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“Hell yeah!” Steven held up a hand and Riley high-fived it. “Are you excited about the reunion tour?”
“I am, totally. That’s actually why I’m here.” Riley inhaled sharply, putting on her best smile. “Is Skylar around? I wanted to ask her about running the social media for Maine Event while they’re on tour.”
Steven smiled and nodded. “She’s in the back doing paperwork but I’ll get her for you. But between us, they’d be crazy not to have you do that.”
Riley could barely contain her excitement as Steven went to the back office to get Skylar. She knew that everything in her life had led her to this moment in time. All those years of obsessing over Maine Event, the countless nights spent dissecting every single lyric, the hours of fan videos she’d recorded and produced over the years had prepared her for this. Skylar had to see that.
While she waited for Skylar, Riley perused the record store’s selection of vinyl. She wasn’t a vinyl collector outside of the Maine Event ones, but she loved browsing through all the various covers. If nothing else it helped her get ideas for future designs she’d make for companies.
“Hey, Riley.”
“Hey,” Riley’s voice squeaked as she smiled at Skylar. She nervously cleared her throat. “Hi, Skylar. How are you?”
“I’m well. Dad said you wanted to talk to me.” A smirk formed on her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her long blonde hair was pinned back in a ponytail, and her hoodie and jeans made her look like anyone else, not the major celebrity she was in Riley’s mind. “I have a feeling I know what it’s about.”
Riley nervously laughed. “Probably. But, as you know, I’ve been running the unofficial Maine Event fan page for years and it’s still going strong. I don’t know if you saw it, but the video I posted of you and Elena at the bar the other night already has over a million views. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what I can do. I’ve been the go-to social media content creator for people in town for the last few years. I’ve even done work for national companies, too. It’s my passion, and I would love to merge it with my love of Maine Event and offer my services as the Maine Event official social media manager.”
She forced herself to take a breath after her rambling as she waited for Skylar to say something. Anything, really. But Skylar’s silence was making her nervous, so she began rambling again.
“And, as you know, I work for myself and most of my work is remote so I can travel with the band and make content right from the road. Hell, I’ll rent a van and travel the country if it means I can go with you all. Just please, give me this chance. I won’t let you down.”
“Oh, I know you won’t,” Skylar chuckled. “I’ve been keeping up with your blog for years, and I know the quality of work you create. You’re good.”
“Th—thank you,” Riley stammered. Even though she’d talked to Skylar a million times before, Riley suddenly felt star struck in her presence. “That means a lot to hear from you.”
“I’ll happily suggest you to the new team, but it’s not up to me to make the decision of who runs the social media. For all I know that’s included with the new manager.”
“Totally. I get that. I just wanted to throw my resume into the ring.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you should get the job. No one loves Maine Event as much as you do.”
“Very true,” Riley giggled. “It would be an honor to work with you all. Seriously.”
“I’ll bring it up with the band. I’m going out to California in a few weeks to start rehearsals, so I’ll mention it before then. That way, if they hire you, you can head out there too and record the rehearsals.”
Riley let out a sound that was a mix between a laugh and a gasp. Even the possibility of getting that kind of access to the band thrilled Riley to no end.
“I’m not saying it’s a done deal,” Skylar laughed, “but I’ll advocate for you for sure.”
“Thank you so much, Skylar. I won’t let you down, I promise you that.”
“Give me your number so I can keep you updated?”
Skylar Ford just asked for my number. Holy. Shit.
Riley tried to play it cool as Skylar typed her number into her phone, then sent her a text so Riley would have her number, too. After saying goodbye and thanking her again, Riley nearly floated out of the record store. The reunion tour would change her life, Riley could feel it in her bones. Now all she had to do was wait.
Which was going to be easier said than done.
Chapter 3
Harlow
It had been so long since Harlow had seen a rehearsal that she’d forgotten how exhilarating it was. Watching Maine Event slowly come back as the band Harlow had known and loved for years was as mesmerizing as it was nerve-racking. The tension between Elena and Skylar was almost palpable as Harlow sat on the stool beside Johnny Lundy listening to the band play one of their biggest hits.
They were in the recording booth in Elena’s Santa Barbara home studio for the first official rehearsal for the reunion tour. Harlow had been busy scheduling the nationwide reunion tours the last few weeks and was thankful to be taking a break from phone calls and spreadsheets. Thankfully, everything had come together relatively easily. Most venues were jumping at the chance of hosting the Maine Event reunion tour and had even contacted Harlow before she could reach out to them.
Harlow was thankful that her job had been relatively easy so far. Granted, the real work was about to begin. She’d packed three suitcases of clothes, shoes, and her Kindle and flown to California a few days ago. There was no doubt in Harlow’s mind she wanted to be back on tour with Maine Event, and that was only confirmed when Johnny told her she’d have a bus to travel in.
