Page 73 of A Country Kind Of Love

I have no idea what you’ve just said.

Peyton should be excited, but she’s petrified. The vast concrete walls feel like they’re closing in, but her line of sight gets smaller, her vision warps, and her head feels like it’s aboutto implode.

“Peyton?”

“Yes, sorry.” She visibly shakes her head. It feels like her brain is rattling around inside, but her vision stabilises. “Just one question. Can I still work at the coffee shop?”

Shonda looks at Harriet, who looks at Peyton. They both burst out laughing.

“You’ve got a sense of humour, kid.I like it.”

I’ll take that as a no then.Peyton laughs nervously.

“Now, in terms of the song that’s caused all this drama. It’s called ‘The Luckiest Hand’, right?”

Peyton nods.

“Okay. The good news, I am good friends with Marvin, so getting the rights to your song isn’ta problem.”

Peyton smiles. That is good news.

“What we do with the song, and how we market the song is a little more complex.”

“How so?”Peyton asks.

“My job is to drive your music to be successful. My job is to spend whatever money I see fit to get your music recognised in all the right influential places. I have a team of social media managers who look for ready-made fanbases. They look for a combination of talent and organically made socials. Rarely do I sign artists who haven’t already built a major fanbase.”

Peyton can feel a shift in the air. Shonda walks from one side of the room to the other; her hands are expressive guiding her throughthe speech.

“I do occasionally come across a talent like yours and take a risk. It’s not necessarily an informed risk. It’s more of a gut reaction. When I heard your song, I had that gut reaction. It was raw. It was very much a demo. It needs work, but the basis of the song, the way your voice projects, the emotion, and the meaning spoke to me.”

Peyton nods along. She waits for the‘but’.

“When I heard Avery come in on the song, that’s when I saw the realpotential.”

There it is. Peyton’sface drops.

“I’m not saying you couldn’t release the song on your own, but when I look at what’s trending, I really do think we could benefit from a duo. Your voices blend so well together. I think it makes sense to release it as your first track and have Avery feature. Once we know the analytics and see how it charts we can decide whether it becomes a permanent pairing.”

Peyton gulps. “I...”

Shonda stops by the cabinet in the corner to refill her glass.

“I... I am not sure that’s what I want.” She reaches for the water. Her throat isdrying out.

“Oh. Okay.” Shonda clicks at Harriet to leave the room.Rude. “Then tell me what it is you want, Peyton.”

Her eyes are uninviting now. Peyton tries to avoideye contact.

Just be honest.

“I want to sing the song I wrote with the girl I wrote it for.” She stops immediately. Her breath ceases. She can’t look Shonda in the eye. There’s a small piece of nail on her thumb; she picks atit intently.

Focuson the nail.

She wants to sing the song with Cleo. Or sing it to Cleo. Or have Cleo sing it. She wants anything other than to sing itwith Avery.

“Hmm.” Shonda sits back in her chair.