1. Marcie
1
MARCIE
M usic pumped through the venue like blood through a vein. It pulsed and throbbed, making me feel alive in ways nothing ever had. I’d loved music from my earliest memory, but had zero talent. I couldn’t dance.
And I damn sure couldn’t sing.
I mean, I did , with noise-canceling headphones on and the music blaring, and only where others couldn’t hear me. I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Hell, I didn’t even know where to find the bucket. Subjecting someone to my singing was probably punishable by law and carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison or death by firing squad.
So what’s a girl who loves music but has no talent supposed to do? I don’t know about anyone else, but I did what I was good at. Organizing, coordinating, and ensuring that what others wanted and needed were handled so they didn’t have to. That was my specialty.
That’s how I came to work for Katie Carter, the latest darlin’ in country music. She was a phenom in the making. After only two years in the business, she was selling out mid-sized venues and being tossed onto arena stages with the big names.
We met when Katie opened for the tour I was working on. I wasn’t a PA then, at least not in terms of pay or title, but the artist’s PA was lazy, so I took on her job and mine as well. I was dashing around like a chicken without its head when I happened across Katie wedged in a corner behind a bunch of road crates, having a mild panic attack. She’d made the mistake many newbies make before their first big arena performance—she looked out at the crowd before her set. I talked her off the cliff.
After her set, she latched onto me and demanded I replace the assistant she couldn’t stand. That should’ve been a red flag, but it wasn’t. I knew the assistant the label hired for her. I wouldn’t have let that woman lick dog poo from the soles of my shoes. She was a hag and a self-righteous, entitled Karen of a woman who lived to make others feel bad.
“Marcie?”
I looked up, and Danny, Katie’s head of security, stood there with that look on his face that made me want to slap him. He gave me the heebie jeebies. I caught him staring at my backside several times. Once, I was sure he adjusted himself while licking his lips.
“Yeah?”
“Craft services are setting up.”
No shit, Sherlock.
I smiled and nodded, biting my tongue—yet another record label hire. I was not. If the label trusted him enough to protect the hottest ticket in country music, he had to have some clout with the label, and I needed this job.
“Thanks, Danny.”
“Don’t you need to supervise or something?”
No, you idiot. The people I hire can put food on a folding table without my help.
“I’ll double-check things in a bit. I appreciate you letting me know they’re here, though.”
At the exact time I arranged.
“Yeah, okay.”
He gave me a curious look, his eyes sweeping over my body, pausing a few times before he walked off. A chill ran down my spine. There it was again, that something about him that set my teeth on edge.
I shook my head to dislodge the ridiculousness and continued with my list. His interested gaze gave me the creeps. I didn’t know why. I only knew it did. So, I kept my distance as much as possible.
Distance.
I sighed. Distance was exactly what I needed. I couldn’t wait for the tour break. Katie would stay with her dad for the next bit, and Danny would stay with her while I flew home to spend some time with my father.
I walked past the craft services table, and everything looked great. I moved down my list, pausing when I heard Katie’s voice.
“Who brought coffee?”
I turned around, confused. The rider didn’t include coffee. It should have, considering how much Katie loved the stuff, but I knew it wasn’t because I would’ve included my order.
“I don’t know. It wasn’t on the rider, but I’m going to kill whoever brought you some and didn’t bring me any,” I laughed.
Katie glanced back at the table, and I did the same. The entire table was devoid of the iconic green logo except for a single cup and bag labeled with Katie’s name.
Without a word, Katie dumped the cup and bag in the trash, grabbed a bottle of water and a banana, and headed toward the stage.
I sighed. I loved working for Katie. Absolutely loved it. But I hated the crap she was going through. And in turn, what the rest of us were going through as well.
The last few months had been the greatest of her life and, by extension, ours, too. Her music career had skyrocketed. Songs and albums were topping the charts, and the buzz leading up to award season grew daily. Not that any of us told Katie about the buzz she was getting. She hated the business side of things. She just wanted to make music and sing.
But this stalker meant business.
And, honestly, I was worried. For her. For me. For the band and crew. We all had people in our lives we loved and needed to protect.
As the sole provider for my dad, I couldn’t let anything happen to me. He was in a nursing home now because his condition had progressed beyond my ability to care for him, but his social security and pension didn’t cover his care. It cost a fortune. Without this job, I wouldn’t be able to cover the cost.
The rest of the day proceeded without incident until the concert started. I noticed Katie wasn’t where she was supposed to be. I walked over to Nathan.
“Where’s Katie?”
“No clue. I’ve not seen Danny either.”
Where the heck could they be? Lateness wasn’t like Katie. Danny had never failed to get her to the stage on time before. Despite what I thought of him, he’d done that part of his job fine.
I rushed around looking high and low for her, but no one had seen her. She wasn’t in any of the places she usually hid out before a show. Out of options, I checked her dressing room.
“Katie! SHOWTIME!” I shouted, knocking on the door.
The door opened, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I followed her to the stage.
Once the star of the show stepped on stage, right on time, thank God, I called all the security team members. Everyone answered but Danny. One of the other guys said Katie had given Danny the night off, but I knew better. If she had, she would have told me.
When Katie came off the stage at the end of the concert, she headed toward her dressing room. She wasn’t happy. The concert went… okay. It was an off day, which was fine. They happened. You couldn’t be perfect every time, no matter what Katie’s band leader thought.
I still couldn’t believe Nathan went after her the way he had in the dressing room after the show. She had so much on her plate, with her dad attending the concert and bringing a slew of strangers with him, Danny disappearing, along with the stalker showing up. It was a lot, and she’d handled it as well as she could.
I glanced down at my phone, checking things off and re-prioritizing what still needed to be done tonight before heading to the airport.
“Marcie?”
I turned toward Katie’s voice. Gone were the makeup, hair, and stage outfits. All that was left was a beautiful woman about my age. Unlike me, Katie was in fantastic shape. She ran all the time. She’d invited me along several times, but yeah… no, thanks. I wasn’t a fan of exercise. I did some pilates, yoga, and the occasional spin class, but I wasn’t consistent enough with it. Of course, I didn’t need to spend hours on stage putting on a show like she did.
“Hey, Katie. I thought you guys would’ve left by now.”
“We’re heading out now. I wanted to check in with you before you took off.”
“Sure, is there something I can help with?”
“Not a thing. You have been amazing, and I want you to charge your plane tickets and stay on my card.”
“Katie… that’s not…”
“I won’t hear it. You deserve it, and I know your dad’s care is taking a toll.”
“If I’ve missed anything…”
“You haven’t. You have been beyond amazing from the jump. The best assistant anyone could ever ask for. You anticipate my needs before I even know I have a need. I couldn’t be Katie Carter without you. So, treat yourself. Upgrade your tickets to first class, get a nice hotel room, take your dad out to dinner, do some shopping. Whatever. It’s on me.”
I bit my lip to hold the tears at bay. “Thank you.”
She hugged me and walked away, waving at me. Her dad and Walker Holt waited for her. I didn’t know either man, but Walker Holt had the Daddy vibe going for him. And I was here for it. Not that he’d be interested in me. The man was married to a beautiful woman who’d been super sweet all evening. They had a son who closely resembled his father. Jackson had a bit of that same vibe I craved, but from what I could see, the younger Holt was all but taken as well.
Oh well.
I just had to be patient. I’d find my guy. There had to be a guy out there for me, right? I sighed and pushed the self-doubt away. Everyone had a person. I just had to wait. I’d find him. I just hoped he was a Daddy. Cause that’s what I wanted. Well, what I really wanted was a pair of Daddies.
Two is always better than one.
Some people didn’t understand the Daddy thing. Honestly, it was hard to explain my need to someone who didn’t get it. It had nothing to do with my relationship with my dad, despite what people thought.
My dad and I had a fantastic relationship. He supported me in everything from day one. He had to because my mom died when I was a baby.
Growing up, all my friends and classmates thought I was strange because I just had a dad. The one and only fight I ever got into was because someone mocked me about my mom. I told them I did have one, but she was in heaven. They laughed at me and called me a liar.
I got sent home from school that day with a busted lip. Instead of punishing me for fighting, Daddy took me out for dinner—something we didn’t do often. Back then, I didn’t realize why, but I knew now it was because money was so tight. After dinner that night, we went to the movies to watch Finding Nemo. It was the best night of my young life and cemented that movie as my all-time favorite. It was my comfort.
Whenever life tried to flip itself on its head, I’d turn Finding Nemo on, curl up in the couch’s corner with a fuzzy blanket, my stuffed Squirt, and a pint of Crank & Boom ice cream. My go-to was Blackberry & Buttermilk. I stumbled across the ice creamery last year when we were in Lexington for a concert, and I found my newest weakness. I had to special order it from Kentucky because no one else carried it anywhere else, but it was worth it.
Sometimes, it took two pints and a rewatch, but it always made me feel better by the end.
And the boy who made fun of me?
Oh… he went home with a broken nose. When I was allowed back to school, his mama and he were waiting for me. She made him stand in front of the class and tell me he was sorry. It was so great until I found him crying on the playground.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and rolled my eyes. Speak of the devil. I swiped the screen to answer, but didn’t bother to say anything.
“Hey, squirt!”
“Gavin, the number of times I’ve told you not to call me that…”
“Oh, hush! So, what’re we getting into this weekend? You’re still coming home, right?”
“I swear, you’re a feral monkey.”
“Umm… aren’t all monkeys feral?”
I sighed and growled. “I dunno, and no, I’m going to see my dad.”
“UGH! No! You’re supposed to come hang out with me!”
“Gavin, you won’t even be there. You’ll have hockey crap to do.”
“You like hockey.”
“I like you. I tolerate hockey.”
“Gasp! You wound me.”
I rolled my eyes and headed to the bus to grab my stuff.
“You’ll get over it.”
“I guess it’s okay. I hate country music.”
“You hush your mouth.”
“Will you be home at all before the next leg of the tour?”
I sighed. I looked at the calendar Gavin and I shared. The one I created so we’d know where each other was and when we’d be home. Gavin had a house in Nashville, and I lived with him. While he didn’t need help with the bills, he hated living alone, but he also hated people. He invited me to move in when my roommates got us evicted, and I needed a roof over my head.
“Yes. I should be home in two weeks.”
“Love, you need to move your dad to Nashville.”
“I know. That’s on the to-do list. I hate moving him, but I get so little time at home, and it would make things so much easier if he were closer.”
Not to mention cheaper. Right now, if I wanted to spend a few days visiting in a row, I had to get a room nearby or drive the two-hour round trip each day.
“Let me know if you need my help. And when you get home, we’ll go out to celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating?”
“Does that even matter? Oh! Shit. I’m late. Bye, squirt!”
Checking his schedule, I sighed. He’d be lucky not to get a fine or benched because, if the schedule was correct, and I knew it was because I made sure it was, there’s no way he’d be making it to practice on time. And that’s even if he made it to the arena without being pulled over.
If anyone needed a Daddy, it was Gavin Samuelson.