Ruined by You (6 page)

“So you know Haden?” he asked.

I shook my head, risking a glance at the man on the far end of the bar.

“We just met,” I said.

Scottie’s bottom lip scrunched up and he nodded his head twice, slowly.

“So, how are you liking Green Falls so far?” he asked.

“It’s fine, I guess,” I said. “We only just got here.”

His grinned. “Seems like things are moving pretty fast for you. Only a day in town and you’ve met a new guy.” His head tilted to the far end of the bar. “And you’re already looking for a job.”

“I wouldn’t say that I’ve
met
a guy,” I said. “Not like
that
anyway. We just bumped into each other.”

Literally
, I thought to myself, remembering the night before.

Scottie lowered himself his elbows, bringing himself even closer to me. “So what do you know about the Battle of the Bands?” he asked. “Did your cousin tell you anything about it?”

I shrugged. “Not much,” I said. “Some kind of concert, or competition, or something?”

He nodded. “Something like that,” he said, chuckling. “You might be surprised to know that Green Falls, and this part of Texas in general, is teeming with musical talent,” he said. “Between here, Austin, and San Antonio, there’s a hot bed of music that I haven’t found anywhere else. It’s phenomenal.” Scottie’s eyes went wide with excitement as he talked about it. “The problem is, no one knows about it. No one looks at the Hill Country and says,
that’s where stars are born
.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I want to change that.”

I nodded and smiled. His enthusiasm was infectious. “It sounds like you’re doing pretty well,” I said. “It sounds like it’s a pretty big event around here.”

He nodded and looked out toward the door. He gestured with his hand when he talked. “It’s a big deal here in Green Falls, that’s for certain. Everyone has a really good time, and everyone looks forward to it.” His hand stopped gesturing, and he looked at me intently. “But that’s where it ends,” he said, his voice growing serious. He let a silence draw out between us. “And that’s where you come in.”

My brow pinched together.

“What do you mean?” I said.

“You’re looking for a summer job before you go off to college, right?” he asked. I nodded. “Well, if you’re up for it, I’ve got an opportunity that could help you put a serious dent in your tuition bill.”

I was nervous, uncertain what he meant, but I grinned nonetheless.

“So, what is it?” I said.

“Now, I’ll warn you that it’s not going to be a walk in the park,” he said. “And you’re going to have to work outside of your comfort zone to get the job done.”

I frowned, confused. He was saying a lot of things, but he still hadn’t said what the job was. “Well, what is it you want me to do?” I asked.

“I want to grow this thing,” he said, pointing at one of the Battle of the Bands fliers sitting on the counter. “I want to make it big. Not just something the Green Falls looks forward to, but something that people all around Texas look forward to. I want people in Houston and El Paso planning their summer vacations to Green Falls, so they can come to my show.”

I nodded slowly. “And that’s where I come in?” I asked.

He grinned and nodded. “I need a headliner for the show,” he said. “I need the biggest and hungriest band you can get your hands on to come out here and rock Green Falls like it’s never been rocked before.”

I laughed, openly. He must have been making some kind of joke, right? But, there was no humor in his face. He gave me a sober look, and my laughter cut off as quickly as it had started.

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked. “I’m not even a college student, yet. I don’t know any bands, and I’m not from around here. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

He shook his head. “That’s exactly why you’re the perfect person,” he said. Clearly, we weren’t seeing the same things. “You’re fresh, you don’t have anything going on, and you need the money.”

“The money?” I repeated.

He grinned at me, and pulled a napkin from behind the bar. He scribbled something on it, folded it once, and slid it over to me.

“This is my offer,” he said.

I picked up the napkin, and frowned at it. What he’d scribbled looked like a math equation straight out of my ninth grade algebra class.

“I don’t understand,” I said. “What does this mean?”

He chuckled. “That’s what I’m willing to pay,” he said. “The first number is the flat fee. The second is the percentage of concession. That is, food and drink sales, that I’ll be paying.”

I nodded, beginning to understand. “So the bigger the band, means more people, and more people means more concessions, and that means more money?”

“Exactly,” he said, grinning eagerly.

I studied it for a bit longer, and blew out a breath. The number was big. If this was the kind of money they made, maybe
I
could hack it as a professional musician?

I put the napkin back on the bar. “I still don’t understand,” I said. “Even if you’re willing to pay a band that much, I don’t know the first thing about finding them.”

He shook his head, chuckling deeply. “You misunderstand,” he said. “That’s what I’m willing to pay
you.
” He jabbed at me with his finger.

My eyes widened and my jaw slacked open. Quickly, I picked the napkin up and studied it again. This time, the numbers really made my head swirl.

“This is what you want to pay
me
?” I asked.

He nodded again.

“I don’t… I have… I can’t…” I fumbled for words. My head reeled. Was he
seriously
going to pay me that much? The flat fee alone was more than I could make all summer at a normal job. It would mean that I didn’t have to worry about getting a job during the school year, at all. I would be able to focus entirely on my studies.

Don’t spend it before you’ve got it.

I frowned and shook my head.

“I don’t even know where to start,” I said.
 

“That’s the beauty of it,” he said. “Bands want to be found. They
want
to play big shows.” He let it sink in a little bit. “I’ve got some contacts in town that can get you started. But, I need you to get out there and make it happen.”

“But, why me?” I said. “You don’t even know me. This is a huge job, why would you trust it to someone you don’t even know?”

Scottie shrugged a shoulder and grinned at me. “I have a gut feeling about these sorts of things,” he said. “And after spending most of my life in business, I’ve learned to trust my gut.”

I considered him for a moment, and looked back at the napkin. The money was huge. It was enormous. My head swirled round and round as I considered what I could buy with it. It meant a freshman year of comfort. It meant that I would be able to get ahead of things at school. It could be life changing.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I really appreciate the offer, but I don’t know that I’m the right person.” I gave the napkin one last look, then put it back on the bar. “This is
too
big a deal,” I said. “I don’t want to let you down.”

Scottie’s brow pinched together in confusion as he studied me. He thought about it for another moment, and then opened his mouth to say something, but closed it, wordlessly. We regarded each other for a long time in silence.

I could tell he was trying to figure out how to talk me into it. He was trying to figure out the best way to change my mind. But, he didn’t get the chance to.

“I’ll help her,” called a voice from the other end of the bar.

Both of our heads snapped over and saw Haden, still leaning his elbows against the bar, watching us.

“Come again?” Scottie said.

Haden hopped off the stool and paced over. He managed to make walking look easier than it should have.

“I said that I’ll help her,” he said, again.

Scottie went quiet. He gave Haden a questioning look, and so did I. But the only thing I saw was the same confident smile he always seemed to have. It was more than just confidence - it was a self-assuredness that let people know he was in control. He slid onto the stool next to mine, his eyes never shying away from me.

“I’ll help you,” he said, staring at me intently “If you want.”

My mind reeled. Things were happening so fast. First, Scottie’s huge offer, and now Haden was trying to talk me into letting him join? It was too much.

I shook my head.

“There’s too much pressure,” I said. I pushed the napkin in front of Haden. “It’s all yours, if you want it.”

Haden waved his hand, brushing away any doubts.

“That’s not what I mean,” he said. “I don’t want the job for myself.”

He took the napkin in one hand, and grabbed my hand with the other. I let out a sharp breath when our hands touched, another jolt of electricity rocketed through me. Had he even noticed?

“I want to do this with
you
,” he said. He put the napkin in my palm, and closed my fingers around it.

I couldn’t pull my eyes away from him. My heart pounded furiously, and my head seemed to be going numb.

“I don’t think I can,” I said. Every single one of my self-doubts bubbled to the surface at once.

“We’ll make it work,” he said, giving me a wink. His tone left no room for doubt. “If
you
want to, that is.”

Scottie stood there and looked between the two of us. Something in his resolve had changed, and he looked even more confident than he had earlier.

“If the two of you are working together, you’ll have no problems at all,” he said, a smile spreading across his face.

I looked back at Haden. His eyes were still fixed on me.

“So, what do you say?” he said. “Scottie basically just said that it’s free money.”

“I… I just don’t know,” I said. Everything was happening so fast, and there was no way I could keep up with it. I needed a job - and the kind of money Scottie was offering to pay was life changing. It was money that I needed. I would be a fool to turn down the offer, right?

Scottie studied me for a long moment, then nodded.

“Well, we don’t have to make a decision right now,” he said. “Take the weekend and think it over. Talk with your family about it and see what they think. Come back on Monday, and let me know what you’ve decided.”

I nodded and felt some of the pressure lifting from my shoulders. Time was exactly what I needed. It was a big decision--one that shouldn’t be made without serious thought. If I was able to pull it off, things might never be the same for me. But, even with Haden’s help, I wasn’t sure I could.

Scottie clapped his hands on the bar, twice. “Well, I’ve got to get ready for tonight,” he said, pushing himself away from the bar. He gave me another long look. “See you on Monday, then?”

I nodded. “I’ll think it over,” I said.

He nodded once, and disappeared to the back of the bar, again.

My eyes locked on the empty doorway he’d disappeared through. I could feel Haden looking at me, studying me. I bit my lip, and turned back to him.

“What are you doing today?” he asked, suddenly. I frowned. The question caught me off guard.

“What?” I said, stupidly.

“Today,” he repeated. “Do you have any plans?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m hanging out with my cousin. We haven’t seen each other in a long time.” His eyes narrowed when I said it. I hoped he couldn’t tell just how nervous he made me.

“Let’s do something,” he said.

I cocked my head to the side, cautious. “Like what?” I said.

He shrugged. “We’ll figure something out.”

“But, I don’t even know you,” I said.

He grinned, and dimples appeared on his cheek. They sent quivers through my legs.

He really needs to stop doing that
.

“That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?” He grinned. “I mean, if we’re going to be working together, we need to get to know each other, right?”

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet,” I said.

“But, you’re going to, right?” he said. “You’d be stupid to pass up an opportunity like this.”

That’s it--he really does think you’re stupid
.

I broke my eyes away from him and looked at the door.

“I really do need to get going,” I said, not wanting to confront him and make an even bigger fool of myself.

I slid off the stool, and made a beeline for the door before he could protest. I couldn’t chance looking at him again, for fear that all logic and reason would vanish. I heard him hop off his stool, in quick pursuit. He stayed right behind me, following me out of the bar.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t think you’re stupid. I just want you to give this decision the attention it deserves.”

“I told Scottie I would talk it over with my family,” I said. “And I’m going to do just that.”

“You should talk it over with me, too,” he said. “Maybe we can come up with a plan for how we’re going to pull this off.”

“Oh yeah?” I said, still not breaking stride. “Do you know a bunch of bands around here that might want to play the show?”

I pushed through the front door without slowing, and was instantly blinded by the high midday sun. I raised a hand to try and shade it away. I squinted, trying to find Sarah through the blinding haze.

“I just don’t want you to give up before you’ve really given it a shot,” Haden said, his voice louder now that we were outside.

I glanced over at him, and saw that he was shielding his own eyes in a similar way. Even standing there, out of the protection of the dimly lit bar, he managed to look absolutely stunning. His hair fell in front of his eyes, and he pinched it back with a finger, keeping his eyes locked on me.

I felt myself swaying in place as he looked at me. An image of the two of us flashed in my mind. We were off somewhere, spending the summer together, chasing down bands across the huge state of Texas. There were worse ways to spend my summer vacation. Even if we didn’t find a band, at least I would be spending my days with him. That could be worth it, right?

“There you are,” Sarah called out.

Sarah’s voice came from somewhere off to my left. I glanced over and saw her walking toward us, her phone still in hand. She said a few things into it, and then clicked it off. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d snuck out the back or something.” Her voice trailed off, and her eyes went wide when she saw Haden standing next to me. “Oh, I didn’t mean to…” she looked back and forth between us.