Page 19 of Protecting Her

“I think she’s going to be fine,” Mark said, and I turned to him.

“Yeah, I think she’ll be fine too. She’s never played in front of a crowd like this before, but I don’t think she’ll let us down. She was born for this moment.”

“She’s definitely got the talent, but then again, a lot do in this town,” Paula said, and I turned my gaze to her. “Singers are a dime a dozen here, but Ember…”

I waited because she was within an inch of being fired. If she didn’t believe in the woman we’d hired to sing for us, then I couldn’t trust her decisions.

“Ember gives me chills,” Paula finished and I relaxed.

“She’s done that to me a time or two, as well.” I sipped at the scotch the waitress brought me and put the glass down.

I knew the list Ember planned to play over the next hour. It was a good list, I’d heard every single song, and knew they were perfect. Some sad, some happy, and one was just downright… badass. Exactly what she’d portray on that stage tonight.

A badass woman who didn’t need anyone.

I took a breath and let it out through dry lips. I was nervous, but it was more about my reaction to the situation than anything to do with Ember. I was nervous for her. Not because I thought she’d fail, but because I knew people could be dicks.

I had faith though. This night would be magical, I just knew it. I settled back in my chair and waited with everybody else.

We didn’t have to wait for long. The lights went down and the crowd went quiet as the spotlight moved to highlight Ember alone on the stage.

“Hey there, everybody. I’m Ember, and I’m going to sing a few songs for you tonight. I’ve written all of them, and each one has a special meaning to me. I hope they stir a memory for you and make you smile.”

“That’s my girl,” I said softly, my hand clenched. She didn’t look afraid or nervous, just her normal calm self.

Until she went to sit down on the bar stool. She didn’t quite manage it the first time, but laughed it off with a joke to the crowd. That put them at ease and helped them connect with her. That’s it, baby, play it cool.

She strummed her fingers over the guitar strings. There’d been a few titters and loud laughs, but as soon as she opened her mouth and began to sing, the crowd went still and quiet. Her voice was clear as she sang, her eyes closed most of the time, but they’d open to connect with someone in the crowd. She’d smile and close her eyes again.

There was so much emotion in each verse, every word was a compliment to the next, and the pace of the song was just right. Ember had fans from that moment on. When the lights dimmed for a second and then came back on with her band in place, the crowd cheered.

“This is a song I wrote recently. I was in a tough spot, and a very special man came along and saved me. I can never thank him enough for what he did for me, so I wrote this song for him. Thank you, Kevin. I know you’re out there.” She put her hand over her eyes as a screen and looked out. “Somewhere.”

The crowd laughed again, and I knew she was a totally different woman on the stage from the woman I’d met in a park in London. This woman was confident, self-assured and ready to take on the world. I was breathless as I watched her.

The song was beautiful, and as she sang about the moon and the stars and how she now owned a few stars to keep as her own, because I’d given them to her, I felt something inside me change. It had been a lonely, empty place, but now it was full of Ember. I thought I really, truly fell in love with her in that moment. As the song ended the crowd stood and cheered. They wanted to hear it again, demanded to hear it again, and Ember gave them what they wanted with a chuckle.

The second rendition was just as soul-stirring as the first and when it ended, I could see tears in her eyes as the crowd almost screamed the house down. Yeah, she was going to be a hit. Was a hit. We had to find a way to get her music out there.

“Call Jerry over at the recording studio. You know, the guy who comes in sometimes?” I waited for Mark to acknowledge he knew who I was on about and continued, “Get her in the studio as soon as possible.”

I’d known she was a gem before, but now I knew the crowd would know it. Already the pings on my phone were getting out of control. I’d set it up on a tripod on the table and had recorded from the moment she came out on the stage. I could see that there’d already been over 500 likes on the live stream. People were subscribing to the channel and leaving messages.

“Who is this goddess?” I saw one commenter post.

“Oh my god, I want to have her babies,” a female commenter replied, and that made me laugh. Ember had gone off the stage for a moment to have a break, but would be back in a few minutes. I almost ran backstage to show her the success she’d already had, but thought I should wait. I didn’t want to jinx her performance.

My phone continued to ping, even during the break, and I looked at the others at the table and laughed. “If we don’t get her in a recording contract soon, somebody else will.”

It was one of the plans of the chain and one of the reasons we were in Nashville. We wanted to start a recording label, and with Ember as our first artist, I thought we’d be a hit.

“I would have to agree, Kevin. I kind of knew it before, but I wanted to be sure she could handle the stage and a crowd,” Mark said, and Paula nodded.

“She’s going to destroy the charts with those songs. Nobody else will be able to get on them.”

It was only when a commenter agreed with us that I realized the camera was picking up our conversation. I laughed and typed a reply. That got a slew of posts, and I knew I’d have to hire someone else to manage our social media pages. This was getting out of hand. I laughed, and the other two came over to see what had me going.

My phone, now a camera for the moment, was buzzing in the tripod every time someone liked, subscribed, or left a message. The viewers loved it and they were bringing their friends in.