Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
My heart starts beating again.
This could be just what we’ve been hoping for.
Callie is marrying Donny, so she’ll be able to help, but this way… Jesse and I might be able to help as well. And I won’t have to depend on Brock for it.
But a tour. All that time away from home.
Away from Brock…
“I think I can speak for the band,” Cage says. “We’re totally interested.”
“Great. That’s great.”
“I said the band,” Cage says. “I can’t speak for Rory.”
“You’re not part of the band?” Jett asks.
“I am,” I say with certainty. “I think I just realized that tonight.”
“What are you talking about, sis?” Jesse asks.
“It was between sets when I was in the bathroom. And that’s part of the reason why I asked you to give up your guitar for the last set. You and I—our voices work together, Jesse. We should both be singing exclusively.”
“I’ll agree with that,” Jett says.
“But more than that,” I continue, “I think I finally let go this evening. I was having so much fun singing with the band, and I was thinking about Dad, and how lucky we are that he’s alive. And I was thinking about Brock, and how I’m in a relationship that could change my life. And I realized that I’ve changed. And I let go of it, Jess. I thought I had let go of my opera dreams years ago, but I hadn’t. Never truly. Not until tonight. I embraced this side of me. I embraced rock and roll.”
“Right, you mentioned opera.” Jett says. “That explains a lot. Did you know my background is in opera too?”
“Really?” I say.
“Yeah, really. Rock was never my dream either. And Zane here—he was a concert pianist.”
My jaw drops. “Oh my God…”
“Yeah. We got into rock because we weren’t making any money in classical,” Jett says. “We found a benefactor who sponsored us.”
“Who we’re no longer with, thank God.” This from Zane.
“It’s okay,” Jett continues. “It’s okay to leave one part of your life behind for another. Especially when maybe the other is what you were meant for all along. You’re a rocker, Rory. You have a voice that rivals Karen Carpenter’s, but you can rock like Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde combined. And you sure have the look as well.”
“You might be surprised to know that I don’t normally wear thigh-high boots with spikes,” I say, smiling.
“You should,” Zane says. “You’re fucking hot.”
“That’s my sister you’re talking about,” Jesse says.
“Jesse, he didn’t mean anything by it.”
“No, man, I didn’t. Besides, I think the lady said she’s in a relationship?”
I smile. “I am. In a really good one, and I’m happy.”
“That’s great to hear,” Jett says. “When you know, you know, right? That’s how it was with Heather and me.”
I nod. “Yeah. When you know, you know.”
Zane clears his throat. “So Jett and I don’t mean to put pressure on you guys, but we’re going to need an answer, and we’re going to need it soon. Time is of the essence here, since Potato Soup backed out. Through no fault of their own, of course, but we need an opening act, and we’d like it to be you.”
“And rest assured,” Jett says, “that we think you’re up to the challenge. We like our openers to be on the same level that we are, so we don’t make this request lightly.”
“Wow,” Jesse says. “We’re really honored, you guys.”
“Then honor us further,” Jett says. “Say yes.”
My mind is racing. Dad is still in the hospital, and Brock… Brock is dealing with so much.
“How long will this tour last?” I ask.
“Six months,” Jett says. “So yeah, you need to be sure. Once you sign on the dotted line, you can’t back out. There just isn’t time.”
Six months.
Six months away from Brock.
I don’t know if I can handle it.
“We’re willing to give you a signing bonus,” Jett says. “Since you have to decide so quickly.”
Jesse nods. “And how much might the signing bonus be?”
“Ten grand for each of you,” Zane says.
More money than either of us has ever seen at one time.
Of course, mere pennies to the Steels.
But this is money we earned. Jesse and me. And it could help our family while we’re gone.
“Then, of course, you’ll get your percentage from the tour,” Jett says. “That’s paid twice a month.”
“What’s that percentage?” Jesse asks.
“Twenty percent for the opening band. After expenses.”
“So that means your band gets eighty percent?” Jesse says.
“Yes,” Jett says. “We’re the main attraction of course, but I can tell you this. Most of the venues are already sold out.”
“So what exactly might this twenty percent add up to?” Jesse says.
“More money than we’ve ever seen,” I say.
“Right. I want to hear numbers, though.” Jesse shifts his hands in his pockets.
“Our share of ticket sales is usually around a hundred thousand dollars per concert,” Jett says. “The share for the bands, to be precise. You’d get twenty percent of that, which is twenty K.”