“Trenton wants to offer you the opening act position on his upcoming arena tour.” The straightlaced label manager announces the offer as if it were already a done deal. “Forty dates, 30 cities and all in under a year.” A large poster is slid across the table. Pictures of Mae and Trenton take up the top half of the poster and fade into the dates below. If I were a casual fan seeing this, I’d think they were sharing the headlining responsibilities.
I watch as Mae gingerly takes the sleek roll into her hands. Her eyes are so full of pride that for a moment, I forget everything we’ve been going through and just let her soak up the moment of seeing her name and face connected to such a big tour.
“I want to do it!” Mae says strongly, zapping me out of the haze.
Trenton’s manager snaps his fingers and passes the marketing pieces to an assistant before turning to me. “We’ll make sure to send you material for social media. Rehearsals start next week.”
As the room starts to move, the tornado of a moment throws me from its grasp. I finally find my place in the whirlwind and turn to Mae. It can’t be too late to change her mind. The time spent on the road with Trenton could seriously injure her.
“I can fake it, even if we’re not getting along,” Mae whispers in defense, though I haven’t said anything yet to deter her.
“Do you really want to go through that?” I whisper back. The last of the men in the room leaves the door open as they exit, which leaves the outside hustle and bustle ready for us. This is no longer a private place to have this conversation.
“We always find each other on stage,” she reassures herself with a smile. “This could be good for us.”
Placing a hand on her wrist, I take a deep breath through the trepidation. “I need you to be sure.”
To her credit, not an ounce of fear is present when she responds. “I can’t pass this up.”
“There will be other opportunities,” I say, shaking my head. While I fight to balance the good and the bad within my own head, Mae just smiles.
“We’re not alone anymore, remember?” Her soft features harden with confidence as she motions to the door. Dalton has angled himself into the room. One look at him, and I realize that Mae’s right. The two of us have been fighting against the machine for so long, and we finally have muscle on our side. The quick high comes crashing down when I remember just who we will be dealing with. Even with Dalton’s presence, we can’t be sure that it’ll be enough to keep things reasonable.
“Promise me,” I begin. “You have to promise that you’ll be honest. That you’ll come to me if it gets to be too much.” Mae starts to laugh it off, but I raise a hand to silence her. It’s very important to me that she hears every word of what I’m saying. “We have to be done with his bullshit. You hear me? This can not be about you and him. It can’t be. This needs to be aboutyourcareer andyourwell-being.”
Thankfully, the serious tone resonates. Mae raises her pinky, and the two of us link our fingers in promise. In the midst of the pact, Dalton finds the courage to walk in. He comes to a stop behind Mae’s chair. Raising my steely gaze, he nods in understanding. We know that Mae’s willing to try, it’s just up to Dalton and me to see her through. With Trenton in the mix, I think it’s going to be a lot harder than either of us realize.
Chapter 16
Dalton
SEEING MAE AND Raleigh with pinky fingers linked was like walking in on something sacred. The two looked so sure, so determined, that I nearly kept to my own business by backing out of the room. It was only Raleigh’s gaze that lured me in. I’d overheard some of what had been discussed in the relatively quick meeting, and Raleigh had been uncharacteristically silent. I’m sure the whole premise of days on end on the road with Trenton was not something on her bucket list, and yet, she let Mae make her own decision.
“Congratulations, Mae,” I say, stepping forward and shaking her shoulder kindly. “You deserve the opportunity.”
“Thank you, Dalton!” she answers, a smile on her face.
Raleigh’s phone dings. She immediately picks it up and scrolls. I see her face falter, but she covers it quickly when she notices my watchful gaze.
“Last chance to turn back,” she says, directing the statement to Mae. “They just sent over the social media guide to schedule posts from. Once it's out there, it’s out there.”
“Oh my god, let me see it!” Mae reaches over and grabs Raleigh’s phone. She scrolls down slightly, and I notice that it’s a digital version of a rolled poster a man had carried out moments earlier. “Approved!” Mae says in delight. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Me either, kid.” Raleigh takes the phone back and without another thought approves the post. She then sends it to the band, and then she approves the post by the label. They certainly aren’t wasting any time. Not even two seconds go by before the notifications start to pour in.
Mae’s bright eyes find mine. “This is what we’ve been working so hard for.” I think I see tears forming in her eyes, but the moment is broken by another phone ringing. Raleigh’s personal phone.
One glance down, and she shoots up from her chair. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to take this.” She flees the room, clutching her phone like she wants to shatter it.
“I didn’t know Raleigh took personal calls,” I say, laughing. “Let alone answered them.”
Holding her phone in front of me, Mae points to the date for Hot Springs, Arkansas. “I can almost guarantee that her family just heard the news.”
I didn’t know Raleigh had a home outside of Nashville. I should’ve guessed—no, actually, I should have asked. Suddenly my mind is flooded with thoughts of what Raleigh’s life looked like outside of music city and before Mae. Do I even know what the capital city of Arkansas is?
“I’m going to go see what I can hear,” Mae says nonchalantly.
“That’s eavesdropping,” I remind her.
