Almost Ordinary (The Song Wreckers Book 2) (28 page)

Chapter 38

I saw the fear in the other passengers’ eyes when they noticed me and Joy lug three kids on the plane. At this point, I considered myself an expert on flying with babies. We arrived in Nashville without temper tantrums or crying jags. Of course it helped that the flight lasted just over an hour.

I pulled up at Crystal Records forty-five minutes late thanks to traffic, and another fifteen minutes passed before I stepped foot in the studio. I mean, I couldn’t whiz past the people I knew and hadn’t seen since my last visit in August without saying hello.

“Nice of you to join us,” Dex said. He stepped closer to Gina, who stopped singing as soon as I’d come in the room.

I ignored him and ran to Gina instead. “Gina!” I held my arms open for a quick hug. Dex checked his watch when my arms were around Gina and she couldn’t see. I rolled my eyes then greeted the rest of the band.

Guitars, violins, drums, an upright piano, and a keyboard were scattered around the studio, along with mixers and the recording equipment, plus a few stools and two couches. I sat on the arm of a couch. We all shot the shit for about an hour, getting caught up on everyone’s lives. Dex sat next to Gina, squirming and checking his watch every few minutes, as if he couldn’t wait to start. Or leave. I saw how the rest of the band forced themselves to interact with him in a professional manner, when they really wanted to pound him in his stupid face.

Whenever I glanced at Gina I didn’t see any indication that she caught on to everyone’s dislike of her husband. God, I should be happy for her. She obviously loved the douche bag.

The conversation came to a lull, my cue to grab a guitar and show them what I’d created. From my trip back in August they already had a few of my songs. The majority hadn’t been heard yet.

I played a couple more songs, just me and a guitar, and could practically hear Dex clenching his jaw. Gina smiled and bopped to the music. Dex could go screw himself.

I ignored Dex as much as I could. I had hoped he would leave us alone, but he stuck close to Gina. Anytime he separated more than a few feet from her, he watched like a hawk if I talked to her.

For one glorious, brief moment, Dex left the studio. The band messed around, playing with different variations of the latest song I’d given them. “So, how are things going?” I asked Gina.

She smiled. “I think they’re going great. Don’t you?”

I pulled her to the couch for a chat. “No, I mean, how’s married life treating you?” I lounged back, trying to fake casualness.

Gina’s smile turned into the hundred watt smile that her fans loved. Chop off all her long, dark hair, and ignore the sparkle in her eye, and she was still beautiful. But that smile, it made a person think everything was okay.

“It’s great, Molly. Dex is a devoted husband. He takes care of me, takes care of my career.”

Her smile faltered for a second.

“But . . .” I prompted.

She shook her head and sighed. “I wish my mom saw him the same way I do. I can tell she doesn’t like him, and we don’t talk as much as we used to. Dex is always nice to her so I don’t know what the problem is.”

The problem was that her mom’s instinct had been spot on. How much more would she hate him if I’d shared what I found out about him? I didn’t have time to rat Dex out, anyway. He came through the door.

“I’m sure whatever it is will work itself out,” I said as Dex marched toward us with a disgusted look on his face.

Yup, he knew I had been the person that sent Gina those anonymous documents detailing his shady past. And if he didn’t want Gina to see them, chances were she didn’t know anything about his former drug-dealing self, or that he wasn’t a real talent manager.

Dex stopped in front of us. Our glares battled each other’s. I’ve so got his number.

I turned to Gina’s glowing smile aimed right at her husband. Damn it. “All right, let’s do this,” I said, getting up. “I have to leave by eight.”

Dex scoffed. “Eight? Around here we work much later than that.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Yeah, eight. Anything wrong with that?”

“How is Gina and her band going to get what they need if you leave early?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, and understood why Caleb did that when he became frustrated. It gave me precious seconds to compose myself. “Because the band can only handle so much new material at a time, plus every song I give them gets recorded, and we’re all professionals.” I turned toward where most of the band was and yelled, “Do you guys need me after eight o’clock?”

Most mumbled, “No,” while the others ignored me.

“Happy?” I asked.

That’s how the rest of the week went, too. Dex questioned everything I did, all in the name of
I just want what’s best for Gina
. God damn, he crawled under my skin and made me itch. Every time I called Caleb I ranted about Dex, and even at Kent’s with my kids I found it difficult to relax.

On my last day in the studio I was determined to play nice. Gina hadn’t noticed the tension throughout the week, caught up in her own determination to make my songs the best she could. There was a rough recording of all the songs going on the album, plus a few extras that no one was sure about. The only thing left for me to do was give encouragement and ensure Gina that she rocked.

I walked in at nine in the morning on that final day, after a brief meeting in Bubba’s, the owner’s, office. Crystal Records wanted to release the first single by August, and the album in its entirety by September. The first part of the summer was reserved for publicity appearances and some small venue concerts to preview some of the new songs.

The guys in the band gathered around, talking and eating. An empty box of donuts sat on one of the tables and another box next to it was half empty.

“Hey, guys,” I greeted.

The bass player, Frank, held up the box that still had donuts. “Donuts,” he offered.

“Nah, I’m good. Gina here?” She was never late. There wasn’t an ounce of tension, so I knew Dex hadn’t been in yet.

“Not yet,” Frank said. “Her and Dex went out to breakfast and are running late. She texted Moe a while ago.”

Moe was the keyboard and piano man, and tolerated Dex much easier than the rest of us. He was the only band member, besides Gina, that could talk to Dex without disgust in their voice. Moe told me in private that, even though he didn’t like the guy, he didn’t want him as an enemy.

Me either. I just found it impossible to be nice to him anymore. This week I’d had to work damn hard to keep myself in check and not give Dex a piece of my mind.

I joined the group of men, all staring at the donuts. Tempting, very tempting. “Any chance he’ll drop her off and go away?” I tore a piece off a chocolate cake donut.

“I wish,” and “That’d be nice,” and “Yeah, right,” were all mumbled at the same time.

“I don’t know how she can’t feel the mood change of the entire room when he’s here. How you all can put up with it is a mystery. Just think when it’s time to tour.” I shuddered at the thought.

“You gotta do what you gotta do,” Moe said. “You gonna eat that, or wave it around while you rant?”

My mini-rant turned on a faucet. I didn’t like to openly shit-talk people, but I’d had it with Dex’s dirty looks and disrespect.
My
songs kept him in the lifestyle he’d become accustomed to.

I shoved the quarter donut into my mouth. “I mean,
God
, the man is always up Gina’s ass! I can’t even talk to her without him needing to know what I’m saying.” I swallowed the donut and wiped my mouth. “Okay, I get it, Dex doesn’t trust me.” They didn’t know why, they seemed to assume that since I was someone Gina listened to, Dex saw me as a threat.

Oh yeah, I was on a roll. “Dang, you’d think he’d trust someone in the room. At least Moe. Does he like any of us?”

“Molly,” one of the guys said.

“No, he doesn’t like me! He hates me and I hate him. Thank God I’m leaving this evening. I don’t think I can put up with him for one more day. How is Gina oblivious to the fact that, one, no one likes him, and two, he’s a gigantic, micro-managing, stuffy-ass douche bag?”

“The only thing I’m oblivious to is thinking we were friends.”

My body simultaneously flushed both hot and cold, while my heart dropped. All the guys in the band had frozen expressions of,
oh shit.

I closed my eyes, and turned around to face Gina. And Dex. “Gina, I’m sorry.”

In a way I was. For the uncomfortable situation I just forced everybody into, not for thinking bad things about Dex. I was leaving today. They were stuck with each other.

I saw Dex’s shit-eating grin as Gina stepped toward me.

“Sorry for what?” Gina asked. “For pretending to be my friend? Pretending to care about my life?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. I could see Dex’s smug face in my peripheral vision. “I do care about your life.”

She scoffed. “Please. All you care about is whether or not I sell songs.”

Behind me, the band went silent. In front of me, Gina, furious, and Dex, self-satisfied.

“Of course I care whether or not you sell songs. Your success means my success. But I care about you too, Gina.”

She put her hands on her hips and jutted out one hip. “I used to think so.”

I matched her pose. How dare she say I didn’t care about her? “I
do
care about you. That’s why—”

Shit. Out Dex, or keep it a secret?

The color drained out of her husband’s face. I studied Gina’s face, so hurt from my words. So in love with Dex that she couldn’t see through her rose-colored glasses enough to view her husband clearly. I wasn’t going to be the one to air his dirty laundry. It wasn’t my place or my business. I knew this now.

“That’s why what, Molly?”

I put my hands up in the surrender position. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Well, I—
we
—don’t need you here anymore.”

“I’m leaving today. I’ll leave the studio now.” I turned to the band. “I’m sorry, guys. I’ll see you sometime, I guess.”

“No,” Gina said.

I faced her again.

“We’re through, professionally and personally.” She grabbed Dex’s hand and raised her chin. “I think maybe Dex was right. Your material isn’t right for me anymore. Thank you for these first two albums. I . . .” Chin high, she squared her shoulders. “I no longer want your music.”

Did she punch me in the gut? It felt like it. I opened my mouth but couldn’t utter a word. I just stared.

The studio fell dead silent.

In my head I pleaded with Gina to change her mind.
You don’t mean that. Your voice was meant for my songs. We’re a great team. I need you and you need me.

Maybe Gina didn’t need me anymore, though. When she first started out, sure. Not anymore. She knew enough without me.

As much as I wanted to keep working with Gina, I knew it was over between us. Dex and I would never come to a truce, and Gina would always choose her husband over me, rightly so.

I had no idea how long we all stood frozen, waiting for someone or something to make the first move. I nodded. “Okay.”

I spun around to the band and plastered a sad smile on my face. “Well guys, I think this is goodbye.” I gave them all quick hugs, grabbed my purse, and made a beeline for the door, making sure I didn’t look at Gina or Dex on my way out.

I should’ve gone straight to Kent’s office and told him what happened, but I was afraid my shaking hands and pounding heart would lead to hysterics once I began talking. I ran to my rental car, threw open the door, and sat. I wasn’t ready to go to Kent’s and face Joy and the kids yet. My foot tapped at a rapid pace. No one was there to stop it, or to take my hands and tell me to calm down, that everything was going to be all right. So I tapped while my hands gripped the sides of the driver’s seat and squeezed. I lowered my chin and concentrated on breathing.
In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

My phone blared out the first few notes of “Good Man” and I jerked in surprise.

“Hey,” I answered.

“I have a few minutes so I thought I’d see how your last day was going,” Caleb said. “You all right?”

“Well,” I said with a shaky voice.

“Princess?”

“Gina overheard me bad-mouthing Dex.”

“Uh-oh. I take it she’s pissed?”

“So p-pissed she dumped m-me,” I blubbered.

Caleb let me freak out for a minute, then somehow managed to calm me down. He convinced me to tell Kent right away, but I didn’t want to go into the Crystal Records offices. I hung up with Caleb, called Kent and asked him to meet me at his house as soon as he could, and to bring Bubba if at all possible.

An hour later, I sat in Kent’s kitchen, my three kids around the table. Joy was out on her last scenic drive of our visit. I’d told her it might be our last trip to Nashville, so to go enjoy what she could. I sipped my cup of coffee while the twins snacked and Vivian stared into space.

I heard the front door open.

Kent hollered, “Molly?”

“In here.”

Two sets of feet clomped through the house, so I knew Kent had Bubba with him. They settled themselves at the table with me and I told them everything; how I dug up dirt on Dex, anonymously faxed it to Gina, and my certainty that he intercepted the fax without Gina knowing. Then the icing on the cake—Gina dumping me.

They listened as I apologized, blank expressions on their faces.

“Say something. I know I messed up. Yell at me if you need to.”

“Molly,” Kent started.

I cut him off. “Don’t worry, I already know I’m screwed. I gave up my teaching career for this, and now I’m unemployed.”