Wasted: A Single Daddy Rockstar Romance
Page 5
“Sounds good.”
Once home, I busied myself with washing my truck, taking my time to get every bit of dirt off of every inch of it. Truth was, I no longer liked being inside of my own home, and four and a half months was a long ways off. Finally, I had no excuse for not going inside. Sweat was pouring off of me, and I needed a shower and a cold beer.
I went inside and was happy to find that Stacie was in her room, door shut, and television blaring.
Thank fuck. Peace at last.
I enjoyed my shower and, afterwards, grabbed a beer from the fridge just as my cell phone vibrated on the kitchen counter.
“Speak,” I said as I took a healthy swallow of the ice-cold beer.
“Tomorrow at two o’clock. She’ll be at the garage and the rest of the guys already know. See you then, Emmett.”
“Thanks, dude,” I said, ending the call. This could be our lucky break. If this chick sings as well as her audition, with real music behind us, Raging Heart just might be the band’s ticket to a recording contract.
The following day I was at the garage to prep by noon. I was kind of anal that way. I was tuning my guitar when Slade and Wayne wandered in.
“So, according to Coop this chick is the real deal,” Slade said, tapping his sticks together and tapping a cymbal for good measure.
“Yeah,” Wayne chimed in, “the dude was totally stoked when he called me. Sent me the file and, have to agree, she’s got some talent. Hope she’s not butt ugly though.”
I turned to Wayne and gave him a look. “She’s not touring with us asshole,” I muttered, “What the hell does it matter what she looks like? This is for the demo only.”
Wayne rolled his eyes, “I know that, man,” he retorted, “but if the song turns out to be a hit, well then why wouldn’t she become a permanent part of the group?”
“Let’s not cross that bridge just yet,” I replied. “Got to see if the chemistry is there first.”
Ace came in just then, with Katie following behind. “I just couldn’t miss this,” she said, her eyes glowing with excitement. “Ace let me listen to her vocals and I was totally blown away by the piece. I promise, I’ll sit back, listen and stay out of the way.”
I gave Katie a nod. She really was an awesome chick. “No probs, Katie. You’re never in the way,” I remarked, giving her a warm smile.
We all started tuning our instruments, and a little before two, the garage door opened, and in stepped our female vocalist, looking around.
“Hi, I’m Olivia Harris. You can call me Liv,” she said, and once her eyes landed on me, the recognition set in for both of us.
Oh, Fuck!
Chapter 11
Olivia
Damn my luck!
Of all the gin joints in all of the towns in all of the world, I walk into his!
Sorry Bogart, I just had to steal your lines, because, at this moment, they were so relevant to the very place I was standing.
In a garage.
With an up and coming band that I’d been following: Wasted. Their sound was a unique blend of rock, grunge, and chaos, but with heartfelt lyrics that made the group something all of their own.
Yeah, I saw the ad in Under the Radar and, in that brief moment of time, I felt like I just might’ve found my salvation.
Oh, it wasn’t about the money, not that I’m rich or anything, but having to leave my home in Cincinnati to come back to Fort Wayne because of Mom’s early-onset dementia, had played a significant part in quashing my singing career.
Don’t get me wrong. There was no way I would not be here for Mom. She had nobody else. My father was dead and I was an only child. So it was my responsibility to care for her as she slowly and heartbreakingly declined. It tore at my soul. But there was no way I would let anyone else be her primary caregiver. I had heard too damn many horror stories and, besides, I loved her so fucking much I wanted to be her caregiver.
So, as I saw the opportunity, I submitted an audition file, because quite frankly, the song Raging Heart was a brilliant musical piece that deserved a female voice to make it the hit it was meant to be. I so wanted to be that voice.
Now here I was, standing in front of four dudes, all looking at me, but the one who made me want to turn round and run for my life was the one who looked like Sex-on-a-stick with some beautiful paint accentuating his very fit and muscular body. I guess I was too royally pissed and angry when I flew into his place, grabbing poor pregnant Stacie’s shit to notice just how hot he was. It was probably because of his physical appeal that he felt he could disregard poor Stacie’s feelings during this emotional time for her.
Oh, I knew the guy whose place was just down the road from Mom’s was in a band. Stacie mentioned that at our initial encounter, when I saw her crying in the park. She hadn’t elaborated any further. Now, in a calmer atmosphere, and knowing his brilliance in songwriting, I could see why this young and immature chick chose to be a groupie of Wasted, and it had nothing to do with her older brother being a member. My very brief encounter with Emmett admittedly was marred by poor Stacie’s dilemma and my anger at her predicament. I was pretty sure I’d be getting my ‘thanks but no thanks’ send-off momentarily.
And… that was when Sex on a stick looked at the other band members, signaling a moment to be alone. I supposed he wanted to make it look like a collective decision to give me the send-off before I even auditioned in person.
“Hey, no problem. I’ll just… wait outside while you all discuss whatever,” I said, thumbing toward the garage door.
“No,” Ace piped up and then looked to Emmett. “What’s going on, dude?”
“It’s nothing,” Emmett said and then raked his fingers through his hair. His muscles flexed, and I caught more of that beautiful ink that extended all the way around his arm. I didn’t think there was a bare spot to be had, but it had been beautifully done by a professional.
I broke the silence, “No, it’s cool. We’ve… met before. I don’t want to break up the band before it even gets its start,” I said, totally wishing the concrete floor would open up and swallow me.
Katie looked at Ace, who then gave Emmett an inquiring look.
I needed to explain myself here since it was apparent Emmett wasn’t going to elaborate. “Look, it’s not what you think. I just got into town. I’ve met his girl, Stacie. She needed some things from her place,” I explained.
Finally, Emmett jumped in. “Stacie was pissed and bailed the other night. And gave her side of our situation to Olivia,” he clarified.
They all looked at one another, clearly waiting for someone to make a fucking decision. So, I decided it would be me. “Look, guys, it’s not like I drove here just for this audition. I’m already living here, so I’ll give you a quick listen and then be on my merry way.”
I walked over to the mic and began adjusting it for my height. The dudes were all staring at me like I just crashed their Boys Only Hideout.
“We gonna do this thing or what?” I asked. “Some music would be nice.”
Coop, the one I sent my sound-bite to, began to pick at his guitar. “Let’s do it,” he said, smiling at me with a cocky grin. “You do this one solo for now,” he said.
The drummer, I think his name was Slade, tapped his sticks together, and the intro started. I’ve sung this song a million times—alone. I knew the sound it needed—throaty with a sexy edge. So, I closed my eyes, and pretended I was alone. I cupped the mic in my hand and poured my soul into this song.
Words that drift in and out;
Promises that never count.
Hate that starves this raging heart;
Finish what we’ll never start.
It’s love, it’s hate,
No stopping our fate.
Pennies in the wishing well;
Dreams extinguished by this hell.
Tell me when you’ll set me free;
Toxic madness is all I see
.
It’s love, it’s hate,
No stopping our fate.
Once the deed was said and done,
Fingers point to the guilty one.
From here I see my destiny,
The hangman grants me clemency.
It’s love, it’s hate,
No stopping our fate.
Watching you with clouded eyes,
Your future drowning in her lies.
What’s to keep you here with me?
The phantom love we never see.
It’s love, it’s hate
Together our fate.
My skin prickled with goosebumps because I’d never sounded this good. The musical chemistry from the instruments was there. No one could deny it. My heart was on fire and, in the darkness behind my closed eyes, I saw a path into my destiny. But there was also pain there. You couldn’t be an artist without painful memories. Memories that wouldn’t leave you alone. And when those memories came in lyrics to a song, it was always the painful ones that sounded the most beautiful.
Tears stung the back of my eyes as I sang out the last chorus.
Words that drift in and out;
Promises that never count.
Hate that starves this raging heart.
Finish what we’ll never start.
I opened my eyes and, when I did, Emmett was beside me. His hands gently played the strings of his guitar as the music faded out. He hit the last note and then slowly looked over at me. His eyes locked with mine, and we were frozen in our gazes. I pretended it was just the music that created this moment. But I knew better.
The band members began to talk, but Emmett’s eyes were still locked with mine. I refused to be the one who broke away. He needed to know I was up to the task, and that personal shit wouldn’t be a part of it because I was a professional. And I deserved to be respected and judged on that and only that.
He finally broke the spell. I held my gaze one moment longer, moving to his perfect lips before I got a hold of myself and stepped away from the mic.
“That…was perfect,” he said. “You know it will be a duet when we cut the final mix. I’ll be doing the vocals with you, is that a problem?”
“Thank you.” My words were breathy and, in my mind, I made the excuse it was from the exertion of singing my heart out. “And no, Emmett, it won’t be a problem for me. So…have your guys give me a call and let me know. I’ll be around.”
I turned around to the other band members and placed my hands on my hips. “Hey, thanks, guys. It’s a great song. I need to get going and check on my mother.” I quickly glanced one last time at Emmett and then forced myself to walk out the garage door.
Fuck!
Chapter 12
“Man,” Wayne growled after Olivia departed, “didn’t have to hear you guys sing the duet to know the chemistry was there, Bro. For a minute there I almost suggested you guys get a room.”
The others joined in with their two cents until I told them to ‘fuck off.’
“Coop,” I said, “I’m thinking she takes verses 2 and 4; I take 1 and 3, we split 5, and we share the refrains. Sound good to you?”
“Was thinking the very same thing, Bro. I’ll see how soon I can book a sound studio, but it won’t be until our next break. We’re talking mid-September, depending on when I can get the mixer I want, Chad Devlin.”
“Yeah,” I replied, nodding my approval, “He’s the best in these parts, that’s for sure. You’ll let Liv know? We should get in a couple of practices before we go back out on the road.”
“I’ll be happy to give her a buzz,” Slade interjected, waggling his eyebrows at his own double entendre.
Coop and I both tossed him a glare. “No diddling rule, remember?” Coop reminded him.
“Bummer,” Slade replied, giving his cymbals a hard tap in protest.
“So, I guess it’s unanimous then guys?” Ace asked.
“Yeah,” we all said in unison.
“She has my vote too,” Katie called out. “I can hardly wait to hear the demo. Hey, have you thought about having a ‘B’ side song included in it?” she asked. “Do they even still call it that?”
“Yeah babe,” Ace responded, giving her a wide grin, “Vinyl revival is where it’s at. And she’s got a point, guys. If we’re gonna be putting some major bucks in this, why not put Vagabond on the demo.”
“As a duet?” I asked, thinking about how great Liv’s voice would sound harmonizing with my melody, especially on the refrains.
“Sure,” Wayne piped in, “We could maybe even adjust some of the chords to blend it better.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I replied, nodding my head in agreement, “I think it’ll be kick-ass.”
“Let’s do it!” Coop chimed in.
So, Wasted was ready to go back out on the road for the next six weeks. Stacie had done her best to ensure the time I had left before our departure today was as torturous for me as humanly possible. Thank fuck I’d spent as much time as possible practicing some new cover songs with the rest of the guys, and we’d worked several practice sessions with Olivia on vocals for our duet numbers. She turned out to be fairly easy to work with and, as expected, our voices made both numbers sound totally unique and signature.
She still kept her distance from me, and Stacie did her damndest to let me know that Olivia was her BFF. I got it. She was marking me as her territory, which I definitely WAS NOT. However, my head was all about the music and, as long as Olivia produced the sound we needed for the demo, that was all that mattered to me.
“So,” Stacie said, coming out to the living room where all of my gear was piled up waiting for Ace and Coop to arrive, “how long are you gonna be away this time?”
I ran a hand through my hair in aggravation. I’d not only told her several times already, but I stuck a printout of our schedule under a refrigerator magnet so she couldn’t miss it. “Schedule on refrigerator, Stacie, remember?”
“Well, you don’t have to get all pissy about it,” she snapped. “These pregnancy hormones are a bitch on the old short-term memory. And did you leave money for me, or have you already told me that before?”
I grabbed my wallet from my back pocket, and pulled out a hundred bucks. “Here, make it last until next week. I’ll send you more through PayPal.”
The sound of Cooper’s horn blew outside, and I grabbed half my stuff and headed for the door. She followed me out with the rest, and as I was loading it into the back of the van, she gave Coop an adoring smile and then told Ace she and Katie would see him at our gig in Chicago, which was a month from now.
This was fucking news to me, and I just knew she waited to spring it on me while her big brother was present. I didn’t give a fuck though. Stacie’s presence wouldn’t keep me from doing anything I had my mind set on doing.
“I know, I know, Sis,” he said with a chuckle. “Katie’s clued me in a few times.”
“I’m just so excited,” she squealed, clasping her hands together over her bulging belly, “and isn’t it so cool that Olivia is keeping Andrew for us?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he replied, as I took my place in the back seat. “Take care, hear?”
“I will, oh, and Emmett, be safe and I’ll talk to you soon,” she called out, giving me a cutesy little grin. “Miss you already!”
The chick is insane.
“Later,” I called back, already glad I was out of the pregnancy hormone hell she’d created at my place.
Wayne and Slade were driving the truck with our equipment and had left earlier. Our next gig started tomorrow night in Peoria, Illinois for a week. And then on to Rock Island and Davenport for a week. We’d hit St. Louis for a week, then on to Chicago for two weeks, and finally Indianapolis for a week, which ended the tour. We’d be back in early September.
“So,” Coop said, turning around to look at me, “got another tune in your head yet, b
rother?”
“Funny you should ask,” I replied. “Being on the road seems to get the creative juices flowing. Got some lyrics in my head already.”
Coop got it and nodded, giving a chuckle. “I hear you.”
“Hey Emmett,” Ace called back over his shoulder, “Look man, I know my sister can be a bit… well, bitchy at times, especially now what with her condition and all. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I appreciate your taking responsibility and all. I mean, I totally get that you two aren’t in love or anything. She just likes to yank your chain, dude, and I see through it. She’s always been that way. I don’t want it to cause friction between us because this band is really about you and the other guys. I’m the newcomer, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
“Thanks Ace,” I replied, feeling somewhat relieved. “I’m glad you told me that because I feel the same way, brother. I want this to work out for all of us. This has been my dream for as long as I can remember, and I hope it becomes yours as well.”
“Definitely,” he retorted, “Your personal business is just that… personal. Just wanted you to know.”
And I sat back, feeling the stress diminish with each mile we traveled further away from Fort Wayne and the drama that seemed to always surround Stacie Coulter.
Chapter 13
Olivia
The last few weeks had been hell, as I watched my mother’s health decline. Her memory comes and goes and last night, after I got in from practice with the band, she looked like she didn’t even know me.
The band was now on the road and though it gave me more time to be with her, singing with Emmett and the guys was my break from reality. Just being close to Emmett, even if it was only to adjust the harmony and tweak the melody to give the song more life, I had to remind myself it was only for the song. Nothing would ever become of us. I respected his talent, I was in awe of his craft, but I didn’t see him as a compassionate human being, and for me, that was a major negative.
The way he sometimes looked at me when he sang his lines…