Made in Nashville: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance (8 page)

‘Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Jed Marshall, wasn’t he fantastic?’

He waved a hand in appreciation and swung the guitar up over his neck as he dismounted the small stage. One of his team was there to take the instrument from him and Buzz stepped up, inputting into his iPad.

‘Nice work, Jared. That should secure us a good deal more radio station promos before the tour.’

Someone handed him a bottle of Pure Nectar. He looked at the drink with disdain but, noticing the photographers in the crowd, thought better of throwing it to the floor and uncapped the lid.

‘And speaking of the tour, Raintown are keeping their schedule free and are just waiting for the final confirmation,’ Buzz continued.

‘Man,’ he cursed, shaking his head.

He’d not heard from Honor since he’d burst into her house and told her what he wanted to do to her. It was probably for the best. The reason he’d told her was for her benefit, not his. She’d been through a hell of a lot of rejection and he didn’t want to be party to any more. He didn’t want her to think he didn’t want her because of anything she’d done.

‘Jared, I agree Honor Blackwood was a talent back in the day but I’m just not on board with this whole reincarnation vibe Micro is spinning,’ Buzz told him.

‘What you talkin’ about, Buzz?’

‘You’ve not been on-line today? Not checked out Twitter?’

‘Shit, man, spit it out.’

‘Here, see for yourself.’ Buzz passed him the iPad.

#HonorB was trending. There was a whole timeline of tweets about an apparent personal appearance at Cody’s Bar & Grill that evening. What was going on? When he’d last seen her she wasn’t in the right place to complete a recording, let alone perform a PA. What had changed in a few days?

‘You know what Micro is like. They’re labeling it as the Second Coming. If you ask me it’s all gonna end in disaster. The girl hasn’t sung a note in ten years,’ Buzz said.

Jared passed him back the iPad with a thump. ‘I’ve gotta go.’

‘What? Well, shall I confirm with Raintown for the tour? They won’t hold on forever!’

It was just one song. Just
Goodbye Joe
and that was it. There might not be many people there. After all, there were far more artists than ever before in Nashville, hugely talented artists who weren’t quaking with fear like her. The only reason people might come along was to see if she actually made it through the song without freaking out. And who could blame them? She’d be thinking the very same thing.

‘Hey, doll, do we have any more of Vince Gill’s
When Love Finds You
?’ Mia called.

‘Is the computer down?’

‘No.’ Mia raised her eyes indicating the waiting customer and dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘Haven’t synced the latest order on yet.’

Honor nodded her understanding and smiled at the waiting middle-aged man wearing a black Stetson. ‘I’ll go check.’

The stock room was in the basement and she was glad of the relief from the front of house. She wasn’t on her game today because of the event looming over her. Being busy was a distraction, but she was starting to wonder if it was the right one.

Should she be rehearsing? Shouldn’t she be making sure she was lyric and note perfect? Or would that just make the nerves worse and remind her the performance was a reality?

Larry would hate that she was here. He was back on his blood pressure medication after everything that happened last week. He’d reluctantly agreed to meet her at the venue but he hadn’t been happy about the idea. If she’d given him his way he’d have strapped her into a baby stroller and wheeled her into position himself.

She hadn’t explained herself to anyone about the ‘incident’ at the studios. When she’d finally got up the nerve and made her decision about the future she’d not let Larry speak until she’d said what she needed to say.

She’d set up a recording session of her own. Three days ago she’d gone into the studio with the minimum amount of people she could get away with and her guitar from home. They’d laid down
Goodbye Joe
, Micro had loved it and now …  well now the industry machine was taking over.

But while all this was going on around her, while she took on board exactly what she was getting herself into, the only thing on her mind was Jared Marshall. She knew he was the reason she’d recorded the track. Spending that time in his studio had taught her so much. Musically she
was
country through and through. Hiding away from that fact was only doing two things: making her miserable and letting Simeon Stewart win. As terrified as she was, she had the rest of her life to lead and being the town’s resident recluse was doing her no favors.

So why hadn’t she called him? Didn’t he deserve to know what was happening? He’d coached her, told her to dig deep and if it hadn’t been for him then …  Well all she knew was she wouldn’t be getting ready for her first public appearance in ten years. She’d probably be wandering around Target looking for cheap homeware she didn’t need.

She found the latest delivery, the box not even opened. Tearing at the tape she checked the inventory.

What Jared had said to her had made fire run through her veins. The way he’d looked at her, the way his breath had rushed from his mouth, the words penetrating her skin and resting on a part of her that palpitated with need. For a second she had held herself still, waited to see what would happen, looked expectant. And then he’d turned and went and she was left even more confused. What had she really expected from him? Despite her almost wanton behavior in his studio, she wasn’t in the market for any sort of relationship. She still didn’t understand what had made her behave that way. The inch or two of bare abdomen above denim when his vest rode up was one explanation, but that shouldn’t have been enough to make her display desire so readily. And she had. Then he’d turned her down, and later told her he’d wanted to. Did he have someone? Maybe she should Google or ask the Wikipedia of Nashville, Mia. Was she interested in knowing? Didn’t she have enough on her plate already?

She retrieved the Vince Gill album from the box and headed back upstairs.

It was his third beer in thirty minutes. He didn’t know what he was doing; he just knew he needed something to get him through it. He was angry. He wanted to go to the music store and tell her just how mad he was. The trouble was, he knew he had no reason to be feeling that way. She didn’t belong to him. He had helped her a little but so what? She didn’t owe him anything. He should be pleased she’d finally recorded again. She was getting back to what she loved, moving on with a new release. Soon she’d be on stage at the Opry and it’d be like they’d never met. And why should it be any other way? Up until a week or so ago he’d never even heard of her.

He got his cell phone out of his jeans and pressed a contact.

‘Hey, Byron it’s Jed. Listen, are you doin’ anything later? I was thinkin’ of headin’ to Cody’s.’

‘ChapStick,’ Mia announced.

Honor couldn’t believe the record company had sent a stylist over to Cody’s. It was going to be one song and some autograph signing, not a sold-out festival gig. She’d looked at the Asian girl with plaits and three types of rollers in her hand and almost freaked out. Mia had taken charge and ushered her away while Honor had headed for the dressing room. It contained a battered table and chair, a warped mirror and a box of Kleenex.

‘What?’ She was looking at her reflection, squinting her eyes and trying to work out whether she had enough foundation over the scar on her cheek.

‘Listen, doll, I know you don’t want to hear this but Countrified 103 have been plugging this PA all day. Fans have been calling up requesting your songs and on my last look the place is buzzing out there. We don’t want them looking at some over-the-top red gloss on your mouth, we want them focusing on the voice.’

‘You’re starting to sound like Radley.’ Honor traced a finger along her scar, turning to look at the reflection of her side profile.

‘Who?’

‘Radley Stokes. He’s my new contact at the record company. He told me to go on out there and be myself. I can’t imagine how much money they’re paying him to say stuff like that.’

The two women connected a look and shared a laugh. As Mia passed her the ChapStick, Honor caught her hand.

‘Thank you for closing up early and coming here with me.’

‘Come on, doll, where else am I gonna be? Besides there was no way I was missing out on this big news they’ve been tweeting about.’ Mia brushed some loose powder onto Honor’s cheeks.

‘What news?’ She was jittery enough about this event, the last thing she needed was something sprung on her. Would Micro do that? Had they set something up and not told her about it? Her heart paced quicker and she reached for her bottle of water.

‘You not seen it? Along with #HonorB they’ve got #newvoice going out too. People have been asking about it but there’s been very tight-lipped responses. But it’s probably nothing earth-shattering; you know how they hype things.’

The way she was sucking back the Mountain Dew had changed Mia’s tone towards the end of the sentence. The shaking hands had no doubt said all that needed to be said about her opinion on secret news.

‘So, five minutes ‘til show time.’ Mia primped Honor’s curls with her fingers and then placed her hands on her friend’s shoulders. ‘I’m so pleased for you.’

‘Are you? Even if it means me maybe dropping a day at the store?’

‘Doll, I’m expecting you to quit after you bring the house down tonight.’

‘Oh Lord, what have you brought me to?’

Jared hadn’t told Byron about Honor’s big night. He knew what he’d think, and was sure he’d try and talk him out of it. Jared knew Byron wasn’t big on social media so saying nothing had been an easy out.

‘Wanna beer?’ Jared offered.

‘What in the world is this media circus? #HonorB …  wait a minute. Honor B? Honor Blackwood?’ Byron stated as the pieces began to fall into place en route to the bar.

‘I’ll get us some beer.’ He hailed the bartender.

‘Did you know about this? What am I saying? Of course you knew about this. That’s why we’re here. What’s going on?’ Byron wanted to know. He removed his Stetson.

‘She’s recorded a track. She’s showcasin’ it here.’ The answer was blunt because he had nothing else to tell him. He didn’t entirely understand his compulsion to be here either.

‘Are you still trying to get her on your tour?’ Byron asked.

Jared shrugged. He didn’t know the answer to that either. If he
did
still want her to support him on the tour was it for the right reasons?

‘What’s going on, man?’

‘Can we get a couple of Coors?’ Jared ordered. Right at this moment it was easier to ignore Byron than attempt to explain anything. He looked to the stage where two guitarists and a drummer were coming up onto the platform. A roadie stood to the side, tuning a black acoustic.

‘We should try gettin’ a seat,’ Jared said. He handed over some money for the drinks and headed into the crowded bar room.

‘Two minutes, Miss Blackwood.’

The runner, if that’s what he was, looked like a high school student. This was really happening. In two minutes. She flexed her fingers and gripped the water bottle, putting it to her mouth. Empty.
Don’t panic.
Her hand went to the scar on her cheek and she checked her reflection in the mirror again.

‘You’re gonna be great, doll. Those butterflies you’re getting are good butterflies. You’d be a freaking robot if you weren’t nervous.’

Honor nodded. She couldn’t speak. She was more than just nervous. She was exactly how she knew she would be. She just had to get over herself. It wouldn’t be forever. If she did this this one time, the next time would be easier. That’s how it worked.

She could hear someone on the microphone addressing the crowd. There were cheers and handclapping. The volume was arena level, not bar and grill level. She wanted to be sick.

‘Listen, remember that old guy that kept coming into the store? The one that said he was related to Vince Gill. The one that touched my ass and called me “beauty”. I used to see his car pull into the lot and make an excuse to hide in the basement so you had to serve him. Until you told me he was never going to learn anything about respecting people if I didn’t go out there, stand up in front of him and tell him to take his hands off my butt or take his business elsewhere.’ Mia ran her hands through Honor’s curls. ‘And you were right. And I did. And we never saw him again. This is no different. You’ve got no reason to be afraid. You might not have been born in Nashville but you were made here, doll. And you need to go out there and reclaim that life you loved. Because you sure as hell deserve it.’

Mia was right. She just needed to remember why she was doing this. Not for Micro, not for Larry, not even for her fans. She was doing it for herself. She just needed to regain her strength and her focus, think back to the confident, music industry dominating artist she used to be.

She stood up and grabbed her guitar. ‘I’m ready.’

When the music started he felt the beat thud in his chest. She was really going to do this. In front of all these people, this audience of country music fans, the record company representatives, the dozens of press. He hadn’t seen Cody’s this packed since Luke Bryan had held an impromptu fan-club event. He was worried. He couldn’t believe she was ready for this. He’d seen her lose it just a few days ago in front of a much smaller group. He couldn’t believe this change had happened so quickly. Or was it more a case of him not wanting it to have happened without him? He bit his lip and started to toy with the chain on his belt.

‘Man, this is a launch! I’m expecting smoke machines and dancers any second,’ Byron commented as they watched.

‘Ladies and gentleman! Put your hands together and welcome her back! Here at Cody’s Bar and Grill, Micro Records give to you, the one, the only, the former CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, platinum-selling artist, Nashville’s own …  Honor Blackwood!’

The over-the-top build-up had him sitting forward on his seat and folding his hands behind the back of his neck. He could feel a slick of perspiration at his nape. Half of him wanted to see what was going to happen here, the other half wanted it all to go away.

When she stepped out from the wings his stomach took a dive. There she was, clad in tight jeans, wearing her brown leather cowboy boots and a white gypsy blouse, her raven hair sitting on her shoulders. The sight of her made him swallow down an emotion that had ridden up fast and hard. The roar from the crowd made it obvious how excited they all were to see Honor back and a wave of jealousy pulled at him. She was back to being public property.

She’d put one foot in front of the other and tried to take herself back ten years. How had she felt then? Excited instead of terrified. Hot and alive, ready to give not just her songs but her soul. She could do that again. There was security surrounding the stage. Larry had made sure of it. He’d promised her. But when the lights went up and the bulbs from the cameras started popping and flashing she couldn’t see anything. The sound of appreciation from the audience started to rise in one great cacophony and suddenly she felt hemmed in. She tried to smile, focus her eyes on someone out there she knew. Where was Mia? Where was Larry? Was there security? She looked to her guitarist, Milo.