A big thanks to whoever delivered my suitcase to my room. Much appreciated.
L
She typedit out one-handed, hit send, then dropped her other hand with a flourish, indicating for Dean to continue.
He laughed. “You tried to warn me how chaotic it is, but there’s nothing like seeing you in action—at the concert, with your band, even multi-tasking like that—to remind me that there’s a lot of moving parts to the machine.”
“Mm-hmm.” She yawned.
“I’ll let you get to bed.”
“No, it’s okay. I want to debrief a bit. I’m just worn out, even though I had a rest. Hey, speaking of that, I heard you playing poker with the band.”
His eyes warmed. “Thanks for that tip.”
“You’re welcome. That went well?”
“Yeah. They’re a good group.”
“They really are.”
He kicked his legs out in front him and crossed them at the ankles. “I liked that last song you played tonight, by the way. ‘River Bed Lullaby’? I’ve heard it before, but wow, in person it was something else.”
Oh, she loved that song to pieces. It thrilled her that he’d chosen that one to compliment her on, even if it was probably a random pick. “That’s my biggest hit to date. It was my first single.” She sighed and he gave her a curious look. What the hell…she’d already shared a lot with him already. “I was just thinking, as I often do…I wonder if I’d have been given a chance to record it if I’d been with Track when I wrote it.” He gave her a horrified look and she laughed without humour. “Yeah. That’s the depth to which I fear he’s controlled and limited my career. Nice, eh?”
Dean’s face tightened as he waited for her to continue. It was a sad truth she never said out loud to anyone, and she was surprised she was sharing it now. But in some ways, the fact that he knew little about the industry made it easier.
“Anyway, all of that fuels some pretty ugly negative self-talk in my head when I try something new.” She let out a rough exhale and closed her eyes for a second.Get it together. “Remember I was telling you about ‘Cravings’? It’s just one of those songs I can’t give up on, even though it didn’t get to be a single. It’s totally different from ‘River Bed Lullaby,’ but in my heart it feels the same.”
“That’s what you wish all of your songs were like. From the heart?”
“Every songwriter thinks that. And it’s not necessarily autobiographical in anyway. Just…songs that Ifeel, you know?”
“I don’t know if I’ve heard ‘Cravings.’”
“Probably not.” Only people who’d bought the entire album would have. Track had even stymied an inquiry to have it in a movie soundtrack. She scowled at that memory.
“I’ll listen to it tonight.”
“I can give you the album…” She moved to get up and fetch a CD from the ever-present box of swag in the corner of her room, but he held up his hand.
“I own it.” He winked when she failed to stifle her surprise. “I bought all your stuff after Hope hired us. I just haven’t had a chance to listen to everything yet. Been kind of busy.”
“Well, enjoy. It’s what I want my next album to sound more like.”
“Awesome.”
“Maybe.”
“What’s not to like?”
She laughed. “That’s…a whole big thing to explain. But long story short, the label approves my song selections.”
“The label.”
“Yeah.”
“Track.”
