One (Bar Dance)

by Joy, Dani

  He rubbed my back. “I’ll be back in a while.”

  I nodded and stepped back. He gave me a heated look and walked out the door.

  Angie gave Bray a quick kiss then she followed Rand out.

  Bray walked a sheet of paper over to me with a wicked grin. I was blushing from the roots of my hair to the soles of my feet. “Not one word.” I said to him as he got close.

  “I wouldn’t dare say one word. Fifty of them wouldn’t even cover what I wanted to say to you.” He stated playfully.

  My blush faded quickly with that. I rolled my eyes.

  He chuckled.

  I started lifting the paper to read it. He stopped me. “Listen first, then read.” He knew what he was doing so I stood patiently waiting.

  This song started as polar opposite from the last one. Mike played one long note and then started playing softly.

  Tony followed the same way.

  Then Alice. One long note then more softly.

  Bray started singing nearly the same way. The song was titled ‘Not One More’.

  It was meant as, not one more hurt. Not one more time. Not one more chance. Not one more tear. In less than four minutes it showed how two people could do so much damage that there was not one more thing to fix it. The song ended with all three musicians holding their one note. The same note that the song had started with

  I stood open mouthed at the end. My heart was beating in my neck. Bray just stared at me.

  “Why the hell haven’t you recorded this song already?” I yelled at him.

  “It wasn’t my song to sing. I think that I was waiting for you.”

  My hands were on my hips and I was breathing hard. “Are you insane or just fucking crazy? You could have made millions just selling that song.”

  “She’s right you know.” Alice said.

  Bray shrugged. “So I make millions when she sings it. Same difference.”

  I stomped my foot. I knew the routine now. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down. “Mike.” I said. He nodded and started playing. I didn’t need Bray to lead me in to this one. This one was mine more than the last one was. One time through and I looked at everyone. “It needs to be,” I held up my thumb and forefinger so that they were nearly touching, “Either this much slower through the chorus or that much faster. I don’t know which but it needs one or the other.”

  “Which one first beautiful.” Mike asked me.

  I looked to the ceiling for divine intervention. It didn’t come. “Start with slower. Only a miniscule bit. Enough to add twenty seconds, maybe thirty to the overall song. No more.”

  When we were done I stood staring at my shoes. “What is it?” Alice asked.

  “I’m wrong about the speed. It isn’t the chorus that needs to change. That needs to go back to what it was. It’s the story as they go. Each hurt needs just a bit more time to happen. The changing lyrics need to be what slows down but it needs to be so minute that it can’t be noticed. Does that make sense?”

  Mike nodded at me. “How about this?” He added a few more notes to the beginning before the words started and a few more as it ended singing a bit off key as he went.

  I looked to Bray. “What do you think? It’s your song.”

  He just stood up and walked over to each artist adding notes to the papers in front of them. “Try it.”

  We did and it felt right. It felt good in a bad sort of way. The song was kind of an angry ballad but not quite. It was a fighting song about taking your life back one tear at a time.

  I finished and looked towards Bray. “That’s a wrap.” He stated. Then he looked at me. “Now it’s your song.”

  And guess what happened. One more tear ran down my cheek.

  I walked over to him. Gave him one kiss on the cheek and then thumped him, hard, against his chest. “If you write another song with the word one in the title I am going to seriously kick your ass.”

  He bent his knees so that we were eye to eye then he wrapped his arms around me before I had time to even register what he was doing. He swung me in a few circles laughing so hard that I could feel it. “You just named the album.”

  He sat me on my feet and put his arm around my shoulder. All three of the others had their phones out and were searching for something. They were conferring between one another when Alice spoke for all of them. “Next two weeks or we all have to wait until the first two weeks of July.”

  I wasn’t tracking exactly what they were saying but I had a feeling that I was going to be using some of my accrued time off the first two weeks of July.

  Bray started to ask. “Can you…”

  “I have a ton of vacation time stored up. If I ask now I can take two weeks off.”

  “Who you got for drums?’ Mike asked.

  Alice snickered, “Perry is always available.”

  “Nope.” All three men answered in unison.

  “What’s wrong with,” I hesitated trying to remember the name.

  “Perry likes his partners young.” Mike said with a sneer.

  “He also doesn’t care what flavor they are as long as they’re young.” Tony supplied.

  “Nope.” I finished for all of them. “I work as a care nurse in a children’s section. Not going to happen.”

  They all looked at me oddly. Bray helped me out. “She’s a nurse. Children’s cancer at LaBra.”

  “Wow.” Mike said.

  Tony just had his mouth open as if to catch flies.

  Alice tilted her head. “You found a nurse who can sing like that?”

  Bray related the whole Dakota incident to them. I was staring at my feet as he walked to his board and played me singing at the memorial. Again I was blushing from the roots of my hair. I finally looked up. I don’t know what look I expected from them but what I got was three huge smiles. Four if you counted Bray’s.

  “Double platinum. First two weeks.” Alice was looking at me oddly.

  “What?” I said defensively since I didn’t know what to make of her look.

  She shook her head. “You don’t even need to go on tour to make money girl. I am so jealous I just want to kneel down and kiss your shoes.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You realize that I have no fricking clue what you just said to me right?”

  She looked to Bray. “Send me contracts.” She came and gave me a hug then packed her stuff and left.

  Mike just gave me a hug with a nod to Bray.

  Tony handed his case to Bray. “See you money.” He said as he hugged me. Tony grabbed his case and walked out the door.

  I raised my eyebrows to Bray. “What was that?”

  “That my friend, was loyalty in the truest form.”

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  “I need coffee. You wore me out.” Bray said as he guided me out of the room. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his phone.

  I went in his office and started brewing him a cup of coffee. I grabbed a water bottle and was getting ready to sit when Rand walked in.

  “How was it?”

  “Your brother made me cry.” I said with a smile that I know went clear to my eyes. It had been a fun day. Exhausting but fun.

  Bray walked in and fetched his coffee. He sat in his chair with the phone still to his ear. “Seven it is. I’ll be there.” He put his elbows on his desk. “You two up for dinner at the Airport Marriot?”

  I could feel suppressed excitement rolling off of him in waves. I looked to Rand. He shrugged at me.

  “Casual or dressy?” I said in answer to the question.

  “Both.” He said with a Cheshire cat grin.

  I turned back to Rand and bugged my eyes out. He started laughing at me. I knew right then and there that I was in major trouble with these Frasier men.

  Bray grabbed in coffee and leaned back in his chair.

  Yeah. Big fat hairy trouble.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I thought that I was in trouble in Bray’s office. That wasn’t trouble. Standing in front of
my closet I was in bigger trouble.

  I had scrubs. I had dancing clothes. Old interview clothes. I even had the required little black dress. Classy clothes not so much. Professional clothes? Nada. Not one scrap of anything that I was finding appropriate for a business dinner which this apparently was. This was twice that I knew I had serious clothing issues.

  Rand of course was ready to walk out the door. He had a new pair of jeans, a white button down shirt, nice cowboy boots and a sport coat. So I did what any self-respecting girl does at a time like this. This time I called my friend in a panic.

  Angie picked up on the second ring. She was already laughing at me. “I’ve been waiting for your call.” She said as her way of answering. “Tight jeans. Fairly new if you have them.”

  “That I got.” I was starting to breathe right again.

  “Your pink, spaghetti strap cami, heels or your dancing boots.”

  “Black closed toed heels. Not so high that I can’t walk. Will that do?”

  “Perfect. When you pull in the parking lot text me. I will meet you just outside the hotel. You can have my white pullover.”

  “Thank you. I owe you one.”

  “Love ya girl.” She said as she hung up.

  With that crisis averted I finished getting ready in record time.

  Angie did meet us at the door. I put on the pullover. It had a loose weave with long bell shaped sleeves. It had a straight body that landed at crotch height. The neck line was slouchy so that it barely showed the straps on the cami. It had a silvery hue that my earrings and bangles matched. I finally felt dressed and comfortable. She led us in and to the table where Bray was sitting with a slightly older man. His phone was on the table upside down playing one of the songs we recorded today.

  Both men stood as we got close. Angie simply sat down next to Bray. “Vince this is my brother Rand and the woman I wanted you to meet. Terra Chapman.”

  “Vince Ross.” He held out his hand and we both shook it, one after another. I looked at the table and decided that either one chair had been removed or one had been added. I took the chair next to Vince and sat. Clearly if you have been to one hotel restaurant you have been to them all. Wood tables, wood chairs, either wood or tile floors. This one was wood. Open, airy feeling until the place fills up with people. It was busy in the place but not overly so. That meant that we could have a conversation without having to yell it across the table at each other.

  Bray started the conversation. “Vince is an old friend of mine. We’ve worked together in the past.”

  Vince smiled at me. “What he means is that he has thrown some talent my way a time or two. They made me money so I still talk to him when he calls.” He motioned to Bray’s phone with a chin lift. “That you?”

  I gave him a tentative smile. “Guilty. We recorded it earlier. He,” I pointed at Bray, “Made me cry twice today.”

  “I have a fist mark to prove it.” Bray rubbed his chest. “Not only can she sing she has a mean right hook.”

  I must have had a horrified expression on my face. “I’m so sorry…”

  Bray cut me off with a wave of his hand. “Just warning Vince.” Then he winked at me.

  So I glared at him. That made everyone chuckle at me. I was not finding this humorous so I just rolled my eyes instead.

  The second song had just started playing and Vince held his hand up to silence all of us. He listened intently from the first long note to the last one. His eyes had been going from Bray’s face to mine throughout the entire song. When it ended one tear escaped my eye. I swiped it away and Vince saw me do it.

  Bray lifted his phone and turned it off.

  The waitress came to take our drink order. I asked for a glass of white wine. Vince stopped her. “Bring a bottle of house white and red.” She nodded and left.

  Vince leaned back with his elbows on the arms of his chair. His hands together near his face. “You know where we will disagree Brayden.”

  “You know how I feel about touring. I won’t do it.” Bray answered back.

  “Have you discussed it with Terra?”

  “Nope.” Was Bray’s quick response.

  Vince looked to me. “I will want you on tour. Three to six months on the road a year.”

  I was already shaking my head no.

  Vince dropped his hands so that they rested in his lap. He studied me. I had my hair up in a twist so that he couldn’t see the pink tips of my hair.

  Bray finally spoke. “Terra can you take your hair down.”

  I nodded and pulled the one clamp out. I shook my head so that my hair would fall naturally brushing just past my shoulders. “Right now she works in a hospital as a nurse. Children’s cancer section. She adds colored chalk to her hair just to entertain the kids and cheer them up.” Bray said to Vince. “Do you see where I’m coming from?”

  The waitress came with two bottles of wine. She made the big production of opening the bottles. Vince just glared at her. “Please pour a glass of white for everyone.” That seemed to shorten her antics. She pulled out a pad of paper. She was beginning to speak. He waved her away. “Give us fifteen minutes then come and take our order.”

  I wanted to not appear shocked at his dismissal of the waitress so I opened my menu and pretended to study it even though I made my choice in about fifteen seconds. I closed my menu when Vince started speaking again.

  “Who’s her manager?”

  “I am.” Bray answered.

  “Who’s her producer?”

  “I am.” Bray answered again.

  “Have you given her a choice in the matter?”

  “Nope. Haven’t even given her contracts yet.”

  Vince gave a smile that sent shivers down my spine. “So that gives me time to throw some people her way.”

  “Not gonna happen my man. My brother lives with her. You think that I am going to let anybody screw with her?”

  Vince paused but Bray continued. “I wrote every song that she is going to sing. You think that I’m going to let anybody screw with me?”

  Bray nodded towards his phone. “That was Alice, Tony and Mike that recorded that. They are already loyal to her. I have a call to Stubbs. I also have the Hall brothers on board.”

  “Fuck.” Vince threw his hands up in the air. “I’ll have contracts e-mailed to you by the end of the week.”

  Bray who had been leaning on his arms that were crossed on the table in front of him leaned back. He sipped at his wine with a self-satisfied smile on his face. I felt like I missed a whole hell of a lot in that conversation. I also felt like a spectator at a tennis match. Watching the ball be volleyed back and forth between combatants with each strike gaining speed and power. I gulped the last of my wine and set my empty glass in front of me.

  Vince refilled it and topped everyone else’s up. “Well little lady. You just got yourself a Label. Congratulations.”

  He actually sounded proud.

  I looked to Bray. “Is that a good thing?”

  Vince threw his head back and laughed so hard that most of the people in the restaurant looked towards us.

  Bray nodded his head. “The best thing.”

  I looked to Rand. He gave me a nearly identical look back as if he had no clue what just happened either.

  Angie just sat back sipping at her wine. She had a smile on her face and was slightly nodding yes to me.

  Vince got himself back under control and motioned to our waitress. “We’re ready to order now.”

  Angie and I both got Salmon. All three men ordered a slab of meat. Vince, of course, asked for his to be cooked rare. His words were. “Just warm enough so that it doesn’t moo.”

  And I thought that I was in trouble before.

  Thank god he didn’t order Fava beans with it.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rand had his arm wrapped around me as we watched first his brother say his vows to my friend Keiley. Then Keiley say hers back. It was really kind of silly since they were already married. It was swe
et though. You could tell that those two were made for each other. Their kids were standing with them. Adam and Keiley may not have made them but those two kids were definitely Adam and Keiley’s.

  Bray had encouraged me to sing for them. I politely refused to do it. This was their day. They needed to shine. Not me.

  Rand and I were now sitting on the couch after the day’s festivities. We were both in running shorts and t-shirt lounging against each other on the couch. Rand asked even though the game was still on. “You ever dreamed of your wedding?”

  “When I was a little girl I thought that I would ride in on a white horse in my pink dress.”

  “Not the other way around. A white dress and a pink horse?” He asked with a smile in his voice.

  “Nope. I was going to look exactly like Cinderella but in pink. How about you?”

  “Not until recently. Seeing Adam and Keiley today was just, I don’t know, amazing.”

  I nodded against his chest. “You hungry?”

  “Yeah.” He said, “But not for food.”

  He proved it when he nibbled on every important piece of my body from my lips to the other lips. Then he made love to me. We may have been on the couch but he definitely made love to me. When we were through and I could focus my eyes again, he said to me. “Now I’ll make food.”

  I put one hand against his cheek. I loved his blue eyes. They were clear and bright today. I lifted my head and put my lips to his. “When I can move again I’ll go clean up and give you a hand.”

  By the time I got back Rand had everything covered. We were having Chicken Kebobs, minus the kebab stick, with rice. He had even made my dipping sauce. He was a quick learner when he actually liked something. I was sipping on the beer that he had given me while he put a plate in front of me. I had the first bite in my mouth when he asked. “You ever think of kids?”

  I chewed carefully avoiding looking at him. “Why?” I finally asked.

  “I don’t know why. It’s all that I have thought about today. Marriage and kids and the white picket fence that you are supposed to be thinking of.” He sat down his fork and turned to me.

  I took a bite of rice before setting my fork down. I was actually hungry. I swallowed and put one hand against his cheek. “I’ll talk seriously about this with you. I promise that I will.” I turned and picked up my fork pointing it to the food. “As we eat. Even after we eat but right now the food is hot.” I smiled to soften my words. “And it’s good.” I forked up a bite of rice holding my other hand under it. I gave a bite to him as a peace offering.