“And the women sure are swooning,” Addison added. “Jeff has star quality, for sure.”
“Thanks,” Reid said, and gave her a quick kiss. His mom caught his eye and gave him a subtle thumbs-up. Instead of shaking his head, Reid nodded his agreement, making her smile.
At the end of the energetic song Jeff tipped his cowboy hat and then raised his hand for silence. “This brings me to the second big announcement of the night. I’m proud and thrilled to announce that my band and I just signed with a record label.” He waited for the cheers to die down and then said, “That’s only the beginning. Let me introduce rock legend Rick Ruleman to tell you all about it.”
There was a heartbeat of stunned silence followed by more wild applause. Reid stood still while his heart raced. He looked down at Addison, but she stared wide-eyed at the stage and seemed as surprised as everyone else at the unexpected news. But the guy that walked onto the stage didn’t even begin to resemble the long-haired rocker that Reid remembered. Wait. . . . Reid tilted his head to the side. Hadn’t he seen this guy a couple of times having lunch at Wine and Diner with . . . Maggie McMillan?
Reid leaned in close to Addison’s ear. “Do you know anything about this?”
“I’m clueless, Reid. Truly,” she added, and seemed a little bit shaken up.
“Hello there, Cricket Creek, Kentucky! Give it up for the amazing Jeff Greenfield and his band, South Street Riot!” After the cheering died down, he said, “I know I don’t look like the Rick Ruleman you’re used to seeing so I thought I’d better convince you.” He took the electric guitar from a stagehand. He quickly went into one of his complicated guitar riffs that made the audience go wild. “That’s from my first hit single, ‘Jagged Edge.’ But what you don’t know is that ‘Jagged Edge’ was supposed to sound like this,” Rick announced, and then signaled for Jeff and his band to join him.
The bluesy, soulful rendition of the famous song was nothing like the huge hit that made Rick Ruleman a household name. Jeff harmonized, and Reid had to admit that the result was pretty damned awesome, and the crowd sure agreed.
“When my record label wanted hard rock I gave it to them,” Rick explained after the song ended, “but my heart has always been in a different place. But when ‘Jagged Edge’ went gold, then platinum, the stage was set, if you’ll pardon the pun,” he said, and the audience tittered with laughter. “But now that I’m um . . . of a certain age, I finally decided it was time to shed the long hair and leather—and, damn, that leather was hot and I don’t mean in a good way,” Rick continued, and the crowd laughed again. “I’ve decided to start my own record label, called My Way Records, and when Pete Sully sent me Jeff’s demos I knew I’d found some amazing talent. We’ve been jamming all week long down at the cabin I’ve been staying in. With the help of my son, Garret, we’ll be scouring the area for more talent and looking for studio musicians. Tonight is just the beginning of great things to come!”
Reid glanced at Addison, who was watching with avid interest. A few people who obviously knew about the rumors looked her way, and he drew her close, putting a protective arm around her in spite of the bit of discomfort he felt at seeing the famous father of her ex-fiancé standing up onstage. And apparently going into business with Reid’s brother, not to mention bringing Garret into the fold.
“You might wonder how I ended up in Cricket Creek,” Rick continued. “Well, I actually came here to apologize to Addison Monroe, my son, Garret’s, ex-fiancée. There were some untrue and ugly rumors that I broke up my son’s engagement by having an affair with Addison. The rumor was started by my publicist to create some publicity. I fired him. But when I saw Addison’s lovely shop and knew she was flying under the paparazzi radar I decided to do her a favor and keep my distance. But now I want to give a public apology to Addison Monroe for being pulled into the ugliness of something she had no part of and didn’t deserve to be drawn into. Addison and Garret parted friends, and I’m so very pleased that she’s doing well in this amazing town of yours!”
Reid tightened his grip on Addison, letting his fingers caress her arm supportively. She had a faint smile on her face but appeared slightly stunned. He could tell that she didn’t like the attention, but she nodded and raised one hand in recognition of the apology.
Rick paused for the applause and then said, “And there is one more person that I need to apologize to. Maggie McMillan.” He looked in the direction where Maggie stood with Tristan and Savannah. “Maggie, I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you my true identity . . . but, in reality, since I’ve been living here in Cricket Creek, I’ve stopped pretending to be someone else and I feel like I’ve come home.” Rick looked at Jeff, who nodded to the band. “Since you won’t listen to me, I’m going to cover a song by one of my favorite artists, the late, great Jim Croce.” Rick then started singing “I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song.”
When they got to the last stanza Rick said, “Come on, Cricket Creek. Lend your voices and sing along. I need all the help I can get . . .” he said, and smiled down at Maggie, who was clinging to her son’s arm while wiping tears with her other hand. When the song ended she blew him a kiss and the audience applauded wildly. “And now I’m going to give the stage back to Jeff Greenfield. There’s a woman I need to hug.”
28
The Real Deal
AFTER THE CONCERT ADDISON AND REID WERE INVITED to the private celebration being held in Sully’s Tavern. While they waited for the party to begin, at Addison’s request they sat in Reid’s truck so that they could talk. Addison could feel Reid’s apprehension and she couldn’t really blame him. Rick Ruleman’s sudden and altered appearance, along with his plans to build a recording studio, was quite a shocker. But before they could even get to the subject Addison’s cell phone rang. “Oh, it’s my mother.” She looked at Reid.
“You should take it, Addison.”
“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Addison answered, and was prepared to tell her mother she would call back later, but her mother’s voice sounded even more excited than the conversation they’d had earlier when her mother said she’d wanted Addison to come out and be a guest on her show promoting small business.
“I have some more exciting news, sweetie. You know those pictures your father took of your shop?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we were out eating lunch with the Grangers earlier today and Julia is interested in opening another From This Moment here in LA and perhaps one in her hometown in Houston, Texas. She simply adored the layout and the mix of old and new.”
“You mean like a franchise?” Addison asked.
“Yes! You could oversee the stores. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Addison frowned. “But I just opened the shop here in Cricket Creek. We don’t even know if it will be successful. Maybe this is premature,” she protested with a glance at Reid.
“Normally I would agree with you, Addison. But with the low interest rates and lots of strip malls begging for business this is the opportune time to go full speed ahead. And with the backing of the Grangers, well, you can’t go wrong. Why don’t you fly out here next weekend and chat with Julia about the prospect?”
“I . . . um, I don’t know. This is so fast and sudden.”
“That’s how opportunities like these often happen. And they can be gone just as fast. Listen, I’m not trying to push, but you needed to know right away so you could think about it. You need to strike while the iron is hot, though. Call me later and we’ll talk, okay?”
“Sure, Mom. I love you. Give Dad a hug for me.”