Page 20 of She's My Kind Of Rain

“Good Afternoon, Telluride Records, this is Julia speaking.”

Nerves consume me the moment the secretary answers the phone. I’ve never had such a big opportunity, of any kind, right within reach.

“Hi.” My voice cracks as I begin to speak. Clearing my throat, I continue. “Uh, this is Sawyer Mason. I played the other night at The Red Fern. Uh…” I look down at the card in my hand, my mind going blank as I try to remain professional during this boutof new panic I’m going through. “A Daisy Holloway left her card at the bar.” I consider stating I assumed I should call, but since this already feels like a trainwreck I wait for her to respond.

“Oh, I see. Do you mind being placed on a brief hold?” she says in a very upbeat tone.

“No ma’am, not at all.”

I hold tight, waiting for the pleasantly surprising hold music to end on the other line. I’m sweating and my heart dances in my chest. Since when the hell am I so nervous to be on a phone call? Only seconds go by, however it feels like an eternity now that I’ve embarrassed myself, stumbling over my words only moments ago.

The line picks back up, snagging my attention.

“Hi, Mr. Mason?”

The voice on the other end of the phone is different. It’s not Julia, in fact it’s not even a voice that sounds like it belongs to a girl from Nashville at all. Her accent is distinct. No southern twang in the slightest. Kindness radiates through even the smallest sentence and my nerves for some reason only have deepened.

“Hey, yeah this is Sawyer,” I respond, unsure what else to say beyond that. Oh God, I hope Julia passed on my reasoning for calling or else I just made myself look like the biggest dumbass ever. This woman probably talked to new talent every day, and here I was, acting like we were on a first name basis. My nerves skyrocket, and I bite back a groan.

A small pause from the other end—only milliseconds—but long enough to note she’s thinking before she speaks. “My name is Daisy Holloway. I’m glad to see my card not only made it to Mr. Southers, but also to you.” She seems to hesitate but continues, “I was in The Red Fern Friday evening while you played. As my card states, I’m head of A&R here at Telluride Records and I—we,” she corrects herself, “would be interestedin having you come into the office to meet with myself and the C.E.O., Mr. Montgomery. That is, if you are interested in potentially moving forward with Telluride Records and a development contract. Are you familiar with how this works?”

I really wish Rhett was my agent right now. I truly don’t know the protocol or whether I should act seasoned, or just be myself and be honest. I’ve since taken to pacing back and forth from the minute Miss Daisy started talking to me.

“To be honest, I don’t,” I say, deciding it’s probably best I don’t act like I know all about what the next steps to this meeting are like for the fear that I fuck them all up.

It’s as if I can hear a smile form on her face as she responds, “That’s completely okay. Most people don’t, and I’m here to help guide you. So, we like to have, if possible, a demo CD prior to the meeting for Mr. Montgomery to preview.”

“Yeah, I don’t have one. I really only sing occasionally during open mic nights.” I lie, instantly regretting it. Guilt sinks into the pit of my stomach, but the thought of sounding like I have no idea what I’m doing feels just as shitty as me not telling her the truth. “You just so happened to see my first scheduled slot. Which, by the way, I truly appreciate you leaving your card and taking your time to chat with me.”

“Oh, no, the pleasure is mine. Truly. Your singing is exceptional. Now, it is okay not to have a tape, but this does mean you will be expected to perform for Mr. Montgomery at our meeting or before if his schedule opens up on a night you are playing live.” She pauses a moment, and then her soft, lyrical voice dips with a hint of disappointment as she adds, “Unfortunately, Mr. Montgomery has left on a trip and will be gone until the end of July or early August. I apologize for the delay, but would be happy to schedule our meeting if you would like to move forward. How does that sound?”

I’m still pacing, my nerves singing through my veins with excitement and disbelief. Holy shit. They want to sign me. They actually want to sign me? I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, and force a fake calmness to my voice as I reply, “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Great! Okay then, Mr. Mason, how is the tentative date of August Second?” she questions with the most genuine excitement in her tone.

“That sounds good to me. Is there anything else you need in the meantime?” I question, thinking this all seemstooeasy.

“I will transfer you back up to Julia, and she will take down all of your personal information so we have it on file. It should only take a few moments, if you don’t mind. And Sawyer?” A lingering sound, almost that of pain, hovers in her voice.

“Yeah?” I hold my breath.

“The song you chose was beautiful.” She quickly continues, not allowing me a response, “Have a nice day, and tell Rhett I say hi.”

The phone goes silent for a moment, then the sound of Julia’s voice permeates the other end. And just like that, I’m now curious about two women all in the same week. One woman I may never see again and another that may have my professional singing career in the palm of her hands, while potentially being in Rhett’s.

13

DAISY - JUNE 21, 2004

Lovely,I just blew my shot in less than ten minutes. I’m not sure what’s worse, spilled coffee or word vomit.

I slam the phone down immediately, embarrassment becoming my entire identity.

Yep, I should have said have a nice day and just hung up. What possessed me to think it was okay to tell him to say hi to his friend? One he probably now assumes I have a crush on.

I bury my face in my hands, letting out a groan as I relive the conversation over and over in my head.

Most of it went smoothly,I think, but all of my business instincts went out the window the moment I heard him speak. I can’t tell if it’s a pathetic little school girl crush, my infatuation with his ability to sing, or maybe the fact that I’ve never seen a man as alluring as him.

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