“Okay,” I said, tossing the jacket onto the bed.
My friends clapped.
“Now let’s go,” Chyanne said, grabbing my purse from the desk.
With a final glance, I raced out of my room with my friends right behind me. But by the time I got to the elevator, I’d changed my mind.
“Hold it when it gets here,” I said to Devin and Chyanne before I dashed back down the hall to my room. I had to get my jacket.
Chapter 12
I sprayed one last squirt of Issey Miyake onto my neck, and then I stepped into the hallway and right into Miles.
“Whoa,” he said, as he backed up and looked me up and down. “Where’re you going?”
“Out.”
“Come on, ’fess up,” he said. “With that suit and that grin, there’s more going on than you just going out.”
Okay, my boy had me. Not that there was anything to tell. I was going out, but it wasn’t a date or anything. I just wanted to get out with Simone and talk, not only about our song, but about her dreams to become a singer. And I’d wanted a special place to tell her that I was about to make all of her dreams come true.
“I’m gonna hook up with Simone.”
His eyes got wide. “Simone. Really? I didn’t know you were hanging like that with Simone.”
Right then, Quintin came around the corner from his bedroom. “You mean fat girl Simone?” he asked, jumping right into the middle of our conversation.
I could not believe that he’d said that. And from the scowl on Miles’s face, neither could he.
“What?” Quintin asked as we stared him down. “Don’t tell me you never noticed that the floor shakes with every step she takes.” He laughed.
We didn’t.
“That’s not even funny, man,” I said, shaking my head.
Miles added, “Yeah, that’s not right.”
Quintin shrugged. He said, “I’m sorry,” though there was not a semblance of an apology inside his tone.
I turned to Miles. “Yeah, Simone and I are going to dinner,” I said, ignoring Quintin. “We need to talk over a few things.”
Miles nodded.
I had turned my back to Quintin, giving him the chance to just walk away. But my frat brother didn’t know how to do that.
“Dinner? I hope you’re taking her to an all-you–can-eat buffet since you don’t have a real job.” It was only after he got those last words in that he decided to step. We could still hear his chuckles as he trotted down the stairs. “Man, I crack myself up,” he said, before I heard the front door close.
It must’ve been the way I was glaring that made Miles say, “I know you’re not trippin’ on that fool.”
“Nah, nah, I’m not.”
“’Cause, from what you’ve told me, Simone’s a nice girl.”
“She is, but it’s not even like that. We’re just going to talk.”
Miles glanced at me from the corner of his eye before he laughed. “Yeah, right.” He held out his fist to give me dap.
Glancing at my watch, I turned toward the stairs. “I’m out,” I told Miles as I rushed down to the first floor. As I grabbed the keys, I was still a bit bothered by what Quintin had said. But, on the real, he was just being Quintin. If he weren’t my frat, and if he weren’t part of Tru Harmony . . .
But what bothered me more was the way Miles looked at me. And the way he laughed. As if he didn’t believe that this wasn’t a date.
I shook my head. I didn’t know why I was trippin’ on Miles. I needed to keep my head on one thing, and that was this talk with Simone. I didn’t need to be thinking about Quintin or Miles. This was all about Simone and Tru Harmony–nothing more, nothing less.
Chapter 13
I know I looked crazy, sitting on my hands in this classy restaurant. But it was the only way I could stop them from shaking. The truth was I was nervous as all get–out, and I didn’t really know why. I mean, it wasn’t like this was a date. We were just two friends getting together to talk, right? So why did I start shaking the moment I saw Jaylen?
When I pulled up in front of the restaurant, he was already standing there, waiting for me. He came to my car before the valet attendant could make a move.
“Hey, you,” he said as he opened my door.
That was when I started shaking. It was because of the way he took my hand and held on to me as the attendant gave him the ticket for my car. Our hands were still together as he led me into the restaurant.
Lord, please don t let my palms start to sweat, I prayed. I mean, nothing would have been more embarrassing than that. Then, I began to think about trippin’ on the carpet and falling on my face. Now that would have been beyond humiliating.
But even when I’d made it to the table without sweating or tripping, I couldn’t stop shaking.
“Are you all right?” Jaylen asked me once the hostess walked away after seating us.
“Yeah,” I said. I could feel that stupid grin on my face. The one I always wore when I was nervous. “I’m cool. What about you?” I asked, because I didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m fine.”
Through the flickering light that came from the single candle in the middle of the table, his face had this gorgeous bronze glow that made him look like he should have been modeling in a magazine or something. Then, Jaylen smiled, and I couldn’t do anything but relax. Slowly, I lifted my hands and rested them on the table.
He said, “You look really nice, Simone.” A moment passed before he added, “I know you hear this a lot, but you really got it going on. You’re one beautiful young lady.”
It took everything I had not to shake my head and tell him that no, I didn’t hear that a lot. All I ever heard were comments like, “You have such a pretty face,” or “You’re kinda cute for a big girl.” But Jaylen was always talking to me and looking at me like he didn’t notice that I wasn’t a size six. He almost made me want to pull off my jacket and show him what I was really working with, since I had on this Body Magic. But I wasn’t crazy enough to do that.
Jaylen looked at me like he was waiting for me to respond to what he’d said about me being beautiful. But all I did was turn my head from one side to the other, and look around at all the white clothed tables around us that were decorated with their own candles. “Have you been here before?”
Jaylen chuckled as if he knew that I was dodging his compliment, but I figured I’d asked him a good enough question to get away with that. I mean, this was a really nice restaurant, and kind of expensive, too. I wondered how Jaylen had heard about it, since he’d just been in Atlanta for a little over a month.
“Nah,” he said as he flicked his napkin in the air and then set it on his lap. I did the same thing. “But it comes highly recommended. So, what are you going to have?” he asked as he picked up his menu.
I glanced at mine and my eyes bugged at the prices. Although I ate out with Skye, Chyanne, and Devin all the time, we usually stayed away from places that didn’t give us back change from a twenty.
“Have anything you want,” Jaylen said. “I heard the lasagna is good. And, of course, chicken is good no matter where you go.”
I moved my eyes away from those entrees and studied the salads and appetizers. “I think I’ll have the Mediterranean chicken salad,” I said, since it was one of the least expensive items on the menu. It wasn’t like I was about to pig out at Jaylen’s expense.
He frowned. “That’s it?”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded and pushed my menu aside. “I’m not really hungry.” Right at that moment, my stomach growled as if it were calling me a liar. I put my hand over my mouth, coughed, and prayed that Jaylen hadn’t heard that.
After our waiter took our orders and walked away, Jaylen got straight to the point. “So, you’ve been dreaming about becoming a singer.” He shook his head. “I never would have known that.”
“Why?”
“’Cause you never mentioned it. I mean, everyone talks about being a singer. Even
people who can’t sang,” he said, purposely using the wrong word, “want to be sangers.” He laughed as if he’d just told the biggest joke. “So, why were you keeping that on the down low?”
I shrugged. “I wasn’t keeping it a secret,” I said, thinking about how many times I’d talked about my dreams with my sister and my friends.
“Could’ve fooled me,” he said. “So, how bad do you want it?”
That was a question that I didn’t expect, and it took me a moment to think of an answer. Though I got all As in English and had an extensive vocabulary, I couldn’t think of any words to truly describe how badly I wanted to be a singer.
“Really badly,” was all I could think to say. “But I can’t see it happening.”
I expected him to ask me why not. But he just grinned. “I can make it happen for you.”
I frowned; that was my cue for him to explain.
He did. “I want you to be the first artist on the Tru Harmony label.”
“Tru Harmony?” I’d never heard of them. But then, Jaylen explained that this was his company, a label he was starting with his boys. I sat back in my seat, shocked. I guess we both had secrets.
“That’s why I’m here in Atlanta,” he said.
My eyes were wide as he told me how they expected to become as big as So So Def or Jazzy Pha’s label Sho’nuff. “But the thing is, we have to come out smokin’. We have to come out with the right artist.”
Even as the waiter brought us our food, Jaylen kept on talking. While he ate, he explained how his frat brother, Quintin, was the brains behind the business, while Miles was the IT guy.
“And I’m in charge of all things creative,” Jaylen said. “The music, the artists. So now, let’s get back to the question: do you want to be a singer?”
At least thirty minutes had passed since Jaylen had started talking, and all I’d had to do was listen and dream. But now came the moment when I had to talk–and tell the truth. It took me a moment to say honestly, “I’ll never be a singer.”
If we had been in a balloon, we would have dropped straight to the ground, because it was like my words had taken all the air out of the room.
Jaylen said, “But I thought you said this was your dream.”
“Well, dreams and reality are two different things.” I guessed it was time to come clean all the way. So I told Jaylen about my father.
He listened like he really cared, never interrupting me as I explained what my father’s dream was for me. “Singing is totally out as far as my dad is concerned.”
“I think your father’s just trying to protect you.”
“That’s what he says.”
“But the game is different now,” Jaylen said. I didn’t know what game he was talking about until he explained, “Your father’s concerned because he knows how many people are out there who are great singers but who never get signed. He’s just afraid that you’ll put in all of this work but never get a deal.” Jaylen stopped and leaned forward a bit. “But Tru Harmony changes everything. We’re gonna give you that deal; we’re gonna make you a star!”
I sat quietly, just taking in everything that Jaylen said. And his words made a lot of sense. There were thousands upon thousands of singers who were trying to make it and my dad knew this. But if I was already signed to a label . . .
“So you think . . .”
I didn’t even get a chance to finish before Jaylen said, “I know that’s what’s bothering your father. Look, if you were my daughter, I’d protect you too.” He leaned forward a little, and his face was once again right in front of the candlelight. “So, Simone Davenport, just say the word and you’ll make me one happy business owner.”
“Yes.” I whispered at first, but then I yelled out, “Yes,” so loudly, other people in the restaurant started looking at us.
Jaylen laughed before he reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “That’s the word!”
My thoughts were tumbling inside my head as Jaylen called for the waiter and asked for the check. I was about to have a recording contract! Like a real singer. My dream was coming true. Just the thought of that gave me goosebumps.
“So, are you ready to get out of here?”
I was so deep inside my thoughts that I didn’t even notice that Jaylen had not only already paid the bill, but he was standing up, waiting for me to join him. I scooted out of my chair, and, just like when we came into the restaurant, Jaylen held my hand as he led the way.
He gave my ticket to the attendant and, as we waited, he said, “It’s going to take a few weeks for the contracts to be drawn up, but I don’t see why we have to wait. Quintin and Miles are as eager as I am to get started, so if you don’t mind working even though we don’t have all the legal stuff in place, we can get this thing moving.”
“No, I don’t mind, I said, not really knowing what he meant.
“Great! Then let’s get into the studio. I already have a couple of songs that I want you to look at. If we can find one that you want to work with, we can get started, so that by the time the contracts are ready and all parties have checked everything out, we can just pop out your first single.”
Okay, this was serious. Jaylen wasn’t just talking about something that was down the road. He was talking contracts, and studios, and singles. He was talking about now!
I nodded because I just didn’t have the words. Was this really happening to me?
My car rolled up, and Jaylen slipped the attendant a tip, then stood by the door. But just as I was about to get inside, he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. He kept his lips on my skin for a moment, and even when he pulled away, I could still feel him. I looked up with shock in my eyes. But there wasn’t even a little bit of surprise on his face. Jaylen just grinned as if kissing me were the most normal thing in the world.
“Good night, Miss Tru Harmony,” he said right before he closed the door.
I waved, but didn’t say a word. How could I? My mind was so crowded with thoughts that I couldn’t figure out how to speak. I wasn’t sure what had my attention more: the contract or the kiss. But then, I came back to earth and realized the kiss was probably because of the contract.
The contract! I was going to be a real singer, with a real deal. All of a sudden, I leaned my head back and screamed so loud the windows vibrated. My dream was finally coming true, and in a way my father couldn’t possibly have a problem with.
But thinking about my father took just a little bit of the joy away. What Jaylen had said about my dad made sense, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I wasn’t going to say a word to my father . . . at least, not yet. But there was not a thing that was gonna stop me from telling Skye. And Chyanne and Devin.
I couldn’t wait to get back to my dorm.
Chapter 14
“Man, I heard her sing! That girl can blow,” Miles said right after I told him my plan of making Simone our lead artist.
“So, you think it’s a good idea?”
He nodded. “I mean, I’m no judge of talent . . . that’s your gig. But I got ears, and from what I hear, she’s as good as any of those females on the other labels. Maybe even better, ’cause she sounds like she has the range of Mariah.”
I couldn’t stop grinning. I knew Miles would love the idea of Simone. But now, I had to ask him to do something that I wasn’t sure he’d be down to do.
“Just one thing,” I said, my smile totally gone now. I was looking down at the mixing console, wanting to keep my next words as casual as possible. “Don’t say anything about Simone to Quintin.”
By the sound of Miles’s voice, I knew he was frowning. “Why not? I thought we were making all of these decisions together.”
Finally, I looked at Miles. “Yeah, we are. And, I’m gonna tell him. Just . . . not yet.” When his frown deepened, I explained, “I want to have Simone ready as a total package before I bring in Q.”
Miles shook his head as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
“I want to presen
t her to Quintin as a complete artist, with the right song and the right look. I’m gonna get a stylist to work with her . . . you know . . . ”
In an instant, Miles got what I was saying. The way he squinted, I could tell that he was remembering the mean statements Quintin had made about Simone.
“I have a plan,” I assured Miles. “By the time I bring Simone to Quintin, she’ll be so tight, so ready, he’ll be her biggest fan.”
He nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.”
My grin was back.
Miles turned toward the stairs, but then he came back. “Let me ask you something.” He paused. “You’re not catching feelings for this girl, are you?”
“Nah,” I said, shaking my head hard. “Why would you ask me that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. First, you had dinner with her yesterday–”
“That was just to talk about picking her up.”
“And now today, you’re gonna make her a star.”
“You and Quintin have been waiting for me; I’m just delivering.”
“A’ight, he said, responding to my explanations. “It’s just that . . .” He stopped. “Getting involved with her wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“I know that.”
“We’ve got to keep this all strictly business.”
“That’s all she is to me,” I insisted. “As far as females go, she’s not even my type.”
He chuckled. “Man, you don’t have a type. If we went down the list of all the girls–”
I held up my hand. “You got me mixed up with Q, man. I ain’t been with a bunch of females.”
“You know what I’m sayin’.” Miles was still laughing a bit. But then he got serious. “I mean it, man. Let’s keep this clean. No getting involved with the talent.”
“You got it,” I said before Miles trotted up the stairs and out of the studio. I didn’t mind my boy talking to me about Simone like that. I mean, that’s how we rolled. Always straight, always with truth.
But Miles didn’t need to trip on this. Simone was a nice girl and everything, but this was all about Tru Harmony. Straight-up business. And it wasn’t going to be difficult to keep it that way because Simone wasn’t interested in me either. She was always professional, friendly, but distant. Anyway, as fine as she was, she probably had a Morehouse man, maybe even a couple of them on speed dial.
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