She’s My Kind Of Rain (Rawlings Ranch #1)

Chapter 36

36

SAWYER - JULY 27, 2004

I hear Rhett’s truck pull up outside, just now realizing it’s already eight. The door clicks behind me as I make my way down the deck stairs, my feet crunch across the gravel as I head toward the barn where he is presumably mucking the stalls quick before he comes in for the night. I haven’t even reached the barn door, my landline rings and I rush back inside to answer it, assuming it’s my mom because she hasn’t heard from me in a while.

“Hello?” I say, slightly out of breath.

“Hey, is this Sawyer Mason?” A breathy, feminine voice permeates the other end of the line.

“Uh, it is, who am I speaking with?” I don’t know why, but my nerves are already wound tight, forcing me to be on guard.

“Oh, great, just who I was looking for.” A forced laugh comes from the voice. “This is Victoria Eden, I gave you my card the other day in the alleyway after you played at The Westmore. I assumed you misplaced my card, so I felt it best to reach out so we can speak one on one.” Her tone hasn’t shifted, in fact, she seems to draw out each word, doing her best to sound interesting.

“Ahh,” I reply, readying myself to shut her down.

“I knew you wouldn’t forget, the cute ones never do.” She lets out another forced laugh, and my patience rapidly grows thin.

If she thinks her flirting is cute, she’s got another thing coming. She definitely saw Daisy and I kissing in the alley, was probably even the one who took those pictures in the tabloid. Not to mention, I don’t like her lack of respect with how she’s acting toward Daisy who she obviously knows is my girl. I grind my teeth, doing my best not to say anything unprofessional.

“Anyways, I am reaching out on behalf of Jordan Entertainment. We are very interested in working with you. And before you even have to mention it, we are prepared to come in with a very competitive offer.”

I let out an irritated sigh. “I’m good, thanks.” Most people would probably think I’m an idiot for saying no without even entertaining the offer. I mean, this has the potential to be a win-win situation, right? A way to get a music career and get the girl. But as much as I love singing, this chick just rubs me the wrong way. She’s rude, way too forward, and sleazy. If that’s how she is, I guarantee the company she works for is just as slimy. I want no part in something like that.

I can hear her audibly gasp, followed by a brief moment of silence, presumably to collect herself for the response she wasn’t expecting to hear.

“Listen, Sawyer. I’m willing to offer you a contract that no one would willingly refuse. Especially, after seeing that Telluride won’t touch you now after that little HR mishap with that girl—Dahlia, was it?” She giggles, the sound sending ripples of anger through my chest. “I’ll have you know, I’m much better than her at mixing business with pleasure. And like you, I like to have my cake and eat it too. You see, you and me, we aren’t so different. I can make your dreams come true in more ways than one,” her words drift off in a suggestive tone that makes my blood boil, and for the first time in so many years, I am angry to the extent that I can barely think straight.

“Yeah, no thanks.” I hang the phone up and unclench my fist, just now realizing how tightly I had it closed. Rhett walks through the door the moment the phone rings again, and I can only assume that it’s her again, so I ignore it, turning my attention toward him.

“Hey, buddy.” I laugh at his chipper greeting. He’s probably one of the only people I know that looks happy even after shoveling shit. “Who was on the phone? Did ya get those contracts signed today?”

I let out a breath of irritation at the reminder of all of the things that have pissed me off in the last twenty-four hours. “That sketchy woman I told you about from the other record company was on the phone and, uh, no.”

“Huh, ain’t that somethin’? We will revisit the contract shit but let’s visit the fact that the one guy I know that doesn’t want attention is sure getting a whole lot of it. What’s her name again Velma?”

“Victoria.” I huff. “But, I’m sure she would be floored to have someone call her the wrong name. She doesn’t seem to like not getting lots of attention, I can’t imagine being forgotten would bode well. Though, she does need to be knocked down a peg or two. Especially after what she just said.”

“Oh, please, do tell,” he asks, clearly invested in what just transpired.

“Overall, she proposed to beat out anything Telluride was willing to offer and also pitched herself as part of the deal.” I let out a huff, once again annoyed.

“So, she planned to beat a lot of things, hey?” He chuckles, and I roll my eyes at his dumbshit joke. Partly because I am annoyed with her, and partly because even if she hadn’t done anything we’d still have to deal with Blake eventually finding out. “So, what did ya tell her?”

“I said no thanks and hung up.” He looks at me with pure shock in his expression, so I continue on, “I mean what the hell do you say to that? Doesn’t take a genius to guess that I’m not the first to be offered one of her… deals . Plus, Daisy is truly all I want, so it wouldn’t have mattered either way.”

The phone starts to ring for a third time.

Exhaling a deep, heavy breath, I run my fingers through my hair. “That’s probably her again. Third times a charm, right?”

Rhett advances toward the phone as I speak. “Hello?” he asks, answering the phone as if he is interested in who he will find on the other end. With a chuckle, he raises a finger to his lips for me not to speak. I can hear her on the other end explaining her reason for calling, but Rhett cuts her off. “Listen, Velma, I’m Mr. Mason’s Manager.” She tries to correct him from the other end of the line, but he continues so she can’t get a word in edgewise. “We are not interested in the… services you provide. We look forward to not hearing from you again.” He clicks end, and I can’t believe what I just witnessed.

“I cannot believe you just did that.” I laugh.

“Eh, some people are just too full of themselves. Also, I had my suspicions that she did something else to deserve it.” Rhett grabs a rolled magazine out of his back pocket and slaps it on the island. “This why ya didn’t get to sign?”

I nod. “Yeah. I mean, it’s definitely a big part of it. And this shit—” I gesture at the magazine cover, pictures of Daisy and I plastered all over it. “I don’t know, man, I don’t want that. I don’t want my life being recorded and analyzed and printed in fucking tabloids. I didn’t really think of that when we started all this...and now that I’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like, I don’t think I want it.”

I never realized all the drama that comes with having a record contract. It’s not just making music and performing, it’s having your private moments paraded around for all to see, and it’s having to deal with slimy record labels who look at you as dollar signs. As much as I enjoy singing, I don’t enjoy the limelight—especially if it means not having Daisy or dealing with people who clearly only care about themselves.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I blow out a breath. “I had a taste of it, and, yeah, singing is awesome, affecting people with my music gives me such a high, but in the end, I love Daisy more, and I don’t want our lives to be broadcasted for everyone to see.”

Rhett pats a hand on my shoulder. “I’m real sorry, man. I guess the world chose for ya, huh?”

I nod again, meeting his gaze. “You know I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but to be honest the moment I knew there was a choice to be made, it didn’t really feel like a choice at all. I’d pick Daisy every time. I really enjoy music, but nothing makes me feel as excited about life as she has.”

“Guess it was another one of those right place, right time things, hey?” A smirk resides on his face, but I know for him it was never about actual fame, he just wanted me happy.

“That’s exactly what it was.”