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“You had a band meeting without me?” I cried. This made me angry, and I couldn’t help the way my voice raised in frustration.
“I needed to know how they were feeling. And besides, it’s not like you’ve been easy to reach these days. You’ve ignored my texts! We talked about the future and all the things you’ve said in public about settling down and putting down roots.”
“You’re taking my words out of context,” I said. “You should let me explain myself.”
Brady barreled forward, ignoring my words.
“The other guys are committed to the band. They know it still has more to achieve, and they need a lead singer who’s as passionate and committed as they are.”
“Why are you speaking for them?” I asked. I felt a sense of betrayal surging up inside of me. The guys in my band were like family to me. It was wrong for Brady to be here, telling me what they thought about all of this. If they were so upset, why hadn’t they told me?
“We need commitment from you. And if you’re not willing to commit, then it might be time to pursue other options.”
The words made my whole body go cold. I stared back at him, my face neutral.
“And what does that mean?” I asked.
“It’s been done before—in some ways the lead singer is the easiest guy to replace.”
“You want to replace me?” It was something I had never expected, and the shock of this made rage surge through me. I squeezed my fists hard beside me as I fought an urge to punch the brick wall we stood next to. “I write all our music! I’m the face of the whole band!”
“That’s right,” Brady nodded. “Which is why we need someone fully dedicated to the band. We can’t have you writing all the good songs for yourself and this solo album and then giving the Horizon all the scraps.”
“You really think I would do that?” I asked. “You really think I would actively hurt the band I created? We built this thing up from our college dorm rooms. It’s not something I can just throw away.”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Brady asked. “I came here to find out if you’re committed to this thing. And to tell you that if you’re not one hundred percent in, then we’re prepared to find someone who is.”
I couldn’t speak. I had no words as Brady stood there, offering me an ultimatum. Could this actually happen? Could the band cut me out of the group I had created? Were they really willing to pull some random guy off the street and put him front and center singing all of my songs? It was too much to fathom. I didn’t want to give up the Horizon. That had never been my intention, and I felt helpless as Brady stood in front of me, taking the choice away from me.
“You can’t do that,” I protested. “You can’t just kick me out.”
“You’re only one person in a group of four,” Brady told me, his voice cold and calculating. “All it takes is the votes.”
Was this true? I had never thought about the legal side of the band or my own rights as a creator of it. Were there laws outlining these things? Did we have a contract between bandmates that said this sort of thing? I thought back to the long documents I signed all those years ago when Brady became our manager. Had I signed away my rights to my own band? Did we give him this power?
“I don’t want to leave,” I said carefully. I felt like I was walking on a tightrope. One wrong step and I would fall to my death. It made my voice tight and my muscles taut as if I were frozen in place.
“That’s good to hear,” he said. Brady had all the power right now, and he knew it. He seemed smug, as if some part of him was enjoying this. “We’ve had an offer for a summer tour. A band dropped out and they need a replacement. You leave in a week.”
“A week?” I asked. My mind flew to all the plans I had made with Liz and my promise to my niece and nephew that we would go to the theme park Liz and I had loved as kids. And then there was Darcy. I saw her in the hardware store, the sun setting behind her as she watched me sing. I saw the care and admiration on her face and the way she listened to every word. It was just the two of us and nothing else to worry about. I wanted more of that.
“If you can’t do it, I’m sure we can find someone else.”
“Someone else?” I asked, my voice full of skepticism. “Who are you going to find on a week’s notice?”
“Liam knows all the music,” Brady said with a nonchalance that made me want to scream. “Maybe it’s time he got promoted from backup vocals to our lead singer.”
25
DARCY
Just as I thought I was working my way through the crowd, the lights in the auditorium flashed, telling the parents the second half was about to begin. Now I was pushing my way through a sea of people trying to move in the opposite direction.
“Excuse me,” I said each time I bumped into another eager aunt or uncle. People groaned at me or rolled their eyes as I elbowed my way toward the door. Callum had left with that strange man, and I suddenly felt panicked that he might simply get in his car and disappear.
Stop being ridiculous, I told myself, but something about Callum and that blond man was making me uneasy. I needed to get out there and hear what they were saying.
Finally, I made my way out of the crowd and had a clear path to the door. In front of me I saw the double doors that led to the elementary school hallway, but there was another door to my right that seemed to lead outside. I couldn’t remember which door Callum and the man had taken. Unwilling to risk setting off some fire alarm by pushing through the door to my right, I pushed out into the hallway. I looked left and right, but Callum wasn’t there.
