those other songs you mentioned. Deal?”

  ***

  Kenzie waited until they were in the elevator, leaving the building where Keith had his offices, before letting out a shriek. “Yes! You were awesome back there.” She held up a hand for a high-five, which Chase returned.

  “Okay, thanks, but what did I do that was so awesome? I probably just stepped on the toes of one of the best producers in the business.”

  “Are you kidding? You stood your ground, and got him to agree to let us write our own song,” she said.

  “And you’re good with that?” Chase asked. “I was afraid you might be disappointed not to be recording something by that Cooperman guy.”

  “Copperman,” Kenzie corrected. “But no, not really. I mean, he’s great and all, and someday I would like to record one of his songs. Not this one, though. You sold me, Chase. I want to see what we can do together. Musically, that is,” she hastened to add.

  “Of course. Musically,” Chase agreed.

  “Right. Good. So we’re on the same page.” Kenzie wondered if she was faring any better convincing Chase than she was herself. Try as she might, it was increasingly difficult to ignore the undercurrent of attraction between them.

  “So where are we going?” Chase asked as they stepped out of the building. “Back to your place?”

  “What?”

  “To get started on the song,” Chase said. “Don’t you think we should? After all, we only have a week. And you did sort of imply to Keith that we’ve already started.”

  “Oh, that.” Kenzie laughed. “Sorry. I got a little caught up in the moment.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Enthusiasm is a good thing.”

  “I do have ideas,” Kenzie told him as they walked in the direction of her loft. “Hopefully you won’t hate them.”

  “As long as they don’t involve drinking or cheating, I think we’re good.”

  “Yeah?” Kenzie raised an eyebrow. “What about dogs?”

  “Dogs are okay,” Chase said with a laugh. “Why? Do you want to write a song about a lost puppy?”

  “No.” Kenzie shook her head. “I was thinking more along the lines of finding love, if that works for you.”

  “Sure, love’s good,” Chase said. “For songs, at least.”

  “Just songs?” Kenzie asked. “Don’t tell me you’re jaded about love?”

  “I’m not jaded, no. I believe in love. I just don’t have any personal experience with it.”

  “You don’t?” Kenzie couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice. “You’re saying you’ve never been in love before?”

  “That’s right. At least not the real kind. The kind that lasts,” he explained. “What about you, Kenzie? Have you ever been in love?”

  She weighed her answer for a second, then shook her head. “No. No, I haven’t. Once, I thought maybe I was, but it turns out that wasn’t love at all. In fact, it wasn’t even close.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  She’d never been in love? Huh? The answer caught Chase by surprise. What was Kenzie saying? If she truly hadn’t been in love before, then why was she so down on the whole idea of relationships? It made more sense when she added that she thought she’d been in love once, but it turned out to be something else. Now he was getting closer to the truth, and probably to what accounted for the hurt.

  “What happened?” Chase asked cautiously. “A past relationship wasn’t what you thought it would be?”

  “Something like that.” Kenzie unlocked the door to her building and they made their way up to her loft, where he followed her inside.

  “So you had a jerk boyfriend who couldn’t handle your success?” He was fishing for information, and not following Carey’s advice, but damn it, Chase wanted to know more about her, what made her tick. Especially since they were about to write a song together.

  “Not quite.” The words came out in a bitter laugh. “I had an asshole husband who was responsible for my success.”

  “What the... you were married?”

  “Not what you expected, huh?” Kenzie opened the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. “Do you like sweet tea?”

  “No,” Chase said. “I don’t drink tea. Just water for me.”

  “Water it is, then.” She poured him a glass and handed it to him before pouring herself a glass of tea. “Do you really want to hear this?”

  Chase nodded. “Yes. I want to get to know you better. I want to understand you. I think it’ll help us work together.” And might help him figure out how damaged she was and how softly he needed to tread.

  “Fine. Maybe it will do some good to talk about it.” Kenzie took a drink of tea. “I told you about my first manager, the one who discovered me at the bar where I worked.”

  “The one who
promised to make you a star, yes.” She’d said they’d had creative differences, prompting her to change managers, but now Chase wondered if those differences were about something other than music.

  “Jesse Cole.” Kenzie leaned against the kitchen counter. “He swept me off my feet, said he’d give me a music career, and asked me to be his wife,” she explained. “I was young, and he was sexy and successful, and in the beginning, he treated me like a queen. Of course I accepted.” Another bitter laugh followed. “When my first single soared up the charts, I became the envy of lots of hopefuls in the business. Everybody wanted to be the next Kenzie Bolton.”

  “I’m sure. A complete unknown, instant success...” It was something Chase knew about, too. The difference was he was still riding the wave of that success. Kenzie wasn’t.

  “Yeah, from out of nowhere to breakout star. Jesse made good on that part of the bargain, at least.”

  “And the rest? I’m guessing not so much.” The words “in the beginning” stuck in Chase’s head. Obviously, the “queen” treatment didn’t last.

  “Good guess. Things went downhill quickly once we got married, and my dream turned into more of a nightmare.”

  Her tone was flat, emotionless, but Chase sensed Kenzie was deliberately trying to stay detached in order to keep it together. “Did he cheat on you? Was he abusive?” Chase didn’t know Jesse Cole, but he had a sudden urge to slug him.

  “I don’t know if he was unfaithful. It wouldn’t surprise me. I was never Jesse’s ideal wife, and he made sure I knew that. He constantly belittled me, picked at my appearance, told me I was nothing without him...” Kenzie’s voice trailed off as her eyes misted over. “He never hit me, though, so I guess that’s something.”

  She was grateful the abuse was only emotional and not physical? Chase clenched and unclenched a fist. Yeah, he definitely wanted to slug this SOB, and if he ever came face to face with Jesse, he’d probably do just that. “I’m sorry,” he said, but the words sounded hollow. What was he supposed to say?

  “Hey, I got out. Lots of women aren’t so lucky.” She wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. “Jesse was pissed, though, and he vowed to ruin me. Judging from how my career’s gone since I left him, he’s doing a pretty good job.”

  “That new single, the one you played for me yesterday...” Hearing her story, Chase understood more about how personal the song was to her. “You said it wasn’t a hit.”

  “Not even close. It bombed,” Kenzie said. “I’m on the verge of falling off the country music landscape if I don’t have a hit soon. So, you see, I’m kind of counting on this project with you. I need it, Chase. I need it to be a hit.”

  And to him, it was just a way to pass the time, and stretch himself musically, until Jordy was ready to come back to the band. They were in completely different places in their careers, but Chase couldn’t ignore the connection he felt with Kenzie. He wanted their song to be a hit for her. “It will be.” He set the glass of water down on the small kitchen table and walked over to her. “We’ll make sure it is,” he said, putting his arms around her. “And why wouldn’t it be? Top producer, great idea, two incredible singers...”

  “Well, when you put it like that...” A hint of a smile formed on Kenzie’s tear-stained face. “I’m sorry for breaking down in front of you.”

  “Breaking down? That wasn’t a break. Maybe just a little crack.” Chase used his finger to wipe away one of her tears, and then he couldn’t help it. She looked so uncertain, yet so beautiful, and he brushed his lips across hers.

  Just a peck. It was meant to be just a peck. He wanted to comfort her. Except at that moment, he wanted a lot more than to comfort her, and when Kenzie opened her lips and her tongue met his, Chase sensed she wanted more, too. He pulled away abruptly. He might be half crazy, but one thing he’d never do was take advantage of a vulnerable woman.

  “So, um, I guess we better get to work,” he said. “We have a song to write.”

  ***

  A song. Right. For a second there, when Chase’s arms were around her and his lips were on hers, Kenzie almost lost sight of what they were supposed to be doing. Fortunately, he seemed to have slightly more willpower, but the way he stood there awkwardly, his face a little flushed as he rubbed his hands on his jeans, told Kenzie all she needed to know. He felt it, too. He wanted her. And sooner or later, they might just have to act on the attraction to get it out of their systems.

  It wouldn’t be now, though, not since he was already halfway up the stairs to the loft area. Kenzie followed him, and got there just as Chase picked up her ukelele and began to strum a few chords.

  She smiled as she listened. “Pretty good. You can play.”

  “I want to play some uke in the song. I’m not sure how or where yet, since we don’t have any lyrics, but I want to.”

  Kenzie recalled his remark that he wanted to incorporate the uke into a song one day, but his band mates thought he was weird. Maybe Chase needed this project, too, even if not in the same way she did, or for the same reason. “Then we’ll find a way,” she said. “But we need lyrics first. At least that’s how I work. I write some lyrics first, then try to set them to music.”

  “Me too,” Chase said, “so we should make a good team.” He set the ukelele down. “You said something about finding love...”

  “I did, yeah, but it’s just one idea, and maybe a bad one,” Kenzie said. “Especially if neither one of us has any experience with that particular subject.”

  “It doesn’t mean I can’t write about it, though,” Chase said with a shrug. “Just because I haven’t found it yet, doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”

  “Are you saying you do want to?” Kenzie raised an eyebrow. “That you’re actively looking?”

  “I plead the Fifth,” Chase said, making her laugh.

  “Um, I’m no lawyer, but I’m pretty sure that only works in criminal trials,” she teased. “And come on, I told you my sordid tale. Isn’t time you told me yours? It’ll help us work together,” Kenzie added, tossing his own words back at him.

  “Touché,” Chase said. “All right, but there’s not much to tell. I just haven’t met anyone that I really connect with, in the way I need to if it’s going to me more than a casual fling.”

  “So you’re into casual flings?” No doubt there were plenty of women ready to throw themselves at him after his concerts. Kenzie knew what the music business was like, especially for those at the top of the charts. “Do they call you ‘Love ’em and leave ’em Radcliffe?’”

  “Ha. Hardly.” Chase snickered. “No, that’s more my drummer’s speed. I’m more reserved, and I do want to settle down someday,” he said. “My meddling mother thinks that someday should have happened already, so she’s constantly trying to set me up with girls she thinks will make a perfect doctor’s wife.”

  “Ah, the doctor thing again.”

  “Yeah, that’s my family for you.” Chase rolled his eyes. “I get compared to my perfect cousin, the one who became a doctor, then married a proper woman, and now just welcomed his first child. A son, who will also undoubtedly be expected to follow in his dad’s footsteps.”

  He said it without any trace of bitterness, but Kenzie suspected there was some bitterness, or at least resentment, buried beneath the surface. “That’s a lot of pressure. I can’t even imagine...”

  “Hey, nothing like the kind you’ve been under.” Chase ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just the family black sheep, doing my own thing. I love my family, all of them, even if they drive me crazy sometimes.”

  “I thought that was what families were supposed to do.”

  “Yeah, truth,” Chase agreed. “So, anyway, you want us to fall in love?”

  “What?” The abrupt change of subject caught Kenzie off guard.

  “I mean in the song,” Chase clarified. “You want it to be about falling in love?”

  “Yes,” Kenzie said. “You know, like maybe where you least expect it?” The
wheels were starting to turn now.

  Chase nodded. “I like that. I can work with that,” he said. “I have an idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We split up for now, each work on a verse. Our own side of the story,” he explained. “We’ll meet up tomorrow to see what we have. If it works, if it clicks, we’ll work together on a chorus and chord progression.”

  It sounded straightforward enough, but Kenzie had never written a duet before. And their styles were so different. Could they really pull this off? “What if it doesn’t click?”

  “Then we’ll try a different approach,” Chase said. “Have a little faith, though. I think we can do this.”

  Faith. Right. It was hard these days, but maybe things were about to turn around for Kenzie.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Chase took a longer route back to his hotel, using the time to think. His mind wasn’t on the song he had to write, though, but rather the woman he’d be writing it with. Kenzie was a study in contradictions. She’d been badly burned by love, and professed to have sworn off relationships as a result, but when they began to discuss the song they would write together, her first suggestion was to write about falling in love. That told Chase that she wasn’t as cynical as she claimed to be. On some level, she must still believe in love. She’d surprised him by suggesting a hopeful theme for their song, rather than a more somber tune.

  What did that mean for Chase? Was he about to trade in his brooding, melancholy persona for saccharine sweet? No. Hell no. He could sing about love, but he was maintaining his edge. He had to. His edge sold records. Lots of them.

  Back in his suite, Chase got out the spiral notebook he used for writing music and tried to get to work. After writing two different opening lines and crossing both out, it was clear his focus wasn’t quite there, and he knew why. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kenzie and what she’d told him about the jackass she’s been married to. Chase definitely wanted to punch the guy. No question about that. In spite of what Kenzie revealed, though, he couldn’t shake the feeling she’d held something back. There was more to the story. But what?