Chapter 18
18
S ean was so pumped he wanted to jump up and down and yell. What an achievement. What a career moment. What a day. What a fucking day.
He turned and Mina ran to him. He scooped her up in his arms and spun her around.
"What did you think, Mina? What did you think?"
"Oh, Dad, it was great. I've never seen you play before. I'm so stoked. You were good. You were so good. And that song. Oh, my God that song, Dad."
He nodded. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he blinked them away.
"I know, right? The instant I had the words on paper, I knew it was something. It was just too emotional to even think about recording it for years. For years and years I'd think about it and pull that old notebook from the drawer, but I'd get choked up playing it or singing it. I'm so glad Jami wanted us to start writing our own songs. I'm so glad you got to see this baby girl."
"Me too, Dad. Me too."
He looked around the room. "Where's your mom?"
Mina lifted her right shoulder slightly. "She needed a moment. She's in the bathroom right now. I think she's overwhelmed. Nervous. Scared. All of it."
He nodded. "I totally get that. I'm actually anxious for the three of us to just go somewhere now. I had mentioned to your mom earlier about driving back to Blossom Springs. Do you want to do that? I can hire someone to bring one of your vehicles. We can ride together and chat a little bit. I've got security already working on the house, surrounding the perimeter, so we can be undisturbed. I don't know what the fallout of today is going to be as far as I'm concerned.
"And I've called Jami and told him what's going on, too. Not that I had to. He saw the posts on the Internet, they all did, the band."
"I bet they did. Yeah. I'm sorry about all of that. I mean, who knew?"
"It's all right, honey. It's all right. Things work out the way they're supposed to work out. I'm a firm believer in that. So we'll deal. The band will deal. Jami's working on that part of it with the band. Not that there'll be much fallout from this, but just how to head it off at the pass. He did say there were reporters there trying to ask questions. So I had my security team expand out to the Barn too. So they're left alone."
"Oh, that's a good idea."
"OK, so as soon as Mom comes out, is that the plan, then? We're going to go to Blossom Springs. We don't have suitcases or anything, Dad. They're back at the B and B."
"I'll have somebody go get them. We don't need to go there. It's going to be a shit show, anyway."
"Are you sure? I mean, I unpacked some of my things and put them in the dresser."
"I'll have someone take care of it. I do have a couple strings I can pull."
Mina laughed. “Good thing. Thanks, Dad. We appreciate it. I think it's fine for us to go to Blossom Springs. It'll be nice to be able to be alone. But you're going to miss all the things you wanted to do here this weekend."
He shook his head. "I've already told your mom none of it means anything anymore. I mean, sure, it's important, and it's where I grew up, but the only thing important to me right now is us, our little family. And I disagree with your mom. We are a family. We're going to be a family somehow. Somehow, we are going to be a family."
Mina's eyes watered and she swiped at her tears. She leaned over and grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and wiped her nose.
"I don't know if I can ever tell you what that means to me to hear that. All the years I've wanted a whole family."
He nodded and swallowed the emotion that clogged his throat. He pulled her in for a hug and held her close. "You've got one now, baby girl, you've got one now."
He saw the bathroom door open and Gloria stepped out. She'd fixed her makeup and hair. Her shoulders were pulled back tightly and her posture was stiff. She rubbed her hands together and looked around the room. When their eyes met, her lips quivered, and she managed a weak smile.
"There's your mom. Let's say goodbye to Chris and his associates and hit the road."
"Okay."
Mina turned, and they walked together to say their goodbyes. Gloria did the same, but kept her distance.
After their goodbyes, he slung his guitar case over his shoulder and led Mina to Gloria, and without a word, the three of them left the room. They followed the empty hallway to the parking area where their vehicle was parked. Stopping at the door, he twisted the handle. "Hang tight a minute."
Peering around the outside to make sure they wouldn't be accosted, he opened the door wide and nodded to Mina and Gloria. "Let's get in the vehicle quickly."
He slid his guitar into the back of his SUV as Mina and Gloria buckled themselves in. He jumped into the driver's seat and started it up. As they neared the gate, it opened, and he slowly exited the area. There wasn't anyone around, and he let out a deep breath. His eyes scanned the area looking for anything amiss and he maneuvered his SUV out the back parking area and onto a back street. He tapped his phone icon and the robotic voice asked him for a command.
"Call Tony Baluco."
The phone rang and Tony answered on the second ring. "How are things going?"
"Good. Tony, the concert was amazing. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. For right now, I'm driving back to Blossom Springs with Gloria and Mina. They have suitcases at the B and B. Can you find someone to gather their suitcases and bring their vehicle to my house?"
Tony chuckled. "I'm not your secretary, Sean."
"I'm aware. Also, I think it's about time we hire someone to do some of this stuff for us."
"We've been talking about that. Jami and me. We're in agreement. I'm going to hire an assistant who will work under me, and he will take care of all of this type of stuff."
"Sounds like you already have someone in mind."
"I do. We'll talk when you're back and have the time. Drive carefully. See you later."