Chapter Twenty-Six
RAVEN
A LITTLE ding from my laptop reminds me that my meeting with Alice starts in ten minutes.
Standing quickly, I grab my cup to refill it with the freshly brewed coffee that Hendrix always makes in the morning.
When I return to the little office, I clear my desk of the clutter, clearing my mind in the process.
As soon as the meeting begins, I see that Alice must be at her house, not at either office.
When the video call connects, I see the ocean breeze catching the brim of her large hat.
She too has a beverage in her hand, and I recognize the little white cup as one of her many espresso cups, the tiny handle hardly large enough to get a real grip on.
The sunshine is bright there, reminding me she is an hour behind me.
“Good morning, Ray,” Alice begins pleasantly.
Her smile turns into a yawn.
“Morning, Alice. Late night?” I ask, noticing she hasn’t removed her sunglasses yet, despite being a big believer in eye contact, even in online interactions.
“Excuse me. Yes. We went to the ballet last night before heading over to some after-party that silly spouse of mine talked me into going to. Turns out I am officially too old to be dealing with twenty-somethings after dark.”
I laugh, her words reminding me of Nan. I think my nan and Alice would get along swimmingly.
“Well, I would pretend to be offended, but half the time I can’t deal with twenty-somethings after dark either, and I am one.”
“You’re an old soul.”
“An old soul with the skin of a twenty-something-year-old.”
“The best of both worlds.” Alice laughs before draining her little cup. “All right, caffeine has been effectively delivered.” She turns her camera, the sunlight dimming slightly with the new angle. “Show me what you’ve got.”
I begin pulling up the main spreadsheets that I’ve been working on.
Any detail someone could ever want to know about House Band Featuring is contained in these documents.
There are the summary revenue sheets. I know Alice and the board are very interested in them, so I bring them up on my screen first and give her a quick overview.
“Overall, this location has been remarkably successful, given the financial reality we were walking into when Headliners acquired it.
We started intense promotion as soon as I started, and we are already beginning to see the consistently larger crowds, which tells me the previous owners were likely not using or underutilizing their promotional tools.
But now that the locals know we are here and provide high-quality entertainment, we are seeing steady crowds and even a few regulars.
“I’ve had the time to do more research on the area and confirmed that another large housing subdivision has been approved by the city.
I’m not sure when they will be breaking ground, but those houses will be within a fifteen- to twenty-minute drive.
Given that, I have every reason to believe that this location will continue to be lucrative. ”
“All good news. That’s why you’re the best, Ray. Always going above and beyond, looking at five-plus years in the future for an area. The board will love to hear that more residents will be moving in soon enough. Run through some of the details with me.”
“Certainly,” I say, pulling up a different spreadsheet. “So you know I’ve always liked tracking even the most minor details to paint a fuller picture of a venue.”
“I’m convinced it’s one of your favorite pastimes,” Alice says with a good-natured smile. “Oh, just a moment, Raven.”
Waving to someone off camera, she mutes herself for about fifteen seconds.
I see a man’s hand dip into view, handing Alice another small white cup.
“What did human beings do before discovering coffee?” she asks, taking a sip that must be the equivalent of half of what’s in the cup.
“According to legend, before the modern-day methods of roasting beans, 9th-century Ethiopian farmers and monks would eat and create tea from the cherries of a tree that was the grandmother to all modern coffee bean trees.”
As I speak, I look up from my computer screen to see Hendrix standing in my doorway, holding a small box of the office supplies we ordered for the venue.
Is that true he mouths as he gently places the box on the floor beside me?
I nod. It’s always a good time to drop culinary tidbits on my coworkers, and thanks to my upbringing, I’m filled to the brim with plenty of them.
“Cool,” Hendrix whispers, leaving the office once more.
“I always learn something fun with you, Ray,” Alice says.
“I live to serve,” I answer sarcastically, taking a large sip of my coffee before continuing.
I run through all the most important numbers with her over the next fifteen minutes.
Everything from the cost of renewing our liquor license and upgrading the entire sound system to staff wages and other expenditures.
Although I still can’t see her eyes because of the dark sunglasses, Alice nods along slowly as I speak.
“Do you have any questions?” I ask when I’m finished with my presentation.
“Yes, tell me about the staff. Do you think any of them are good candidates to be the location manager?”
“I would recommend we keep both Danica and Hendrix on staff. Danica has the skills to take on the administrative duties. Hendrix is from the area and has deep connections all over the Front Range, not just with local musicians but with other artists as well. I see lots of possibilities at this location beyond evening concerts.”
“Any of them good revenue streams?”
Pausing in thought, I answer, “Smaller but constant. It’s a good space to host small weddings, birthday parties, and retirements.
The layout reminds me of an art gallery in LA, and I don’t see why this space couldn’t be rented to local artists for short periods.
Especially in the cooler months when people don’t want to be outside. ”
“All great ideas. Since your last official day is August 28th, I have you scheduled for September 1st. It’s a Tuesday, but that will give you at least a day back in LA in the office before you need to give your full presentation to the board.
I believe Claire will still be out of town, so she’ll video conference in, but the rest will be there. ”
In that moment, reality drops on my head like a piano falling from six stories.
I’ve been so caught up with my deepening feelings for Knox that I completely forgot about…
well, reality. Of course, Alice expects me to do my final report in person in Los Angeles.
That’s always been the process. We buy a venue, spend a few weeks to several months getting the business running well again before moving on to the next.
Denver for a few weeks to get this place running well, then back to LA.
That was the plan.
That still is the plan.
Even as I say the words to myself, unexpected apprehension fills my stomach, and my mind tries to take me down the rabbit hole. When it comes to my romantic life, I have many rules to keep my heart safe. One of the top rules is to never pick a situationship over a well-paying job.
But is Knox a situationship, or is he something more?
I stop that train of thought in its tracks, realizing I’m not listening to Alice as she is speaking.
We finish our meeting, and I shift into my task list for the rest of today.
Truthfully, there isn’t much for me to do.
Danica and Hendrix make an excellent management team, and my only real role now is to set them up for continued success.
I review contracts multiple times, I refresh my email, I do anything I can think of to eat up the time.
I hear the other staff members begin to arrive just before five for the seven o’clock show, Knox’s voice amongst the sound.
“Hey front-man,” I say, sticking my head out from the office, “Quick check-in, please.” I keep my voice casual so no one will know this is a personal conversation.
Thankfully, everyone else goes about their business getting ready for the show. When Knox steps into the small office, I close the door behind him gently. The window means we don’t have complete privacy, but at least no one will overhear us.
“You ready for a busy week?” I ask.
They are slated to play every night this week, including my last night on site, Friday night. Friday night, the Heirs and Nightshades will be playing original music only for all the locals who have been attending multiple concerts over the last month.
“It’s going to be a good one, I think.”
He moves to give me a peck on the cheek, but I shift away before he can, taking a seat behind the desk.
Knox doesn’t seem put off by avoidance of affection. I’m happy the rest of the Nightshades know about us, but that doesn’t mean I want to rest of the staff here to know.
“Via is using all this recent publicity from these shows as a way to keep us booked and going past December,” he continues, taking the seat opposite me. “Got to love her for that. The woman never stops.”
“That’s great,” I say honestly.
“She’s a lot like you in that way,” Knox says thoughtfully.
“Our followers have exploded across every platform, and our royalties are way up from streamers. More traffic to our website. And we’ve even talked about pulling together a small summer tour next year.
She and Zeke are already talking logistics. ”
I nod along, now a little unsure. We fall silent for a moment.
“So, Knox,” I begin, but stop what I’m about to say when his expression suddenly shifts.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Why do you think something is wrong?”
“Your voice shifted into A flat.”
“Wait…what?” I ask.
He smiles lightly.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this. I feel like I’m revealing my hand.”
“Does my voice really do that?”
My hand comes up to my throat like I can somehow control the pitch that way.
“Only sometimes. And only with bad news.”
“I…” I freeze again, now more unsure. “I talked with Alice today.”
“Yeah? Is she happy with how things are going?”
“Very. She’s…she said she’s looking forward to my presentation at the beginning of next month.”
“That sounds like good news.”
“No, it is. It’s very good. It’s just…” I barely breathe before the word salad begins.
“I’m supposed to be in California for the presentation, and then of course she’s going to want to assign me to a new venue, which could be anywhere, obviously, but probably not here, and now I don’t know what to do. ”
“You’re going to do your presentation, and you’re going to impress the hell out of them, sweetheart.”
“And after the presentation?”
I can’t bring myself to say the words. What even are the words I want to say?
Knox reaches out and takes my hand. I glance up to see if anyone can see us, but no one else is near the office door at the moment.
“After the presentation, we’re going to celebrate your success.”
“I…” I freeze again before I let the words tumble out. “I like you. A lot. And I don’t want this to end yet. But I don’t know how it keeps going.”
“I don’t like you a lot, Raven. I love you. And this,” he gestures between us, “is not going to end just because this assignment has.”
Okay, just dropping bombs left and right on my head.
I don’t even try to respond to his I love you because now my brain and my heart are doing cartwheels.
“How? You’ll be here, playing as many days and nights as you can. I’ll be—well, I don’t know where I will be, but how?”
“Did I fall asleep in the 2020s and wake up in the 1820s?” Knox jests, “Sweetheart, we’ll call and text and video chat with each other every night.”
His saying the words reminds me that long distance is a real option. It’s never been my choice, but I’ve also never been with a partner who made the option worth discussing. I was happy to see all my exes go by the end.
“Maybe we could take a long weekend here and there and meet halfway,” he suggests.
“And halfway between LA and Denver is…”
“Vegas, baby.” His expression brightens.
I can’t help but laugh, and Knox joins me, the sound of his chuckle releasing every bit of tension left in my body.
I say, “I think your geography is a little to very off.”
He squeezes my hand, and I squeeze right back.
“Probably.”