Page 34 of The Lyrics of Love

“Hi, Chuck. You at home?”

“I am. It’s already a scorcher here in Tennessee. Hey, I saw your new song online. It’s fantastic, Nash. I hope things are working out for you.”

Chuck had been the one Nash called to come bail him out after the DUI charge. He had a few acres and horses just south of Nashville.

“They are, Chuck. I’m on the Oregon coast now. Finding all kinds of inspiration here. It’s a really beautiful place. Listen, I wanted to run something by you. Something that will sound out of the blue, but I think you would be great at it.”

“What?”

“Are you still heading tour crews?”

“Yes. After your tour, I did two others this past year. I’m actually taking a break for a couple of months. Didn’t want my kids to become strangers. They’re six and eight now. Wanted to spend time with them and my wife and ride my horses and relax some. Are you planning another tour?”

“No. That’s the last thing on my mind. I won’t tour for a year or more. Maybe longer. For now, I want to stay in one place and write as many great songs as I can.” He paused. “I guess you heard I don’t have a manager.”

“Yeah, I heard you lost him,” Chuck said, playing nice.

Nash laid his cards on the table. “I fired his ass for banging my wife. And I’ll need another one.”

“Oh, I guess I might be able to recommend a guy or two. Give me time to think about it.”

“No thinking necessary. I was wondering if you might be interested in the job, Chuck.”

“Me? Hell, Nash. I’ve never been a manager. Not even close to one.”

“You are terrific at what you do. You see the big picture, yet you handle all the small details. Nothing gets past you. And you’d have my bad-ass lawyer, Phil Mooney, who could help you negotiate contracts. I need you, Chuck. I need a man I know and can trust. You can be that guy. You’re the most honest person I know and would give me the critical feedback I need because you know music inside and out. You could schedule the gigs. Pick the cities and arenas. Deal with the record label. Work with the PR and advertising people. Set up interviews at radio stations. You know I’d pay you a great salary, with benefits, and you’d get a cut of everything.

“So, what do you say?”

A long pause followed Nash’s question. He knew Chuck was a muller and liked to think things over. It surprised him when his friend spoke.

“I say yes. Yes! Man, Nash, this would be a dream for me. You know I’m organized. I have to be, handling the roadies and all. But this would be a wonderful challenge. Let me spread my wings and try something new in the business I love.”

“Then I’ll text you Phil’s contact info and let him know about my decision. He can draw up the contract.”

“What’s your gameplan? I heard the new song. It’s gone viral. I loved it.”

“I’m going to be writing new material for the next few months. Once I’ve got enough songs complete, maybe you can come to Oregon and we can visit and hash out where I want to take my career.”

“I’d like that, Nash.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to Phil and put you two together.”

Nash hung up, feeling really good about this decision. Chuck had stood up for him back in second grade when an older bully was picking on Nash. They had been close friends from that moment on. While they had drifted apart after he left Texas for Tennessee, connecting again on this last tour had made their time apart melt away.

His phone rang. His heartbeat sped up. Rylie’s name flashed.

“Hi,” he said, glad they weren’t FaceTiming so she wouldn’t see the silly grin on his face just knowing she had returned his call.

“Hey, you. Got your message. I was out SUP-ing. I came home and got ready for work and will be heading into the office soon.”

“Remember, you’re supposed to give me a SUP lesson,” he reminded. “Maybe you could even play hooky this afternoon and do that.”

“Hmm.”

He couldn’t believe she was even considering it.

“You know what? I do own Antiques and Mystiques. I think if I want to take off a few hours, I should be able to. Jerry can watch the store for me.”

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