“You should seriously know who these guys are, though, especially considering that they are as easy on the eyes as they are on the ears! Man, I had such a crush on Talon, the drummer, when I was a freshman. He's super hot! And, like I said, their music is pretty awesome, too. From what I’ve heard, they've just got back together. I think I saw it announced on Twitter they’d be touring soon.”
“Wait, he also owns a record company?” I asked.
“Yeah, Young Records.”
Now that name I had heard of, at least by way of many big names they’d recently signed and new artists they had churned out. And the singer of this band ran that record company? That could prove to be a stroke of luck for sure if they were, in fact, looking for an assistant and I happened to fit the bill. Working with artists of his caliber was sure to net me some decent connections and help me get a foot in the door of the music industry. And then when I got that breakthrough, I wouldn't ever have to worry about being a personal assistant ever again.
“Are you able to find out if they actually are looking for help? Because if they are, I need that job. Like, desperately need it! I can't think of anything that would be more perfect!”
Grace shrugged nonchalantly, pushing her long, blonde hair over her shoulders. “It shouldn’t be a problem to find out. I got you, girlie. I’ll make a few calls when we get back. Now, you ready for some surfing?” She put her sunglasses down on the blanket with her phone and wrapped them up before she hopped up, grabbing her board as she did. I followed suit, grabbing my own board. We’d both loved surfing ever since we were little kids.
“Yes, definitely ready to catch a few waves,” I said, pulling my hair back into a ponytail. Both of us headed for the water. I sighed happily, optimistic for the first time in weeks as the water lapped over my feet and the sounds of crashing waves grew louder in my ears. One of my favorite places to be was in the ocean. I was with my best friend, and the job prospect was looking a little brighter. Things were looking up.
Once we reached a certain point, we climbed on our boards and started paddling out. Grace smiled, looking over at me as she took note of the size of some of the approaching waves. It was a good day to be out. When we got out far enough, we turned around, waiting for a good wave. When one came, we caught it and rode it out back to shore. I tried to show off a little, but Grace showed me up, as usual. Of the two of us, she was the better surfer, though she didn’t look the part, being such a girlie girl.
She was the essence of what you’d expect a gorgeous actress to be—beautiful, with bright, blue eyes and a perfect figure. She was an actress on a daytime soap opera, and her character on the show was even girlier than she was in real life. I doubted most of her fans would be able to picture her riding waves. Growing up, on more than one occasion, we’d gotten some condescending comments from idiot surfer boys…that was, until they saw her actually surf.
“Again?” she called over, whipping her wet hair out of her face and adjusting her bikini. I nodded, and we turned around starting the journey all over again. We did this for a while until our muscles grew tired of paddling out. That’s when we headed back to shore to lay out in the sun a little more.
I laid my board in the sand, then dried off some before spraying a coat of sunscreen on. I tanned easily, rarely ever burning, so my skin had a nice, honey color, but sunscreen was still a priority as often as I was in the sun. Oddly enough, that was one thing my little, blonde waif of a friend envied about me. She had to practically bathe in sunscreen to keep from getting burnt. I pulled on the hair tie and let my long, brown hair free, trying to untangle some of the wet, wavy tresses.
“So, you really think that job could be a possibility?” I asked before I even situated myself back onto my towel. “More importantly, do you think touring with a bunch of dudes is even a good idea? I mean, you know what kind of reputation rock bands have with the way they treat women, especially when they're on tour.”
“Sure, why not? You’re professional; you can handle it. And while some of the guys in the band have a reputation—I can think of one especially—I think they're probably decent enough guys,” Grace said as she lay back on her blanket and replaced her sunglasses. “And, you can call and tell me all the fun stories from the road. I'm sure there'll be a ton of those.” She smiled at me.
“Humph. I might be a little scared to find those out myself…IF it happens,” I said, trying not to get my hopes up too high. But I couldn’t help daydreaming about it like other people daydreamed about winning the lottery. If this job existed, it was something I wanted.
“Just make sure to email me a copy of your resume, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Already on it,” I said, typing on my phone. “So what are the plans for the rest of the day, since you’re the one paying?”
“I’m thinking we catch a few more rays, grab a hotel to shower and get dolled up, then hit the clubs.”
“Nice. I should date you more often,” I joked.
Chapter Three
Owen
Jay and Talon lugged in several cases of beer. I sighed as I watched them sit them in a corner. I wasn’t much in the partying mood at the moment, but I was the one who’d said we could have a get together after our first practice, so I kept my mouth shut and didn't complain. I even forced a smile onto my face, hoping the others wouldn't notice just how put on it was.
Judging from the amount of beer they were bringing in and the number of cars already parked in my drive, I could tell it would be a bit more than an intimate get-together. A bunch of people I hadn’t invited had already arrived, and there I was, hanging out in the kitchen while all these strangers were drifting around my place. It was getting harder and harder to mask my annoyance.
“Here, have another cold one,” Talon insisted as he shoved a beer in my hand, no doubt seeing right through the expression on my face. “And lighten up some, bro. Seriously, you need to stop stressing about this. Things are going to come together with the tour. You already called your friend, we’ll get a hot tour assistant, and we’re going to rock. And, that's all you need to think about, man! Just like it was in the old days—rocking out until our ears bleed.”
I popped the cap off my beer—my third already—and took a sip, staring at my little brother with that shit-eating grin plastered across his face. I couldn’t help but smile myself. I loved seeing him so happy. Not to mention clean. He shot me a pleased-with-himself look
and opened his own bottle, taking a generous sip. “To Bleeding Heart reuniting!” He held out his bottle, and I clinked mine against his.
“To Bleeding Heart. And you, Talon. I’m really proud of you, ya know,” I told him. He let out a “pfft” and waved his hand in dismissal. “No, seriously,” I persisted. “You kept your promise and got yourself clean, and in return, I kept my promise about the band. This is all because of you.”
“Quit getting all sappy on me.” He slapped my back and then rolled his eyes. “Oh, all right. You can have one sappy hug,” he said and gave me a hug. “Now, come on, have a drink and join in the party. Don't be a bore, sitting and chilling all on your lonesome here. You're the front man of the band, dude! People wanna see you.”
I followed him into the living room where more people than I even imagined were already hanging out. Jeremiah and Nate were perched in the center, jamming on their guitars for the guests. For the most part, it was a pretty mellow scene.
I polished off my beer and grabbed another before finding a spot to sit toward the back of the room. I always preferred to observe rather than to actively interact at these kinds of get-togethers, never being one to typically put myself in the mix. This was yet another way in which Talon and I were complete opposites. He’d already managed to wedge himself between two girls on one of the couches, both of them laughing and flirting with him.
If anyone could say he’d earned the title of ladies’ man, it was Talon. He had the rock star look down to a T, with his platinum hair, devilish green eyes, and thin but fit physique. I was a little thicker than him, taller, and more muscular. Unlike him, though, I actually worked out and, to be honest, I rather enjoyed it. That's not something you'll hear many rock musicians say, but hey, I was never about fitting into the stereotype. Not to mention, in contrast to my little brother, my hair was also dark and short, with the exception of a little bit in the front I usually kept spiked up.