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Chapter 1
Harlow
Rainy days were Harlow Hawkins’s favorite. They usually matched her mood, even with the concoction of antidepressants she was on. Dreary days allowed her to sit by the window, sipping hot tea, and watch the rain roll down the glass without remorse. Not that she felt any, anyway. If Harlow was good at anything, it was protecting her peace.
She was probably too good at that, actually.
Her job as a band manager made it almost critical that she enjoy her time alone whenever she found it. After weeks or months on the road, Harlow had to take time off to recharge her brain and body. Going nonstop wasn’t something Harlow was used to anymore.
Not since her days as a tour manager with Maine Event were long in the past. Back then, Harlow spent the better part of three years living out of a tour bus with several other people. But Harlow had been young and naïve then and thought working herself to death would help her move from an assistant tour manager to a band manager quicker. In reality, it only burned Harlow out faster than a candle in the wind.
These days, Harlow typically stayed away from big bands. She only managed a few indie bands with a small but decent fan base who mostly opened for large bands or played music festivals. More importantly to Harlow, she no longer had to go on tour with her bands. Harlow was free to take only the tours she was passionate about while the rest of the jobs went to the younger employees at her company, Hawkins Management Group.
Not that Harlow in any way considered herself old. Hell, she was only a couple of years into her thirties. But Harlow much preferred to do all her work from her home office rather than backstage at a loud concert with thousands of screaming fans. At least at her home office, she could turn in the relaxing soundscapes that focused her mind while she worked on organizing tours for a few of her clients.
Harlow’s business had grown significantly over the last few years. Everyone wanted to be the next Maine Event and they thought Harlow could help get them there. She didn’t bother to tell them she had little to do with Maine Event’s successes. Besides managing the tour and ensuring everyone was on stage when they were supposed to be, Harlow didn’t have much input otherwise.
But Maine Event didn’t need anyone’s help to skyrocket to the top. They went from small town band to rock stars almost overnight after their first single went big. Every stop on the tour sold out within minutes of going on sale and their albums barely lasted an hour in the stores on release days. Maine Event was literally the main event and everyone knew it—even Harlow.
As is often the case, though, great fame came with great responsibility. The band toured for years before Harlow slowly watched it unravel around her. She tried to hold them together for the band’s sake, but it was like keeping sand in a sifter. It was inevitable the band would break up, and when it finally happened, Harlow was borderline relieved. Gone were the days of little to no sleep in a tour bus that had seen better days and in their place was a schedule that allowed Harlow to actually consider getting a pet.
Granted, she never did. But she did think about it.
Instead, Harlow purchased a small house just outside of Grand Junction, Colorado. The back porch overlooked an expansive vineyard with picturesque Rocky Mountains behind it. Several bird feeders were perched on hooks out in her yard and Harlow watched a few birds flitting about between them. She’d purposefully positioned her desk to overlook the view for that reason.
Harlow sighed at her to-do list sitting beside her laptop. She currently only had two bands on tour, but several more were scheduled to start tours soon. And with summer only a few months away, Harlow knew the music festivals would be contacting her shortly.
And as if on cue, her phone rang.
“More calls, more money,” she grumbled as she answered the ringing phone. Harlow put on her customer service voice as she said, “Hawkins Management Group, how may I help you?”
“Yes, may I speak to Harlow please?”
Although it had been years since Harlow had heard the voice on the other end of the line, she knew who it was instantly.
“Elena?”
“Harlow?” Elena Cruz laughed. “I thought it was you but I wasn’t sure.”
“It’s me.”
She leaned back in her chair, propping her feet on the small stool under her desk. Elena Cruz had been the lead singer of Maine Event and one of Harlow’s close friends back then. The two had grown apart since the band broke up, but Harlow had tried to keep up with her career as much as she could.
“Man, it’s been years since I’ve heard from you. How are you doing? What have you been up to? You’re still touring, right?”
“Yeah, but not big time. If it were, you know I’d have you as my manager.”
Harlow chuckled. “You’d be silly not to.”
“That’s actually why I called.”
“Ah,” Harlow sat up straighter, “okay. I’m listening.”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard yet, but we’re trying to get the band back together.”
Slowly standing, Harlow’s mind began racing over what the possibility of a Maine Event reunion tour could mean. Maine Event still had a loyal fan base, primarily thanks to its very active unofficial fan club’s social media accounts. And Harlow would be lying if she said she didn’t want to be a part of that tour again. Being with Maine Event might have exhausted her to no end, but it was also the best time of Harlow’s life.
“This agent, Johnny Lundy, approached me about it a few weeks ago. He used to work with Shannon Brooks, our old agent, remember?” She didn’t pause for Harlow to confirm she did. “Anyway, I’m on board, obviously. Erica, Michael, Andy, and Gordon are all on board too. We haven’t heard back from Skylar yet, but I’m on my way to Maine in a couple of days to talk some sense into her.”
