AllFreeNovel
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I’m from a little, nothing town in Montana called Wintervale. It’s not like anyone from home ever broke into the music industry. People get out and follow their dreams, don’t get me wrong, if that’s what they want. But, mostly, people stay in town with their families.
It was a safe place to grow up and there was something cozy about knowing everyone around you. There was also something stifling about it. Having new people come to Wintervale wasn’t all that common. Instead, we grew up with the same people, went to school with them for as long as we can remember, and either they then stayed or left after graduating high school.
Some people would go off to college and then come back, it does happen. Still, there was a feeling of stagnation at times.
I always wanted more and when I found the music within myself, which I honed over years because I needed to find an outlet, I thought music might be a way for me to get out of town. But having a dream and making that dream come true are two very different things.
I watched as other songwriters and singers, even though I didn’t really want to find fame on stage, get recognition on social media. Considering all I was doing was working as a waitress at Trudy’s, a diner in town, I had a lot of time to write songs and put them online.
Was anything was going to come of it? I had hoped, but I didn’t really believe it was going to change my life.
Then I got a phone call from someone at WPF Records out of the blue while I was hanging out with my sister, Morgan. Being the baby in the family made it so that I looked up to Morgan. It was a lot harder for me to spend time with our oldest brother, Jared, especially since he didn’t understand the whole music thing.
Jared has a tendency to be rigid in his beliefs. I guess that made the military easy for him and drove him to join the police force after he served. But it doesn’t make him the greatest brother to someone like me.
I’ve spent a lot of time in my head, living my dreams. I always got the feeling that bugged Jared and made him worry about me.
He’s been more than skeptical about this whole WPF Records thing. I’m kind of surprised he didn’t follow me to Denver for my initial meeting. He certainly didn’t look like he believed me when I told him that I got the call and that the label was completely covering my trip to Denver to meet with the guys from SO.
Getting on that plane was scary as hell. I had no idea what to expect and I was doing it all on my own. Yes, it was at my insistence that I was alone, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary as hell.
When I walked into the baggage claim area, I was surprised to find someone holding a sign with my name on it. I thought that kind of thing just happened in the movies, but, then again, how else would I know who was picking me up since everything was handled by the label?
I was taken immediately to a hotel that was far nicer than anything in Wintervale. It was all so much more than anything I had ever seen or experienced. I’m not sure what I expected, but I guess I should have known.
Walking into the label building was intimidating as hell. It was both a dream come true and a nightmare sitting down with all the guys in SO along with Kat, who runs the label’s PR along with a majority of the label.
Fuck, I was so damn scared. I’m sure it was written all over my face.
In fact, I know it was because when I finally looked up into the eyes of Cole Howard, the lead singer of SO, he was giving me a soft smile full of understanding. He wasn’t the one to break the tension in the room or to try and combat my anxiety and fear.
That was Booker Holland, SO’s guitarist, who flashed me a huge grin and joked, “We won’t bite, sweetheart.”
My eyes widened and a laugh of anxious nervousness slipped past my lips. I swear the smile on Booker’s face grew as I did so. Gavin, the drummer, rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath. “Don’t scare the girl. Remember that we want to bring her talent to the label.”
I could feel how big my eyes got with his words and my jaw practically dropped to the ground. “You’re really interested in my songs?”
Booker smirked as the rest of the guys nodded slowly. For the first time since being introduced to her, Kat spoke up. “Not just your songs, Cove. WPF is all about the music and we think you have something special. We’ve watched your videos and listened to your songs.”
Even though I was thrilled, I found myself shaking my head slowly. “I’m not interested in being on stage.”
Elliot’s brows pulled together in confusion. “What do you mean?”
I twisted my fingers together, butterflies flapping in my stomach. “I know I posted my songs on social media, but that was really hard for me. I’m not looking for the spotlight. I just want to get my songs out there and didn’t know another way.” When I looked around the room, everyone was staring at me which had me babbling. “As you know I’m from nowhere in Montana. I don’t know anyone in the industry, and I didn’t have the means to pick up and move somewhere else to get my music out there. I figured posting videos was a way to get my stuff out there while I figured out the next steps.”
Booker got a dreamy look on his face, “Sometimes you find the best things online.”
My face became a mask of confusion as Elliot chuckled and leaned toward me slightly before explaining, “He found his wife because of a viral video.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
“She has an amazing voice but has never been interested in stepping on stage. I keep trying to convince her,” he sounded more than a little put out at this, but there was amusement dancing in his eyes at the same time.
“Your songs are amazing,” Cole praised while throwing a look toward Elliot and Booker. “If you’re not interested in performing,” he leaned back in his chair, “then that’s fine with us.”
My shoulders slumped with relief. It was hard enough to post videos of myself to put myself out there. It was something that made me nervous as hell, but it was a necessity. That doesn’t mean I could even fathom stepping into the spotlight on stage.
The men of SO shared a loaded look that had me sitting up a little straighter in the chair. “We might have the perfect opportunity for you,” Gavin eyed me warily with his words.
