Grace Unplugged: A Novel (11 page)

She blinked. Was she imagining this?

“You’re Grace Trey, right?” He smiled and she relaxed a little.

“Yes.”

He reached to shake her hand. “Larry Reynolds, Sapphire Music.”

Grace tried to act perfectly natural—as if she wasn’t blown away that the president of one of the biggest music labels knew her name. “Pleased to meet you,” she said in a surprisingly natural-sounding voice.

“Big fan of you dad,” he told her. “Loved your demo.”

A smile of relief crept onto her face and, as she thanked him, she looked at him more closely. For a man his age, he was attractive and nicely dressed.

“I’m looking forward to hearing you perform tonight,” he said warmly.

“Thanks.” She made a stiff smile. “I’m feeling a little nervous.”

He nodded. “Perfectly natural.”

Then, just like that, Mossy was gathering her up, giving his regard to Larry, and swooping her away. It wasn’t until they were backstage that she spoke her mind. “You didn’t tell me Larry Reynolds would be at my first show!” she exclaimed.

“You never know! They show up when they show up.”

“They don’t call first or anything?”

“Look, just forget he’s even here. This night is about you.”

She pressed her lips together, trying to breathe evenly, trying to relax.

“Listen to me,” Mossy said calmly and slowly, “you’ve heard this song your whole life. You and the band rehearsed for over an hour. And it felt good, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I guess.”

“It was great,” he assured her. “Things move fast around here. Just relax, Grace. This is
your
time. Enjoy it.” He handed her a bottle of water. “Just breathe and focus and relax. You’re gonna rock this place.” He winked at her. “I’ll be down in the cheap seats. Remember, you know what you’re doing. You know this song. Just own it, babe.”

And just like that he was gone. She tried to replay everything he’d just said. She tried to breathe and relax, taking little sips of cool water. She considered praying, like she might’ve done before . . . before she’d taken her life into her own hands. Now she didn’t think praying would help.
I can do this,
she told herself.
I know I can.

Now she could hear someone talking into the mic, and she peeked out to see Tommy out in front. “Well, I’m sure you all remember Johnny Trey.” He laughed like this was funny. “Anyway, some of you old-timers do. And the rest of you have probably heard that Swedish kid singing Johnny’s song ‘Misunderstood’ enough times. But we got something really special for you tonight. We have Johnny Trey’s daughter right here. Yep, friends, she’s making her debut tonight. Singing the Johnny Trey classic, ‘Misunderstood.’ Put your hands together for
Grace Trey
.”

The crowd reacted appropriately, clapping and cheering, as Grace made her way to center stage, taking a moment to adjust the mic. She made a feeble smile as she gazed out over the crowd, spotting Mossy and Larry near the front. Now she glanced back at the band to make sure they were set. But as she turned back around, her guitar neck whacked the mic stand, and the sound was all squeaky, and some of the people laughed. Collecting herself, she adjusted the mic, forcing another smile.

“Sorry,” she told them. Steadying herself, she took in another deep breath then, ready to go for it, she gave a nod to the band and counted it off. “One, two, three, four—” And then she just leaped into it. She could hear the tremor in her voice at first, but it smoothed out by the second line. And by the time she hit the chorus, she was in the groove. By the second verse she knew she was rocking the house. They loved her and weren’t afraid to show it. Even better, she was loving this!

But before the song was finished, she noticed Larry getting ready to leave. She watched, worried that she’d failed, but then she saw him giving Mossy a nod, and she hoped that meant something. Still, she wished he would’ve stayed to the end. She wished he would’ve heard the crowd exploding into applause. They liked her!

Backstage, she hurried to find Mossy. “What happened to Larry Reynolds?” she demanded breathlessly.

“Don’t you worry about that.”

“But he left early,” she said as she unstrapped her guitar.

“He left because he’d seen enough.” Mossy grinned. “Don’t you get it? He liked you, Grace.”

“Are you serious?”

“Don’t get too excited. We don’t have a deal yet. But, my dear, you just blew away Sapphire Music.”

She controlled herself from dancing. “Oh, my goodness!” She covered her mouth with her hand. “I was so nervous.”

“Well, you delivered.”

“This is incredible! I don’t even want to leave now.”

“Then don’t. Stay and enjoy it. I’m gonna grab a statement from Tommy for marketing. Go have fun. Meet your fans.” He started to go, then stopped. “Hey.” He looked her in the eyes. “You did great, Grace. I’m really proud of you. I mean that.”

She felt touched by this kindness from him. She tried not to compare it to all the criticism she was used to getting when it came to her music. No, she was not going to let anything spoil this moment. She went out into the club again, and although she felt slightly more comfortable than before, she was still clearly a misfit here. Not only were these people all older; they still seemed to have only a couple of things on their minds. Things she had no interest in. Even so, a few of them greeted her, giving her an occasional high five or “congrats.” But mostly she was just another girl.

Feeling a bit disenchanted, she decided to go over to where her band was seated on the other side of the room. At least she could make some small talk with them. But about halfway there, a couple of guys seemed intent on intercepting her.

“Hey,” a well-built guy said in a friendly voice.

“Hi,” she said a bit crisply.

“Let me buy you a drink,” he offered in a slightly slurred voice.

She wanted to point out that he didn’t need any more alcohol but instead told him, “No, thanks.”

But instead of accepting this, he got even closer to her, leaning in close enough that she could smell the booze on his breath. “No, I’m serious,” he said. “Jus’ one drink.”

Feeling nervous, she pointed to her band. “No, that’s okay. Actually I have to . . . um . . . they’re waiting for me over there.”

Feeling like she barely escaped her drunken friend, she slunk over to the where her band was sitting around a table and, like everyone else, drinking heavily.

“You were hot,” the bass player told her. “You need a band, we’re in.”

“Right on.” Grace smiled. “You guys are great.”

Still feeling jazzed from her successful performance, she visited happily with the band for awhile. And then, for some reason she looked up, glancing over to the entrance where a way-too-familiar man was standing—staring at her. Dad! What was he doing here? She studied his face carefully, expecting him to be enraged at finding her in such a place, but all she could see in his eyes was sadness. However, she knew he could be tricky like that. One moment she thought he cared, and the next moment he was smacking her ego to the ground. For nearly a minute they just stared across the room at each other, and finally she knew she had to face him.

“Excuse me,” she told the band. “Something I need to attend to.” Then she walked across the crowded room with a newfound confidence. She wondered if her dad had seen her performance. If he had seen the crowd’s reaction.

“Let’s go outside,” she told him loudly to be heard over the music.

He nodded, opening the door for her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked when they were on the sidewalk.

“I’m here because I love you,” he said quietly.

“Did you see me up there?” she asked hopefully.

He nodded, but she could tell by his expression that he had not approved.

She was crushed. “Yeah. And I’m sure you hated how I played your song.”

“Grace, I know I haven’t always been the best father. But baby, think about what you’re doing. Running away. All the deception.” He lowered his voice. “Do you honestly believe you’re doing this for God? Or does that even matter to you anymore?”

Why was he doing this? Why did he keep trying to hold her back? Forcing her into his mold of what a good daughter should be? Why couldn’t he just accept her as she was? Was she really that bad? That unlovable?

“Listen, if you want to go solo, you want to play my song, that’s fine. I don’t care about that right now. But let’s talk about it, okay? Don’t do it behind our backs . . . you’re not ready for this.”

Now she wasn’t just hurt; she was angry. Could he really be this clueless? Did he not see how the crowd loved her? Of course, she was ready. She was more than ready. “Weren’t you even watching?”

“I’m not talking about the music, Grace. Come home. Mom and I both—”

“Johnny.” Mossy joined them with a surprised expression.

Feeling like her protector had just shown up, Grace moved closer to Mossy, standing defiantly next to him.

“If I’d known you were here, I would’ve had them introduce you, Johnny.”

Johnny glared at Mossy like he wanted to punch him. But his expression softened when he looked at Grace. She knew what he was thinking . . . he’d come to take his little girl home. He wanted his puppet back, wanted to pull her strings. She was not having any of it.

“Really, Dad?” She narrowed her eyes, trying to disguise her tears with anger. “Did you honestly come all this way just to tell me I’m wrong again? That I’m not good enough? That I’m not ready for this? What a waste of airfare.”

“No,” he said quickly. “Let’s go somewhere. Let’s talk.”

She felt angry tears streaking down her cheeks but hoped they weren’t visible in this dim light. “No,” she told him in a strong voice. “This is what I want. And I don’t care what you think.” Now she couldn’t stop herself from wiping the tears. “Tell Mom I love her.” She turned away from him wanting to go back into the club, except that now she was crying. So instead of going inside, she paused near the door trying to get her emotions under control. As she stood there, she listened, curious as to whether Mossy would have additional words for her dad. She hoped he did. After all, wasn’t a manager supposed to help protect his clients?

“Kids,” Mossy said in an indifferent sort of way.

“Listen,” her dad said with startling intensity. “You hurt my daughter, I’ll find you.”

“And you call yourself a man of faith?” Mossy’s tone was slightly degrading now. “Look, Johnny, I’m not gonna hurt her. I’m gonna help her get what she wants. Something you obviously can’t or won’t do.” She heard the shuffle of footsteps. “Have a safe flight home,” Mossy called as he came over to the entrance, jumping slightly when he saw her lurking in the shadows.

She held her forefinger over her lips to shush him from saying anything. She did not want Dad to come over and make one last attempt to get her to go home with him. She knew how persistent he could be, how he could make a scene if he wanted. But hearing his footsteps leading away, she knew he’d given up. At least for the night. If he would only back off for long enough, perhaps she’d have the chance to show him that he was wrong—that she
was
ready for this.

Chapter 10

T
he next few days passed in a happy blur for Grace. Signing a contract with Sapphire Music. Being featured in a small article in
Billboard Magazine
. Becoming the new talk of the town. It was all happening so quickly. Her dreams were coming true. And tonight, dressed to the nines, Grace was attending a fancy cocktail part at Larry Reynolds’s luxurious home in the Hollywood Hills. To say she was sitting on top of the world was an understatement. She was flying high above it.

She and Mossy entered the massive foyer, and Grace was immediately aware of the sounds of guests and music and the tinkling of glasses. She’d never felt like such a grown-up before. If only Rachel could see her now. Or not. Because she felt pretty sure that Rachel, like her dad, would not approve. For that reason she pushed all thoughts of Alabama and Homewood to the darkest recesses of her mind. Tonight was a night for celebration. This was her night!

Larry Reynolds spotted them from across the room. Coming over, he warmly welcomed them, taking both of Grace’s hands in his. “Look at you. The woman of the hour. How does it feel?”