Crescendo

by Laurie Larsen

  Randall nodded slowly. “So, a sabotage campaign.”

  “Yes. She’s done the same thing with Ace in the Hole, leaving terrible comments about them all over the internet. I didn’t even think to look up Frontier Fire sites as well.”

  Randall tapped at the paging bar on the website. “This one woman wrote all of these?”

  “Yes.”

  “Making it look like a dozen different people are unhappy with Blake as lead singer.”

  “Yes. It’s just one. She’s doing her best to sabotage both bands. But she’s not successful. Ace in the Hole is playing to full clubs, and obviously, so is Frontier Fire.”

  Randall put his hands over his eyes, a tired swipe over his face. “I guess that old saying is true. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

  A wave of regret washed over Haley. “I’m so sorry about this, Randall. I feel at least partially responsible for this, since she’s doing this because she’s mad at me. But I had no idea she’d go so far as to involve Frontier Fire.”

  Randall shrugged. “She sounds like she’s crazy.”

  “She wasn’t exactly stable even when she was happy.”

  Randall chuckled.

  “Is there anything we can do to stop her? I’ve been wracking my brain all day, to be honest.”

  Randall thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Not really. She’s not doing anything criminal, so the police won’t be interested. And like you said, these reviews aren’t resulting in reduced crowds. Our live audiences seem to love Blake.”

  Haley blinked, a big idea forming in her brain on the spot. “Maybe we can do a counter-cyber-attack. Enlist a ton of people to go online and rebuke Lindsay’s negative comments with something positive. That way, the positive will outweigh the negative and people who don’t know any better won’t be sucked into believing Lindsay’s lies.”

  Randall thought for a second. “I guess it won’t hurt. Could be a lot of work though.”

  “I have time,” Haley responded quickly. “Please let me run with this, Randall. It’ll make me feel better at least taking some action.”

  Randall nodded. “Okay, you do that then. And let’s not talk to the band about this. I mean, they may find it on their own if they’re looking on our website, but no need to worry them about it. I think the band has bonded really well with Blake and he’s doing a great job.” He snapped the laptop closed. “Welcome to the age of the internet. A negative review is one click away at any moment.”

  Haley agreed. She walked away from the meeting with Randall feeling better than she had all day. She had no idea if a counter attack would be effective. But at least she would be doing something.

  GIVE ME A CALL WHEN you have a minute.

  Blake was lying in a mound of puffy white bedding in his hotel room just after noon, not quite asleep, but not quite awake. He picked up his phone from the bedside table, read the message from Brent and immediately placed the call. His brother answered on the second ring.

  “Geez. I didn’t expect that fast a response,” Brent joked.

  “I hear so rarely from my baby brother that I figured I should call before you forget my name,” Blake joked back.

  Brent laughed. Blake's exaggeration probably made the thought funnier. Despite his busy schedule, he made sure he checked in with Brent twice a week, like clockwork.

  “Seriously, between working all night and sleeping in, the best time to reach me is in the afternoons. Good to hear your voice.”

  “You’re living the life, that’s for sure. Long way from Ubering and singing at the Drunken Parrot in Myrtle Beach.”

  “Can’t argue with that.” Blake’s lips curled into a smile. “How’s school going?”

  “Good. In fact, I’m almost done with my summer schedule and I’ve got three weeks off before fall semester starts.”

  “Awesome.”

  “And I figured, what better way to spend my break than to see my bigshot brother making his dream come true?”

  Blake grinned. “You want to come see a concert?”

  “Absolutely! I can’t miss an opportunity like this, man.”

  “Great. You give me a date and I’ll pull up the schedule.”

  They discussed possible dates and where the band was performing on those nights. They settled on a Saturday night in Pittsburgh, followed by two free nights. Brent would room with Blake, attend Saturday’s concert, travel to Philadelphia with the band on Sunday, and fly home on Monday. They’d have time to catch up and do some fun things together.

  “I’ll book the flights for you,” Blake offered.

  “No. I got it.”

  “No need. Save your money for when school starts. I got this,” Blake insisted. He hated Brent always being short on cash, and he could easily book the flights for his brother.

  Brent relented. “Okay, thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “No big. I’m just thrilled to spend some time with you and glad you’re not going to miss this.”

  They finalized plans and hung up.

  WITH A PLAN IN MIND and Randall’s support, Haley dove into her project to combat the negativity on the web with positivity. She started by letting her brain soar. She needed to spread the word, create a Positivity Campaign tagline and logo. Create a compelling communication to send to Frontier Fire’s massive fan base and they’d buy in to the cause. They’d want to help, and soon, Lindsay’s measly little presence would be quickly overcome. A sea of positivity overcoming a few drops of negativity.

  The best people to report honestly about the quality of Blake’s performance would be those who had come to a concert. So, how could she reach those concertgoers? How could she ask them directly for their help? Most tickets to Frontier Fire concerts were purchased through online ticket retailers. Would those retailers share the email addresses of the concertgoers with her? As long as she could prove she was working with the band? Or would that be against their privacy policy?

  She pulled up the website of the biggest online ticket retailer. She clicked on their Privacy Policy and scanned their Frequently Asked Questions. Bingo. This seemed to address exactly what she was hoping for:

  “Who We Share Your Data With and Why: We will share information with our business partners. This includes third parties such as the artist, promoter or sponsors of an event, or those who operate a venue where we hold events. Our partners use the information we give them as described in their privacy policies, which may include sending you marketing communications.”

  Haley sat back in her chair. If she could work with the ticket retailer to get the email addresses of those who had attended a Frontier Fire concert, she could prepare a newsletter explaining the Positivity Campaign. Making the internet a more positive place. She didn’t have to go into detail about Lindsay the Crazy Woman. She’d keep it generic and high level and ask for their help in spreading positivity.

  It could just work. Now she needed to get a contact phone number or address for the ticket site.

  She was digging deeper into the website when her cell phone rang, distracting her. She frowned at the screen to see who was calling.

  Mom?

  Her thoughts abandoned the Positivity Campaign. She hadn’t spoken to either of her parents since their blowout a few months ago. She reached for the phone, then pulled her hand back as if it were a snake ready to strike.

  It rang again, and Haley knew with one more ring it would go to her voicemail, leaving her with more time to think about this. However, one thought – would she ever want to return her mother’s voicemail – made her hastily accept the call. “Hello?” she said, schooling her voice to sound neutral.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” came her mother’s voice. Haley knew her mother well enough to know that her voice was strained. Strained with the effort of sounding kind and casual.

  “Hi, Mom.” She sat back in her chair and waited.

  “How – uh, how’s it going?”

  “What, the tour?”

  “Everything, darling.
You. I haven’t talked to you in ages.”

  A scoff emerged from Haley’s mouth, but she managed to hold back the words that were at the tip of her tongue. Spiteful words that would assuage Haley’s anger over how her parents had treated her but would damage their ongoing relationship in the future. She took a silent moment to decide how to proceed. “The last time I talked to you guys I got the impression that you were angry at me.”

  “Not angry,” her mom said. “Concerned. With your lack of direction. In your professional life.”

  Haley nodded slowly, pursing her lips in concentration even though her mother couldn’t see her.

  Her mother hurried to continue, “I miss speaking to you. You’re my daughter. I don’t think we’ve ever gone this many weeks not speaking in our lives.”

  “You’d never disowned me before,” Haley said flatly, and then popped a hand over her mouth. Well, there it was, out in the open.

  “Sweetheart, we didn’t disown you.”

  “What do you call it?”

  Her mother’s deep breath was evident over the phone line. “We wanted to give you an incentive to get your professional life moving forward. As long as you knew that you could fall back on Witherspoon Enterprises money to fund your life, you’d have no reason to work hard to be successful on your own.”

  “It wasn’t that at all, Mom. As long as I kept working at jobs I had no passion for, I’d have no reason to work hard to be successful. But all that has changed now.”

  Mom hesitated. “Yes. Daddy told me he’d been looking at that band that you’re traveling with. They seem like they’re having a very successful tour.”

  “Frontier Fire?”

  “Is that what it’s called?”

  Haley counted to five. “Frontier Fire’s tour is going extremely well. In fact, they’re breaking records in the country music industry.”

  “That’s wonderful, sweetie. I knew you could do it if we gave you the encouragement.”

  A line of indigestion dripped down her esophagus. “No, Mom. I’m not their manager. I really had nothing to do with the popularity of their tour.”

  “Oh. Then why are you traveling with them?”

  “I’m managing Blake, their interim lead singer,” Haley said, speaking slowly to get her message across.

  “Each member of the band has their own manager?”

  Haley huffed out her frustration. “No. Listen, Mom, I’m the manager of Ace in the Hole, Blake’s permanent band. He’s only with Frontier Fire temporarily.”

  “But you’re traveling with this other band.” Her mother’s frustration was obvious in her words. “You’re not explaining this very well.”

  Haley clamped her mouth shut. She supposed it was confusing for an outsider looking in like her mother. Someone who had never paid any attention to her daughter, in favor of her high-achieving sons.

  “Is Ace in the Hole breaking records too?” Her mom sounded hopeful.

  “No, but they’re doing much better than they were before I started working with them.” That was safe, and it was true. And maybe it would prove to Mom that she was successful.

  “And they’re paying your salary?”

  Haley balked and let her eyes study the ceiling. “Well, not exactly.”

  “No? You’re a volunteer band manager?”

  “Mom, I really have to go.” Another conversation with her mother that made her feel worse after than before. Her mother’s uncanny knack at making her feel like crap about herself, even when everything was going well in her life.

  “But we’ve barely talked, dear. I wanted to tell you about the grandkids, since I guess you won’t see them at all this summer.”

  Haley closed her eyes and allowed the subtle guilt trip to flow over her. Now she was neglecting her nieces and nephews. What an awful aunt she was. “Go ahead. I’ll give you five minutes.” She listened to five minutes of conversation about her four nieces and two nephews, how Mom and Dad had them over for swimming in the pool, how they visited an amusement park, how they were getting summer family portraits taken on the beach.

  Wait, what? “You’re getting family photos taken on the beach without me?” Her parents had excluded her from all family communications, news, finances and activities all summer, but for some reason that one really stung. They did a photographic family portrait on the beach every year, and instead of someone thinking to wait till a time that Haley was in town and could attend, they’d just do it without her. No one thought twice.

  “Yes, dear. You’re out of town.”

  Haley shrugged. Well, if she meant so little to them, she’d have to return the favor. They would mean little to her. “Okay, Mom, thanks for the call. I have to get back to work. Bye.” She hung up quickly and tossed the phone on the bed.

  She sat still as a statue, her eyes wide, mentally fighting the onset of tears that wanted to burst. Then she gave up and let them come, a waterfall of heartbreak. She would mourn the loss of her relationship with her parents once. Then, she would move on.

  Chapter Sixteen

  BLAKE STEPPED OFF STAGE following the encore in Denver, the crowd’s response making his mood fly and the massive wall of sound they’d created all night long making his ears ring.

  Moose followed him and hung a palm in the air. Blake slapped it, a high five of pure pleasure, followed by slaps with Ricky and Len. Sophie and Max ran up, woo hoo’ing in excitement.

  Then, what had become Blake’s favorite post-concert tradition: Haley ran toward him, smile radiating across her face, pure happiness and fun. She flung herself at him, arms around his neck, legs around his waist, and he held her in place while their lips joined in a happy, sweaty, celebratory kiss.

  “It’s so cool that even though this band is in the big time, they celebrate each concert like it was their first one,” he said in her ear.

  “Yep. This band is awesome.”

  Randall joined them backstage, shaking hands, congratulating them. The band drifted toward the green rooms and hung out in Lola’s room, not wanting their magical camaraderie to end. They opened chilled cans of beer and spent a cherished half hour sharing favorite moments of the concert. Eventually Blake wandered to his own room and showered, changing into fresh clothes before he met Haley in the hallway.

  They rode in the limousine back to the hotel and sat together in the lobby. Blake sank into the comfortable couch, his adrenaline now drained, leaving him fatigued. Haley leaned over him and ran soft fingers over his cheeks, his eyelids, his forehead. He closed his eyes and savored the gentle touch. “That feels good.”

  “I should schedule a massage for you.”

  He didn’t mean his face to display his terror at that thought, but it probably did. “I don’t know about that.”

  “Have you never had a massage?”

  “Nope.”

  “I can’t believe that. They’re wonderful. Very relaxing.”

  Blake stayed quiet, imagining a masseuse’s hands probing every inch of his back, shoulders, neck. Would he be relaxed, or would he tense up?

  A memory hit his mind, something he needed Haley’s help with. “Oh, guess what. Brent is joining the tour for a couple days.”

  “Really?” Haley smiled with pleasure at the idea.

  “Yeah, he’ll fly in the Saturday that we’re in Pittsburgh. He’ll go to the concert, stay with me, then ride the bus with us to Philadelphia the next day. He’ll fly home on Day 3.”

  “Great! It’ll be so good to see him.”

  “Yeah. I need your help with logistics.”

  “No problem. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “Flights?”

  “Yep.”

  “And don’t forget his, uh, special accommodation needs.”

  She leaned in and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Leave it to me.”

  “You’re the best.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a proper kiss. Despite his physical exhaustion, his heart woke up and pounded due to the tangling of their
tongues. He was becoming more and more certain: Haley was his one person. The one he was falling in love with and could see spending his future with. Sharing his life, his thoughts, his earnings. The one to build a life with, build a family with.

  He knew she had feelings for him. Obviously. But did her feelings match his? Were they on the same level? And how should he go about sharing his thoughts? When?

  He returned his concentration to sharing his unspoken love through his kiss, not wanting to be distracted from this moment.

  HALEY TOOK CARE OF Brent’s airline tickets, flying into Pittsburgh and flying out of Philadelphia three days later. She also spoke to an airline reservationist about his paraplegia and wheelchair. Aunt Gloria would get him onto the plane in Myrtle Beach, and Haley would get him off. Haley would get him back on the plane and Aunt Gloria would get him back off. It would all work out fine.

  Haley also crossed another item off her To Do List by calling Robbie and Jake. She’d vowed to stay in better touch with Ace in the Hole, despite physically accompanying Frontier Fire, and she wanted to carry out that promise. She set up video chats with them once a week and talked about the venues, the crowds, and Sam’s performances. If there were any post-gig follow ups needed to the managers of the venues, they would tell her, and she would make the calls.

  Of course, she also asked if there were any Lindsay sightings, or any nasty business observed because of Lindsay’s reviews. So far, none.

  Haley hung up on today’s call with the guys feeling satisfied. She was making this strange arrangement work. She was providing support to Ace in the Hole, and she was also providing support to Blake. She was stretching herself in several directions, but it appeared to be working.

  Those tasks done, she turned her focus to the Positivity Campaign. In the past ten days, she had successfully acquired a list of email addresses of concertgoers, about twenty thousand strong. She’d designed a logo and tagline for the campaign: “Help Spread Love.” She’d created the content of the newsletter describing their pledge to wipe out negativity on the internet. She’d strived to make it a cause everyone could buy into, ending with a call to action to bombard the Frontier Fire website and concert venue sites with positivity.