Chapter 24
This is not a prank call.
Addy
“A ddy!” Mila screams and I sigh. Is five minutes of quiet time too much to ask?
“ADDY!” I guess it is.
I slam my notebook shut and get to my feet. I march to Mila and Penelope’s bedroom. “What?”
Mila points at Penelope. “She plucked out one of my eyelashes.”
I raise an eyebrow at Penelope. “Did you?”
She shrugs. “Mila shouldn’t have thrown my book into the toilet.”
“I didn’t throw it in there on purpose.”
“Why did you have my book in the first place? You can’t possibly care about the differences in Egyptian pyramids.”
Mila stares at the wall.
“Mila,” I push.
She throws her arms in the air. “I was trying to hide her book to stop her from reading. I wanted someone to play with. But she never wants to play. She’s always reading. Bor-ing! ”
“Reading is not boring. Of course.” Penelope sniffs. “You wouldn’t know since you can’t read.”
Mila stomps her foot. “I can too read.”
“Penelope. Don’t tease your sister about reading. She can read.”
“At a third grade level.”
“Because I’m in third grade.”
They began to bicker and I rub circles in my temples where I feel a headache coming on. Dealing with handsy clients at Five Fathoms is preferable to dealing with my sisters.
“Girls.” They continue to argue. “Girls!”
My phone rings before I have a chance to get them under control. I glance at it. I don’t recognize the number. Since I can recognize pretty much everyone’s phone number of Smuggler’s Hideaway, I hit ignore.
“Girls!”
My phone rings again. Same number . Obviously, this person is not going away. Great. Another distraction.
I swipe to answer. “This is the girls’ fight club. How may I direct your call? Hair pulling. Bed unmaking. Or throwing books into the toilet."
“I knew you could sing and write songs. I didn’t know you were funny.”
I don’t recognize the voice. “I’m sorry. Who is this?”
“This is Juliet Ash.”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny, Otis.”
“Who’s Otis?”
“Otis,” I growl. “Stop it. I don’t have time for your fun and games now.”
“What fun and games?” Otis asks from behind me.
My brow wrinkles. “You’re not prank calling me?”
“Are you having a stroke? I’m standing in front of you without my phone. I’m not calling you. Duh.” He rolls his eyes before wandering off.
“I don’t know who Otis is but I want to meet him.”
Shit on a pirate’s ship. I’ve been holding my phone to my ear this entire time.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” the woman says. “This is more entertainment than I’ve had all day.”
“Can we begin again? Hi, I’m Addison Price. And you are?”
“Juliet Ash.”
My heart beats against my chest, and my hand holding the phone shakes. “Juliet Ash? As in the pop star?”
“I prefer singer.”
“Shit. Sorry. Shit. And now I’ve sworn twice on the phone with Juliet Ash.”
She giggles. “I knew you’d be fun.”
“You knew I’d be fun? How did you know I’d be fun?”
“You were singing in a bar full of women dressed up as mermaids.”
I gulp. “You saw the video.”
“Darling, everyone on the planet saw the video.”
I drop down onto Penelope’s bed. “This is embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing? Why? You can sing, and I loved your song. ”
“You did?”
“It’s why I reached out.”
“It is?”
“How would you feel about me recording your song?”
My mouth gapes open, and my brain forgets how to work. Juliet Ash – international pop star who toured with the one and only Taylor Swift – wants to record my song. Am I having a stroke? I sniff. I don’t smell toast. Darn it. I’ve forgotten all the other signs of a stroke.
“Addy? May I call you Addy?”
I manage to get my voice to work. “Yes.”
“I know this is a shock. Although considering your YouTube video got over two million views, you—”
“Two million?”
“You haven’t checked?”
“Um, no.”
I’ve forgotten all about the video. Which sounds crazy. But apparently, falling in love consumes all of your brain cells. I shove those thoughts away. I am not falling in love with Gage. He’s leaving at the end of the summer.
“You are a breath of fresh air.”
“Thank you?”
“I’ve shocked you. Why don’t I give you some time to think about it? In the meantime, I’ll have my lawyers send you the paperwork to license the song.”
“License? ”
“I don’t believe in buying songs from other artists. You keep the copyright but give me the right to record, produce, and perform the song.”
“Oh, okay.”
“This is my private number. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have. It was nice meeting you, Addy Price.”
“You too.”
“Addy?” Penelope waves her hand in front of my face. “Are you okay?”
“Okay?” I snort. “Juliet Ash wants to record my song.”
“Who’s Juliet Ash?”
Mila rolls her eyes. “She’s a pop star, doofus.”
They begin arguing again. But I don’t have time for this. I have to tell Gage what’s happening.
“Otis!”
He peeks into the room. “What?”
“Can you watch the gremlins? I need to go.”
“Go where?”
“Juliet Ash called her!” Mila screams.
“Holy shit. My sister is famous.”
I ignore his swearing. There are only so many things my mind can handle at once.
“Go.” He nudges me out of the room. “Go tell your boyfriend all about it.”
He’s teasing, but I am off to visit Gage.
My hands shake as I drive to the resort. Once I park and enter the resort, I realize I have no idea where Gage is. I stand in the reception area looking around .
Hudson clamps a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay, Addy?”
“Gage,” is the only word I manage to utter.
“Come on.” He leads me down a hallway to a large conference room where the team is eating. “Gage!” He hollers.
Gage hurries toward me. He thanks Hudson before asking me, “What’s wrong?”
“Juliet Ash wants to record my song!”
The entire room falls silent as everyone turns to look at me. Oops. I might have screamed those words at the top of my lungs.
“You’re serious?”
“She called me. On the phone. My phone. With her private number.”
He wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the ground before whirling me around. “My Addy is going to be famous!”
When he sets me down, his friends – Nolan, Tanner, and Brock – are crowded around us.
“What’s happening?” Nolan asks.
“Juliet Ash is going to record my song.”
It doesn’t matter how many times I say those very words; I can’t believe them. Is this my life? Is this actually happening? Maybe I should return to my stroke hypothesis. I really should google what the symptoms of a stroke are.
“The song you sang at Bootlegger ?” Tanner asks. I nod. “Awesome. The song was wicked good.”
Brock clasps my hand. “Congratulations, Addy. You’re very talented. ”
Gage puffs out his chest. “She’s amazing. She’s going to be a famous songwriter.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s one song.”
“For now. I know how talented you are. You’re going to be famous.”
I shrug. “I was lucky you recorded me singing and posted it on YouTube.”
He grins. “Does this mean you’re no longer mad at me for posting you singing on YouTube?”
I wag my finger at him. “Don’t push your luck.”
He barks out a laugh and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “I will always help you.”
My nose wrinkles. “You don’t happen to know a good entertainment lawyer, do you?”
“Someone here must know one.” He motions to the room full of his football team eating dinner. Oh crap. I’m interrupting him. I shouldn’t be here.
“I’m sorry.” I try to step back but he won’t release me. “I’m interrupting you.”
“Songbird, you can interrupt me whenever you want.”
“Except on the field,” Brock grumbles. “No running onto the field during a game. Especially not during fourth down in the fourth quarter. Not even when you’re in labor.”
I blink up at him. “How do you even get to the field? Aren’t there security guards and locked doors and big burly football players to keep you out?”
“If you’re determined, you can figure it out. ”
“I…” I trail off with a shake of my head. I don’t plan to ever invade a football field. “I promise not to run onto the field when you are playing or any other time.”
“We’re getting off track.” Gage squeezes my shoulder. “I want to hear every single detail.”
I glance around and realize everyone in the room is staring at us. My cheeks heat. I’ve been blaring out words willy-nilly since I entered this room. Maybe I should shut up now.
Gage drops his arm from around my shoulder and clasps my hand. “Come on. You can fill me in on all the details in private.”
“But I need to tell Alaia all the gossip,” Tanner whines.
Gage growls at him. “You’ll keep your mouth shut until Addy says you can tell other people.”
His shoulders drop. “You’re boring.”
“I’ve got this.” Nolan herds Tanner away with Brock following them.
Gage leads me out of the room and down the hallway to the exit. “I’m so fucking proud of you, songbird.”
Those words hit me straight in the chest. I want to make Gage proud. I want him to be proud to have me on his arm.
I want Gage. Period.