by Laura Gates
"Single mother, so I think we should offer her $100,000 to help cover some extra expenses," Luke said. Death Toll nodded their heads. "All right, it's settled. The teacher it is. What is her name?" Beau asked. "Evie Long." "How old are she and her kids?" "She says she is 30, but the girl looks like she is in her early 20's. I believe her son is 5, and her daughter is 2." "Cool. Go call her." The meeting adjourned, Beau picked up his guitar while everyone walked out of his room, and Luke made the phone call and called Evie. He offered her the job, and she accepted immediately.
Evie celebrated in her old room with the kids at her parents' house. Despite her divorce, soon-to-be ex-husband's infidelity, and fatal panic attack she encountered a month previously, things were beginning to look up again. After Evie put the kids to bed, she immediately began searching for apartments near San Rafael where Death Toll's studio was as well as band members' houses.
The cost of living in the Bay area exceeded any city in Maryland. The least costly place Evie found was a condo for $3500 a month, three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, 1361 sq ft, and reserved parking in Larkspur, which was a ten minutes away from the studio. The commute isn't as terrible as it could be, she thought to herself. Evie quickly applied to get the condo and began calling around for schools within good school districts to sign Levi up for kindergarten. She made arrangements to have all of her big items in her storage unit in Annapolis, including her car shipped to the studio. Luke Jeppsen, the drummer, said that her family could live at the studio for a while until they found a place to live. Evie would start work the following Monday.
Luke made all the arrangements to fly Evie and her kids out to San Francisco, what time he would come to pick them up at the airport, and a storage unit for her belongings just in case she would be living at the studio longer than anticipated. The flight would leave early in the morning so they could arrive before the band meeting to meet everyone before heading to the rehab center.
Evie was very nervous about meeting a band she idolized in college. Her and her roommates followed Death Toll on their East Coast tour during her sophomore year of college to the point where they thought they followed the band to a bar, but they ended up having way too much to drink and doing a topless dance on the actual bar. That next morning, Evie woke up in a stranger's bed with lots of ones and twenties in her shorts. All she saw of the stranger was a tall skinny guy with long, thick red hair.
She resolved to be as professional as possible with her employer. The fact that she now worked for one of the biggest heavy metal bands in the world excited her beyond anything she could imagine.
Evie, Levi, and Harper slept on their flight from Annapolis to San Francisco. She wore a wide-brimmed hat to hide the fact that she woke up without doing her hair to help Levi and Harper get ready to leave. They were still in their pajamas, but Evie had carried them to the car while they were sleeping. Evie wore a graphic tee, skinny jeans, and sandals so that she would be comfortable on the flight.
About an hour before the plane descended, all three went to the bathroom, and Evie helped the kids change their clothes. She gathered her belongings and made sure her seatbelt and the kids' seatbelts were secured. Both of them started to doze off again as the plane began its descent. Evie closed her eyes for a moment as well. The aircraft touched down and pulled up to the terminal. All three of them woke up and stood up when prompted.
Evie found a cart to put the carry-ons on, put her backpack purse on, and carried Harper to baggage claim while Levi held on to one of the straps on his mom's backpack. As she got to baggage claim, she saw three big guys wearing black suits and sunglasses and a short guy about 5'5 with a receding hairline, green eyes, and average build standing in the middle of the big guys. One of the big guys held a sign with her name on it. She walked up to them. "That's me," she said.
Luke could not help but find Evie very attractive. Plus, he recalled the early years in Death Toll seeing this pretty girl, but he wasn't sure when or where. She was about an inch shorter than the Death Toll drummer with shoulder-length brown hair styled in waves, very intense blue eyes, and a slender build. He soon saw a little boy with dirty blond hair and blue eyes. Luke assumed this boy was Levi. Then Luke saw the adorable little toddler with blond curly hair and blue eyes that matched her mom's eyes in Evie's arms. Harper was an absolute doll.
Luke and Evie shook hands. "It's nice to meet you in person," Luke said. Evie, trying to maintain her professionalism all while fangirling on the inside, replied, "You too, Mr. Jeppsen." Luke laughed. "Call me, Luke. I hope you understand we aren't that formal," he said, still chuckling to himself. Evie blushed a little. "Sorry," she said. "It's all good. We are very excited your family could join us," Luke said. "Thanks."
Luke helped Evie grab her luggage and take it out to the car. The bodyguards helped out as well. They walked out to the car, loaded up, had car seats for the kids, and started heading to the studio. When they got there, Kade Hansen and Richard Torres were standing outside waiting for them to arrive. Evie had the hardest time containing herself. When the car parked, Evie unbuckled her kids and helped them climb out. Kade and Rick introduced themselves shaking Evie's hand, Levi's hand, and Harper's hand. So far, everyone was super accommodating and kind. Harper even began flirting with the band a little, wrapping them around her finger.
The band helped Evie carry all of her luggage to the spare room with beds inside the studio. When they tried showing the different rooms for the kids, Levi chimed in and said, "I want to sleep in my mom's room. She cries in her sleep when she's alone." Evie blushed. "If you want to share a room with me, Bub, that's fine," Evie said. "Me too," said Harper.
Luke, Kade, and Rick looked at the little family with puzzled looks. "Is everything all right?" Kade asked. "Yeah," Evie said, trying to cover up the hardships she and her kids have been going through for the past few weeks. "With all the changes going on in our lives, we have been sharing a bedroom," Evie said, trying to explain.
"Hey, your business is your own. I hope that we didn't aide a possible fugitive from the law," Luke said, trying to pass a joke. Evie smiled and laughed a little. "No, you are not harboring a fugitive, although that would be very rock n' roll," Evie joked, "we just need a fresh start." The band laughed at her joke and nodded. "All right. Once you guys get settled in your room, we will head on over to the rehab center so you can meet Beau," Luke said.
Evie's heart began racing. Today was the day she looked forward to since college; meeting the frontman of Death Toll. "Sounds like a plan," she said, trying to stay calm. After they unpacked, they loaded back up into the car and drove to Beau's rehab center.
They climbed out of the car just as they pulled up into a parking spot. The facility looked very rustic and soothing. Evie could see Beau getting the right kind of help here or anyone who needed the intervention considering she knew how much he appreciated the outdoors. They walked up the path and inside the doors. Evie followed the band into the sitting area of the lobby.
Sitting on the couch playing an acoustic guitar was the man Evie hoped to meet someday with his tattooed arms and hands, short blond hair coming to a point in front, a flying skull tattoo on his neck, short goatee, and sweet almond shaped hooded blue eyes. The tattooed arms made him look a little intimidating, but the eyes softened his demeanor. He had a few scars on his face from a pyrotechnic accident that happened a few years ago during a concert, but Beau Halstead indeed looked like a king while playing the guitar.
Beau heard all sorts of footsteps approaching him when he looked up. He greeted his bandmates, but then the new faces caught his eye. Beau saw the cute little girl with blond curly hair and vibrant blue eyes. He saw the little boy with similar blue eyes who would eventually grow up to be a handsome executive, or so Beau thought about him.
Then he looked at the woman. The little girl's eyes didn't do justice to this woman's intense blue eyes. She had shoulder-length brown hair, and her body was very slender and fit. She wore a maroon hat, a v-neck gr
aphic tee, skinny jeans, and sandals. The resume said she was thirty, but she looked like she was in her early 20's. Beau couldn't believe this woman was a mom.
"This must be our new tour manager. Nice to meet you, Miss Long," Beau said, holding out his tattooed right hand. Evie grabbed it and shook his hand. "Please, call me Evie," she said. "Nice to meet you, Evie," Beau said. They smiled at each other. "And who's this?" Beau asked, turning to look at the kids. Levi hid his face at first, and Harper began hiding her face from Beau, teasing him. "This is Harper," Evie said, touching Harper's shoulder, "and this is Levi," she concluded, reaching behind her leg to run her fingers through Levi's hair. "Nice to meet both of you," he said.
They all sat down and began having a meeting about Beau's plans of how long he would be in rehab, estimated date of completion for the new album, and approximated tour dates. Levi and Harper ran around the room all while a bodyguard tried to keep them close and quiet. Evie planned to make something for that bodyguard later.
Beau felt he would be in rehab for another three months, the album would be complete in December, and the band could start touring next March or April. Beau and Luke made suggestions to Evie what stadiums to call with contact information. She put the information down on her phone, so she would have it when the time came. Evie asked the band if there was anything else she could do for the group considering her job description was to ensure everyone's happiness. They all shook their heads.
The band meeting concluded, and everyone stood up to leave. "Hey, Luke, could you put my kids in the car for me? I need to talk to Beau for a minute," Evie said. "Sure. We will be outside," Luke said. Evie assured her kids that they would be fine as they walked out with the men. Evie trusted them considering all of them were married and had families of their own.
Once they were out the door, Evie turned to Beau. He looked at her eagerly. "What's up?" he asked her. "How serious are you about your recovery?" she asked him. "Excuse me?" "Are you going to let your band and crew down, or are we going to be back here two months after your release? I am just trying to anticipate a pattern." Beau looked at Evie in disbelief.
"We just met. Isn't it a little early for you to judge me? Do you already think I'm a failure?"
"On the contrary, I don't think you're a failure, but I think you need the reassurance of that fact. It is not in your nature, but I think after these past six months since your family died, you have lost perspective on who you are. How serious are you about fixing your alcoholism?"
Beau wasn’t sure how to answer that because he wasn’t sure how dedicated he was to this.
"Your silence is very reassuring," Evie said sarcastically before walking out the door.
Beau could not believe how stubborn and blunt Evie was. The only other person he knew who was like that was Phoebe. As weekly meetings started up, Beau could not help but get annoyed at this woman. He could not put his finger on it other than she acted too much like his late wife, and he still missed her.
Beau began to be tardy to meetings not really wanting to face the new tour manager, and there were days that Evie let him know what time meetings were. There was one particular day that he decided to throw her off with his charm and charisma. Beau knew Evie would wait for the others to leave before talking to him, so he decided to say, “Is that what all of this is about, or are you sure you don’t wait for everyone else to leave just so that we could have some alone time together?” He touched her shoulder in hopes it distracted her.
Beau’s plan blew up in his face when she brushed his hand off her shoulder rather hard and responded very loudly, "Are you really that full of yourself and cocky?" Beau froze because he didn't know how to react.
Evie’s brutal honesty flipped on, and she just let her mouth go. "I did not move all the way here to watch my favorite band implode because their frontman refuses to change. Clean up your act, or else I will replace you with any imbecile who can sing and play guitar. If I have to do it, I will. You have been through too much already to back-peddle now. Don't let your family die in vain." That hit a major nerve inside Beau as he watched Evie walk out of the rehab center, climb in her car, and drive away.
Beau, feeling angry, stormed back to his room, picked up his guitar, and began playing to help him process what he just heard. Even though he was too proud to admit it, Beau knew Evie was right. It took a couple of weeks, but he decided to change his life again since he had come so far. His family couldn't die in vain because they all believed in him. Beau just needed to believe in himself.
When he went down to his group session, he finally opened up about his feelings, why alcohol brought him solace and trying to find different coping mechanisms to dissipate the pain. "Losing my family kills me every day, especially Phoebe. My foundation, my stabilizer, is gone. My children are gone. I will never see their faces again as long as I live. The pain hurts too much, but when I drink, the alcohol numbs the pain. I only know two ways of living. The first is a raving alcoholic, and the second one is a straight-edge rockstar with a family. I don't know how to be just a regular guy," Beau concluded.
Dr. Bennett chimed in with some advice. "Try taking an interest in other people's lives and realize you are not the only person with major problems. It may surprise you how many others struggle with issues."
Beau listened to his therapist before the counselor decided to speak up. "There are some amazing opportunities for you to serve other patients. Some listen to you play your guitar while you are in your room. Maybe visit their rooms and play for them, start up conversations, show interest in their lives, and I bet your problems will begin to seem smaller," she concluded. Beau listened to his therapist and counselors absorbing their advice.
One month passed, and everyone saw a massive improvement in Beau's behavior and lifestyle. For the first time in months, Luke saw a real smile from his friend. Evie noticed how reliable he became to the band following through with what he said. Kade and Rick often brought ideas for songs to Beau, and he was open to their artistry rather than yelling at them. The producers found it very easy to work with Beau again. His professional demeanor returned with a sense of humor before his family died.
One day, everyone heard Beau laughing at a joke. He hadn't laughed with his infectious laugh in months. Evie remembered hearing him laugh in movies and videos, but it was much better in person. Two months later, Beau was cleared to go home and return to his routine. Dr. Bennett wrote up a schedule for him to follow as well as suggestions to help him stay on the wagon.
Beau was packing his room up when all of a sudden, Levi burst through the door. "Hi, Beau! My mom is coming!" Levi yelled before running out again. Beau laughed as he continued to put clothes in his suitcase.
Suddenly, he heard a very stern female voice in the hallway, "Levi Richard Long, if you ignore me again, you will spend all day in your room tomorrow. No playing with friends!"
Beau knew Evie was scolding her son.
"I was just trying to…" Levi tried rationalizing.
"I don't care what you were trying to do. When I say walk by me, you do it! Do you want to end up 'here' someday?" Evie asked.
Beau felt a little weird hearing his tour manager discipline her son. Beau guessed Evie told her son what rehabilitation was and meant.
There was a long pause before Levi answered, "No."
"That's good because if you continue to ignore Mommy, your choices could lead you here," Evie concluded.
"I don't want that," Levi said, crying.
"So what do you need to do, Bub?"
"Obey you."
"Good job. Now, I need you to take your sister out to the playground in the back while I talk to Mr. Halstead. Will you do that for me?"
"Yes."
"Thank you. Have fun, guys!"
After Beau heard little feet running down the hall, there was a knock on his open door. Sure enough, Evie poked her head inside the room. "May I come in?" she asked. "Sure, be my guest," Beau said motioning for her to take a seat in the chair.
"Do you need any help with your stuff?" she asked as she sat down. "I don't think so. I didn’t bring a whole lot with me," Beau said.
Evie smiled before staring at the floor. Beau could see the wheels in her head turning. "Something on your mind?" he asked. Evie finally stood up. "I am proud of your efforts here, and I am glad you are doing so well. Thank you for thinking about the bigger picture for Death Toll." "Well, a lot of the things you said influenced me, so I should be thanking you." "You're welcome."
Chapter 4
First Day Back
Since he left rehab, Beau stayed at the studio to avoid vulnerability. He had not entered the equipment room out of fear. Last time he went to rehab, he wasn’t sure if playing guitar brought him joy until that first day. History was just repeating itself. Even though Beau played guitar at rehab, it was different playing with three other people than by himself. Luke decided to stay there for a while until Beau felt comfortable enough to go home. Luke checked in with hisi wife, Jetta, every night.
“Beau, when do you think you’ll be ready to pick up a guitar again?” Luke asked. Beau scratched the back of his head. “I was actually thinking about it in two days,” he responded. Never before had Beau seen Luke excited about anything. “Awesome!” Luke exclaimed, “Want me to go contact everyone?” Beau smiled. “Yeah, go do it,” he said. Luke ran out of the room faster than a cartoon character, which made Beau laugh. Luke’s short stature made it even funnier.
Beau walked out of his room into the hallway where he could hear some singing. He followed the voices only to find Evie and the kids singing some silly songs using actions with their arms, hands, and legs. Beau cracked up when he saw cute little Harper imitating her mother. He knew Evie’s family had been staying at the studio, too, while Evie looked for a place to live. He still wasn’t sure how long they would be there. When Evie was done, she tucked Levi and Harper in. She sang the sweetest lullaby to her her children, which made Beau smile. “Goodnight, my sweet girl. I love you. Good night, my sweet boy. I love,” Beau heard Evie say to each of her kids. "Good night, Mommy. Love you," each kid responded. Evie walked out of the room closing the door behind her.