Chapter 21 Austin - A Bit of a Twist
Chapter 21
Austin - A Bit of a Twist
R enee dumped me when I told her about my slipup, and I didn’t blame her. I missed her, but she stopped answering my texts. I got the hint.
Danny decided to stick it out at Burger Burger until he left for basic training in less than two months, but I was done with burgers. I traded my hamburger spatula for an ice cream scoop at Lickity Split. Taking ice cream orders at the window gave me a chance to practice my smooth moves on the hot high school gals wearing short shorts and tank tops without bras. It gave my ego a boost whenever someone flirted with me, and it didn’t hurt to pass it on and make a girl smile.
After we came home from Los Angeles, I received an impressive check in the mail. That bought me two new pairs of boots, and I squirreled the rest in my savings account. The Pinto Bean always seemed one repair away from dying, and I figured I should have money to resuscitate it when the next breakdown happened.
I texted Sydney to find out if she got a check.
Me: Did you get a big fat check in the mail yesterday?
SC: Yes. I’m guessing you did as well.
Me: Yes. More than I anticipated .
SC: I know. It’s going to pay the bills. Do you think we’ll get another check if they decide to use it in the movie?
Me: I would be fine with that. I used part of this check to buy these fancy cowboy boots I’ve always wanted but couldn’t justify.
SC: I don’t want to know. LOL Talk to you later.
A few days later, my phone started ringing at work. I didn’t recognize the number, and I sent it to voicemail and shoved my phone into my back pocket. Five minutes later, the same thing happened. And another five minutes after that. Man! Those robocalls could be annoying! My phone finally stopped ringing after the fourth call. But then my text messages started blowing up one right after another. I tossed the phone into one of the ice cream freezers and shut the lid. When we had a lull in the customer line, I grabbed my phone. My last text still had the preview on my lock screen.
This is Venus Anderson. I need you to call me right away.
I must have forgotten to put her in my contacts list. I knew that check was too good to be true. Fantastic.
“Stacey, I’m taking my break.” I hollered at my fellow employee before walking out the back door. I sat down on the milk crate next to the door and dialed Venus. Rip the Band-Aid off, Austin.
She answered on the second ring. “Austin! You’re a hard guy to get in touch with.”
“I’m not used to being bombarded with repeated calls and texts. Where’s the fire?”
“No fire yet. I have another fantastic opportunity for you and Sydney.”
Protectiveness about the check turned to curiosity. “Go on.”
“Bryce Freidman heard your song, and he wants you two for his songwriting hive.”
I felt confused by her statement. “Who is Bryce Freidman? And what’s a hive?”
“Bryce is one of the top executives for Sony Music. He has a pool of songwriters called a hive that he uses regularly. I got a call from him yesterday. He wants you two to join his group.”
Okay, that sufficiently impressed me. “How does this work? Do we get paid per song or by time invested?”
Venus murmured to someone in the background. “Once you get here, we can iron out details. How fast can you make that happen? ”
“Have you spoken to Sydney? What did she say?”
Venus paused. “Truthfully, I have not. Hearing it from you might be better. When you two were here, I got the feeling that her heart wasn’t in it.”
“Being in the spotlight is entirely out of her comfort zone. I can talk to her, but I can’t promise you anything. She has a mind of her own.” And boy, did I know it.
“That’s fine with me. I can give you a couple of days. All I know is that when Bryce wants something, he expects me to make it happen.”
“It all depends on if she’s the right frame of mind when I ask her.”
“Well, get her in the right frame of mind.” She hung up.
Now I had to get Sydney on board. Again.