Lindsay was the next to be heard from, her tone crusted with unmistakable loathing. “What are you going to tell him?”
Blake’s glance rested on Lindsay’s face. A pause ensued, then he looked over at Haley for help. But she wasn’t about to speak for him. After the Tally Tent faux pas, Blake needed to stand on his own two feet.
“I keep weighing it in my mind, going back and forth.” He cleared his throat. “But I’m thinking that ... I’m gonna do it.”
Lindsay let loose a curse word, turned away from the group, then returned. “I can guess who told you to do that.”
Fire traveled down Haley’s esophagus. She’d had enough with Lindsay and her unbearable attitude. “You know, Lindsay, I think you need to be reminded of your place. You are not in the band. You are not the manager of the band. You date a member of the band. It’s none of your business if Blake takes this opportunity or not. And I’ll thank you to quit being so nasty to me.”
Haley knew enough about mean girls to stand up to one. For a split second everyone was silent. The next thing she heard was a gasp of breath, and an outburst of nervous laughter. Turning her head, she realized it came from Helen. “Wow. I guess she told you, Lindsay.”
Then, Lindsay started swinging. She swung a fist and punched Helen in the stomach. Helen bent over at the waist, and Lindsay climbed over her to get to Haley.
“Hold on to her!” Blake yelled, presumably to Jake, who was in a daze. He shook the cobwebs out of his head and dove to grab Lindsay by the waist, but he’d waited too long. In a split second, she reached Haley and landed an open-handed slap on her face. The smack of skin on skin and the instant pain in Haley’s cheekbone tore a groan out of her mouth.
Jake dashed and caught up to Lindsay, grabbed her and dragged her away. Blake swung Haley around to face him. “Are you okay?” he asked, deep concern etched into his expression. She didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t remember a time she’d been slapped in the face, not to mention with such force. It hurt like the dickens. She was mainly concentrating on controlling the flow of tears that wanted to burst from her eyes, because no way would she give Lindsay the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She sniffed and nodded.
Fearing a second attack, she located Lindsay and Jake a few steps away. He had his hands on her shoulders, leaning in close, speaking to her with a raised voice. “I’m sick of this, Lindsay. You’re a basket case. You can’t treat people like this. You’ve got such a negative energy.”
She was shaking her head back and forth like on a swivel, but she wasn’t saying anything.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, Lindsay, and you’ve just made up my mind. It’s over between us. I can’t live with your brand of crazy anymore. We’re done.”
She reached up to grab his face and he flinched. “No, you don’t mean that. Don’t let her tear us apart. Can’t you see? That’s what she wants. Don’t fall for it. Don’t let her win!”
Jake took hold of her hands and removed them from his cheeks. “That girl had nothing to do with this. I’m tired of it all. We’re done, Lindsay.”
Nausea pushed through Haley’s stomach. “Are they talking about me?” she asked Blake softly.
He was watching them too, and he shrugged. “No idea.”
Lindsay backed away from Jake, shaking with anger. “You’re going to regret this. And you ...” she turned toward Haley and raised her voice a couple decibels, “you are going to regret this too.” She flung herself a few feet away, then turned and yelled to Jake, “Get yourself home.”
Jake lowered his head and stared at the ground. Robbie took a few awkward steps toward him and patted his arm. Jake looked up and took in the scene, everyone turned his way. “Sorry about that. It was overdue. She’s been unbearable lately and ... I don’t want to be a part of it anymore.”
The threat of tears stabbed at Haley’s eyes. No one was saying it, but it was Lindsay’s hatred of her that had brought on the violent outbursts, which had led to the break up. “This is all my fault. I’m so sorry, Jake.”
Jake looked up at her, shook his head. He walked closer to her, holding out a hand while she stood with Blake’s supporting arm around her. Haley reached out and gripped it. “It’s never easy to break up with someone you’ve been with for a while. But please believe me, Haley, this is not your fault. Her nastiness came to a boil because of you. If you want to get honest, you did me a favor. You opened my eyes.”
The fivesome stood quietly, the reality of the last few moments sinking in. Finally, Blake said, “So, we need to talk about this Frontier Fire thing and figure out what’s going to happen.”
Jake shrugged. “They don’t want all of us, right?”
“Right. It’s a lead singer gig.”
Haley said, “But even if Blake does the tour, that doesn’t mean the end for Ace in the Hole. We can discuss options. See what you guys want to do. I’d be willing to help in any way I can.” She glanced around and spotted a picnic table a short distance away. She pointed to it. “Would you want to go sit over there and talk about it?”
The guys agreed and they all made their way over to the table. Once they were settled in, Blake said, “I’m torn because although I really want to take the opportunity with Frontier Fire, I don’t want to let you guys down. I don’t want to abandon the band just when our future is looking bright. We’re a team and you’re my brothers. You guys know that, right?”
Robbie said, “I have to say that if Frontier Fire or Radley Ray or any of the superstars offered me a drummer job, I’d drop you two like a hot potato.” He delivered the line with a straight face and after a moment of silence, the men all started laughing. Haley glanced over at Helen who was chuckling as well.
“No, seriously,” said Jake, “we understand, Blake. You’re a talented singer. You can’t turn this down. You’d be crazy if you did.”
Blake looked at the table. “I appreciate you guys saying that. I really want to do it. I think it’ll be a blast. But more importantly, it might lead to something in our future. More opportunities.”
“Yep. Because the fans are going to love you.”
“And it’s short-term. Five months or less. It’s not a permanent job,” Haley explained.
Jake and Robbie looked interested. “Really?”
“Yep, just till Josh Lakely recovers enough to take over as lead singer of the band. In fact, Blake and I had discussed the possibility of selling Ace in the Hole CDs on the Frontier Fire merchandise table. If they want him bad enough, we can make it a contract point.”
“Wow. That’s great,” Robbie said.
“I guess my main question for you guys is, do you want to give Ace in the Hole a break while Blake’s gone, or do you want to find a replacement singer?”
Their responses were almost in unison. “No break.” “Replacement.”
Blake reached out and put a hand on each of his friends’ necks. “I can’t tell you what your support means to me. I really can’t.”
“Make us proud, buddy,” said Jake.
“Just make sure you come back,” said Robbie.
THE MONDAY MORNING following the Battle of the Bands, Haley went back to work at the community college. She’d cursed when her alarm went off this morning, and she snoozed one too many times. Dragging herself out of bed and into the shower, she hoped for a miracle wake-up cure. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and she ended up rushing to her desk twenty minutes late.
She tried to immerse herself in her responsibilities, but her mind was on all the work she had to do to get a new temporary lead singer for Ace in the Hole, as well as get Blake ready for his big-time tour. She’d always enjoyed helping new students at the community college. She’d always enjoyed helping the Admissions reps. But her heart wasn’t in it anymore.
The middle of the afternoon lag hit, and she leaned back in her chair and took just a moment to close her eyes and rest her mind.
“Haley? Are you all right?”
Her friend Carl
y’s voice wormed into her consciousness and she jumped. She opened her eyes and glanced at the time on her computer. “Oh my gosh Carly. I’ve been sleeping at least twenty minutes.”
“Sleeping? You poor thing, are you sick?”
Haley stood and shook one leg, then the other to get the blood flowing again. “No, not sick. Just exhausted. I’m working so many hours with the band, I’m not getting good rest anymore.” She hadn’t even filled her best friend in on the developments of the weekend. She’d decided to work through lunch since she’d shown up so late this morning. “You just won’t believe all that’s going on with the band. It’s so exciting. But exhausting too.”
“You’re worrying me. Why don’t you go home and rest?”
Haley shook her head, then stretched her arms out and shook them too. “Because I’ll be tired tomorrow too. I can’t go home and sleep every time I’m tired. I have to just push through it.”
Carly frowned. “Don’t make yourself sick.”
That’s when an idea came crashing into her brain like a fireworks display. “It’s time to quit this job.”
“This job? As in your full-time career job? Or quit the band side job that doesn’t pay you anything?”
Haley sat and motioned for Carly to sit in her side chair. “Look, I know you’re building a future here while you get your degree. This job will be a stepping stone to your career in education and administration. I’m happy for you. But that’s not me.” She gestured to her domain, her receptionist desk, her phone. “It’s never been like that for me. I’m not interested in getting my degree. I don’t want to build a career here. I’m here because I need something productive to do and this place is as good as any.”
As soon as the words came out of her mouth Haley knew Carly wouldn’t understand. Although Carly was a dear friend, Haley had never confided in her about her reality, her family’s reality. Her parents’ low expectations of her. Her parents knew she would never get a degree and run the family business. She was the black sheep of the Witherspoon legacy. Her brothers had all done what their parents expected; the business was well taken care of. Her parents were happy that she was simply living her own life and taking care of herself. They didn’t expect success or achievement from Haley.
Having grown up with that view of herself, Haley lived up to those low expectations her high-achieving parents had set for her. Just barely, no more.
Why bother to kill herself working hard in a career that meant nothing to her? When she lost interest, which she always did, she’d quit and do something else. Her parents’ payroll would help her pay the bills and live the life of comfort that she always had. It was a nice arrangement she had with her parents, as long as she didn’t become lazy and didn’t cause them any trouble.
But Carly didn’t have that luxury. Carly was a hard-working young woman who had goals in life. No one had handed her anything. Everything she’d achieved in life, she earned because of her own sweat and effort.
She tried to explain without telling Carly her entire life story. “I feel like after being mediocre at everything my entire life, I’ve finally found something I’m good at. I’m good at managing this country band.”
Carly grinned. “Yes, you are. You’ve done so much to help them succeed.”
“This weekend we won the Battle of the Bands in Hilton Head against a dozen other bands.”
“Congratulations!”
“But even bigger than that, Blake was asked to sing lead on the concert tour for Frontier Fire.”
Carly’s hands shot to her mouth, her eyes wide. “Oh my gosh Haley! That’s huge! That sounds like his big break.”
Haley nodded, tears forming in her eyes. “And he wants me to be his manager. He wants me there alongside him at every stop, taking care of the details, while simultaneously managing Ace in the Hole as they perform their schedule without him.”
Carly paused. “Sounds like a big job.”
“Yeah. Not a job that I can do while working here every day.”
“Wow. You’ve got a monumental decision to make.”
“I think I’ve made it.”
Carly stood and pulled Haley in her arms. “I’m going to miss you, girl. You’re such a bright spot in my days here. But you need to follow your passion. And I think you’re right. I think you’ve found your niche.”
As she hung on to Carly, Haley vowed to never forget what this felt like. This was that feeling that others had described, when they knew what it was they were meant to do in this life. When they quit treading water and discovered their purpose. She’d found it. She just needed to believe in herself.
BLAKE HEADED SOUTH on Ocean Highway, his car windows rolled down and the hot summer breeze of Myrtle Beach lifting the locks from his forehead. Excitement filled his heart, brought on by all the life changes that had bombarded him lately, and he could barely wipe the grin off his face.
Life had changed, big time, and all the changes were good. His relationship with Haley. Not only did he manage to find a beautiful, sweet, wonderful girl that he enjoyed spending time with, she had been the instigator of all this professional change. Almost overnight, she’d taken Ace in the Hole, a small-town cover band who only played in Myrtle Beach, to a mid-level band drawing crowds up and down the seaboard.
Not only were they an “award-winning band,” he was now going to get a taste of the big time. He couldn’t think of his upcoming opportunity without adrenaline and excitement shooting through all his limbs. He knew they’d earned it, they’d worked hard and deserved it. But it was Haley who’d gotten them here. He owed her so much.
He pulled into the driveway of his aunt’s house in Murrells Inlet, jumped out of his car and ran up to the front door, holding the Hilton Head trophy in both his hands. He knocked quickly and opened the door. “Anyone home?”
He heard a rustling in the kitchen towards the rear of the bungalow, then, “Back here! Come on back!”
He walked through the tiny house and found Aunt Gloria making sandwiches, and his brother Brent sitting in his wheelchair. “Hey, guys,” he greeted.
“What is that?” Aunt Gloria exclaimed, rushed over and grabbed the trophy out of his hands. She read the engraved plaque, “Winner of the Hilton Head Battle of the Bands, Ace in the Hole! Congratulations!” She put the hulking trophy on the kitchen table, then pulled him in for a hug.
“Nice job, man,” said Brent.
“Thanks, yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
“Want a sandwich?” Aunt Gloria held up one that she’d just made for Brent. The stacks of lunch meat and cheese sat on the counter.
“Sure.” He reached for the plate she was handing over the counter. He placed it on the table, then gripped the handles of the wheelchair, pushing Brent into place. “That about right?”
“Yep.” Brent leaned forward and picked up the sandwich. “Aunt Gloria’s specialty.” He put the thick stack in his mouth.
Soon Blake had one of similar size in front of him, and Aunt Gloria joined them at the table with her own plate. Blake filled them in on the Battle of the Bands and they shared his thrill for the win.
“Oh, before I forget.” Blake pulled a check out of his side pocket and handed it over to Aunt Gloria. “My portion of the winnings, I want to donate to Brent’s college tuition.”
“Aren’t you sweet?” Aunt Gloria accepted the check casually, then unfolded it and took a look. “Blake! What? No. This is too much.”
Blake gestured for her to keep it. “No, it isn’t. The band’s doing really well right now and I want to help out as best I can.”
Brent pressed a closed fist against Blake’s shoulder. “You always help out. I can’t thank you enough, bro.”
“No need. When you’re a computer programmer making lots of IT dollars, you can support both Aunt Gloria and I.”
Brent laughed.
“This’ll be enough for all of next semester,” Aunt Gloria said, wiping a stray tear from her eye. “You’re a good boy. Thank you.”
Aunt Gloria looked interested. “Something else besides winning the contest?”
“Yeah. I got discovered. You know, like you hear about in those crazy once-in-a-lifetime stories.”
“What do you mean?” Brent asked, a smile forming on his face.
Blake shared the news about being asked to sing in the Frontier Fire concert tour, amidst the cheers, back slaps and hugs from his family.
“I am so happy for you, Blake,” Aunt Gloria said. She pulled him into a tight hug and whispered in her ear. “Your parents would be over the moon proud of you.”
A stab of tears threatening his eyes surprised Blake. But today was not a day for tears. It was a day of celebration. A day of blessings.
Overcome with emotion, Aunt Gloria released him and went to the kitchen. “Drinks, anyone?” she croaked, trying to control her voice. Blake looked over at Brent and winked. His brother watched her, amusement etching his expression.
“Yeah, I’ll take a Coke if you have it,” Blake called.
“Coming right up.”
While she bustled about pouring his drink, Blake focused his gaze on Brent. He'd stopped eating and was beaming his pride for Blake on his face.
“You deserve every bit of this success. You’re hardworking and a great musician. Congratulations.”
Blake took a seat near Brent and pulled him close so that their arms touched. “Thanks. I’m really excited. It’s hard to believe.”
They sat quietly until a few moments later, Blake looked over at Brent. He was surprised to see his brother struggling with emotion. He leaned closer. “You okay, bro?”
Brent shook his head. “I’m just grateful to both of you for all the help. I feel so guilty sometimes. Aunt Gloria’s life would’ve been so different if, you know.”
“I know. But she loves you, and me, and I doubt if she would want it any other way.”
Brent shook his head. “It’s not fair.”
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