Page 9 of A Way Out (Rock Star #2)

Chapter Eight

M aria sat on the leather couch, legs crossed, politely sipping wine, like she was about to enjoy a lovely opera. Or a musical. Not watch the members of a rock band tune their instruments and warm up.

In truth, she had no idea how to act right now. She was embarrassed to admit she’d never been to a rock concert. Not that this was a concert, she supposed.

Holly and Sam and their band had done what she’d probably call an acoustic set at their New Year’s Eve party, but they’d been messing around, not really even finishing most of the songs.

Holly had been inviting her to one of her concerts since they’d reconnected last year, but Maria had been too busy trying to pretend everything was all right even as her life was falling apart at the seams.

She listened to KIDZ BOP and had a healthy appreciation of show tunes and classical music. Normally, when she was about to listen to a live performance, it was in a music hall and she was dressed in diamonds and a floor-length gown, a tuxedoed Vic on her arm.

Oz, his guitar slung around his shoulder, turned to face Travis, who sat behind the drums, his hands lightly gripping a pair of sticks. “Ready?” he asked. Travis nodded, Oz counted down, and Travis started a staccato beat against the drums.

Oz began strumming his guitar, then Parker joined in with his bass, and Cash stroked the keys, creating a melody Maria didn’t recognize but liked all the same.

And then Lacey leaned close to the microphone and began crooning. Maria just stared, taking it all in. She was watching her first live rock performance.

And it was spectacular.

The first song, she guessed, based on the refrain, was called “Dream This.” It had a heavy, fast beat, demanding the listener’s attention as Lacey sang about realizing her rock ’n roll dreams despite a whole lot of setbacks.

The song ended abruptly, with Oz wrapping his fingers around the neck of his guitar to cut off the sound while Travis tapped a cymbal one more time before grabbing it to also pause the vibration.

The five of them had a quick discussion, something about this riff being too fast and maybe the drums needed to come in sooner; Maria didn’t understand any of it, but it was fascinating to watch them.

They were all so serious and yet laid-back, cracking jokes, laughing, nodding and agreeing that this or that needed to change.

They played the song again, and Maria’s untrained ear couldn’t tell what they’d done differently, but when it was over, they were happy, so whatever they’d adjusted, it worked.

And then they jumped into the next song.

This was fun . Not just casual fun, like catching up with an old college friend over coffee and pastries at Coffee-A-Roma, but the sort of fun Maria had never before experienced.

Not even at her own wedding reception.

Her wedding day had been maybe a little more than casual fun, but it had also been tempered with nerves as she worried about pleasing her mother and stressed over her sisters coming into town for the grand affair.

And then when she’d caught one of her bridesmaids in the ladies’ room getting busy with a guest that turned out to be her sister Holly’s plus one, she’d thought, I wish Hearsys had permission to lose control, because I sure could use a drink right now .

Now here she was, sitting in a practice studio in a house in LA, listening to a band warm up for their performance next weekend, and she was having more fun than she’d had at her own wedding.

The band chatted again about making slight changes to one of the songs, and then Parker stepped up next to Lacey and tapped out a steady rhythm against his bass. Oz ate up the few steps between them and leaned into the microphone, his face next to Lacey’s as they both kicked off the next tune.

It was another fast-paced beat. Oz and Lacey sang duet on the refrain, and Lacey sang solo on the rest. It was about trying to escape something, being afraid you’d never be brave enough to take that first step.

Oz strummed his guitar, his gaze catching Maria’s, while he and Lacey sang about finding a way out. The lyrics were so heart-wrenching, Maria couldn’t help but wonder if Oz had written this song.

It was clear he was in a tight spot, working three jobs plus trying to get this band off the ground, all while supporting his mother and his nieces and nephew. It was so unfair.

Oz’s guitar riffs faded into Parker’s deeper bass notes, ending the song, and Maria surged to her feet, clapping. An “Ohmigod, that was amazing!” burst from her lips like she was a groupie at an actual concert.

Lacey laughed. “I guess we know that one’s a hit.”

“We already knew that,” Cash said. “We should be sending the single to radio stations and hitting up Octane on Sirius XM, but Oz has been too busy working.”

“Sorry I gotta make a living, man,” Oz snapped back.

“Hey, I keep telling you?—”

“Do not offer me money,” Oz warned his bandmate.

Cash thinned his lips and did not say anything more.

“Why does Oz have to do it?” Maria asked.

Lacey shrugged. “He’s good at it.”

“Really good,” Parker added.

On top of all his other burdens, the man was also the band’s publicist?

That was insane.

“On a positive note, Bridgette secured us a gig in Tulsa,” Lacey said. “It’s only two and a half hours from Branson.”

“Seriously?” Cash said. “That’s fantastic!” Oz and Parker slapped hands while Travis clutched his drumsticks and fist pumped.

“Who’s Bridgette?” Maria asked from her position on the couch.

“She’s a booking agent,” Oz explained.

“The first time Lacey and I played together, Bridgette packed this bar outside of Branson,” Parker added. “That night made us enough money to be able to head out here to LA to make this dream come true.”

What was it like to have dreams, let alone fulfill them? Maria had no idea. She’d never dared to dream. The closest she’d come was finally asking Vic for a divorce. And really, was that even a dream?

More like a way to kickstart her life.

She was here, though, wasn’t she? In LA, hanging with an up-and-coming band. Okay, yes, she’d seen the guitarist naked—and what a spectacular sight it had been—but he was acting like it was no big deal, so she was too.

Well, she was trying.

Maybe this was her dream and she hadn’t even realized it until now. Not that she could define this , exactly. She was truly having fun, and those instances had been rare in her former life.

“Now we just need to get people to show up,” Oz said. “Wait. When is the show scheduled?”

“Sunday night,” Lacey replied. “We’ll need to stay an extra day. Bridgette thinks she may be able to get us a few gigs for the following weekend, too, if we want to hang out there for an extra week.”

Oz shook his head. “No way I can miss that much work. Tell her to keep booking us shows in LA.”

“We’ve played every club and bar on the LA scene,” Lacey complained. “Twice.”

“Three times,” Cash said.

“We need to expand our reach if we’re ever going to grow,” Lacey said. “Bridgette says she may even be able to hook us up with a small tour through the Midwest. Maybe get us into a music festival. It’s finally getting real.”

Cash and Travis smacked palms, grinning.

“We aren’t prepared to tour yet,” Oz cut across the excitement. “We don’t even have a bus. Or money.”

“Which we can’t make if we don’t tour,” Lacey pointed out.

Oz stabbed at his chest. “I can’t put food on my kids’ table if I don’t have steady hours, and a few Midwest shows are not going to make up the income I’m gonna lose if I give up even one of my jobs. We need her to focus on LA right now.”

“And then what?” Parker asked before Lacey could open her mouth. “When do we finally go out and actually be a band, Oz?”

Oz dragged his hand over his face. It was obvious he didn’t have a good answer for Parker. It was just as obvious that he was not going to change his mind. Because he felt he had no choice.

Maria raised her hand, like she was a student, waiting for the teacher to notice that she had a question.

“Why are you raising your hand, Maria?” Oz asked, sounding weary.

“What if you had a sponsor? For the tour, I mean.”

“That’d be great,” Parker said. “But we don’t.”

“But what if you did?” Maria pressed.

“I take it you have an idea?” Oz asked.

“I do. What if I’m your sponsor?”

She had the money. Not an endless supply but enough to help them get on their feet, attempt to break out.

As long as they were conscious of their spending, she could cover their costs through the summer, at least. She didn’t know much about rock ’n roll, but it seemed like bands toured more frequently in the summer.

If they didn’t succeed by Labor Day, they’d all have to go back to their day jobs—or find new ones, if what Oz said was true—and Maria would have to figure out how to support herself.

She wanted to try. They were fantastic. She was already a believer.

And the idea of doing something so very out of character, so very daring, was incredibly heady.

Maybe this really was her dream.

“Are you serious right now?” Lacey practically stumbled off the small stage as she hurried over to grasp Maria’s hands. She glanced over her shoulder at Travis, who was making his way out from behind his drum set. “Wait. Is that even a thing?”

Travis shrugged. “I suppose it’s not unlike a record label covering our costs up front so we can ultimately make money for them.”

“I believe you will make money,” Maria said immediately. “I believe you will be huge.”

Lacey squeezed her hands. “I love your faith.”

“It’s only because of your talent,” she insisted.

“What do you guys think?” Lacey asked, scanning the other members of the band.

Parker slung his arm around Lacey’s shoulders. “As long as we have a contract written up and you track every dime you spend on us so we can pay you back, I’m in.”

“I’m down,” Travis said. “I’m ready to start touring again. It’s been too long.”

“If I’d known I could have called it a sponsorship, I would have offered to do this a long time ago,” Cash said.

“Not the same, man,” Parker said with a shake of his head. “You’re in the band. It would be weird. Plus, we could convince ourselves not to pay you back since you’re part of the band. Maria is a third-party investor.”

Lacey released Maria’s hands so she could clap. “This is so exciting! Oz, you’re the final vote. What’s your decision?”

Apparently, the band was a democracy. Did that mean they would only commit to this if Oz agreed? Or could they overrule him if he didn’t?

Was Maria really worried that he would say no?

For long moments, Oz didn’t move, he didn’t speak, he hardly blinked. And then he carefully removed his guitar and gently placed it on a nearby stand.

And left the room.