Crescendo

by Laurie Larsen

Life’s not fair, Blake thought, but it was a cliché Brent had heard a million times, so he didn’t say it out loud. Families weren’t always dealt a fair hand, but it was best to bond together and make it work.

  Aunt Gloria returned with the drinks and they all dug into their lunch together. Blake regaled them with his story about the Battle of the Bands and the little house was filled with love and laughter.

  Chapter Nine

  WITH HER MIND MADE up about quitting her job at the college, Haley knew she’d have to go talk to her parents. In person, better than on the phone. She braced herself for a confrontation. No, they wouldn’t be angry at her for quitting yet another job. They expected that from her. But they would assume the worst, that she was quitting the job because she had no ambition, no goal in life.

  What she’d have to make them see is that she’d finally found one, and it was managing Blake’s music career. They wouldn’t make it easy, they wouldn’t be happy for her, they wouldn’t believe this was a career worth pursuing. And yet, she’d need to try to make them understand.

  She placed a call on her cell phone as she drove home for the day. Celeste, her parents’ home assistant, answered.

  “Hi, Celeste, it’s Haley. Is my mom around?”

  “Hi, Haley. Yes, she’s out on the patio. Let me get her for you.”

  Haley waited while Celeste crossed the massive main floor on her way out back. The patio was also large, and housed the outdoor kitchen, lounging circle, firepit, and further down a couple stone steps, a swimming pool.

  “Hello, dear!” Her mother’s voice came on the line, along with some splashing sounds. She imagined her mother was floating around while reclined on a raft.

  “Hi Mom. How’s it going?”

  “Just fine. It’s so warm today I needed a cool down. I’m in the pool with a cold drink.”

  Haley smiled. Her mother sure knew how to live. She admired her zest for the good things in life. “Are you guys free tonight? I wanted to stop by.”

  “Absolutely! Come on by and we can get caught up. I’ll have Celeste add another dinner plate.”

  Haley wasn’t sure if she’d feel like eating after the bombshell she was about to drop. Maybe she’d wait till after she’d digested a good meal to break the news. “Okay, Mom, see you soon.”

  She went home first to change into fresh clothes, re-do her makeup, run a brush through her hair, then she got back into the car to drive to her parents’. At the secured gate, she leaned out to the keypad and entered her private security code, then continued to the circle drive in front of the estate. She hadn’t lived in this mansion since she was eighteen when she moved out in favor of her own, smaller place.

  She parked and walked to the front door. A huge bouquet of freesias in the foyer made her bend and place her nose amidst the blooms, breathing in the delicious aroma. She headed past the kitchen and out the back. Her mother was no longer in the pool. She must’ve gone upstairs to change. Haley walked back inside, helped herself to a bottle of water from the fridge, and settled into a sitting room couch.

  When her mother bustled into the room, the entire air space altered. Mom’s signature scent, which she’d squirted from a bottle with her own name on it, filled the air, along with a crackling energy that her extrovert mother always exuded. She glided over to where Haley was sitting, and as Haley came to her feet, her mom enveloped her in a warm embrace. She ended with a peck on Haley’s cheek before she moved on.

  “Daddy was thrilled to hear you were coming for dinner. How long’s it been?”

  “A while. I’ve been really busy,” Haley said.

  The man himself entered the room, having changed from his work clothes, which Haley was quite certain was a dark suit, white shirt and red tie. He now wore a respectable golfing outfit – khaki knee-length shorts and a tucked in golf shirt made from a fabric that gobbled up sweat without ever leaving a wet mark, and an insignia on the breast pocket from some prestigious golf course or another. It didn’t really matter which one – she was sure her dad had played at all of them.

  “Hi Daddy.” She was still standing from her mother’s greeting, so she spread her arms to her dad’s hug before sitting again.

  “Hi cupcake. Great to see you. You look wonderful.” He placed a strategic kiss on her forehead.

  Her appearance was something her parents always complimented her on. She looked good, in their opinions; that never wavered. But give them something more meaningful, such as her brains or her ambition or her accomplishments. Evidently, nothing worth complimenting there.

  “Did you bring your suit?” her dad asked, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the pool.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  He circled to a wet bar on the far side of the sitting room and made himself a hard liquor refreshment. “Would you like anything?”

  “No thanks, Daddy.”

  Dad sat next to Mom on the couch and Haley couldn’t help but think for probably the one hundredth time what a lovely couple they made. They had both aged well, exercised, and they still looked healthy and young as ever. Her mother put effort into her looks, even extending so far as facial cosmetic surgery to maintain her good looks. Dad didn’t, but his frequent golf and tennis outings kept his naturally slim body fit and strong. She wasn’t sure how close their marriage was where it counted, but a couple things were evident. They were still together. And they looked good by the other’s side.

  A quiet pause ensued, and suddenly Haley knew she couldn’t postpone her news until after dinner. No time like the present. “I have some news to share.”

  “Oh!” Her mother’s excitement escaped through a rounded mouth.

  Whatever her mother was expecting, it surely wasn’t this. “I have a new job that I’m really excited about.”

  “Oh?” her dad intoned.

  “You know how I’ve been working part-time as a manager for the band? Well, the lead singer, Blake was just offered a fantastic new opportunity. He’s going on summer tour for a much bigger and well-known band. And I negotiated the contract.”

  “Wow.” Dad’s one syllable was more than Mom offered, and his tone didn’t sound particularly derogatory, so she went on.

  “I need to not only find a replacement singer for Ace in the Hole while Blake is away, but Blake has asked me to manage him on tour. So, I really need to quit my job at the community college and concentrate on this.”

  Haley’s mom tried to prevent an eyeroll and ended up with what Haley would describe as half an eye roll. “Honey, really? A band? What do you know about music?”

  Suppressing a grimace, Haley took a moment to think about the question. Her mother didn’t even comment on the fact that she was quitting her job with a regular paycheck and benefits. As a Witherspoon, Haley was insured by the family business, and received a supplemental stipend that outsized her salary at the college, so that she could live a life free of penny-pinching and scarcity. So, money and insurance weren’t an issue.

  No, her mother’s concern wasn’t the loss of a stable job. Her mother’s concern was with what Haley had decided to do next. Haley was following a passion, even though the passion itself was fairly new.

  “I don’t know much about music, Mom, but my job as the band manager is more about marketing, advertising, scheduling, communicating and organizing. And I’m finding that I’m pretty good at that stuff.”

  Her mother lifted her shoulders in a shrug and painted a doubtful expression on her face. Dad spoke up, “Well, that’s fine, honey, but I’m sure we could find you plenty of opportunities within the enterprise to use your new skills. You’ve always turned those opportunities down in the past.”

  Haley pulled her bottom lip in and chewed on it. She sighed. “Daddy, I don’t have any interest in working within Witherspoon Enterprises, but I am having fun working with the band. And I’m doing well. I’ve made a lot of improvements and the band is making more money, getting more gigs, more visibility. The guys in the band are impressed with my skills.”r />
  Dad placed his glass on the table with a clunk. “Sweetheart, this is just another in a long line of examples. You have the tendency to follow your heart on every whim that presents itself without having a solid plan for your life. Let’s see, you did nails for a while, you schooled to do hair until you realized you’d be on your feet all day. You worked in a clothes store for a while to get the retail discount. You worked at the college to see if you wanted to take classes yourself. Now you’re a band manager. And you’re twenty-five years old!” He let out an exasperated breath. “You have no direction, sweetheart.”

  “Maybe by all this trial and error, I’m finding my direction,” Haley suggested. Had he ever thought of that? “You say I’m twenty-five years old, like that’s old. That’s young! I have lots of time to figure out my life and my career.”

  “You’re not a kid anymore, Haley. Even with the flexibility that being a Witherspoon provides you, you can’t keep drifting through life.”

  Is that what she was doing? Drifting from one job to another without having any real ambition for any of them? Well, if she thought about it without emotion, she could see why her parents thought so. But that was only because she hadn’t found her one true spot yet. But now. Now she’d found it.

  At least she hoped she had.

  “Look, I know I haven’t followed the normal Witherspoon path. I didn’t get a college degree and take over a division of the family business. Big business doesn’t excite me. I don’t want to get stuck in a career that I don’t enjoy my whole life. But I’ve been experimenting. Will I be a band manager forever? I have no idea. But I really want to do this now. I finally found something that I’m not only good at, but I love it! I get such a kick out of coming up with a new idea, working on it, and seeing it through. I’m helping. Ace in the Hole has grown so much under my leadership. It’s exciting.” She gave her dad the smile that had served her well throughout her entire childhood, the smile she knew he couldn’t resist. The convincing smile from his youngest daughter that always made him say yes.

  “Well, sweetheart, I can tell that you’re enthused about this.”

  He was about to give her his blessing. She knew him so well, and they’d been here so many times. Then, her mouth went into Autodrive and she had no idea why she said what came next.

  “Besides, I think I’m in love with Blake and I know I can help him achieve his dreams.”

  Dad went speechless and his face shut down. “Who? What?”

  Mom demanded, “This is about a boy?”

  Haley blinked, recognizing her fatal error. She needed to turn this around, and quick. “Well, he’s hardly a boy, Mom. He’s a man. And yes, it’s about the lead singer of the band, and how I feel about him. And I think he feels about me, too.” Oh great, now she was babbling. She cursed herself internally. Why had she brought up love? Her parents had always been extremely protective of their fortune and was hesitant to allow any of their children to add to the family without intense vetting of the person involved. Where was her head?

  “Look,” she said, trying to get this back on track, “I shouldn’t have mentioned being in love with Blake. Even though I think I am. But regardless, I have found a job that makes me happy, makes me feel accomplished and satisfied. And I’m doing a good job. I’d like your support, but I don’t require it. I’m still going to follow it through. If it ends, or goes south, I can always find another job then. But for now, I’m doing this. With or without your blessing.”

  Dad cleared his throat and put his empty glass down heavily on the table. “In that case, you do it.”

  A whoosh of relief flowed through Haley. Until she looked back at her father. He was frowning, a crease marring his forehead. “You do it all by yourself. You want to make this work, make it work. Without Witherspoon Enterprises subsidy. It’s time you grew up, little girl, and that means supporting yourself with your own labor and earnings.” He strode to the door, then turned back to face her. “Go live your dreams. I wish you the best of luck.”

  The echo of his footsteps in the hall made her shudder.

  Chapter Ten

  BLAKE STOOD IN ROBBIE’S parents’ garage, the band’s normal rehearsal spot, but this time he was in there without his guitarist or his drummer. He held in front of him the inventory of songs he’d need to know for the Frontier Fire summer tour. He knew enough keyboard to be able to pound out the melody, but fortunately, he already knew almost all these classic songs. He’d listened to them over and over when he was a kid. Frontier Fire was one of the most well-known and beloved bands in the US, regardless of musical style. Everyone knew their songs by heart. Which is why he was faced with a challenge. He didn’t want to perform them just like Josh Lakely would, a robo-tron copy of Josh up on stage. He wanted to make them his own. But he didn’t want to drift too far from Josh’s interpretation, either. These fans weren’t here to see him, Blake Scott. They were there to hear the familiar, perfect songs from their favorite band.

  Quite a dilemma to find a balance.

  Haley sat in the corner of the garage on a barstool with her laptop. She was tapping away, doing something, working her magic like she always did, while also supporting him and listening. He was so happy she’d agreed to come with him on the tour. She’d keep him sane in an ocean of uncertainty. She’d help his confidence and ensure that he performed well.

  He pressed a palm down on the electronic keyboard, letting loose a jarring combination of notes. Haley looked up with a gasp. He laughed, soaking in those gorgeous green eyes that in some lights, reminded him of emeralds. “I’m done for the night.”

  “Are you ready for the rehearsal with the band tomorrow?”

  “Yep. I know the songs. It’ll be interesting to perform them with the instrumentals and back-up singers. Hear the whole thing come together.” He pushed himself to his feet and reached a hand out to her. “Are you busy? Or do you have time to go somewhere with me?”

  She gave him that sideways mouth curl that got his heart racing. “I’m all yours.”

  A shot of adrenaline ran through his body. He wished that was true, in every sense of the words. But for now, he’d be satisfied that her time and devotion, at least, were his.

  “I’d like to introduce you to my family.”

  Her expression shifted to surprise. Neither had so much as spoken about their families. She recognized that this was big, and he was glad that she did. “I’d love to.”

  They jumped into his truck and while he drove, Blake figured a bit of an explanation was in order. “I want you to meet my Aunt Gloria and my brother, Brent. They’re my family.” He let that settle in while she nodded, then he added, “They’re who’s left of my family.”

  Haley darted a quick look in his direction. Her expression asked for more.

  He cleared his throat. “I grew up in a pretty normal family, in a house with my mom and dad and little brother. Until I was sixteen and Brent was twelve. I was spending the night with a couple of buddies across town. It was the night after the final football game and we were celebrating a solid season.” He paused and took a deep breath, because even though this was now a dozen years ago, it wasn’t easy to talk about. “My parents’ house caught on fire. No one ever figured out why.”

  Her hand on his arm was warm and welcome. “Oh, Blake!”

  “It was a fast fire and for some reason, the alarm didn’t sound. My dad was trapped and couldn’t get out at all. He died upstairs. My mom and brother climbed out a window and jumped.”

  He paused for a moment. Funny how this story still had the power to bring him to his knees. He trapped a sob in his throat and stopped it before it escaped. He concentrated on the road. When he felt sure his voice wouldn’t betray him, he went on. “Brent was paralyzed from his fall. He’s now a paraplegic, from that day on.”

  “And your mom?” Haley whispered.

  Blake blinked a few times, demanding control over the tears that threatened to erupt. “Mom survived the jump but died two days later of
smoke inhalation.”

  “Oh my gosh, Blake,” Haley cried and leaned her whole body across her seat into his right arm, trying to be close to him in their closed quarters. He pulled the truck to the side of the road. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. Seconds turned into minutes and they stayed silent, the chirps and calls of insects creating a symphony out the window. “I’m so sorry,” Haley whispered into his chest. “I had no idea.”

  “It’s okay. It was a terrible fire, and we paid a terrible price. But life goes on, doesn’t it?” He savored the feel of her pressed against him. He caressed a hand through her hair. “My Aunt Gloria took us in. She raised us as best she could. Almost like a mother. She’s awesome.”

  Haley pulled back to look into his face. He missed their contact immediately. “Did she have her own family?”

  “No. She was my mom’s sister. She was single.”

  “What a saint.”

  “You better believe it. An instant family with a teenager and a newly paralyzed kid, suddenly orphans due to a crazy accident. She didn’t hesitate. She opened her heart and her home and took us in. It was incredible. Even when I was sixteen I fully recognized her sacrifice.”

  “She loved you.”

  “She sure did and does still. She and I have worked together to pay Brent’s college tuition. He wants to be a computer programmer. That’s a great job to do even with his paralysis. He’s got full use of his hands, and of course, his brain.” He smiled. “I’m proud of him for how he’s handled this.”

  “Almost done?”

  “Yeah, I think he has three semesters left. He’s doing well.”

  Haley nodded.

  Blake let a moment of silence go by and then he looked at her, a deep, intense gaze into her eyes. "Brent and I are very close. Like really, really close. I'd do anything for that kid. Not just to protect him from harm. I mean, I'd put my own safety on the line if I had to, to make sure he was safe. But I feel like it's my job to set him up for all the success and happiness he can have in life. He hasn't had an easy road."