Page 4 of Born To Be My Baby

One day, Mina could easily take over for her. That was the reason she'd incorporated herself last year and began producing her own television series. She found a network willing to work with her, albeit a cable network, but cable was better at allowing creative freedom than the regular networks who were controlled by political parties. But this weekly grind was taking its toll. She was fifty-two, almost fifty-three, and getting tired. She interviewed multi-millionaires every week. Some were more interesting than others. But she wanted to cut back to bi-monthly, big prime-time specials. Prime-time offered more television time, more revenue and better promotion. The network she worked for now was close to agreeing to this bi-monthly interview schedule, but something was holding them back. So, she'd show them. She'd give them Sammy Fender without his cloaking garb on, and Chris Stapleton, and have them sing together. It would be epic. That would get her the prime-time spot she wanted.

4

Present Day…

Sammy stared at the woman he'd left behind all those years ago. He hated to break up with her. But he wanted to focus on joining Jami Hart and his band. He'd gone into the military and met Jami. Both of them went into the military to pay for college. Then they both went to the same college in Tallahassee. The entire time they were in college, they played at local bars. They played at graduations. They played wherever they could.

Gloria, now obviously, Violet Slyk, was there with him. He'd look out in the crowd and see her gorgeous long dark hair and those brown eyes. She always smiled at him and moved her body around in the most seductive manner. Sometimes they'd barely make it to the car after one of his gigs. They were so horned up from their foreplay. The looks. The movements. The dancing. She just did it for him. She'd always told him listening to him play was like foreplay for her. She watched his hands play his guitar, his fingers flying over the strings, and imagined them on her. His voice, so husky and sexy, singing just to her. Dammit, those days were amazing.

Now, though, he stared at those dark brown eyes, and he saw hurt and anger.

"What are you doing here, Gloria?"

He watched her throat constrict as she swallowed. He saw her jaw tighten. He saw her shoulders rise and stiffen.

"I'll ask you the same thing. Sammy." Sarcasm dripped from her luscious lips.

"It's my stage name."

Her jaw clenched again. He saw her chest rise and fall at a rapid pace. She was pissed. He remembered her temper. It was the last thing he had gotten from her when he broke up with her years ago.

"Mom?"

Sammy turned his head in the direction of the young woman's voice he recognized from his telephone conversations with her. She stepped close and laid her hand on Gloria's shoulder. "Mom. Are you alright?"

His throat tightened as his eyes moved to the young woman standing next to Gloria. She had long dark hair, so much like he remembered Gloria's years ago. She was tall and slender. She was beautiful. Graceful came to mind, the way she moved. "This is your daughter?" He croaked out.

Gloria's daughter, Mina, turned her head and looked into his eyes and he saw her clearly for the first time. Her eyes were...his. He had unusual green eyes. He'd been told so over and over. Mina had those same green eyes. The shape of her bottom lip was the same as his.

A lump formed in his throat and his breathing now became stilted. He looked at her lips again, the shape of her face. His vision dimmed as if there weren't any lights on in the room at all. She faded into a black cloud and he thought he'd pass out. Someone shook his shoulder and handed him a cold bottle of water.

"Mr. Fender, please take a breath." A faint voice said from somewhere.

He inhaled deeply and another cold bottle of water was pressed against the back of his neck. "Breathe with me. Inhale to ten." The female voice counted slowly to ten. "Now, exhale to the count of ten." She counted once more.

This time, when he looked over at Gloria and her daughter, he could see them. He uncapped the water bottle in his hand and slugged down some of the water. His hands shook violently, and he spilled some of it on his shirt. Tightening the cap back on the bottle, he looked into Gloria's eyes and stared for a long time. Her jaw was still clenched. Her face was still incredibly beautiful. Her eyes mesmerized him so many times over the years as he thought of her. "I think you have something to tell me." He managed to say.

Gloria stood, removed the microphone clipped to the lapel of her stylish denim jacket, and strutted toward the door.

"Mom. You can't leave. We have to do this interview."

"Not now."

They exited the room, Gloria stomped out, Mina following closely behind her. He practiced his breathing once more. He removed his microphone and strode to the door. He thought about the people in the room with cameras and microphones and how this would look just when he needed this interview so badly. Mostly for his own sake. And that was likely why karma was biting him in the ass right now. He was being selfish about this interview and what it would do for him. Not the band. Him.

"You all hang tight here. I'll see what's going on."

He didn't wait for a response, but moved toward the stairs and wondered if they were staying here, too. He changed direction and went to the kitchen, where he heard someone working. He tapped on the open door with his first knuckle. "Hello."

A woman doing dishes turned. "Oh, hello. How can I help you?"

"Are Violet Slyk and her daughter staying here in the BnB? We have an interview scheduled, and I don't know where she is."

The woman swallowed and hesitated. "I can't give out that information. If you'd like to go to the drawing room for your interview, I'll see if I can find her phone number and call her for you."

"Thank you."

He stepped from the room and pulled his phone from his pocket. That was it. He had the phone number for Mina, her producer, and apparently, her daughter. Tapping Mina's number, added to his phone as Mina, Violet Slyk's Producer.

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