Page 7 of New Day at the Beach House

She played the bridge, a softer, slower break from the fast pace of the rest of the song. It dropped lower, too, and when she sang it, she breathed out the words so that it sounded like the warning it was meant to be. “You’d better run, boy, run as fast as you can. There’s a woman on her way with a gun in her hand.”

She sang the next two verses and the chorus again, then strummed the last few chords. As the music faded, she looked at her son, half afraid of what he was going to say.

He was staring at her, mouth open, the expression on his face one she couldn’t quite read. Did he hate it? Think it was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard?

“Well,” she said quietly. “What do you think? Go on. I can take it.”

“Mom, that was…”

“Not me. I know.” She cringed inwardly, glancing down at the strings on her guitar.

“No, it wasn’t. But it might be one of the best things you’ve ever done.”

She looked up and laughed, not sure she’d heard him right. “What?”

“Look, you’ve written a lot of amazing songs, a lot of really great stuff. But this? This is something entirely new. It’s like the kind of song that turns into an anthem. Women are going to go crazy for this. This might put you on the Billboard charts. I’m serious.”

She hadn’t been expecting that. “You really think so?”

He nodded. “I don’t think it needs any work, either. It’s got this kind of raw sound that really works. You need a band, obviously, because it needs a big sound. It’s a lot of song. It’s great acoustically, don’t get me wrong, but this is the sort of story that needs more. But I love that about it. You know what I mean, right?”

She nodded. “I do. And I agree.

He smiled. “I’m telling you, people are going to go nuts. Has your agent heard this?”

“Not yet,” Jules said. “Like I told you, it’s still a work in progress. You’re the first person who’s heard it.”

“That’s pretty cool, by the way. Thanks for sharing. Your agent is going to freak.”

She laughed. Billy Grimm had been her agent for years. He probably would freak, because she’d never written anything this bold. Most of her songs told stories, sure, but nothing like this. “I’m not sure he’ll know what to do with it.”

“Oh, I bet he will. This sort of sound is really breaking out in country right now. It’s a lot more mainstream than you think.” Cash tipped his head like he was thinking. “You should let Jesse hear it.”

Jesse, who owned the Diamond Beach Dolphin Club, which was the best music venue in town, hands down, was also the man she’d sort of starting seeing. It wasn’t anything official, but they definitely enjoyed each other’s company.

What would Jesse think about this tune? She was curious. Maybe not curious enough just yet, though. “I’ll consider it, but I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“Mom, what’s to lose? Jesse will give you an honest opinion. And if you really want feedback, play it at open mic night. I’m telling you, it’s going to kill.” Cash laughed suddenly. “No pun intended. But, yeah, you need to get this out there and then watch what happens. You’re going to blow up.”

“You know, I’m not exactly an unknown.”

“No, you’re not. But how many twenty-somethings walk around singing your songs?”

She knew what he was saying and he wasn’t wrong. Her demographic definitely skewed older. “Probably not that many.”

He pointed at her guitar. “This song will change that. What’s the title, by the way?”

“Dixie’s Got Her Boots On.” She hadn’t expected Cash’s enthusiasm. It was pretty interesting. “You really think your age group would go for this?”

“Heck, yes. Call Billy. Let him hear it. And if he doesn’t get it, then ignore him and put it out yourself. You can do that now, you know. Then please, please do it for open mic night.”

Encouraged by his excitement, she patted the body of her guitar. “I think I can be comfortable enough with it by then.”

He grinned. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “Yeah. But give me a couple of days to really refine it, okay? I need to feel like it’s the best it can be before I share it with the world.”

“I get that. But I bet Jesse could set you up with some musicians. A drummer and a bass player, at least. Although I think a fiddle would work great on this.”

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