“Can we help you?” one of the guys who couldn’t have been more than my age asked. He glanced up at us with eyeliner rimmed eyes.
Since I had no idea what Maddox looked like, I let Jade handle things.
Jade strode over to a guy probably in his mid-twenties who sat on the corner cushion of the sectional couch. “Maddox, hey. Chase Denton said we could come back and chat with you tonight.”
“Oh, hey. Which one of you is Cara?”
“That would be me.” I stepped over near him.
“Nice. Chase said you were gorgeous.” He held out his hand. “Maddox Trance, nice to meet you.” Maddox turned to Jade. “And you’re Jade then?”
“Yes.”
“You’re the one who has a radio show with Cara at Harrison?”
“Did Chase tell you about it?” Jade switched into animated mode. She didn’t seem to mind that he inferred we did the show together. She had asked me to help, after all.
I glanced around at the others. Eyeliner guy was staring at me. “You’re Chase’s girl?”
Chase’s girl? That was a new one. I found I liked the way it sounded—and felt. “Yes, I’m dating Chase.”
“You don’t look like his type.”
“Maybe not his usual type.” I didn’t know exactly what his type was, but I assumed it wasn’t of the sorority girl variety. My clothes didn’t exactly match what his friends wore.
A girl with her blonde hair tied into pigtail braids laughed. “So, what’s Chase really like? Is he really so sweet, or is it all an act?”
“He’s sweet.” And sexy. I left the second part off.
Maddox leaned back against the couch. “So, I’m definitely on board for an on-air interview. Just tell me when and where.”
“Friday at five a.m. We’re right on Harrison’s campus.”
His eyes narrowed. “Five a.m.?”
“Yeah… I’m a freshman.”
Maddox laughed. “Okay, here’s the deal. Thursday night hang out with me to keep me up until then, and I’ll be there.”
He must have noticed the look of panic that crossed her face.
“Uh not in the way you’re thinking. Just hang out. I feel old now. Let me see how college kids party these days.”
Jade visibly relaxed. “Nothing but the Rat stays open that late.”
“Harrison has a Rathskeller?” the other girl sitting there asked.
“Yeah… don’t most schools?”
“Not anymore.” She ran a hand through her purple highlighted hair. “Any interest in interviewing us too?”
“You guys want in too?” Jade seemed excited. “I’m sure my listeners would love to hear from Pearberry, but why don’t we schedule for another week so the focus is on you?”
“Really?” By the surprise on their faces, I guessed that they weren’t exactly music giants yet.
I still had no idea who eyeliner guy was. He just sat there staring at me. “Can I help you?”
“What?” He wore a blank expression.
“You just seemed to be staring at me like you wanted to say something.”
“No. I was just staring at you because I wanted to.”
I looked at Jade. Was this guy for real? “Okay…”
I turned my back on him and tried to ignore him even though I had a feeling he was now staring at my ass.
“You must be the inspiration for his Sex on the Beach song. Nice.” Eyeliner spoke to my back.
I turned around. “Does it matter?”
“No. I was just wondering how Chase managed that. I mean, he’s not a bad looking guy, but you’re really hot.”
I blinked a few times. The girls both laughed. “Jimmy, just stop while you’re ahead.”
“I’m just saying.”
“Jimmy? Is that your name?”
“Yes. I’m the newest member of Pearberry.”
“He’s playing the tambourine,” Pigtails expanded.
“Oh. Cool.” I decided not to comment. There was something cool about a girl band picking up a guy to play tambourine. Talk about gender role reversal.
“Well, then you’re welcome to come to the interview too,” Jade offered.
“Will you be there?” He focused on me again.
Before I could answer, Jade did. “Yes. We’ll be doing the interviews together.”
“Isn’t that fantastic?” I glared at Jade. Was she really going to make me see this weirdo again?
“Do you girls want to watch the show from back here or go out front?” Maddox asked. He was by far the quietest of the group.
“Oh, I think we’ll watch from out front. It’s the real experience that way.” Jade grinned. It was so much fun to see her in her element.
My phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out to see a text from Chase. Hope you’re enjoying the show tonight. Wish you were going to be at mine.
It hasn’t started. Been interesting chatting backstage. I do want to see one of your shows again.
You will in Savannah.
Can’t wait.
Me either, babe.
I put my phone away and didn’t bother to hide my goofy smile. Talking to Chase always put me in such a good mood.
Chapter Fifteen
Four thirty came way too early on Friday, but I needed at least that much time to get over to the station. Kyle had agreed to come in as well in case Jade needed some help. I knew I wasn’t going to help much because I had no clue what we were doing. From what I gathered, Jade’s show usually involved her playing music and interspersing it with some talking. Interviewing musicians and having them perform live was something new.
Jade was a bundle of nerves as she set everything up. Maddox seemed content sitting back and watching as she frantically moved about. In the end, Maddox had let us off the ‘stay up all night’ hook. Instead, he had Jade call to wake him up. I hadn’t had a chance to ask her how that went.
“Calm down. It’s going to be okay.” Kyle smiled at her. “Just be natural, ask a few questions, and then he’ll perform.”
“I feel so bad he’s here. It’s five a.m. What if no one’s even listening?”
“They are. We advertised this.” I’d spent the better part of Thursday afternoon hanging flyers around campus and at local businesses.
“But it’s five a.m.”
“Then consider it good practice.” I tried to reassure her. No matter what happened, it was going to be a fun experience. “Where do you want me to sit and watch?”
“Keep it down,” Jade hissed. “Maddox is only doing this because he thinks we work as a team—so we’re working as a team.”
“Okay. I can sit and look pretty.” I picked up a set of headphones. “Let’s do this.”
Jade started off a little shaky. I’d listened to her recorded shows before, and normally she sounded much more confident. I considered reaching over to squeeze her hand but worried the contact might throw her off.
“How’d you first get into music?” She threw him an easy question, and I hoped that would put everyone at ease.
“My parents are both really musical. They had me playing the piano by the time I was five, and I never really stopped.” He smiled. I gathered he was thinking back on happy childhood memories.
“That’s cool. I know that your first album was much more indie-rock. What brought on the change?”
“I just got bored. I wish I had a better explanation, but really I just followed my interest.”
I waited for Jade to continue, but she froze. I mean completely froze. She must have been expecting a different response from him or something. Kyle mouthed, “Do something,” because we were having serious dead air time.
I clicked the button they’d explained turned on my microphone. “Hey, Maddox, I was wondering if we could shift this conversation over to the personal side.”
“The personal side? Uh oh. Where’s this going?” He smiled, clearly not concerned.
I decided to run with a line of questioning I knew better. “Do you have
a girlfriend?”
“No, not right now. But I am in the market.”
“Did you hear that, ladies? Maddox Trance is available and looking for the right girl.” I glanced at Jade to make sure she was okay with what I was doing. She seemed relieved, so I continued. “So Maddox, what would this perfect girl be like?”
“Hmm, tough question. I mean what is perfect anyway?”
“And he’s philosophical too.” Wow, I was teasing the guy. What was going on with me?
“If you want philosophical, talk to your boyfriend. I can’t imagine what his pillow talk is like.”
“For those of you who don’t know, Cara’s boyfriend is Chase Denton of Chance of a Lifetime.” Jade was back.
I crossed my legs, trying to get more comfortable. The Chase pillow talk comment had thrown me off. “We’re not talking about Chase right now, Maddox. We’re talking about you. Surely there are certain traits you look for in a partner.”
“She has to be nice. I don’t want a girl who’s going to make fun of anyone else. She also has to be super low-maintenance. Make-up and stuff is a major turn-off.”
“You like the natural look, huh?”
“Exactly.” He adjusted the bill of his Clemson baseball cap. The grin hadn’t left his face since I started my line of questioning.
“Anything else?”
I noticed some annoying red light flashing but ignored it.
He shifted on his stool. “Ideally, she’d like my music.”
“That’s a bonus, although I had no clue Chase was even a musician when we got together.” Clearly, I was getting too comfortable if I was willingly sharing personal information.
“Really?” Maddox sat forward. “He never mentioned that detail.”
“We’ll save that story for when he’s on the air. So blonde or brunette, what’s your preference?”
“Brunette usually.”
Two more lights started flashing, so I looked to Jade for help. She grinned. “Looks like we’ve got some calls, people. That’s a first for this show.” She clicked on one of the buttons. “Hi, you’re on the air.”
“Hi, Maddox. My name’s Virginia.”
“Hi, Virginia.” He smiled.
“I’m a big fan of your Reds album, and well, you’re adorable, so I’d love to go out sometime.”
“Wait, are you asking me out?” Maddox rested his feet on his stool.
“Yes.” The caller giggled.
I glanced at my watch. It wasn’t even five fifteen. Impressive.
“All right, Virginia. I’ll get your info in case Maddox wants to take you up on that.” Jade clicked off on that one and got another. “You’re on the air with Maddox Trance.”
“Hey, Maddox.” It was another girl. “I have a boyfriend, so I’m not offering myself up, but my roommate is a cute brunette who I think you’d like.”
The calls continued, and Maddox and I kept our banter going. It was light, easy, and fun. Jade got into it, and we even managed to squeeze in some music talk. Before we knew it, Maddox was performing.
I turned on my stool so I could watch him. I’d never been a big fan of electronic music, but Maddox had a cool sound. He also sang on top of a heavy bass line and eclectic beats which made it work for me. I just don’t like music without words. I need lyrics to help me connect.
When Maddox finished, I let Jade do the closing. I figured I’d done my part. Hopefully Jade was okay with the direction I’d taken things. She seemed excited by the listener response we got. She put on some music to close out the hour before the next hosts started.
“That was fun, ladies.” Maddox packed up his gear. “I’ll have to tune in to see who else you have on.”
“Thanks so much for coming. I know it was really early.” Jade stood from her stool.
“It was well worth it, but I’m going to go collapse.”
“Nice seeing you again.” I smiled.
“Same to you. Chase picked well with you.”
“Thanks.” I gathered up my coffee cup and purse.
Maddox waved again before disappearing through the door.
“You’re the best.” Jade surprised me with a hug.
“Oh, it was just some quick thinking.”
“It was awesome. I can’t believe you thought of that on the spot.” Kyle joined us. He’d sat in the back of the booth mostly.
“I don’t know enough about music to ask relevant questions, so I just changed to a topic I like better.”
Kyle laughed. “I’ve got an interesting idea, but you can both feel free to veto it.”
“Let us hear it.” I shifted my bag to the more comfortable shoulder.
Kyle stretched his arm to his back. “Want to use my time slot? We can all work together.”
We? Did that still include me? “Wait. Do you mean I’m doing this going forward?”
He smiled. “Yeah. And it’s an eight p.m. show so you can’t even complain about getting up early.”
“We got participation at this hour. Can you imagine our reach at night?” Jade was giddy.
“Oh yeah, we can call it Sleeping with the Band.” I laughed. “Just kidding.”
“That’s perfect!” Jade hugged me. “Sexy, innuendo, different. It’s going to work.”
I turned to Kyle. “Are you really okay turning your hour into a Sleeping with the Band segment?”
“It was my idea, and why not? It doesn’t have to be every week, and we play music all day. People want something different once in a while. They want something personal. What’s better than having sexy sorority girls questioning their favorite local musicians?”
“We can even take requests for guests,” Jade added excitedly.
I felt a surge of excitement of my own. “Chase is going to laugh so hard when he hears this idea.”
“Then call him.”
“It’s not even seven a.m.”
“So? I thought you told me he wakes you up to talk in the middle of the night all the time. This is exciting for you.” Jade leaned against the table.
“All right. I’ll give in to peer pressure.” I dialed him.
Chase’s sleepy voice answered. “Cara?”
“Sorry to wake you up, but I just did a really cool radio show with Jade. I interviewed Maddox and got him to talk about the girl he’s looking for and we’re going to make it a thing. We’re calling it Sleeping with the Band.”
“Wow.” He laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you so worked up about something.”
“I know, right? Kyle is here and he wants in, so he’s going to let us use his eight p.m. time slot instead. It’s going to work so much better. Obviously, you’ll have to come on sometime.”
“Well, your listeners are hopefully already aware of who I’m sleeping with.”
“Yeah… Jade made sure of that.”
He laughed again. “I like this for you. You sound happy, and that makes me happy.”
“All right, you can go back to sleep.”
“Wish you were here,” he added sleepily.
“Same here. Only a few more weeks.”
“I’ll be there before you know it.”
“I know.”
“I’ll call you when I get up.”
“Okay, bye.” I hung up and slipped my phone back into my bag.
“You guys are too cute.” Jade headed to the door.
The next show’s hosts had already arrived. After a brief introduction, we made our way outside.
“Anyone want to do breakfast at Hominy Grill?” Kyle asked.
“Yes, that sounds perfect.” My stomach was already growling.
“Good, I’ll drive.” Kyle dug his keys out of his pocket and we headed over to his car.
Breakfast with my new co-hosts sounded perfect.
Chapter Sixteen
“Get packed.” Mallory pulled a small duffel down from my closet and tossed it onto the floor in front of me.
“Why?” I set aside the history book I was reading.
“Because we’re going on a road trip.” She grinned, and I knew she was up to something.
“A road trip?”
“Yes.” She pulled on a t-shirt over a sports bra. “Juliet and I’ve been talking, and you need this.”
“Need what exactly?” I still hadn’t gotten out of my chair. I’d learned that the ask questions later mentality could be dangerous with Mallory.
“A pick me up. You’re in Chase withdrawal. You’re listening to his music on repeat and staying up all night talking to him.”
“How do you know I’m staying up late?”
“Because love, those circles under your eyes didn’t get there by accident.”
“I’m fine. As much fun as a girl’s weekend sounds, I’m really okay. We’re all busy—”
“Who said anything about a girl’s weekend?” She grinned.
“Wait, what are you suggesting?”
“He’s in Nashville. I already checked. If we leave right after morning classes, we’ll make it to his show tonight.”
“Isn’t that like eight hours from here?”
She laughed. “And you just happened to know precisely how many hours Chase was from you?”
I picked up the duffel off the floor. “Yes…”
“Pack up now so we don’t have to do it later.” She tied her running shoes.
“Who’s we? Is Juliet in?”
“Of course, plus Jade’s coming, and Colt volunteered to drive.”
“Colt? So, the guys are coming?” Considering we were going to see Chase, I didn’t mind if they brought the guys, but Mallory hadn’t mentioned that part of the plan yet.
“Just Colt. Reed’s working.”
“He really doesn’t mind driving us up there?”
“Nope. He enjoys long drives.”
“I’m going to see Chase in a few weeks, I can make it.”
“Yes, technically you can. But why should you suffer?”
“You are all seriously okay with this?” I tried to contain my excitement. As much as I wanted to see Chase, I wasn’t looking forward to putting my friends out.
“Yes. One hundred percent.”
I grinned. “All right. I can’t wait to tell Chase.”
The Hazards of Sex on the Beach Page 14