The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters

by C. A. Newsome

  “Hey, don’t knock Glenn Miller. He was one of the best.”

  Mandy’s gaze lingered on the music. “I know, I’m just frustrated.”

  The producer raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t be complaining if I were you. This guy is probably the best songwriter I’ve come across in the past twenty years. And if I’m not mistaken, he writes exclusively for you.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “I agree, but he must be content. Besides, with your sales, he’s doing just fine.”

  “I suppose so...” Her voice drifted off.

  A group of musicians arrived and pushed through into the studio. Mandy knew her time was up. “Thanks, Benny,” she’d said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll let you know if we have any luck tracking him down.”

  Chapter Three

  She turned disbelieving eyes on Simon. “You’re serious? I’m actually going to meet him? How did you finally get ahold of him?”

  Simon held up his hands. “Whoa, there. I didn’t actually talk to him. I talked to his agent, but he assured me that he’d meet with you this weekend.”

  Mandy slid back on the leather seat and tried to calm the butterflies that had taken up residence in her stomach. Now that she was finally going to meet him, she was nervous. What if she didn’t like him, or worse yet, what if he didn’t like her? She supposed there was only one way to find out.

  As they drew closer to the Sage Bowl, the irony struck her. That she would finally meet him here. Here, where her career started.

  Her friends had urged her to enter the amateur night of the music festival. Terrified and elated at the same time, she’d sung her heart out with a medley of Patsy Cline songs. Simon Preston, an aggressive up-and-coming manager, had spotted her and the rest, as they say, was history.

  The limo crested a hill and she caught sight of the venue. It took her breath away every time she saw the transformation that took place in the valley below. High sandy cliffs provided the perfect backdrop for the gently sloping ‘bowl’ of the valley floor. The stage was large, but it was dominated by the cliffs. Over the years, the festival organizers had experimented with various lighting schemes to illuminate the cliffs, and it hadn’t taken long for the performers to realize that nature’s backdrop couldn’t be improved upon. As an informal site, where people brought their own seating, it was unparalleled.

  As they approached the gate, Mandy rolled down her window.

  “What are you doing?” Simon had reverted to his old self.

  “I want to talk to the guard.” She smiled at the young man. “Hi!”

  He bent to look inside the limo and his eyes widened. “Oh, hello Miss Malone. What can I do for you?”

  “I wanted to be sure you have my friend’s name on your list. Sonja Larsen, but she’ll probably identify herself as Sunny.”

  The guard checked his list. “Sorry, I don’t see her.” His pen trailed down the sheet of paper. “Oh, wait. Here she is. Last minute addition.”

  “Great. And she might bring one more friend. Can you make a note of that?” Sandy’s boyfriend was trying to make it to Gold Creek for her performance, but he wasn’t sure if he could get away.

  “Sure thing. Have a good one, Miss Malone.”

  “Thanks, Cory.”

  The guard glanced self-consciously at his nametag, then offered a brief salute as they pulled through the gate.

  “Okay,” she said, scanning the stage with a practised eye. “Let’s get this done.”

  *

  The sound check went flawlessly. This was Mandy’s fourth year performing at the Sage Bowl Music Festival, and it always amazed her that they could set up such a large venue out in the middle of nowhere.

  British Columbia was becoming known for its successful festivals, and this one had grown over the twelve years it had been running. The promoters had turned it into a three-day weekend of performances. This was her second year as headliner, and she didn’t think she’d ever get used to the excitement of performance day.

  “Sounds great, everyone.” Yankee Bob, her drummer, had expressed an interest in taking on the secondary job of Stage Manager, and she was glad she’d agreed. He was respected by the other musicians, as well as the back-up singers, and he knew his way around a stage. “What do you think, Mandy?”

  “Sounded good to me.”

  “All right, everyone,” her drummer turned to the band and the back-up singers. “Be back here at seven thirty for eight.”

  As he spoke, Mandy noticed Sunny sitting off to the side in a rare patch of shade thrown by a Ponderosa Pine. She was with a man, and they were deep in conversation.

  Prickles of anticipation crept down Mandy’s neck. The man looked vaguely familiar, but something told her this wasn’t Sunny’s boyfriend. She crossed the stage, ran down the side stairs and started walking toward her friend.

  “Mandy!” Sunny opened her arms. “Get over here and give your best friend a hug.”

  Engulfed in Sunny’s embrace, Mandy glanced over her friend’s shoulder toward the man. He was watching the reunion with a gentle smile.

  “Look who I found!” Sunny pulled away and reached for the man’s arm. “Matthew!” She turned back to Mandy. “You remember Matthew Williamson from school.”

  His gaze flickered to Sunny, then returned to Mandy’s upturned face. “Hello, Mandy. Great to see you again.” He extended his hand.

  This was Matt Williamson? She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her hand disappeared into his, and heat bloomed in parts of her body that had seen little action in the past couple of years. The tall, un-coordinated youth had morphed into a well-muscled, well-dressed man. But the eyes were the same; dark brown with intriguing hints of gold.

  “Matt.” She pulled her hand away, hoping he hadn’t noticed the way her pulse ratcheted up at his touch. “What are you doing here?” She regretted the words the moment she uttered them. “Not that I mind, but I was wondering...” She looked to Sunny for help.

  “I found him sitting in the schoolyard.” Sunny made a disgusted face. “Just sitting there, on the old stone fence.”

  Mandy laughed. “You’re kidding.”

  “Noooo.” Sunny drew the word out.

  Mandy waved a hand in front of her face. “I’m laughing because I did the same thing on the way out here.” She smiled up into Matt’s eyes. “I was remembering that day.” She could tell from his smile that she didn’t need to explain which day.

  “Me, too.” His voice had turned husky. “You still owe me a kiss, you know.”

  Sunny watched them, her gaze moving back and forth. “I told him I was coming out here, and we decided to drive out together.”

  Mandy tore her gaze away from Matthew and acknowledged her friend. “So did you hear my new song? What did you think?”

  “Always?” Matt spoke before Sunny could respond. “It was amazing, but then I knew it would be.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He flushed. “I mean, I’ve never heard you sing a bad song.”

  Now it was Mandy’s turn to blush. “You know my work?”

  “Oh, yeah.” His gaze held hers. “I know every song you’ve ever done.”

  His intensity unnerved her. “My songwriter gets credit for that.” She scanned the area. “I was supposed to meet him today, but now I don’t see Simon.”

  “You’re finally going to get to meet him?” Sunny knew of her quest to find the elusive songwriter. “Where?”

  Mandy threw up her hands. “I’m not sure. Simon can be frustrating, but this time I don’t think he’s jerking me around. I think he really doesn’t know.” She checked her cell phone. “He said he’ll contact me when he hears from the guy’s agent.”

  Matthew was beginning to look uncomfortable. “Listen, if you’d like me to vamoose, I can.”

  “No.” Mandy realized she didn’t want him to leave. “He’ll probably be here tonight.” She checked her watch. “What I’d like to do is get something to eat. If you guys a
ren’t busy, we could pick something up at the drive-thru and eat in the park.”

  Matthew looked at Sunny and she nodded. “I’d like that too,” he said, “but won’t people bother you?”

  Mandy shook her head. She’d willingly put up with a few autograph seekers to have a hamburger in the park. “Not really. People around here usually leave me alone. If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll tell my driver where I’m going.” She checked the line of cars parked up against the security fence and turned to Sunny. “Which one is yours?”

  “We used mine.” Matthew pointed out a dark green Land Rover.

  “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

  Chapter Four

  They chose a picnic table under the trees. The sound of seniors playing horseshoes in the adjoining pitches provided the soundtrack to their meal.

  “So, Matthew. Tell me what you’re up to these days.”

  He wiped his mouth before answering. “I play guitar in a band in Vancouver.” He smiled easily. “Down in Gastown.”

  “Really? Have I heard of it?”

  He gave her an indulgent smile. “No, I don’t think so.” He shook the ice in his cup and drained the remaining soda. “At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, I’d like to hear about your work.”

  She sensed that he was embarrassed by his band’s low profile. She shrugged. “Not much to tell, really.” In spite of her fame, she’d never been comfortable talking about herself. She looked directly at him and wondered if he knew how handsome he was. “Is there anything in particular you were wondering about?”

  He ran his finger down the condensation on the sides of the cup. “When I heard you sing this afternoon, I was thinking that with your voice maturing the way it is, you might try some crossover stuff. Lots of country artists are doing that now.”

  She tried to hide her surprise. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk to the songwriter.”

  He nodded. “There are always other songwriters.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  He gave her an odd look, and she gave her head a quick shake. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound snippy.” She glanced over at Sunny, who was watching them with interest.

  She fell silent. “I don’t know how to say this,” she said after a few moments.

  “Try.” He drew the straw out of his cup and sucked off the droplets of moisture. His lips were full and sensuous; she regretted not having kissed him all those years ago.

  “It’s just...” She paused to collect her thoughts. “He seems to understand me. There are times when I’m singing his songs and it’s as though he’s invaded my body. As though he knows everything about me.” She gave a short, self-conscious laugh. “Does that sound crazy?”

  “No, not at all.” There was something in his voice. “I get it.”

  Neither of them noticed when Sunny got up and headed for the restroom.

  Mandy exhaled slowly. “Thank goodness. When I’ve tried to explain it to Simon, he says I’m delusional.”

  His eyes flashed angrily. “Why do you put up with that? He sounds like an ass.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes; it felt good to have someone stand up for her. “Thank you.”

  He gave his head an angry shake and reached for her hands. “I’m serious. You deserve better.” His thumb caressed the back of her hand.

  She looked at their hands linked on the table, then raised her eyes. “Too bad you had to move away when we were young.” Her mouth curved in a lop-sided smile.

  He released her hands and she wondered what she’d said to offend him. “Funny you should say that,” he said after a moment. “I had such a crush on you on high school.”

  “You did?” Her words came out high-pitched and breathless. “Then I have a confession. I wish you’d kissed me that day. Something tells me we would have been good together.”

  He leaned forward on his elbows and stared into her eyes. “We are good together.”

  She glanced around, confused. “I didn’t mean like this...”

  “I know, Mandy.” He took a deep breath. “It’s my turn to confess.”

  There was something in his tone... something in the intensity of his gaze.

  “Mandy, I’m your songwriter.”

  Mandy blinked several times. Had she heard him correctly? The rustling of the trees and the soft ‘clink’ of horseshoes faded into the background as his words sank in.

  “You?” Something bloomed deep in her chest. “You’re my songwriter?”

  He raised both hands in a gesture of resignation. “Guilty.”

  “But how...” She had a million questions. “You’re SwingTime? As in–”

  “As in that day on the swing.” A slow grin transformed his face. “In a way, I’m glad my family moved away. I probably wouldn’t have tried writing if I hadn’t been mooning around about you.”

  “Are you serious?” She wanted to believe him, but it was all so sudden. “You wouldn’t kid around about this, would you?”

  “No, Mandy. That’s why I’m here this weekend.” He raised his eyebrows. “Well, two reasons, really. One, I wanted to hear you debut the new song, and secondly, I decided it was time to meet with you. I’m serious about trying some crossover tunes.”

  “But why wouldn’t you meet with me before this?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s never made sense to me.”

  “Maybe not, but I was writing songs from the heart, trying to capture the way I felt all those years ago, when we were young. I was afraid that if I met you again, all of the fame would have changed you.”

  “And has it?”

  He grinned. “Not that I can tell.”

  She exhaled slowly. “Thanks, I think.” She turned to see Sunny striding toward them, a big smile on her face.

  Chapter Five

  “David’s coming after all.” Sunny waved her cell phone. “He finally got away.” She stopped at the table. “What? You guys look guilty.”

  “Sunny,” said Mandy, speaking slowly. “Matt just told me he’s my songwriter.”

  “Get out!” Sunny made a face, then looked from Mandy to Matthew, then back to her friend. “You’re serious!”

  They both nodded.

  “Uh, oh.” She slid onto the bench beside Mandy.

  “What do you mean, ‘uh-oh’?” Mandy nudged her friend.

  Sunny rolled her eyes. “What I mean is, how does this affect whatever is going on between you guys? I mean, sheesh, I’ve never seen so many sparks fly.” She paused to consider. “Well, maybe between David and I, but that’s different.”

  Mandy couldn’t meet Matt’s gaze. She’d been wondering the same thing.

  Matt answered smoothly. “It doesn’t change a thing.” He waited for Mandy to look at him and gave her a look that curled her toes. “It looks like we’re going to be working together, so we’ll have lots of time to get reacquainted.” He checked his watch. “I should take you back out to the bowl to get ready, and I have some apologizing to do. My agent is going to be disappointed that he didn’t get to introduce us.” He rose, walked round the table and offered Mandy his hand. “Speaking of which, let’s exchange cell phone numbers.” She rose and he gave her a meaningful look. “Call me after the concert if you need a ride.”

  *

  Mandy arrived to pandemonium. Clustered around Clete, the band members didn’t realize she was standing behind them.

  “What’s going on?” If the guitar player’s expression was any indication, he was in a lot of pain. He was clutching his left arm.

  Yankee Bob straightened up and turned to Mandy. “I think his arm is broken.” He raked his fingers through his long hair. “The guys were playing touch football. Clete lost his footing and fell.”

  Mandy remained calm. “Let’s get him taken into the hospital then.” She gave Clete what she hoped was an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out.”

  “I’m sorry, Mandy.” The drummer looked miserable.
<
br />   Mandy held up a hand. “Don’t go there. We agreed, remember?” They normally carried two guitar players on tour, but RJ’s wife was due to give birth any day, and they’d given him time off. She lowered her voice. “What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know.” He gave a short, desperate laugh. “Can you pull a spare guitar player out of your bag of tricks?” Mandy carried a kit containing everything from buttons and thread to crazy glue and aspirins. The crew loved to tease her about it.

  She grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do.” She pulled out her cell phone.

  “Come on, Mandy. I was kidding. We can’t let just anybody up there on the stage.”

  “This isn’t just anybody.” She held up a finger.

  “Mandy?” His voice sounded like liquid velvet.

  “Matt. Do you have your guitar with you?”

  He chuckled. “I’m never without it. Why?”

  “Well, we need you. Our guitar player broke his arm. How would you like to play tonight?”

  “Bad luck. Is he going to be okay?”

  “Yes, he’s already on his way to the hospital.”

  “I’m all yours. Tell the security guys to let me in, okay?”

  “Will do.”

  She turned to Yankee Bob. “There. All taken care of.”

  “Jeez, Mandy. What are you doing?”

  “Trust me, Bob. You’re going to love this guy.” She decided she’d better put him out of his misery. “His name is Matt Williamson, and he’s a guitar player in a band in Vancouver.”

  “Well, that’s something, anyway.”

  “And he’s the one who wrote every hit song I’ve ever had.”

  The drummer’s mouth fell open. “Are you shittin’ me?”

  “No.” She tipped up his chin to close his mouth. “Good enough for you?”

  “How did you – oh, never mind.” He gave her a quick, fierce hug. “I’ll go over the playlist with him while you change.” He grinned. “Simon’s going to freak.”