Crescendo

by Laurie Larsen

  Haley nodded. "Sounds like none of you have."

  "But he lost so much. His parents and his mobility all in one night. I don't know," Blake shook his head. "He deserves as much help as I can possibly give him." He knew there was more he wanted to say, but he let it go there. “So,” Blake said as he straightened in his seat and put the truck in drive again, “you know our story now.”

  “Thanks for sharing that with me. And for introducing me to them.” She leaned over as he pulled onto the road and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “It means a lot.”

  Blake drove, trying to remember how many girls he’d ever introduced over the years to Aunt Gloria. With a smirk he realized the answer was none. Haley would be the first. He wondered what Aunt Gloria would make of that.

  THE TINY LITTLE BUNGALOW Blake pulled his truck up to was adorable, a little shabby and Haley decided, right out of a fairy tale. She could imagine Snow White bounding out the front door, followed by her seven adoring dwarves. Blake honked his horn, then they both dropped out of the truck and headed for the front door, by way of the wooden ramp. Haley gave him a grin when he reached for her hand. Despite knowing their story, and knowing how much Blake loved his Aunt Gloria, she still felt a shimmer of nerves at the thought of meeting her.

  A woman met them at the front door and opened it. Focused on Blake, she gave him a hug and welcomed him with warm words. Then she noticed Haley walking in behind him. “Oh, hello.”

  “Aunt Glo, this is Haley. She’s the band manager I’ve been telling you about.”

  “Oh yes,” Aunt Gloria said enthusiastically. “You’ve done wonders with Blake’s band. Thank you so much.” Aunt Gloria reached out a hand and they shook.

  “But,” Blake continued as they stopped in the front room, “she’s not just our band manager.” He shifted his head in her direction, blasted her the most heart-racing smile and wrapped an arm around her waist. “She’s something special. To me.”

  Haley grinned. It was a little awkward as introductions went, but Aunt Gloria got his meaning.

  “Oh! I see. Well, in that case, it’s doubly nice to meet you, Haley.” She stuck both arms out. “Would a hug be appropriate now that I know you’re something special to my nephew?”

  Haley nodded quickly, and they joined in a hug. “So nice to meet you.” The words were inadequate since she now knew she was hugging a true angel on earth after what Aunt Gloria had done for her nephews, but there you go.

  “Well, let’s sit down and get to know each other a little bit.” She raised her voice. “Brent! Come out front.”

  Moments later, the sound of wheels against the floor came to Haley’s ears, followed by the sight of a young man in a wheelchair. He used his arms to operate the chair into the small room. Despite the tight space and the lack of electronic controls, he maneuvered to an open space beside the couch.

  “Bro, this is Haley. Haley, this is Brent, my younger and much more immature brother. He idolizes me, so don’t say anything derogatory about me. It could crush him.”

  Haley laughed. She knew about brothers, and the humor between them, considering she had three of them herself. “Hi Brent, so nice to meet you.” She leaned from her spot on the couch and shook his hand.

  “Hi Haley. And don’t believe a word he says. It’s actually the opposite. He wishes he could be like me, but the most he can hope for is a sad and disappointing, him.” Brent had the same dark wavy hair as his brother, but instead of Blake’s stunning blue eyes, Brent’s were brown. He sat comfortably in his chair and his upper body was chiseled with lean muscle. The Scott good looks ran in the family, most definitely.

  Blake said, “So, I think I’ve learned all my Frontier Fire songs and tomorrow, we go rehearse with the band.”

  Brent looked over at Haley. “Oh, this Haley! Sorry, I’m catching up. You’re the one who’s made all the magic happen for Blake’s band over the last few months.”

  Haley felt the warmth of a blush take over her face, but she bathed in the praise. “I can’t take credit for how good Ace in the Hole is. Blake and the guys took care of that themselves. But I just had a few ideas of how we could get them more visible, and sure enough, it took off like wildfire.”

  “You’re too modest,” Aunt Gloria said. “Ace in the Hole is one of many local Myrtle Beach bands who were all competing for space in the local bar scene. You actually got them up and out of that market. Blake’s been traveling and performing and being seen.”

  “And now,” Brent continued, “he’s hitting the big time with Frontier Fire. Lead singer, man! We’re so proud of him.”

  Haley saw how they both beamed at Blake, their pride for him evident in their expressions. A sage thought seeped into her mind. She was the one with the solid, traditional family; two parents who’d raised her, loved her. And they weren’t proud of her accomplishments at all. She’d go so far to say she was an embarrassment to them, since she was living a life outside the mainstream, opposite of what they’d planned for her. Yet, despite whatever success she’d managed to achieve in her life, they’d shunned her. Cut her off from the family fortune, to teach her a lesson.

  But look at this little family unit. Untraditional in every way. They’d faced many challenges. Unspeakable difficulties, with few resources to help them. Yet, they’d come to this point of their lives intact. Happy, loving, supportive.

  And now, with their praise and thanks for her skills and efforts, they were including her in their inner circle. It felt good here. She’d never really known what it was like to soak in praise and confidence. She didn’t want to give it up.

  She tuned in to the happy conversation going on around her. Aunt Gloria rose and left the room, coming back with a tray of iced soft drinks, a bowl of chips and a jar of opened dip. The men dug in, and Haley lifted her drink and took a long sip.

  Families. They came in all different sizes, shapes and combinations. But this was one she was glad she’d met. She could learn a lot from these people.

  An hour later, after laughter, sharing the tour schedule, and a little bit about Haley’s future plans for the band, the glasses and chip bowl were empty. Aunt Gloria stood and looked at Haley, gesturing. “Would you like to help me carry this stuff to the kitchen?”

  “Of course!” Haley popped up and caught a wink from Blake beside her. Haley grabbed the glasses while Aunt Gloria took the tray with the food remnants. They walked only a few steps to the little kitchen, and Aunt Gloria opened the dishwasher.

  “So nice to meet you, Haley. Thanks for coming over.”

  “I’m happy to be here. I have to admit it was a total surprise that Blake dropped on me earlier tonight. But after he told me your story, I am so honored to meet you. I hope I don’t bother you by saying this, but you are a top rate human being.”

  “Oh gosh,” Gloria said, dipping her head while loading the dishwasher. “Stop. Anyone would’ve done what I did.”

  “No, not anyone. Just someone generous and loving as you would’ve taken in two boys who’d just lost their parents, and one with a terrible medical battle to face.”

  “It did make life interesting, I’ll say that. It wasn’t easy. But we loved each other, and we worked through the hardships together. I’m happy to say that we are on the other side now. Life is pretty darn great.” She stopped moving and reached out and held both Haley’s hands. “But what I wanted to tell you is I appreciate all the help you’ve given to Blake. He’s worked so hard to get to where he is, and you seemed like an answer to prayer to take him to the next level.”

  Haley stared. She was an answer to prayer? She’d never thought of herself that way. Especially not coming from this living angel on earth, Aunt Gloria. “You give me way too much credit.”

  “Nope. You may not realize it, but you’ve given Ace in the Hole a huge jumpstart.”

  Haley shrugged. “I’m so new to this band manager gig. I just went by instinct. I noticed gaps and tried to fill them. That’s all.”

  “And you’ve do
ne a great job. Thank you, on behalf of the band.”

  Haley giggled. “They’ve thanked me too. They’re very appreciative.”

  Blake wandered into the kitchen. “Ready to get going?”

  “Sure.” She turned to Aunt Gloria. “So, so nice to meet you.”

  “Well, hopefully it won’t be long till our next visit. Right, Blake?” She gave him an exaggerated stare and he chuckled.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Atta boy. Have fun, you two, and be safe.”

  On the way out of the house, Haley stopped at Brent’s chair and put a hand on his shoulder. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Brent. How soon till school starts?”

  His handsome face beamed a smile. “Summer session starts next week.”

  “Good luck.”

  He nodded and gestured a salute. “Hope we see you before Blake leaves on his tour.”

  They left, the door closing on the homey comfort inside. They walked to the truck. Settled in, Blake started the engine, then turned to face her, his right arm over the back of her seat. “You definitely won them over. They love you, I can tell.”

  Her heart filled with emotion. “I love them too. What an awesome family.”

  He nodded. “It’s not your typical family, and we went through some really hard times. But I think God uses hard times to pull people closer together, and closer to Him, too. Brent and I often talk about how our faiths in God are stronger after the fire, than before.”

  It was a topic she wanted to hear more about, but not right now. She’d never really faced hardship in her life at all. Why would God save her from hard times, and load them on to Blake and Brent? It was a part of life she’d never really thought about. The thought was quickly brushed from her mind when Blake leaned close and laid his lips on hers, a soft, warm kiss, full of emotion. They kissed again, her heart picking up its pace. He smelled so good, and his lips against hers felt perfect.

  He pulled back and she gazed into his expressive blue eyes. What was happening to her? Was she falling in love with this man who had launched a brand-new career opportunity for her? The man she’d given up her family fortune for? And was that a good idea?

  It didn’t matter. She was following her heart and doing what she felt was right. If it was wrong, she’d learn from it and adjust. But oh, what if it was right?

  Chapter Eleven

  “THANK YOU FOR YOUR time. We’ll let you know,” Haley said. The scruffy singer nodded, shook out his lean arms and legs and left without a word. His look was all wrong for a country band, with his classic rock tattoos covering his arms and neck, and his long hair and patchy beard. But his voice was the worst of the problems. She could imagine it singing Aerosmith or Led Zeppelin, but not modern country.

  They sat on tall barstools in a row in Robbie’s parents’ garage; Haley, Blake, Jake and Robbie. The judging panel. Haley had advertised the auditions and scheduled them all over a few days’ time. Today was the third day and their options were getting scarcer. How hard could it be to find a male singer in the Myrtle Beach area who had a strong, clear voice, a clean-cut look and charisma enough to front a band? There must be hundreds of them.

  As they were finding out, it was hard. Way too hard.

  Robbie let out a deep sigh after the singer had exited the garage and threw the scoresheet Haley had created up in the air. She watched as it drifted to the floor.

  “Do you even want to share scores on this one?” she ventured.

  “No.”

  “Nope.”

  Blake shook his head.

  Haley slouched on her seat.

  “How many are left?”

  She glanced at the schedule. “Two more.” They groaned. “But don’t worry. We can find more. In fact, we could go to some local colleges and post the audition notice in their music departments. We haven’t tried that yet.”

  “We’re running out of time, Haley.” Jake’s bleak statement put all their fears into words. Blake’s rehearsals with Frontier Fire were about wrapped up. He was leaving in less than a week. If they didn’t find a new singer soon, they’d surely have to cancel some of their performances. And none of them wanted to do that. In addition to the lost revenue, it would most likely result in lost opportunity. Backing out at the last minute on a bar that schedules their entertainment months in advance would leave them with a black eye, at least with that particular venue.

  “Well, maybe there will be a gem in the next two,” Haley said with as much cheerfulness she could force. As if on cue, the three musicians glanced over at her with doubtful expressions but held back their comments.

  About twenty minutes later, another singer arrived. At the sight of his cowboy boots, jeans and tight t-shirt, Haley was heartened. But the cowboy hat gave her true hope. As did the guitar case he held in his right hand. At least this guy was country. Now, could he sing?

  “Howdy,” he said as he strode into the garage. “This the right place for the audition?”

  Haley slid to her feet and held out her hand to greet him. “Yes, it sure is. This is where Ace in the Hole does their rehearsing.”

  The singer looked around, eyebrows up, nodding. “Very nice.”

  “I’m Haley, the band manager.” She made quick introductions of the band members. “We’re looking for a temporary lead singer to replace Blake.” She turned and pointed to him. “Blake’s coming back, but he’s got an exciting gig as lead singer for Frontier Fire for their summer tour.”

  “Really? Way to go, man.” The singer pounded Blake on the shoulder. “I read about Josh Lakely getting injured. Pretty cool that a local talent gets to replace him. That’s big time. I’m Sam Newton, by the way.”

  The guys murmured their greetings to Sam.

  “So how long is this gig for?”

  “Roughly five months. The band is Ace in the Hole, which is a modern country cover band. We have scheduled gigs, about three to four every week.”

  “Sweet.”

  “So, tell us about your experience singing country music, Sam,” Haley said, emphasizing the word country.

  “Sure. I started playing guitar in the sixth grade. As I was learning that, I realized I could sing. Surprise! By the time I was in high school I was doing some acoustic solo gigs at church, at parties, open mic nights.”

  Haley took notes on her scoresheet.

  “I got my big break when I auditioned for a talent show in Nashville. Not a huge one, but big enough that they flew me there, all expenses paid for a month. It was sort of like American Idol, but it was local TV, not national. But for country artists, you can’t do any better than Nashville. Anyway, I won the competition.”

  “Wow!” Haley exclaimed.

  “That was about five years ago. It’s opened up some opportunities for me. I even got a record deal. But nothing is a silver bullet. Right now, I’m married with a toddler and my wife got transferred to Charleston with her job. Since she pays most of the bills and provides our healthcare, I came too.” He laughed. “This gig would be great timing for me because I have some solo bookings in Charleston starting in November.”

  Haley beamed at Blake. Now they were talking. This guy was a big step up from all the other singers they’d auditioned. He was a professional. He’d be good for the band. Of course, she was getting ahead of herself. They hadn’t even heard him sing. But she had a good feeling about him.

  “Well, we’re glad you’re here and we can’t wait to hear you sing. Any time you’re ready.”

  Sam pulled his guitar out, tuned it quickly and strummed a few chords. Then he launched into a popular Radley Ray song. Shivers went down Haley’s arms at the sound of his voice. It had depth, it had personality and it had perfect pitch. Not to mention, with the guitar in his hands and his mouth held close to the mic, Sam was in his element. He embodied the part of a country singer.

  Blake leaned close to her ear and murmured, “I’m glad the Frontier Fire guys didn’t audition him. He’d have gotten it ahead of me.”

  Hal
ey smiled and smacked his arm.

  Sam modulated straight into a Jason Dean tune and they heard a new side of him, a slow ballad crooning about broken hearts and dreams. Sam nailed it.

  They’d found their temporary singer. Now, Haley just needed to secure him.

  When Sam finished the song, Haley turned her head to look at each of the band members, eyebrows up in question. “Would you like to hear anything else?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Sam, we like you. We need to make a decision pretty quickly here. If we come to an agreement on terms, would you be able to start next week?”

  “Yep.” He dug into his jeans pocket and handed her a business card. “This is my agent. He’ll handle all the communications about the terms. I stay out of that.” He gave her a ‘good ole boy’ smile.

  “I’ll call him right away,” said Haley as she took the card. “Thank you for coming, and I think we’re all hoping we can work this out. I don’t mind telling you, you’re our top candidate.”

  Sam tipped his hat brim. “Glad to hear it. Nice to meet y’all.” He offered handshakes to the line. “And congratulations to you, man.” He nodded at Blake. “Good night and hope to hear from you soon.”

  They all watched him stride out into the night.

  TWO NIGHTS LATER, BLAKE got a call from Haley, requesting that he gather the band and meet her at the practice garage. She didn’t sound happy. His stomach clenched.

  Forty minutes later, the four of them met. They moved their barstools in a circle and sat facing each other.

  Haley began, “I’ve reached out to Sam’s agent and I’ve been talking with him for two days.” She paused and sighed. “It’s not great news.”

  The guys looked at each other and back at her. “He’s not available?”

  “No, he’s available. But he’s expensive.”

  “Tell us,” Blake said, and took her hand. He appreciated her work in trying to get a replacement for him. He wanted her to know he supported her efforts, no matter what.