Chapter 6

“Thanks, Logan,” I said. “It’s good to see you here. What were the odds?”

“I know, right?” he replied as he ran a hand through his dark blonde hair.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, happy to see him.

“Well, my friends dragged me out tonight. And to think that I almost didn’t come! Now, I’m glad I did.” He thought for a moment, then asked, “Are you going to be playing here?”

I shook my head. “No. Believe it or not, I just met Tasha and she invited me here tonight.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” he said, taking a sip of his drink.

“Nope,” I said as a broad smile spread across my face. “Well, I have to get back. It was good to see you…”

“May I see you again?” he asked as his ice-blue eyes actually sparkled, reflecting the light.

“I have your number,” I said, trying to be cool as I started walking away, and then turned back and added, “I’ll call you.”

He shook his head as his lips curled into a smile. “Sounds good.” Then, he raised his glass to me once more in salute and walked back out into the crowded room to find his friends.

I went into the bathroom and did what I had to do, then looked in the mirror as I washed my hands. My hair was a bit wild, but my green eyes danced. I had never been so happy.

A few minutes later, I walked back out to the crowd and made my way back to the wings to the right of the stage just as Tasha was finishing up. She did two encores before she left the stage and met me in the wings.

“That was amazing!” I said, surprised when she pulled me in for a hug.

“No. You are!” she said, and then pulled back. “Hang out for a bit. I want to talk to you.”

“Okay,” I said, wondering why.

She gave me a quick nod then ran back onto the stage one last time to wave to the crowd.

I walked over to my guitar case when Frank came up behind me. “That was amazing,” he said, leaning against the wall, watching me as I laid my guitar back in its case.

“Thanks,” I said, then sat down on the bench. “Tasha asked me to wait for her. Is it okay if I wait here?”

He nodded. “Sure,” he said. “Would you like a drink?”

“Diet Coke, please,” I said, then added, “Wait! I’ll get it.”

“No, you don’t,” he said, laughing as he raised a hand to stop me. “Musicians drink for free.”

I nodded as a broad smile spread across my face, realizing that he considered me one of the musicians. He disappeared and was back a few minutes later with my soda. “Thanks,” I said, taking a long drink, thirstier than I thought. “How long have you known Tasha?”

He took a deep breath. “A long time. I’m her manager.”

I nodded, understanding.

About a half hour later, Tasha appeared, running a white hand towel across her neck. “There you are,” she said. “You got a minute?”

I nodded.

“Then, come with me.” She walked out without looking back, expecting me to follow.

We walked through the crowd to a secluded room. Tasha signed a few autographs as we walked through the crowd, and she smiled when a few fans asked me for my signature, too. I was actually shocked, but I took the pen and happily signed. When I finished, we walked through a corridor to a room in the back of the club. Frank opened the door and flipped on the lights, revealing a large round table. Without a word, Tasha and I sat down while Frank and a bodyguard stood.

“So, do you think you could do this all the time?” she asked, suddenly serious.

“What? Perform?” I wasn’t sure what she was asking or where this was leading.

Tasha smiled. “Not just perform, but sing and play your ass off like you did tonight. You had the crowd eating out of your hand. Can you perform like that all the time?”

“Sure,” I replied as a waitress suddenly slid another Diet Coke in front of me. I thanked her, but quickly turned my attention back to Tasha.

Tasha looked over at Frank, and then back at me. “Alyssa, I’m going on tour soon. How would you like to open for me?”

“Sure … yes … I’d love to!” I stammered, not sure what to say. I was sure that I was coming off as a blithering idiot, but I didn’t care. I had just arrived in Nashville, got to perform at a great venue, and was now asked if I wanted to open for Tasha Granger on tour. I think blithering idiot didn’t even begin to cover it.

Tasha laughed. “Well, great! It certainly was a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you.” She looked up at Frank, and he nodded.

“Meet me at the SDC Studios tomorrow and we’ll discuss the details,” Frank said. “Do you have a band yet?”

“No; not yet,” I replied, clearly in shock.

“Well, you’ll need one, but we can work that out later,” Frank replied. “You’re also going to need a manager. I’ll get someone for you. I can handle you while you’re on tour with Tasha, but you’ll need a manager that will look out for your best interests. And right now, I have my hands full with Tasha.”

“No problem. Do you have someone in mind?” I asked, clearly intrigued.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Frank said, giving me a kind smile. “But you’ll need someone fast to negotiate your recording contract. You’ll need to have a few singles out before the tour begins.”

“When is that?”

“In three months, which doesn’t give us a lot of time.” Frank slid a business card across the table at me. “Here’s my card, but meet me at the studio tomorrow and be prepared to sing your ass off like you did tonight.” He smiled as he offered me his hand.

“I’ll be there,” I said as I shook his hand. “This is all happening so fast.” I looked over at Tasha. “Thank you for everything … for this opportunity … for everything.”

“You just sing your ass off while we’re on tour like you did tonight and there won’t be any problem,” she said as she pulled me in for another quick hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

I nodded.

“Also, do you have a place to stay yet?” she asked, concerned.

“I’ll stay in a hotel tonight. Then, I’ll look for a place tomorrow.” Honestly, I hadn’t thought any further than playing tonight.

“Frank can help you with that tomorrow,” she opened her wallet, but Frank stopped her and quickly threw a few hundred dollars down onto the table.

“I can’t take that,” I said as my eyes popped open wide.

“Yes; you can,” Tasha said. “You sang your ass off tonight, and this is your payment.”

I nodded. “Okay, but I’m paying you back…”

“Oh no; you’re not,” she said. “You earned this.”

“Just meet me at the studio tomorrow,” Frank said, lifting his eyebrows. “We’ll work out the details then.”

“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you. Frank will give you the address of the studio, or we can send a car to pick you up if you like?” Tasha asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

“No. I can find it.” I couldn’t believe what was happening. Wasn’t I supposed to pay my dues first? Although I was sure that I would get a crash course in paying my dues on tour. “Tasha, thank you so much for this opportunity,” I gushed. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t,” she said, giving me a wink. “Just be there tomorrow at the studio.”

“And don’t be late,” Frank added as everyone smiled.

“What time?” I asked.

“Is two o’clock okay?” Frank asked. “Musicians sleep in since we’re up all night performing.”

“Sure. I’ll be there,” I said, and waved goodbye as they left the room, leaving me behind. I stood in the room alone for a minute, letting it all soak in as I looked at Frank’s business card. I couldn’t resist and jumped up and down, doing a happy dance when the door opened.

“Ahem,” a male voice cleared his throat, catching my attention.

Mortified, I froze, not sure what to say after being busted. When I looked up, it was Zane, the bouncer.