Chapter Eleven
Behind These Scenes
Sitting through the meeting with the label executives seemed to take longer than I could have even imagined. I assumed it was because I was in a rush to get back to Tommy and the boys upstairs who were waiting for me. We went over everything for the concert tonight, agreeing that I needed to make sure that I played one hell of a show to keep people talking and wanting to come back for more. The first four shows of the tour were sold out, something I'd never done before. Sales were high for the rest of the shows so it was looking like I'd be able to sell out at least a third of the shows this tour. That was music to my ears because that would mean the label would want to spend more money next time on things like band pay and benefits. It also meant I was one step closer to my next big goal; a World Tour. It was something I had been asking about for the last year or so. The label let me perform a couple of shows in Canada and a few in London but I wanted to go all across Europe and Asia, stopping in Australia as well.
The meeting came to a wrap, everyone wishing me luck before they headed back to their rooms. I checked my phone, making sure I didn't miss any calls or messages from Tommy. When I looked up, I found that Shayna was intently staring at me once that we were the only ones in the room.
"What?" I asked.
"Tell me, in your own words, how that meeting went." She said, scooping her papers into her folder.
"Fine? We're going to kill it tonight and make this own hell of a concert." I replied. Shayna sighed, shaking her head. She set her folder down and scratched her forehead.
"Kim, I spent the better part of an hour calming them down this morning." She said.
"Why? What was the matter?"
"You. You were the issue." She stated. She stood up and walked over to the door, closing it. "When you decided to cancel your already booked and paid for ride here, they weren't too pleased seeing as you had already taken off once without warning."
"Because someone died!" I exclaimed.
"Well, though they were understanding, your friend doesn't fall under the bereavement policy, unfortunately." Shayna rubbed the back of her neck with her hands. "The point that I'm making here is that you have a lot to prove to not only yourself but to them tonight to make sure you are committed to this."
"Of course I am! I wouldn't be here if I wasn't!" I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. "That's ridiculous."
"Then just prove them wrong. I know you live for this business but they don't see you like I do. They see with dollar signs. So, let's paint them a picture."
"I fucking will," I muttered, standing up.
"Oh, Tristan is looking for you," Shayna said.
"Who?" I asked. She raised an eyebrow at me.
"Your boyfriend." She replied. I groaned, remembering the world around me now.
"Shit. Right. Sorry. I was preoccupied. Where is he?" I asked.
"Last I knew, he was over in the convention center getting ready to start his warm-ups with the sound guys. You should get heading over there too. You have warm-ups too."
"I'll head over once I have the boys ready too."
"Kim, what's the game plan here? Especially once Tristan finds out who Tommy is." Shayna asked, sitting back in her seat.
"There is no game plan. We're friends. That's it." I replied. She raised an eyebrow at me. "What?"
"He's your ex, isn't he?" She asked. I looked away from her, glancing out the window.
"I told you. We're friends."
"That's not what I asked. He's your ex-boyfriend from before, isn't he? The one that you ran from." I crossed my arms, turning my back to her. Shayna didn't know much about my past from Angel Grove. I didn't talk much about it, the same as I did with Tristan. What she did know what that I had refused to come back here to California for the longest time because I didn't want to see what - rather who I left behind. I had left it at that and she had been quick to figure out it had been a guy. Her suspicions had been confirmed when I first started dating Tristan. I hadn't been the easiest person to convince to go out with him in the beginning. I kept telling him no. Tristan couldn't figure out why. Shayna confronted me about it and I told her that I had some issues in my past with getting hurt so I wasn't about to jump head first again. Apparently, that tidbit of information had been sitting dormant in her mind all this time just waiting for it's chance to shine through.
"I'm not running from anyone. I'm here, aren't I?" I muttered. Shayna sighed, standing up from her seat and walking over to me.
"Look, you know I will support you in whatever you want to do. I just don't want to see you get hurt or see you risk your career because of some silly love triangle. So, you just tell me what I need to do tonight. Do I need to keep Tristan occupied?"
"No." I groaned, turning to face her. "There's nothing between Tommy and I. I was telling the truth. There was at some point a long time ago but now we are just friends. I just really want to make sure that he and his sons have a great night tonight. If Tristan does happen to start something, then you can keep him preoccupied."
"Oh, I'll keep him more than preoccupied if he starts anything tonight." She said. "He'll be finding himself walking to the next city with my foot up his ass. Sideways." She gave me a reassuring smile that I tried to return. "You're still hung up on this guy, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I think I am."
"You want to talk about it?"
"Not right now. Maybe tonight after the show. Right now, I just need to get focused on giving the best show I can so I don't regret inviting them here tonight." I ran a hand through my hair. "They are going to help out with the meet and greet event tonight too. I figured we could use the extra hands in the audience and the boys will get a kick out of it. Think you can help with that?"
"I'm already on it." She said, grabbing her phone. "You guys head on over to your private lunch and the tour of the stage setup. I'll get everything else figured out, okay?"
"Thanks, Shayna." I gave her a quick hug. She returned it, handing me a large manilla envelope that I saw had the backstage passes in them for everyone. "I owe you my life."
"I'll add it to your tab." She smirked as I headed out of the room.
I found the boys hanging out in Tommy and Xander's room, watching Xander and Ethan play video games on a system I hadn't noticed when I was here earlier. Everyone looked up when I entered, Ethan pausing the game as I walked in. "Hey! How's it going?" I asked, smiling at them.
"This is so much fun!" Xander said.
"We haven't even left the room yet." Tommy said, smiling down at his youngest son who was sprawled out over one of the beds.
"Yeah but this is the biggest bed I've ever seen and I don't have this game yet. Already a win for me." He replied.
"Well, if you can tear yourself away from it, I do have our lunch waiting for us downstairs. Then we will head on over to the venue for the tour of the backstage area."
"Are we going to be coming back here before the concert?" Billy asked. I nodded.
"Yeah. I'll need a couple of hours to get ready before the show starts."
"A couple of hours? Why?" Xander asked as our group headed out into the hallway. "To get dressed?"
"It takes time for me to get my hair and makeup done before I go on stage." I explained.
"If it's anything like high school, I can see why." Tommy said. I shot him a playful glare.
"I seem to recall someone needing quite some time in the bathroom to make that hair to look good, Mr. Oliver." I shot back. Xander laughed.
"He still does that." Ethan said. Tommy hit the button for the elevator and put his hands on on his hips.
"Thanks, kid. Whose side are you on?"
"Kim does have the tickets," Ethan replied, shrugging his shoulders. I smirked, enjoying the bantering between the two of them. It was nice seeing Ethan speaking up for the first time really since we had arrived. We climbed onto the elevator and rode down to the ground floor, heading to the restaurant that was down there. I had booked the patio room they had connected to it for ourselves, ensuring no one was going to see us or interrupt us while we were eating.
Lunch was a nice relaxing time. It felt like a normal afternoon out with friends for a while rather than a small chunk of time I had in a day that was going to be groundbreaking in my career. The boys asked me questions about the tour and the concert. I answered them the best I could, hoping they weren't just being polite and not that they weren't genuinely interested in everything. Tommy asked them to give it a break when the food came but I was enjoying it to be honest. I liked having someone interested in what I did for a living based on the technical stuff and not for the money and fame part of it. I wondered if Ethan would get a kick out of seeing a recording studio. If Tommy did end up coming to Tenessee to visit with the kids, I would have to be sure to bring them to the studio the label uses so they can see that as well. Ethan clung to every word I said about the music and the setup of the concert. He seemed to be enjoying it and wanted to learn everything he could about it.
After eating, we headed through the lobby towards the hallway that lead to the venue. There was a back entrance that led to the area that talent used, and a series of hallways that weren't accessible to others that were staying at the hotel without clearance. I didn't have to show my badge to the security guard at the entrance. He opened the door as we approached, allowing us to enter. I let him know that they were with me and I gave everyone the passes that Shayna had made. Ethan's said HAPPY BIRTHDAY under his name which made me smirk as we walked up the hallway. The walls were painted an off-white cream color and posters of various acts that had performed at the Convention Center hung here. There were also sports team logos here, telling me that there were games here as well.
"Hey, Kim!" A voice called as we rounded the long corridor. I spotted the head of our security team, a friendly older gentleman by the name of Albert, standing there. He was a taller white man with a shiny bald head and pretty blue eyes. Albert is one of the sweetest guys I've ever met and makes sure that everyone makes it home safely every night. He might be sweet but if he's your boss, you gotta make sure you do what you're told or else he's a hard ass.
"Hey, Al. These are my friends." I said. "They are my special guests for the night."
"Well, hello there! It's good to see that Kim has some friends out there besides us for a change." Al joked, winking at me. "The boys are starting up their sound check for your guitars now."
"Perfect!" I said, clasping my hands together. I turned to my group. "C'mon, boys. I'll show you where the magic is going to happen tonight." I walked passed Al and went through the set of double doors that were behind him. Tommy and Billy held the doors open for the boys and me to pass through before following through. It was slightly darker in here but I helped them navigate it without much issue as we weaved in and out through black curtains. Soon, we walked through a set of curtains and found ourselves next to a large rack of instruments, mainly guitars, and bass guitars. I kept walking, stepping over several bulky cords and wires on the ground until I found the ramp I was looking for. I jogged up it, stopping at the top.
"Woah." I heard from next to me. At the top of the ramp, we were looking out at the top of the stage and into the empty seats of the arena. You could see every inch of the room, the house lights lighting it up. The stage was lit up by these as well, the taped markers more apparent now than usual. Xander stepped in front of me, looking out at the arena. Ethan stepped next to him, taking it all in. Billy and Tommy stopped next to me.
"That's astonishing," Billy said, shaking his head.
"Imagine it with the lights off and thousands of eyes on you." I said. Reaching out, I put a hand on Xander's shoulder. "C'mon. I have some people I want you to meet." I lead them down the front of the structure which was the beginning of the stage design that wasn't fully put together yet. Roadies were walking around, putting them together. On the right side of the stage, I saw the cart of my guitars and Jack, my handler.
"Hey, Jack." I said, clapping him on the back. He looked up, smiling at me as he did. He was tuning the red Fender guitar I had, his long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail behind his head.
"Hi, Kim. You're here early."
"I wanted to give my friends a tour of the setup and how everything works. Are you cool with them hanging out for the sound checks?" I asked.
"Sure. The more the merrier. I could actually use the help if any of them can play guitar."
"You're in luck!" I said, grabbing Ethan's arm. He got a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face when I get it. "Ethan here sure can."
"Terrific." Jack turned back to the cart, looking at the ones on it for a second. Reaching over, he grabbed my pink electric guitar and held it out to Ethan. "If you can take this and plug it into the amp on the left side of the stage, we can do a soundcheck for both at the same time."
"Are you sure?" Ethan asked, looking at me. "It's your favorite guitar."
"I'm sure you won't hurt it by tuning it for me," I said. Hesitantly, he took the guitar and went to the left side of the stage. He found the cord JAck was talking about. "As for the rest of us, let's head on over to Gus in the sound booth." I walked over to the edge of the stage and hopped down. The three followed me, heading towards the pop-up tent in the middle of the room where there was sound equipment set up and a man in his mid-forties dressed in a Hawaiian shirt sipping a Pepsi Max. Gus had thick glasses and thinning red hair but he was a nice guy that was charming and a genius.
"Hello, Miss Kim." He said as I approached. "I see you are moonlighting as a tour guide now in your free time."
"You caught me." I said. "These are my friends, Billy, Tommy, and Tommy's son, Xander. His other son, Ethan, is helping Jack with the sound checks. I have some very curious people here that would love to hear all about your job here and how this all works."
"Oh, really? Well, now I am always one to give a good lesson. Gather around, boys and girls!" He called, setting his soda down. Billy and Xander crowded into the little tent with Gus as he put on his headset. Jack put on his earpiece, signaling he could hear Gus. "Alright, boys. If you can hear me, let's start strumming these guitars." On the stage, Jack and Ethan started to strum the guitars together. "Good." Gus talked them through tunning them, adjusting the levels as he did. He explained how it worked and what each piece of equipment did as he worked, something that Billy seemed to be fascinated by. I, however, found myself trying my hardest to not doze off. As quietly as I could, I took a few steps back so I could lean against the railing that led to the next section of seating. Tommy followed suit.
"You okay?" He asked. I nodded.
"Yeah. I've heard Gus give his speech about his soundboard before." I replied. "Though riveting, it can be a little taxing on the tenth time around." I watched as Ethan traded out for another guitar. "The boys seem to be enjoying themselves."
"Are you kidding? They are having the time of their lives. The concert hasn't even started yet."
"Well, I'll keep in mind to aim lower next year." I joked.
"Maybe just a CD will do," Tommy smirked.
"What about you? Are you glad you came?" He nodded.
"Of course. The boys are having a great time." He replied. Again, I noticed that he replied to my question about him with an answer about the boys. I wondered if he actually realized that he does that. It must be a trait parents pick up on after a while. I smiled up at him.
"I'm happy to hear that."
"I'm really happy to get to spend this time with you, Kimberly," Tommy said. "After the last time, we really got to spend time together, I feel like we didn't get a chance to talk about getting back on the right foot."
"Hey, Kim!" Gus said, getting my attention.
"Hold that thought," I told Tommy. I glanced over at Gus, wanting to smack him. "Yeah?"
"The guitars are done. Since you're here, hop on up on stage and I'll get your levels."
"Oh…I was kinda in the middle of something." I said.
"It's okay. We can talk later." Tommy said. "You have work to do."
"Right. Duty calls." I rolled my eyes, jogging towards the stage. Jack helped me back up it, handing me my microphone from the stand. I adjusted the earpiece that was on it, sticking it haphazardly in my ear so I could hear Gus.
"Whenever you're ready, my dear. Any song you'd like for about a minute or two." I took a deep breath and moved to sing. Only, I couldn't think of any of my songs as my eyes landed on Tommy. Not a single note or word from one of my songs came to mind as we locked eyes. I willed one of them to come out of my lips but they didn't. "Kim?"
"S-s-s-sorry." I stammered, shaking my head. "I lost my train of thought."
"Like I said, whenever you're ready."
"Okay." I took another deep breath and closed my eyes. A melody came to mind. "Down the road, we never know, What life may have in store. Winds of change will rearrange, our lives more than before…" I didn't know where it had come from but the song that I had written for Tommy all those years before had sprung to my lips and was now singing out through the speakers around the room. Gus adjusted my levels as he sang, my bass and my tones changing to the perfect pitches. I dared to open my eyes, seeing that the boys were watching me with interested awe. Billy smiled, his arms crossed as he stood next to Gus. Behind them though, I saw that Tommy looked shocked. He was gripping the gate behind him with his hands, his knuckles white. "But you'll never stand alone, my friend. Memories will never die. In our hearts, they'll always live and never say... goodbye…" I trailed off.
"Sounds good here," Gus said, chirping off in my ear. I pulled the piece out of my ear as Xander, Ethan, and Billy clapped loudly.
"Woohoo!" Xander yelled as they walked towards the stage. Tommy brought up the rear, him finding the technique to walk again. I smiled at Xander, walking to the edge of the stage and bending down. "That was amazing."
"That was just a sound check." I said.
"Still that sounded great." Ethan said. "What song was that?"
"Well…that was honestly the first song I ever wrote," I replied. "A very long time ago."
"I love the melody. It's sweet and simple. It has a very honest feel to it. You can tell that you wrote it from the heart. You must have written it about someone or something that meant something special to you." Ethan said. Boy hasn't spoken very much today and now he was suddenly a lyrical expert.
"How about the rest of that tour?" I asked, standing up.
I showed the boys the rest of the stage area and introduced them to the rest of the road crew. Xander really liked meeting the ones behind the lighting department. They let him try out the lighting panel and Ethan was able to help set up the large steel panels on the stage. I made myself as close to Billy as I could during this time, not wanting to give Tommy the chance to talk to me without Billy being in the area. I wasn't sure what he was trying to talk about prior to us being interrupted and I didn't want to revisit it in the off chance it had something to do with what happened in the past. I was okay never talking about that again.
"And this way is our green room area," I said, leading the group toward the back of the stage area. "This is where the bands and the other crew members hang out and relax before they are supposed to perform." The hallways zigzagged a bit, guiding us past the area where Albert had been earlier. I saw a sign that said GREEN ROOM on it ahead and pushed it open with both my hands. I held it open for everyone to walk in behind me. It was a large air-conditioned room with brown leather couches, some tables and chairs, a foose ball table, and a full-service bar in it. I saw there was food set up on one of the tables and there was someone prepping some things behind the bar already, a young woman who looked to be a little younger than us. She smiled when we walked in, going back to her job of cutting lime slices.
"So this is where the band eats and stuff?" Xander asked.
"Sure is." I replied. "This is usually where they wait for me until it's time to go on."
"You don't wait with them?"
"All depends on the day and the venue. If the Green room and where I'm getting ready are near each other, I usually do. But my dressing room is all the way down the hall here. I don't know if I will have time today."
"When do you guys hang out then?" Xander asked, frowning. "Aren't you friends?"
"We are. We hang out all the time. Usually, after the shows like we will tonight as long as it's okay with Tommy." I said.
"There you are." A voice said behind us. Glancing over my shoulder, I felt my stomach do a backflip when I saw Tristan walk into the green room from the other door on the far side of the room that came from the direction of the parking garage. "I've been trying to call your cell but there was no answer." He said, stopping next to me.
"I must have left it in my bags," I replied, knowing damn well that I had turned it on silent. "How was the bus ride?"
"Long. Just glad to be here now. You're a sight for sore eyes." He gave me a warm smile, leaning in to kiss me. I put a hand on his chest, clearing my throat as a way to point out that we weren't alone. He looked at me confused. "What?" He whispered.
"I want you to meet my friends," I said softly. "I just don't want to kiss in front of the kids."
"They're like 18." He replied. I cocked an eyebrow at him. He gave a little sigh, nodding as he took a small step backward. I turned to the boys again and I noticed that Tommy had taken a stance between Ethan and Xander.
"Everyone, this is the lead guitarist of my band, Tristan. He knows how to play literally and song on there just by hearing it once."
"Impressive," Billy said, shaking Tristan's hand. "I'm Billy. I've been friends with Kimberly since we were children."
"Nice to meet you," Tristan said. "I haven't heard much of Kim's life here in California so it's good to meet some of her friends for a change."
"Are you Kim's boyfriend?" Xander asked, eying Tristan suspiciously. I also noted that Ethan had returned to not talking much as soon as Tristan walked into the room.
"Most days I am, when she likes to claim me," Tristan answered.
"This is Xander and his older brother Ethan," I said. "Ethan's birthday is this weekend so they are here to celebrate."
"Congrats, bud! I hope you enjoy it." Tristan said.
"Thanks." Ethan mumbled.
"And I'm Tommy, their Dad." Tommy said, holding his hand out to Tristan. Tristan shook it, smiling at Tommy.
"It's nice to meet you too. It's great to have you all here." Tristan glanced over at me. "Can I talk to you for a second about something to do with the show?"
"Sure. I'll be right back, guys." Tristan took my hand and led me over to the doors. Once we were far enough for his liking, he stopped and looked at me. He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the lips.
"There. I feel better now." He said, smiling at me. I wanted to groan loudly. We were still in the room with everyone and I knew that they had seen.
"I'm glad." I replied.
"How are you? I know it's been a rough time here with everything going on."
"I'm okay. Tommy is actually the one who lost his wife. That's why I gave him the passes."
"Poor guy. Losing his wife and having to raise two kids on top of it? That's rough. Seems to be taking it well though."
"It's complicated." I sighed, not wanting to explain how the ins and outs of this whole situation were working for them. It wasn't Tristan's business either, especially with Tommy and the boys just a few feet away.
"Are you hungry? The guys and I were going to head out to get some food before the show."
"No. I was actually going to head to my bus and start getting ready before the meet and greets." I replied. "But you should go. Get some In & Out or something. I know how much you love it when we're out here."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I'm good." I gave him a smile and squeezed his hand. "Besides, I have to make sure these guys are okay since they are my guests."
"Alright." Leaning in, he gave me another quick kiss before slipping out the doors he came from.