THE BIGGEST STAGE (A Brothers of Rock - WILLOW SON - novel) (5 page)

Shit
…
she needed rent money
…

The fantasy of the rockstar was now
shattered as reality pushed through and won.

(5)

The car stopped in front of what
looked like a garage. The driver hurried to open the door and Colby climbed
out. He took off his sunglasses and looked around. It was quiet, desolate, a
hint of salt in the air from the beach so close. He swore if he listened hard
enough he
’
d probably hear
the waves hitting the shore or crashing into the rocks.

“
This
is it?
”
Colby asked.

“
My
directions were to bring you here,
”
the driver said. He then looked around.
“
I
’
m a really big fan of yours. I
mean, the band and everything.
”

“
Thanks.
I - we - appreciate it. This is all just temporary. Shopping around some record
companies until we figure out what to do next. I promise there will be new
music and some shows soon. Willow Son will survive
…”

Am I convincing this stranger or
myself?

“
Um,
I really feel embarrassed here,
”
the driver said.
“
I could
lose my job
…”

Colby grinned. He held up a hand.
Reaching into the backseat, Colby grabbed a guitar case and two bags of clothes
and supplies. He opened one of the bags and took out a notebook. On a clean
sheet of paper he wrote:
Thanks for the ride! Keep rocking!
and then
signed his name. He tore the page from the notebook, folded it up, and stuck it
in the driver
’
s breast
pocket of his buttoned down white shirt.

“
That
’
s
…”

“
Don
’
t worry about it,
”
Colby said.
“
You have any idea where the rest
of the band is?
”

“
No,
I
’
m sorry,
”
the driver said.
“
I was told to drive you here.
”

“
Okay,
my man. You can take off.
”

The driver got into the car and
slowly started to pull away. Colby grabbed his stuff and walked it to the
garage. He put the bags and guitar down. He grabbed the handle and tried
pulling, but the door was locked.

“
Figured,
”
he whispered.

He turned and reached down on the
ground for the guitar case. There was never a bad time to strum a few chords
and see what came to mind with things. Inspiration was a funny beast, showing
up whenever the hell it wanted.

Part of the problem with Willow Son
was that companies didn
’
t
want to take the risk on a band that had been around for so long
…
because of the reputation
…
but they wanted a band that had
something to offer. A double edged sword for sure.

As Colby strummed the guitar, there
were a million things to think about. Every decision he ever made in life. From
surviving a rough upbringing, to the night he got into a car that would end up
wrapped around a tree with one of the passengers not surviving. That was the
kicker in the Willow Son grave for a lot of people. The way it all played out.
The only saving grace was that it happened long before the instant news of
social media.

None of that was as important to
Colby as what happened at the damn hotel.

He
’
d
gotten up late and hated himself for it the second he rolled off the couch and
scrambled to find a clock. The band ended up scattered across the hotel room,
Harry getting the bed. Somehow, between clearing out the minibar of three rooms
and jamming out - acoustic, to keep the management and police away - Jett,
Ryker, and Van ended up making some
new friends
and had those friends in
the room for the morning.

But Colby didn
’
t care. He hurried to change and
get down to the room he gave Tessa. After knocking for a few minutes, he rushed
to the elevator and went to the lobby. There he asked for a copy of the
keycard. A woman gave it to him and warned him that someone had checked out
earlier in the day. Refusing to believe that, Colby went to the room and found
it empty.

Damn empty.

Tessa had left because he had been
late.

The room was empty, and it bothered
the hell out of Colby. There had been so many missed opportunities in his life
that it didn
’
t really
matter anymore. But that one did. Mostly because he never found out why she was
actually crying. What put her outside that hotel at the exact moment. The way
she turned around and looked right at him. How she pushed back at him and
flirted.

And her eyes.

Pretty eyes.

That was the end of it all though.

Colby had touched the pillows on
the bed, shook his head, and left the room.

Now he was miles away. Far from the
hotel, the restaurant, and the entire scene with the balcony, the show, and
almost getting arrested.

After playing a few more minutes,
another black car pulled up. Both back doors opened and out poured the rest of
the band. Harry got out of the front passenger seat. Jett, Ryker, and Van each
had a bag over their shoulder, a guitar case in their hands. Brantley had a
big, black suitcase and pair of drumsticks sticking out of his back pocket.

Colby stood up.
“
What the hell is this? I feel
like I
’
m in a mob movie and
I
’
m going to get killed.
”

“
Maybe,
”
Harry said.
“
My family has connections
…”

“
Shut
up,
”
Jett said with a
laugh.
“
Your family lives
in Tampa, Florida. Aren
’
t
they all vegans, too?
”

“
Killer
vegans,
”
Harry said.

Colby whistled.
“
What are we doing here?
”

“
Little
present for you guys,
”
Harry said.
“
Because when
we get signed by Portis Millersen tonight, this will be something like home for
you all.
”

“
A
garage?
”
Colby asked.

Harry stuck a key in the handle and
turned. He then opened the garage with a big grin on his face.
“
Not a garage. A place to play
and live. To write some new music
…”

Colby looked and had to blink ten
times to make sense of it all.

It was indeed a garage, at least on
the outside. The inside was fully remodeled and looked just like a loft
apartment. It had a small kitchen, two beds, and it was wide open complete with
everything Willow Son needed. All their equipment was there and set up.

“
How
the hell did you do this?
”
Van asked.

“
I
know a guy,
”
Harry said.
“
It
’
s
yours for the year.
”

“
We
’
re just a couple hours from my
place,
”
Colby said.

“
Who
the hell wants to write rock music in the cold and snow?
”
Brantley asked.

Colby did. There was nothing like a
chilly night with a fire. Especially if he had company up there, too. But,
hell, how long had it been since he had company up at his place?

“
This
is amazing,
”
Colby said.

“
Tonight
’
s your night,
”
Harry said.
“
We
’
re
going to the party and we
’
re
going to meet with Portis. I have songs, demos, everything.
”

“
What
happens to our old music?
”
Ryker asked.

“
You
can do what you want for now,
”
Harry said.
“
I hear
rumblings that there
’
s
going to be an open bidding for the copyright. I
’
m
doing everything I can to fix it. To get it all back to you five. So it
’
s right and fair.
”

“
Everyone
good with that?
”
Jett
asked.

“
With
what?
”
Colby asked.

“
Five
equal shares,
”
Jett said.

“
Why
wouldn
’
t we be?
”
Brantley asked.

“
He
’
s right,
”
Van said.
“
Right
now, we agree to it again. No bullshit with copyright and creative efforts,
okay?
”

Colby got in between everyone.
“
No. This is not even a
conversation. Willow Son has been the five of us from day one. I don
’
t care if it
’
s a lyric, a chord, or a
drumbeat. It
’
s all part of
the sound. The five of us created the sound, the five of us will get paid
equally.
”

They put their fists together and
agreed on it.

That
’
s
how they became a band in the first place. Agreeing to stick it out, no matter
what.

Colby couldn
’
t wait to write in the place. With the door open
and nobody around, it was like an oasis. Add to that the gentle sound of the beach,
it was serene.

“
Let
’
s hit the beach,
”
Ryker said.
“
See what
’
s there.
”

He grinned.

The rest of the band agreed.

“
Don
’
t get drunk,
”
Harry warned.
“
And don
’
t get lost. We have to be there tonight.
”

“
We
rarely get lost,
”
Colby
said.
“
And when we do, we
always find our way back.
”

“
Usually
in handcuffs!
”
Harry
shouted.

They were on the move already. The
five of them, Willow Son, off to hit the beach. Whatever waited on the beach,
Colby couldn
’
t wait to see.
There was nothing like the sight of a beautiful woman in a bikini.

He thought about Tessa right then.
What she looked like in a bikini
…
that dark hair and pretty eyes
…
her body
…

He gritted his teeth and sucked in
a breath, coming to terms with reality - he
’
d
never see Tessa again.

**

“
Can
we please go to the beach now?
”

Tessa hurried to type. She had ten
more emails and at least two conference calls she should have taken care after
this email. Christie somehow just didn
’
t
care about anything at all. She had the sales numbers to back it up. Then
again, Tessa did too, but she liked to play along with the company. Her dream
was to get bumped up into a management level where she could stay put in one
place and make more money. Then she could send out emails and demand replies.
She could sit in her air conditioned office and have conference calls. Bitch,
yell, scream, and collect a really nice paycheck.

Tessa hit
SEND
and then
cracked her knuckles.

“
A
hotel on the beach without going to the beach is wasted,
”
Christie said.

“
Then
go down,
”
Tessa said.
“
I
’
ll
be down in a minute.
”

“
Yeah,
right. If I leave you, you
’
ll
work until tonight.
”

Tessa looked at Christie, wanting
to argue, but she just shook her head.

Christie was right.

Tessa set her eyes back on the
screen. An email popped up from Wendy
’
s
landlord. Some woman named Jane who worked for the management company that
owned the building Wendy lived in. There was a laundry list of problems with
Wendy right now. She was on the verge of being kicked out, even with Tessa
sending in the past due rent payment.

As Tessa hit reply and started to
formulate some kind of begging email, Christie
’
s
hand appeared and she tried to shut the laptop screen.

“
Wait,
”
Tessa said.

“
No.
What
’
s so important
…
wait, who is this?
”

Tessa looked up at Christie and
sighed.
“
Wendy. It
’
s her landlord.
”

“
What?
Again?
”

“
She
and her boyfriend had some problems. She needed help with money.
”

“
Again?
”
Christie said.
“
You can
’
t support her. She
’
s,
what, twenty-eight?
”

“
She
has nobody,
”
Tessa said.
“
It
’
s
always been me.
”

“
She
has to survive on her own. You know that.
”