by Vega, W. H.
“What?” Jami asks quickly. “Do you know someone? I’d be forever grateful if I could get my mother out on a date with a nice man!”
“Paige’s father is on the market and he’s a real catch,” I offer.
“Blake!” Paige hisses, turning to Jami. “I really don’t know, Jami. My dad has a lot going on.”
“Is he a gym rat?” she asks quickly, waving back at her mother.
“Well, yes,” Paige says.
“Alright. I’m going to send you an email later,” she says, giving Paige a quick kiss on the cheek. “I bet it would be really sweet if we set our parents up on a date. Nice meeting you,” she calls to me over her shoulder, as she sweeps her mother out of the restaurant.
“Have you lost your mind?” Paige demands.
“What?” I ask innocently, “It might be good for your dad. When was the last time he had a date?”
She considers the question. “I really don’t know,” she says honestly, “but he’s in such a fragile place.”
“I don’t know, Paige. He doesn’t seem that fragile to me. He seems more confident and sure of himself than I’ve ever seen him. He’s practically got that gym finished at the house, and he’s been serious about his new lifestyle.”
“Yes but it’s only been a couple of weeks.” She counters.
“Well, maybe a woman with a similar lifestyle would benefit him.”
I see Paige think it over, and I can see that my idea has won her over.
“You know, you might be right. Maybe I should set Daddy up on that date. And Jami’s mother certainly is beautiful.”
We enjoy the rest of our lunch and then I drop Paige back off at home. I’ve got some errands to run, and I need to get some work done around my house. The place needs to be cleaned, and I’ve got a stack of mail and bills that I need to go through. The weeklong marathon recording session nearly killed me.
As I pull into my driveway, I see a familiar looking red car parked out front and I feel anger flood my system.
I jump out of my truck, just as Savannah gracefully exits from her driver’s side.
“Hey Blake,” she drawls, walking towards me. She’s dressed in her normal, over-exposed attire. Her black and white print dress seems to be painted on, and the hemline is shameful. She’s wearing sky-high spiky heels, and her hair is even more blonde-streaked than before.
“What are you doing here, Savannah?” I ask, skipping all niceties.
She pouts. “You aren’t happy to see me?”
“Of course not,” I snap.
She pretends to look hurt.
“I thought I’d just stop by to pay you a visit.”
“Bull shit,” I spit.
She shakes her head, smiling patronizingly at me.
“I thought you might change your mind,” she admits, “but you haven’t come crawling back.”
“You knew that wasn’t going to happen.”
She shrugs, and examines her manicured nails.
“Selling your house?” she asks, her voice venomous.
“What’s it to you?”
“Getting cozy with your new girlfriend?” Her face twists into an ugly snarl, but I refuse to take her bait and instead I wait for her to speak again. Her face smoothes over as she collects herself.
“My parents are very unhappy that you embarrassed the family,” she purrs.
“So, I’ve heard.” I roll my eyes. “I really don’t get it Savannah. Your parents never thought I was good enough for you anyway, so what’s the big deal?”
“True, they didn’t,” she says coolly, “but it’s an entirely different matter regarding the way you ‘dumped’ their daughter.”
“I’m not listening to this crap any more, Savannah, get out of here,” I say, waving her away and starting to make my way into the house. I’m so fucking angry, but I know that I need to just let things go and ignore her taunts. The last thing we all need is more drama from Savannah’s family.
“It’s not crap,” she says sharply, “it’s funny how your music career seems to be taking off now that I’m out of the picture and your dating the boss’ daughter.”
I turn around and narrow my eyes. “How dare you.”
“Look how well you’re doing now,” she points out.
“So what? My music is taking off. Maybe that’s happening because I’m talented and because you’re out of the picture.”
“Oh, so that little tramp, Paige, is helping your music?” she asks snidely, practically spitting out Paige’s name.
“You better watch yourself,” I say in a low voice. “Now get the hell off my property before I call the cops on you for trespassing.”
“You wouldn’t,” she challenges.
“Try me.”
She steps back, evaluating my face, and then shrugs. She turns and saunters away.
“This isn’t over, Blake,” she calls as she gets into her car and roars out of the court.
Balling my fists, I head into the house, determined not to let her get to me.
I brood over Savannah’s visit all day. I have a strict policy about being honest with Paige, but the last thing I feel like doing is telling her that Savannah was waiting for me in the driveway when I got home.
I purposely avoid calling Paige until it’s after dinner, and by then I can’t put it off any longer.
“Hey!” she answers happily after I dial her number.
“Hey baby. How are things?”
“Really good. Daddy and I just had a nice dinner together, and we’re getting ready to watch a movie.”
“That sounds really nice. Sounds like you two are really bonding.”
“We are,” she gushes, “It’s just so nice seeing him like this. I’m really proud of him.”
“You should be proud of yourself too. He wouldn’t be doing as well as he is, if you hadn’t forced him to go to rehab.”
I can almost see Paige’s face flush through the phone. “Well, either way it’s working.” She lowers her voice. “Though I haven’t told him about the possible date I might be setting him up on.”
I laugh. “I bet Kenny will love that.”
There’s a long pause as I gather the courage to tell Paige what happened.
“Blake? Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Look, there’s something that I need to tell you.”
There’s silence on the other end and I’m sure I’ve made Paige nervous.
“Savannah came by to see me today.”
“What?” She doesn’t hide her irritation.
“When I came home from lunch, she was waiting outside the house.”
“What did she want?” she demands.
“I’m not actually sure. She made some comments about wanting to see if I changed my mind about us, and how her parents were upset that I embarrassed her family.”
“Did she mention me?”
I had wanted to avoid this part. “Just a snide comment. It was almost like she was checking up on me. And I think she was surprised to see the house was on the market, and I definitely think that pissed her off.”
Paige sighs loudly. “Is she ever going away? Even though it’s over, we hear that her family is causing trouble and now she’s showing up at your house. It’s been almost two months, what a crazy bitch!”
“I know, I know. Look, I refused to get into it with her, and after a minute or two of her bitchy, passive-aggressive comments, I told her to get the hell off my property.”
“I don’t like this, Blake,” she says vehemently.
“Neither do I. But there is nothing that she can do to derail you and I. Let’s not feed into her games, and hopefully she’ll go away on her own. It’s been relatively quiet since we broke up, so let’s hope this is just a rare instance.”
Paige is quiet on the other end.
“I hope so.”
“Alright, let’s forget about it. I didn’t even want to tell you because I knew it would upset you, but I always want to be honest with you. We’re not going
to let it ruin our week.” I close my eyes to rid my mind of Savannah. “What day do you have to go back into the studio again?”
“Wednesday.” She says quietly.
“We go on Thursday. We also have a meeting with Liam tomorrow.”
“I meet with Liam on Thursday. I guess they’re bringing us both in to go over the plan for the albums and possible tour dates.”
I’m relieved that Paige has let Savannah go and is talking about music instead.
“Probably. Let’s talk tomorrow and we’ll figure out some time that we can spend together before you go to Bristol this weekend. When are you leaving?”
“I’ll probably leave after breakfast on Friday, and I’ll come home sometime on Monday. Maybe you can check up on Daddy over the weekend? Would that be too much to ask?”
“Not at all. Maybe I’ll swing by on Saturday and say I have some things to drop off for you.”
“That would be great,” Paige says, her voice getting brighter.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I spoke to my mother earlier, and she said she would be free for lunch on Thursday. I know you said that you have your meeting with Liam that day, though.”
“I could do lunch,” she pipes up. “My meeting is at ten, so I could meet your mom afterwards.”
“Okay. I’ll talk with her again and then you guys can firm things up.” I pause. “I love you, Paige.”
“I love you too, Blake.”
We say goodbye and hang up.
I feel better that I told Paige about Savannah, but I still can’t stop the nagging feeling that Savannah’s visit was more than just a random drop by.
Eight
Paige
I spend the next few days stewing about that vapid bitch Savannah, though I try hard not to let it interfere with things. I make plans with my momma and grandma, and they're ecstatic that I’m coming to visit. Daddy is also happy that I’m going to visit them and he’s even generous enough to offer his house if they ever want to visit Nashville.
My parents sure have come a long way.
I see Blake briefly on Wednesday in between my studio session and his meeting with Liam. The studio session only lasted a few hours and wasn’t nearly as painful as I thought it might be. The mixing guys had already done a ton of work, and I basically had to sing a few “oohs” and “ahhs” here and there, a few back up bits, and other small corrections. It was actually just a lot of sitting around while they lined everything up and then a minute or two of singing before I had to sit around some more.
Of course, that left me with plenty of time to Google the Prescott and Devlin families, but the more I read, the worse I felt. They were an even bigger presence in Nashville than I had assumed.
I did, however, email Jami, and as crazy as I felt, I was setting my daddy up on a date with her mother, Daisy. Of course, I still have to tell Daddy, but I'm saving that for this evening. Jami and I are aiming for a Friday night date. That made me happy because I'll know exactly what Daddy's going to be up to on Friday night, and then Blake will be by to see him on Saturday. I can call him on Sunday to check on him and then he's back to work on Monday and I'll be home by then.
I know I can’t keep tabs on Daddy at all times, but it's only been a few weeks since he's been out of rehab, and for the time being I'm going to be overly cautious.
Daddy won’t be home for dinner tonight, so I go about making myself something from leftovers. Afterwards, I change into my pajamas, even though it’s early and curl up in the den to watch some TV. After a while, Daddy appears in the doorway.
“Hey Daddy,” I greet him.
“Hey yourself. You look nice and comfy.”
“I am. Just relaxing a bit.”
“Good for you.”
“How was your day?" I ask. "Did you have a good dinner meeting?”
“I did. The day went well. Very busy. I think I’m going to call it a night though and just veg out in my room if that’s alright.” He turns to head out of the room.
“Daddy! Wait!” I call, sitting up on the couch. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
He takes a step into the room, a curious look on his face.
“It’s about this Friday night,” I say, suddenly uncomfortable. “Remember that girl Jami, the stylist, who helped me with the tour?”
“Yeah sure,” he says slowly, not following.
“Well, I bumped into her at lunch the other day, and she was with her mother, a very attractive lady,” I quickly add when I see my dad’s face cloud over. “And, well, we thought it might be nice if you and her mother, Daisy, had dinner together on Friday night.” I look down at my hands, afraid to look at my father.
“Like a date?” he asks suspiciously.
“Well, yes. A date.”
“Paige,” he says exasperated, “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been on a date?” He does not sound happy.
“No,” I answer in a small voice.
“Almost a year.”
“Well, maybe it's time, Daddy,” I say boldly, looking at him. “Her mother seemed very nice and Jami told me that she loves to work out too.”
This stops Daddy for a second. “She’s a fitness nut?”
“Uh-huh. That’s what Jami says. That’s what made us think about setting you two up in the first place.”
I can see my dad thinking things over.
“And she’s good looking?” He says, with a sly smile.
I roll my eyes. “Yes, Daddy. She's very attractive.”
“Hmm. Well it might be nice to change things up and go on a date. Though, I usually don’t have good luck with women.”
“Well, maybe your luck has changed now.”
My dad nods thoughtfully. “Maybe it has,” he says slowly. “Alright, look. Since you and this other busy body Jami set it up, I’ll go.”
I giggle.
“But do not set me up again, Paige. I mean it. There’s a reason that I keep my distance from women.”
“Okay! I think you’re going to have a great time though,” I say happily.
He rolls his eyes at me. “Just tell me where and when I’m meeting her on Friday.” He starts to leave the room. “And no more meddling!”
“Yes, sir!” I chirp, saluting him and then blowing him a kiss. “G’night Daddy!” I call as he disappears.
“Good night!”
Even though he isn’t too pleased, I feel immensely satisfied that he’s going to go out on this date. I pull out my phone and text Jami so we can firm up the plans. I don’t know why, but I have a good feeling about Daisy.
Nine
Paige
The sun is bright and shining as I drive to my daddy’s office and I’m not sure if I’m more nervous for my meeting with Liam, or lunch with Blake’s mother. I struggled to find an outfit yet again this morning, and I ended up choosing a teal maxi dress with silver sandals and silver jewelry.
It’s hot today, so I twisted my hair up into a bun. September in Nashville can be a tease because you may get one or two cooler days, and then it shoots back up into the high nineties again. I forgot about that from my childhood since I was always back in Bristol for school by the start of September.
Becky greets me in the office, grinning wide.
“Kenny tells me you set him up on a date!”
“Yes! Tomorrow night! I hope it goes well.”
“He tried to act like he was pissed off, but I could tell he was happy. He even asked me what he should wear!” she giggles excitedly.
“That’s great! You’ll make sure he gets out of the office on time tomorrow night, won’t you?”
“You know I will.”
She takes me into the meeting room and waves as she leaves me there waiting for Liam. I don’t have to wait long before Liam comes inside beaming.
“I got great news, Paige.”
“I’m all ears.”
“First, your album sounds stellar. I’ve heard a few of the finished tracks, and they are great. We’re al
ready getting the word out there that this CD is going to drop at the beginning of next month. But that means we’re going to have to start you on a press tour next week.”
He must see the alarm in my face.
“Don’t worry – it’s nothing too demanding. Mostly local places, and if it’s not local, it’s close by. We’re starting this out in the country industry. That also means that your first single is going to drop next week, and that’s one of the things I want to talk about.”
He sits down and pulls out copies of all my songs and lists of press stops. All the new information makes my head spin, and I try to focus as we begin mapping out a schedule.
“I know this is going to be intense,” he says, “but this is what you want, right?”
“Of course it is! It’s just happening so much faster than I anticipated.”
“I know. But hey, this could make for one hell of a holiday present for you,” he laughs.
After our meeting, armed with my newly marked up calendar, and folder filled with dates and appearances, I pop in to say hi to Daddy.
“Hey sweetheart,” he says, jumping up from his desk.
“Don’t get up, Daddy. I just came by to say hello real fast. I’m going to meet Mrs. Evans for lunch.”
“That sounds nice. Did Liam go over everything with you?”
“Yes, he did.” I frown. “Are you going to be alright with me running all over the place to promote the album?”
“Of course I am. I’m a big boy, Paige. You’ve already done so much for me. Don’t you worry. I’ll be just fine. This is what we wanted. We’ve got your career on the fast track.” He smiles proudly. “You’re going to be a star.”
“Stop,” I say embarrassed. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and head out. I say good-bye to Becky and we mention getting together soon, but I think of the grueling schedule I have coming up, and fear that it will be a while before she and I get a chance to catch up again.
I head over to the restaurant where I’m meeting Mrs. Evans, though she's asked me to call her Josie. As I walk inside, I see her wave to me from across the room. She looks elegant in a grey pantsuit and silk blouse, and her light brown hair is twisted into a chic knot. I forget exactly what she does for a living, but I think it has to do with advertising.