Bring on the Night (Love in Nashville Book 1), page 7
She wondered if he was in his apartment right now. Probably not. He’d taken West to see Corbin this afternoon. And when she’d talked to Corbin, he’d told her that he was taking him to meet up with the rest of the band. They were probably out on the town by now. She chewed the inside of her lip. She knew what they were like. There’d be women hitting on them. Levi would take them up on it. Lance would play along for a while and then get bored and go home. Matt would be the center of the party and make all the girls feel special. That was what he did. He made women feel special. It was a knack he had. Was that all he’d done with her last night? She didn’t think so, but she wasn’t sure. Not sure enough to trust him enough to finally let her guard down. It was ironic in a way that she’d only stopped things because she knew she was drunk and her fail safes had kicked in. If she’d been sober, she probably would have gone through with it.
When her pizza arrived, she poured herself a fresh glass of wine and went to settle on the sofa. She turned the TV on and flicked through the channels while she munched.
She hit mute when the phone rang and picked it up to see whether she wanted to answer. It wasn’t Matt, and it was only when she saw her sister’s name on the display that she realized how much she’d wanted it to be him.
“Hey, Summer.”
“Hey, sis. Did you get back okay?”
“Yeah. I texted you last night, remember?”
“Only to tell me that you were in Seattle. I thought you’d let me know when you made it home.”
Autumn laughed. “Yep. I’m home safe and sound. Sorry that I didn’t check in with you.”
“That’s okay. You know I worry, so I had to make sure. How was your night in Seattle?”
Autumn pursed her lips. She was getting paranoid. Her mind immediately jumped to the possibility that Matt might have told her about last night. But that was crazy. Why would he?
“It was good. Productive, at least. I told you in the text that we were going to meet with West this morning? Well, it worked out even better than that. He was ready to come back here, so he flew back with us and went to see Corbin with Matt today. I talked to Corbin this afternoon, and we should be all set to sign the contracts tomorrow.”
“That’s awesome. I like West, and he’s super talented.”
“He is, and he’s a good guy.”
“And what about the other good guy?”
“Who’s that?” Autumn usually got irritated when Summer teased her about Matt, but tonight she wondered whether she might ask her sister’s advice.
Summer laughed. “You know full well who I mean. Matt. Did the two of you make the most of your evening in Seattle together?”
Autumn bit the inside of her lip.
“Well? Don’t tell me you’re mad at him again. What did he do this time?”
“Nothing.” Autumn took a deep breath. She needed to talk to someone about what was or wasn’t or might be going on between her and Matt. “But I’ll bet you can guess what he was about to do till I stopped him at the last minute.”
The line was quiet for a long moment until Summer squealed. “Oh. My. Gosh! What happened? How did you …? And why didn’t you …?”
Autumn had to laugh. “We called a truce on our usual crap and went out for dinner. It was a nice time. He was good company. We went back for a drink afterward and we almost …”
“I can’t believe it! That’s awesome, Autumn!”
“What’s awesome? That we almost did or that we didn’t?”
“That you almost did! The poor guy’s been in love with you for years—”
“Ha! Don’t be crazy, Summer. He’s always claimed to have a thing for me. I wasn’t sure I believed that, at least, not beyond the fact that I’m a female with a pulse. Don’t you go pulling your little hopeless romantic thing and turn it into something else.”
“It is something else, Autumn. He’s in love with you. It’s not just me. He is. I can’t believe he didn’t tell you he has feelings for you.”
Autumn’s heart was racing. “He did, but that’s just what he does. Tell a woman what she wants to hear; tell her anything that will get her panties around her ankles.”
“That’s not true! He used to be like that. I should know. I toured with him when he first started out, and he was as bad as the rest of them, maybe worse. But he’s changed, sis. He’s changed since he met you. Tell me you weren’t mean to him?”
“I wasn’t mean.”
“So, why did you stop him at the last minute?”
“Summer! Stopping a man at the last minute isn’t mean!”
“I know. I didn’t mean it that way. I mean … what happened?”
“I told him I didn’t want to.”
“Oh.” Her sister sounded so disappointed she felt bad.
“I told him that I’d need to wrap my head around it first.”
“Yay!” Summer squealed. “When you do wrap your head around it, you’ll see how perfect this is.”
“I think I’m more likely to conclude that it’s a bad idea.”
“Oh, don’t do that. Please! In fact, promise me you’ll give it a go? I know you two are made for each other. I just know it.”
Autumn laughed. “You’re such a hopeless little romantic.”
“Maybe. But humor me on this one, would you? I think I can help you out here. You want to sleep with him, don’t you?”
Autumn nodded but didn’t speak.
“It’s okay; you don’t need to admit it out loud—we both know you do. So, you can tell yourself that you’re just giving him a shot because I badgered you into it. You can sleep with him—like you’ve wanted to for years, and tell yourself whatever you like, but I know—I just know—that once the two of you get together, that’ll be it. You’ll stay together and end up together, and I will be sooo happy.”
Autumn laughed. “And what if it all goes horribly wrong, and I still have to work with him?”
“Then you’ll figure it out. You’re fiery. He’s a handful, but you both care enough about your careers and about Clay to let anything become too much of a problem.”
Autumn tried to hold in a smile. Her sister had just given her the out she’d been looking for. She was right, both she and Matt adored Clay and felt like they owed him everything. If things didn’t work out, if they got ugly, she knew that their shared love of Clay would mean neither of them would do anything to hurt the label.
“Say something?”
“Thanks.”
“Oooh!” Summer squealed again. “Are you going to give him a chance then?”
“I do believe I am.”
Chapter Nine
“Damn, that sounded great!” exclaimed Lance.
“Don’t sound so surprised,” said Levi. “I told you it would.”
Lance nodded grudgingly. “You know I like to be the ideas guy when it comes to production. Your role is to look pretty. But I’ve got to hand it to you, those harmonies and closing out on the acoustic … wow! It’s amazing.”
Matt grinned at them. It really did sound great. They’d been working all morning on one of the last tracks for the album. West had fitted right in with the others. He was super talented. Matt had had no worries there, but he wasn’t sure how well he’d gel with the other guys. He was fitting in better than Reggie ever had. Reggie was a great guy and they all had a lot of respect for him, but he was that bit older, and he was—understandably—more concerned about his family than about joking around and hanging out with the guys. West, on the other hand, acted like they were his family. He’d invited them all out for dinner on his first night here. It’d been a great bonding session for them as a band—even if Matt had spent half the time wishing that he was with Autumn instead.
He hadn’t seen her or heard from her since they got back from Seattle. He’d had his phone in his hand ready to text her at least a dozen times a day every day since. But he talked himself out of it each time. She’d told him she needed time to think about it. Left to his own devices, he’d rather persuade her than wait for her, but he was trying to respect her wishes in the hopes that would show her how serious he was about her—about them.
“I have another idea, about ‘Red Dirt,’” said Levi.
They all looked at him. “Yeah. I thought we should bring the girls in on the chorus. Make it big and kind of anthemy.”
Matt thought about it. He could see that working. ‘Red Dirt’ was the kind of song that had the potential to become a summertime, feel-good anthem. He nodded slowly and looked at the others. “I like it. What do you guys think?”
Lance rolled his eyes. “I think Levi just wants to get some women in here. He’s gone without for almost a whole week now.”
Levi punched his arm. “You might be partially right there, but come on, you have to admit it’d sound good.”
“Yeah. Much as I don’t want to admit it, you’re right. Who are you thinking of bringing in, though? Jan and Alexa are out of town.”
Matt knew Levi had ulterior motives when his eyes lit up. “Well, I was talking to these two chicks last night at Laurie’s place and—”
“And let me guess, you told them you could make them famous?” Lance didn’t look impressed.
“No.” Levi shook his head. “Have a little faith, would you? I know I’m a player, but I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
Matt nodded to himself; that was true. Levi might have no qualms about sleeping with members of the audience, but to Matt’s knowledge, he’d never slept with one of the singers or musicians they’d brought in, and there had been plenty of them over the last few years.
“So, what makes you think they’d be right for this?” he asked.
Levi turned to him. “I heard them sing harmonies. They’re freaking amazing. It’s a different sound. They’re fresh in town. They came from Arizona—they have some connection to Laurie somehow. I dunno, I didn’t pay too much attention to that bit. But you need to hear them, Matt.”
“Are they going to be there tonight?” If he knew Levi, they would be.
Levi grinned. “I told them I might bring the rest of the band in, and that if you guys like their sound …”
West finally spoke up. “If us guys like it?” He looked around at them. “I’m just learning the ropes here. I’m guessing it’s Matt’s decision, right? Or Autumn’s? But we get to have our say? Have some input?”
“You sure do,” said Matt. “The contracts are set up so that we’re all separate, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re a band, a team. We all contribute as much as each other, in different ways. I supply the lead vocals. Levi is bass and good looks. Lance is lead guitar and production genius. And you? Well, so far we know that you’re drums, and the rest we’ll learn with time.”
West smiled. “I guess we will. If I had to tell you right now what I can bring to the table, I’m a pretty good motivator. I know how to keep the mood light when things are going down, and I know how to keep everyone working till we reach our goals.”
The others nodded at Matt. It seemed they liked that idea as much as he did. Reggie was a great guy, but it sometimes felt like he brought a dark cloud into the room with him and brought everyone’s mood down. If West could keep their spirits up, then he’d be an even more welcome addition.
“That sounds good to me,” said Levi. “So how about you motivate these two into coming to Laurie’s tonight to hear the girls—and we may as well have dinner and knock a few back while we’re there, right?”
They all nodded their agreement. Matt had been considering whether tonight would be the night that he called Autumn. But a night out with the guys would be good for the band, and it would force him to stick with being patient.
~ ~ ~
Autumn looked up and checked the clock on the wall. It was only four o’clock, but she was thinking of calling it a day. It wasn’t like her to leave early, but she hadn’t been able to concentrate all afternoon. Her mind kept drifting—drifting to Matt and to Seattle, to the way he’d made her feel on that sofa. She felt her nipples stiffen at the memory. She’d been kicking herself all week for telling him to stop. She wished she’d just let things run their natural course. She sat up straight. But she hadn’t. There was no point crying over spilt milk. She’d decided in the moment that they’d do better to wait until she was sober. Now she was sober, she’d had a few days to think about it. She’d second-guessed herself a bunch, but she always came back to the conclusion that yes, she wanted to sleep with him. She wanted to see how a relationship between them might work, too. But that seemed like too big of an ask. Sleeping with him would be a start—if it was an end, too, then so be it. If it was a beginning, they could see where things went from there.
She made a face when her phone rang. She should have left while she was thinking about it. Now she’d no doubt be here for hours dealing with whatever problem was about to land in her lap.
“This is Autumn,” she answered.
“Hi, Autumn. This is Paige. In accounts.”
“What’s up, Paige?” She wanted to remind her that she didn’t need to tell her she was in accounts every time they spoke. Autumn knew who she was, where she worked, and just how lucky they were to have her. The girl was brilliant. She wasn’t just in accounts; she’d stepped up as the company accountant when Griff had retired last year. And as much as Autumn had loved Griff, Paige made him seem like a dinosaur—in his methods and his results.
“I, umm. I wondered if …”
Autumn deliberately calmed herself and got a grip on her impatience. She had no time for people who mumbled. She preferred to deal with go-getters than shrinking violets. She made an exception in Paige’s case, though. Paige might be what you would call socially awkward, but she was also undeniably brilliant. Autumn had discovered that if you gave her the time to say things her own way, and the confidence that she wouldn’t be ridiculed for saying them, she’d reward you with either business insights that saved thousands, innovative ideas that made the label run more efficiently, or more and more lately, insightful comments about artists or execs and hilarious one-liners. Autumn made herself breathe in and out slowly and evenly while she waited.
“I wondered if …”
Autumn couldn’t help herself. “I’ll tell you what. Would it be easier to tell me in person? I could come down there?”
“Umm. Only if … if it’s not an inconvenience?”
“Nope. It’ll do me good to get out of my office. I’ll be down there in a few.” She grabbed her purse and shut down her computer. Hopefully, she’d be stopping to see Paige on her way out; if it turned out there was a problem that she needed to stick around to deal with, then she could always come back up here.
When the elevator doors opened, she smiled at the sight of Bianca, the head of PR standing there waiting.
“Hey. Are you sneaking out early?”
Bianca laughed, looking a little guilty. “You caught me. It’s just one of those days, and I hit a natural break-off point and thought, you know what …? But I can stay if you need me.”
“Hell, no. Get out of here. There must be something in the air today. I was planning to do the same thing myself.”
“Do you have plans, or do you want to play hooky together? I’m considering taking myself over to Laurie’s. You should come. Then we can pretend that we’re talking business, and I won’t feel so guilty about taking off early.”
Autumn considered it. “I’d like to, but I’m just on my way to see Paige. She needs to tell me something.”
“Ah, that might take a while.”
Autumn smiled. “It might. She’s getting better, though. Maybe I should invite her; that might help her open up a little.”
“You can try. I ask her to come out all the time, but she turns me down. Maybe she’ll say yes since you’re the boss. I think she considers me to be too frivolous since I’m just the PR lady.”
Autumn had to laugh at that. “If she considers you to be frivolous, then she doesn’t know you very well, does she?” Bianca was driven, to say the least. Autumn admired that about her; they had a lot in common.
The elevator doors closed behind Autumn, and Bianca made a face. “I guess that’s my decision made, then. I’m waiting here for you and Paige. But if she doesn’t want to come, or you’re going to be a while, let me know? I’ll meet you there.”
“Give me five minutes, and I’ll let you know either way.”
“Okay.”
Bianca went back into her office, and Autumn made her way down the hall to Paige’s office and tapped sharply on the door.
“Come in!” The way Paige said it, Autumn half expected her to add, I surrender!
“Hey. Before we start, is this something we need to be in the office to discuss?”
Paige considered the question then shook her head.
“Okay, and is it confidential or would you mind if Bianca hears what you have to say?”
Paige’s eyebrows knit together, then she slowly shook her head again. “It’s not confidential. However, I should tell you that it might take me a little longer to explain with Bianca present.”
Autumn raised an eyebrow. “Because you’re uncomfortable with her?”
“Not with her. Just with speaking in front of people.”
Autumn nodded. “Then we should take care of this here and now. I was asking because we’re going to go to Laurie’s Tavern. I thought you might like to come, and we could kill two birds with one stone.”
Paige held her gaze for a long moment. “I’d like to come. If you don’t mind dealing with my awkwardness, then I think I should make the effort. I’m attempting to accept all the opportunities that come my way.” She gave a faint smile. “I need to expand my comfort zone. It is, admittedly, rather small.”
Autumn smiled and reached out to touch her arm, though she immediately regretted doing so when she saw the look on Paige’s face. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I understand that physical touch is an expression of support and encouragement. I appreciate the sentiment.”
