Page 55 of Playing With My Heart Strings

dusty

Full of Hot Air

I got an earful from Rob for choosing Baylor in Knoxville. The producer he called looked like he was about to shit his pants before he handed me the phone.

“You’re lucky if we don’t terminate your contract for this!”

I could just imagine his expression—eyebrows slanted down, veins popping out of his neck.

“You heard the song she wrote. There’s promise there,” I muttered.

“You’re treading dangerous water, Dusty. One more slip up and it’s over.”

He hung up before I could respond and left me with a raging headache the rest of the day.

I have one final date with Valerie and Baylor.

I thought a lot about what the last two dates would look like, and the plans for each one are very intentional.

It’s my last effort to get the viewers to see what I see, to get inside my mind and understand my thought process, because although I can picture futures with both of these women, the images that run through my mind are different.

Despite it not quite being sunrise, it’s warm. It’s the perfect twilight hour, and there isn’t a single cloud in the sky. I silently thank God the weather didn’t ruin my plans for Valerie’s date.

She’s waiting for me up ahead with a radiant smile on her face. When I reach her, I pull her in for a hug, wrapping my arms around her as she buries her head in my chest.

She breaks away from me, and I get a whiff of her perfume. “It’s so good to see you.”

“I’ve got something special planned for us today.” I rest my hand on the small of her back as we continue walking down the path.

“Is that where we’re going?” Her mouth gapes as she points to the field filled with hot air balloons. I nod, and she lets out a small squeak, eliciting a laugh from my chest when she starts pulling me along faster. “I’ve always wanted to go up in one of these.”

“Happy to be helping you experience it.” A genuine smile tugs at my lips at her happiness. My hope is that the first half of our date will make the second half easier.

Hand in hand, we make our way over to one of the hot air balloons. The pilot greets us while the crew inflates the balloon. It’s a smaller basket than some of the others to make it a more personalized and intimate setting instead of being with a large group.

“Welcome to SkyWonders! My name is Austin, and I’ll be your pilot today.

Is this your first time riding in a hot air balloon?

” Valerie and I both nod, so he continues.

“It’s an honor to be taking you up into the skies.

If you both will climb into the basket here, I’ll go over a short safety brief then we’ll be off. ”

Valerie’s short and the basket’s about four feet tall, so I help her before I climb into it.

Once we’re settled, Austin goes over everything we need to know, including where to hold on, what to do in an emergency, and what not to do.

Before I know it, he’s firing it up and we’re floating off the ground.

I put my arm around Valerie, resting my hand on her shoulder as we watch the ground get farther and farther away.

“You two doing all right over there?” Austin asks.

“Yessir.” I offer him a thumbs-up.

“This is incredible,” Valerie exhales. “I’ve obviously flown in a plane before, but this is unlike anything I’ve ever done.”

The people on the ground are mere specks as we approach three thousand feet, and the sun is beginning to rise, painting the horizon in streaks of orange and pink.

“Do you ever miss your family while you’re out here?” Valerie’s whispered question catches me off guard.

“Yeah, I do,” I confess. “I try to visit as often as I can, but I get so busy that sometimes months will go by without seeing them in person. But I text my mother every morning and night. At least I did before I came on the show. This has been the longest I’ve gone without talking to her.”

She looks out toward the horizon as she rests her forearms on the lip of the basket.

“That’s what I worry about. My family is the most important thing to me.

And I want this, I really do, but I’m afraid I won’t be strong enough without them.

I didn’t leave home for the longest time, and even when I did, I didn’t go that far.

Nashville is a long way from them, though. ”

“It took me a long time to get used to being away,” I explain. “I mean, I was just a kid when I came to Nashville. But knowing I’m supporting them financially pushes me.”

She turns her head toward me as she nods, her deep-brown eyes wide. “That helps. I don’t want to give off the impression that I want to leave or don’t want this. Because I do.” She smiles. “I don’t know, I guess I was just saying what was on my mind.”

I brush my thumb over her jaw. “You don’t have to apologize. I understand. Sometimes talking it out is all you need. And no matter what happens this week, you can always talk to me. I’ll be here.”

“Thank you.” She doesn’t lean in to kiss me, just looks at me with understanding in her gaze.

“This is the highest point for today,” Austin interrupts. “I won’t be firing the balloon anymore, so we’ll be descending soon.”

The ride back down to the ground is silent, both of us appreciating the views and the sounds around us. The breeze rustling the balloon, airplanes flying overhead, and the chirping of birds and whir of traffic once we reach a lower elevation.

“I’m going to try to land us as smoothly as possible, but there are no guarantees, so make sure you stay seated,” he warns when we approach the ground.

The landing is not smooth, and the basket tips over, causing Valerie to land directly on top of me. We thank Austin, though, laughing it off as we head back to the car—makes for a good story.

About thirty minutes later, we walk through the front doors of my favorite café for breakfast. We have a good amount of time before we have to be at our next location, and I heard Valerie’s stomach rumble a few times after we got out of the hot air balloon.

“Good morning! Just the two of you?” the host greets us.

“Just the two of us.” I nod. And the camera crew following us, but you know.

“Perfect. You can follow me back.”

She leads us to a booth in the back corner, away from the other patrons, most likely so they won’t feel uncomfortable with the cameras.

But it’s likely they aren’t paying attention anyway.

This is one of my favorite places because of that fact.

I can come get breakfast without fans interrupting me. Here, I can just be Dusty.

“Wow, I can’t believe no one’s come up to talk to you or stared at the cameras or anything,” Valerie mumbles. “How did you find this place?”

“Charlie and I just kind of stumbled upon it. The food here is incredible, so we kept coming back. It’s kind of a hidden gem that tourists haven’t found. The place has its regulars and they’re not hurting for business, so they haven’t said anything about this being my breakfast spot.”

“That must be nice to have a place where you don’t have to worry about being famous.”

“It is. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being a country singer, but sometimes I just want to be me.”

A server walks up, forcing us to pause our conversation. “Hi, Dusty! Who’s this with you?”

“Morning, Taylor. This is Valerie,” I introduce them.

“Very nice to meet you. What can I get for y’all today?”

“Ladies first.” I gesture to Valerie.

She looks down at her menu. “I’ll do the waffle combo, please. And a coffee with cream and sugar.”

When Taylor looks at me, I order my usual, chicken fried steak and a black coffee.

“I’ll get these going for you two. Nice to see you again, Dusty.”

“Okay, I can see why you like this place.” Valerie giggles once Taylor’s out of earshot.

“It’s definitely special when all the employees are on a first-name basis with their customers.

I selfishly hope the tourists don’t find it, but at the same time, I’d be thrilled for the owners.

Anyway, I did want to let you know that after breakfast we’re going to head over to the label.

I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed or nervous. ”

Her eyes widen, and she opens her mouth, but then closes it like the words won’t come out.

“It’s a casual meeting, no pressure. They just want to meet you.” And I want to use this meeting to ensure that I can set Valerie up for success—maybe even a spot at the label—even if she’s not the woman I’m ending this experience with.

“W-wow, I don’t know what to say.” She manages to get the words out. “Thank you, Dusty. Seriously, you’ve done so much for me the last couple months, and I don’t know what I did to deserve it.”

I take her hands across the table. “You’re amazing. And you deserve good things in life. You deserve to be happy.”

The air in Ace High Entertainment is a bit stifling as I lead Valerie down the hallway to the elevator that will take us up to the conference room. The same conference room I sat in three months ago when Rob told me I was going to star as the lead of Heart Strings .

It’s also been three months since I’ve had to see the guy, and I can’t say I’m looking forward to facing him today, even if the meeting isn’t only about me.

As if she senses my shift in mood, she takes my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Rob and a few other executives are already sitting at the table when we approach the conference room. Craig is there as well, and he gives me a nod of acknowledgment through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I hold the door open for Valerie, and we both step inside. I can tell she’s nervous by the way she shifts on her feet and wrings her hands.

Rob isn’t making any effort to say something, so I take the lead. “Hello, gentlemen. Good to see you again. This is Valerie.”

Rob finally stands, approaching us to shake Valerie’s hand. “Very nice to meet you and congratulations on making it this far. We’ve been really impressed with you on the show here at Ace High Entertainment.”

A flush creeps into her cheeks. “Thank you, that means a lot. I am truly so grateful to have this opportunity. And to have met Dusty in the process, of course.”

“We’re happy to have you here. Let’s take a seat, shall we?” Rob gestures to the table.

I pull out a chair for Valerie and take a seat between her and Craig.

“So, Valerie, tell us a little about yourself. Your background, aspirations, where you see yourself, and how we, here at Ace High, can help you achieve your goals.” Rob leans back in his chair.

I don’t trust him, but I know Valerie can hold her own.

I’ll step in if I need to, but she’s strong and I know she can handle him.

“I’ve been performing for about five years now.

I don’t live in Nashville, because I wanted to stay close to my family, but I’m willing to relocate if an opportunity arises.

My hope is to break into the country music industry to help support and give back to my parents.

They did so much for me to be able to be sitting in front of you today, and they’re so resilient, so I want to make them proud.

I would love to work with Ace High Entertainment.

I’ve seen what you have done for Dusty, and I think we could be a strong fit.

” Even though she’s explained a lot of her background already on the show, she doesn’t leave out any details, speaking to them as if they haven’t watched her on national television.

She’s so eloquent when she speaks. She’d be a great spokesperson and addition to the label.

“There’s no doubt that you’re incredibly talented. We’re really looking forward to a potential partnership, and I want to wish you the best of luck this final week. If Dusty’s smart, he’ll be bringing you back.” Rob winks and Valerie chuckles, but I also know it’s a threat directed at me.

A warning to make the right choice.

“I personally think Valerie would be an excellent fit for Ace High Entertainment,” I add when there’s a lull in conversation. “Like you said, she’s talented and our voices blend well together, but I think she’s also a strong enough performer to hold her own as a solo act.”

“Do you have any released songs or demos that you could send over?” the director of the A&R department asks.

Valerie nods. “Yes, and I’d be happy to send some samples of my work.”

“That would be great. It’ll be nice to have, even if you’re the winner. Helps us prepare for Dusty’s forthcoming album.”

When we leave the label, Valerie has a bright smile on her face, excitement pouring off her in waves, and I’m confident that regardless of what happens at the end of this week, she’ll be just fine.