Chapter One - The Songbird - Charles Fornau

I was preparing paperwork for my flight home when the FBO terminal manager asked if that was, in fact, where I was headed.

“Yeah, Fred. I just closed a contract with some of the big guys up on the hill and I’m needing to get homely and get started on it.” Fred chuckled at my remark. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, Mr. Connor, there is a lovely lady over there in the waiting room that told me if I could find her a ride to Nashville, she’d give me a grand and give the ride five.”

“She sounds desperate.”

“Desperate and rich. She can afford that and more. Any chance you might want to intervene?”

“For you, Fred? Sure. Have her stop over when she’s ready.” He nodded and walked over toward his desk and the waiting room entrance.

I finished my paperwork and noticing movement close to me, looked over my shoulder, and… There was this girl. I turned and looked right into the eyes of an angel. Jesus Christ, excuse me, Lord, she was beautiful! I did my best to greet her without stumbling over my tongue. “Hi. Ch… Charles. Charlie. Connor. Uhmm, I’m Charlie Connor. I heard you were looking for a ride.” I held my hand out to her. She took it, lightly, in a feminine way, grasping more than shaking it.

“Yes, Mr. Connor, I’m looking for a ride to Nashville. My label’s plane was supposed to take me, but it seems to be broken, and I have a family thing. I really need to get home right away.”

“Okay, then, and please call me Charlie. Just Charlie, for now. You aren’t looking anymore. I’m headed that way in about ten minutes, and you’re welcome to join me. Your offer was quite generous, by the way. Fred will be happy.” I chuckled at the thought.

“Won’t you?”

“Sure. Give my part to Fred, too, and have him put it on my account.”

“Okay.” She looked surprised that amount of money didn’t mean all that much, or at least that I didn’t give the expected reaction, then asked, “I take it you are in and out of here often?”

“Quite often. A lot of my business contacts have offices and plants in this area. Can I have a name for my logbook?”

“Oh, you don’t know me?”

“No, I’m sorry. Should I?”

“Most people do. I think I’m glad you don’t. I would be Alicia Broderick.”

“Name sounds familiar.”

“Well, goodie, then.” She had a happy grin on her beautiful face. She must be happy about the fact that I couldn’t place her. “I’ll be right back.”

She went over to Fred, and as I watched them talk, quite animatedly for a couple of minutes, they looked over at me and Fred smiled and shrugged. She grinned and had him run her card, then he handed a small piece of paper. Ko

As she walked back over to me, I studied her a bit better, a bit more closely, and it struck me then that maybe I’d seen her face before, but I just couldn’t place it.

“Mr. Connor…” I interrupted her with my hand, palm toward her. “Charlie. Sorry. I’m ready if you are. I have these two bags and my purse, and that’s it. The bus has the rest of my gear, and I won’t need it anyway. I just need to get home. I’ll catch up with them later.”

“Oh, you have a bus?”

“Most touring musicians do. You really don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Like I said, the name sounds familiar, but no, I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Do you know who Taylor Swift or Holly Fields are?”

“Sure.”

“Have you ever met them?”

“No, not personally.”

“OK. You have now met me personally. In person, I mean, and when someone mentions me, you can always say, ‘Yeah, I know her. I gave her a ride home one day’.”

“I’ll bet you’re famous, then.”

“God, I hope so, or I’ve been working way too hard for way too long and not getting anything out of it.”

“Singer?”

“Mostly, but I have a guitar on stage once in a while and sit with a keyboard or piano now and again.”

“Well, I’ll be!” I exclaimed a bit loudly, then walked her out to the plane pulling one of her bags, her pulling the other. Mine were already on board. I took a second, or third, closer glance at her attire. She was wearing a cute little angora sweater that fit her like a second skin but didn’t reach all the way down to her faded jeans, and she was strutting in some gorgeous high heeled sandals. Very nice-looking woman, to be blunt. She had a cute, taut, little tummy. She had a nice tan, too. “I’m in the company of a music star, I’ll bet. Sounds like it, anyway.”

“Like I said, Charlie, I hope so. I’m trying hard enough. What kind of music do you like?”

“It depends. Female pop rock, a little country, some classical, and some indie, but mostly the first one,” I told her, trying to remember the songs I like.

“You’ve probably heard me then. Pop rock and some crossover, a few duets with some country biggies. I’ve worked with Holly, Lucas Paylor, and Len Bryce and a couple of others. I’ve had a ball doing it and hope to continue for a while.”

“Maybe I have heard you. Let’s get ourselves on the way home and you can help me find some songs to see if anything rings a bell.”

“Charlie, I really do appreciate this. The alternatives were looking pretty dim.”

“Think nothing of it. I’m sure you’ll be better company than I am.” I smiled at her, and when she got the insinuation, she giggled.

“I’ll do my best.”

I had her sit in the first seat in the cabin and stay put until I got done with the preflight. She had her phone out and was tapping on it like a typewriter in the hands of a wonder secretary. When I finished and came back, I handed her up and motioned her up to the co-pilot’s seat.

“Are you sure? I won’t hurt anything, will I?”

“I hope not, but I’m sure you won’t. It’ll be easier to talk to you this way, anyway, so it’s best. Do you have any of your music on your phone?” She nodded. “Good. I’ll have you plug it in or Bluetooth it into the plane and you can play some to see if I remember any of it. I hope I do.”

Once we were both seated and I started the run-up checklist, I had her put on the headphones and listen to everything going on. I made sure she could hear me talking and just told her to listen and if she had any questions to wait until we were airborne, and I’d take care of them. She nodded.

The best feeling in the world, getting up to rotation speed and pulling back on the yoke, got me again, and my smile filled the cabin.

“You enjoyed that, didn’t you,” she asked.

“I always do, Alicia. Every time. I always have. I’ve been doing it since I was about fifteen and it never gets old. My father and mother gave me the gift of flight. The most amazing thing one can experience, in my opinion. There are other good things that come to mind, but this is my favorite.”

“Interesting.”

I spent some time talking to traffic control, then asked her, “Any questions?”

“No, not really, but it looks really complicated. You normally do this alone, don’t you?” I nodded then she continued. “Probably less distraction that way. I hope I didn’t cause any problems during the takeoff thing.”

“You were great and did exactly as I asked of you. A real pro. Any time you need a ride and see me hanging around, holler and I’ll help you out. I may not even let you pay next time. You, little lady, don’t weigh enough to make a difference in my flight costs.”

“WHUP, there he goes. The sexual innuendos and comments start now!” She started laughing.

I gave her a cheesy grin, then backed it off to a sincere smile. “You are petite, cute, beautiful, and pretty. Let me just get all that out of the way. Your hair is amazingly gorgeous as well.” Her hair could only be described as teak or mahogany. It was brown, yes, but it had more red tones in it than could be ignored. It was quite stunning, especially with her bright green eyes. She was a very pretty girl.

“Thank you. I was kidding about the size thing, and not digging for compliments, but a girl can’t hear them too often from the right people.”

“How am I the right people, Alicia? I’m a total stranger.”

“You are more than that. You know, when I offered the money for the ride, I didn’t realize it was your plane, too. That terminal supervisor back there spoke very highly of you. You are young, not too hard to look at, speak politely to others, haven’t said anything too awfully stupid, yet, and seem quite intelligent. I think that’s a good start.”

“Thank you, but you have caught me at a time when I am not only star struck, or stricken, or whatever, but between relationships, happy with a new business deal, and not doing very well on my part to keep from bringing the male population down in your eyes. I can do better, trust me.”

“This was a business trip, then? I’m just trying to speculate here and help kill an hour or two.” She giggled. She had a really adorable giggle.

“Do you like Mexican food?”

“Non sequitur? Yes. Yes, I do.”

“It was a business trip.” I changed the subject and did so very much on purpose. I had been checking out her hand and didn’t see a ring. I was a good person, in my humble opinion, but I was human. If this woman showed an interest in an old man, older than she thought, anyway, I was going to ask her out. “I landed a very lucrative contract with a major aerospace firm to build something, or rather several somethings, for them and make a poopload of money.”

“A whole poopload? Goodie for you. That sounds fun.”

“It should be,” I told her. “I have to share the wealth, since there are laws about paying people who help you do stuff, but I keep all that to a minimum and offer porridge and celery, just to keep them alive, mind you, and keep all the profits for myself. After all, that’s the manly thing to do, right?”

She giggled again and shook her head. “I’ll bet your secretary makes more than mine.”

“I don’t have one,” I told her.

“That’s worse. I’ll bet your personal assistant makes more than mine.”

“Try me.”

Alicia looked up at the ceiling of the plane, moved her fingers around as if to tally some numbers, and finally said, “Seventy-six, but she pays for nothing on the road.”

“Close. Mine just hit eighty, and likewise, she pays for nothing, but isn’t traveling with me anymore and won’t again, I’m afraid.”

“Did she get tired of your harassment and innuendos, Charlie?” She laughed a bit.

“No, Alicia. She got tired of saying ‘no’ to her fiancé, got married, and started having children. I won’t ask her to travel anymore. She’s just as good at home and the office as she is with me, what with electronics and the web and all that rot. I haven’t missed a meeting in over a year, and she has been telling me it’s not just luck.”

“Nothing like person to person, but I could see how that might work. I have staff working from home as well. Cindy does more than keep appointments and such, though. Sometimes she just keeps me company, and that is really important.”

“I agree, Alicia. Melissa and I were, no make that are, not only employer and employee, coworkers, and also very good friends, but never closer than that. More than just an employee, though, that is certain. She’s been in love with her high school sweetie forever, and I wouldn’t even consider touching that, but there were times when I bounced ideas off her and she helped tremendously. For a person with no engineering background, she sure had a knack for hearing something that wouldn’t work and letting me know it. How she did it is a mystery, but she once said, ‘Boss, that doesn’t sound right for some reason.’ It wasn’t, and looking into it on her notion saved us a lot of time and money. For her it was a hunch. By the way, because of things like that, if she wants to work from her bathtub, I’ll buy her a waterproof computer.”

Alicia laughed heartily. “Sounds like quite a woman, Charlie. You’re lucky to have her around. I’m sure her husband feels the same way, too.”

We flew in silence for a bit, then when some voice traffic had come over the headphones and was answered and gone, she asked me, “Mexican?”

“Yeah, I tried to sneak that in there. I’m a guy. I thought maybe I could have company for dinner.”

“Yes, but then I need to get home. My brother is coming home from overseas tomorrow, and I absolutely, positively, need to be there tonight to help get things ready.”

“No problem. I’ll take care of it.”

She asked me about my company, the things we did, and why I was in Colorado, and I tried to explain as best I could without letting any cats out of any bags.

“I build electronic boxes for the military. They do all kinds of things with them, but it keeps us in porridge, celery, and water for the peons.” She giggled. “The division of the corporation I was dealing with was there in the Springs and I had to show them what I was able to do for them. Seems like they were impressed, so if I do what I said I can do, I’ll make some money doing it, hence, more porridge.”

“Stop with the porridge, Charlie. If your PA makes eighty, your people aren’t starving. Believe it or not, the average salary for a good PA in a mid-sized company is less than either of us pay. We just offer them a lot more bennies and travel, or bathtub sessions, as it were.” She grinned. “Charlie, are you… Uhmm, are you seeing anyone?”

“No,” I accidentally said quite curtly.

“I… I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend… or upset you.”

“You didn’t. I told you already I’m between relationships. You caught me off guard. I did sort of ask you out for Mexican, and you did sort of accept, but I don’t think I’m seeing anyone. You might answer that differently, but that will be up to you.”

“Was that a request for a date?”

“I’m sorry, Alicia. I’m rusty at this. I thought it might be when I asked you out for Mexican. Is that a date?”

“It could be. Do you have any intention of asking me out again, you know, I mean, if it goes well?”

“It’s already going well, so if we trade numbers over dinner tonight, I could see that happening.”

“Now we’re making progress. I accept your proposal to put my number into your phone.” She started laughing.

“What?” I asked, surprised by her reaction

“You’re too cute for an adult male of the species.”

“Thank you? I think? Let’s do the song thing now.” Now it was me acting giddy. She played some music for me, and I was familiar with a few of the songs she played. “I’ve heard your work. I like it, too. Thank you for that, as well.”

“You’re welcome. Is that Nashville? It feels like we’re going down now.”

“Yes, we’re descending, and that’s home.”

“Looks different from the front window.”

“That’s just because you can see more of it straight on and at a higher altitude. It’s beautiful when you’re on the way in and wanting to go home. Sometimes I hate leaving, and sometimes it doesn’t bother me a lick, but I always love coming back, especially after a successful trip.”

“Me, too. I’m not a transplant, Charlie. I grew up just south of here in Eagleville. Small town girl.”

“I am a transplant, but it was a while ago, and I’m awfully glad we did it.” I answered some radio calls about our approach and then told her, “My parents and I were flying from Denver to the Gulf and thought we had a problem with our plane. We landed here and after meeting some really nice people, decided to move here, company and all, and start over. Most of the employees came with us.”

“Wow. Cool story. I’m glad you did, too. I’ve enjoyed the ride, Charlie. I hope I enjoy dinner as much.”

“I hope so, too, Alicia. Where do you live, anyway? I’m on the way to Smyrna Rutherford, not the airport downtown.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. I live in Ashwood, if you are familiar with the south side.”

“Nope! No problem. Yes, I am. Familiar with it. I have a little place out east of the speedway.”

“We might be neighbors, then?” she asked, looking over at me.

“Probably not, it’s a Norene zip code, but you never know. What with the size of the world shrinking, we may not be far from it.”

“Does the sound out there bother you?”

“Look around, Alicia. I plan my trips, both personal and professional, around NASCAR and their related brethren. I’m not a racing fan, although I do catch the horses now and again.”

“Interesting. I’ll leave you alone now and think about my enchiladas.” She giggled again as I talked to traffic control about my impending landing. I smiled at her, acknowledging her action. I really was getting busy, and she knew it.

After all the activity was ending, we taxied up to my hangar. A couple of guys from the local shop were there to help me get the plane inside and took over from there, refueling and checking everything over.

I handed her up and out of her seat in the cockpit, then opened the hatch, helped her down the stairs and retrieved our luggage from the hold. I got it together and in the back of my car, then handed her into that as well. Then I approached the crew.

“Thanks, guys. I need to run, but I appreciate this to no end.” I handed the leader of the pack two twenties and nodded to his second. They took care of me, and I tried to take care of them. Money for their lunch was the least of the bennies they got by taking care of my plane.

We headed down south to a favorite place of mine, a family owned and operated restaurant that was known for their authentic meals and home-made tamales. I am and always have been a tamale aficionado. A lover of the art of tamale eating and a voracious explorer of the ends of the earth where good tamales may hide. Believe me when I say, not all tamales are created equal. Some ‘home-made’ tamales I’ve eaten could have been surpassed by Hormel’s canned variety. Yeah, that bad. At least with Hormel you know what you’re getting. I digress.

Alicia talked a bit about her current tour, some of the things she had in the works, and acknowledged that I couldn’t say much about what I did but accepted that the generalities I offered explained what she wanted to know. I had a job. She appreciated that, she said.

Over dinner she continued to tell me why she appreciated it so much and explained that the last two offers she had for dates were both made by trust fund babies. Uber rich, uber educated, supposedly, but completely living off their parents, grandparents, or wherever their trust fund originated.

“Charlie, the last one, and you may not believe this, told me when I asked what he did, ‘Nothing, and I’m damned proud of it. I’ll never have to work a day in my life. Why should I? I have people for that.’ He was upset when I asked him to look elsewhere for companionship. Incensed may be a better word for it. In any case, he didn’t impress me. He had more money than me, Taylor, and Holly, combined, and as you probably know, that’s a lot, but he was broke between the ears. That’s where I was looking.”

“In that case, I’m delighted I did or said something right. I’m not as well off as Bill Gates or anything, but I don’t eat ramens out of necessity. I eat them because I like them.”

“My kind of guy. On a rainy night, they’re a warm comfort food.”

“Exactly. In any case, I understand. I’ve had a few girls come on to me after they found out I had a couple of nickels to rub together. They didn’t want anything to do with me until then. Gold diggers looking for trust fund babies. Why can’t they find each other and leave us alone, huh?”

“As you said… Exactly. If I asked you to a benefit later this month, what would you say?”

“I’ll start with ‘I’ll look into it’. I’ll need dates and times and such. Later this month? The children’s hospital thing?”

“Yes, actually. Were you already planning on that?”

“Yeah, but it would be nice not to show up alone. Showing up alone somewhere wearing a tux is a bit… Flaky? Bad term. It would be nice to show up with you, if that is what you were looking at.”

“It was. I’ll be wearing blue. Royal blue, if it matters.”

“How long before you have to go back to the bus, Alicia?” I reached over the table and wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth. Her smile could have eclipsed the sun.

“Four days, Charlie. Brian comes back tomorrow, then we’re having a family thing for him the next day, then two days later I have to head back.”

“If you’ll have dinner with me again, I’ll take you wherever you’re supposed to meet up with them and get you back to work.”

“Charlie, that would be too much trouble. How about this? Give me the two days with Brian. You come to my place the day before I leave. You can meet my family and then the next day, if you really want to, you can fly me back to Santa Fe. Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Going to your house or flying you to New Mexico? I have a problem with neither. We can do it that way if you like. Do I need to pick you up for our third date? The benefit?”

“Need to? No. The label is picking that up since I’m performing at the benefit as well. If their plane is working. Maybe… No…” I interrupted her.

“Alicia, I’ll come get you. Just let me know where you are, and I’ll take care of it.”

“When are you going to get your little secret thingies done if you’re flying me all over the country, Charlie? You have a life, too, you know.”

“I have people for that.” She giggled a beautiful giggle, thankfully recalling her story and my response in a humorous light. “I can sneak out now and again. I really do have a bunch of really great, really smart, people that take my ideas and make them work. They are wonderful people, I pay them well, and they don’t mind when I’m not around cracking the whip on their backsides.” Another giggle erupted. She is adorable.

“I’ll let you do that, but our fourth date will be on me.”

“Fourth?” I asked.

“Yeah. Tonight, then another in a few days, then the hospital benefit, then whatever I come up with. That’ll be the fourth one.”

“I guess it will. When do you come off tour?”

“The day before the benefit. The night before that will be either Tucson or Phoenix, I can’t remember which, then the next day we leave for home. Could you come down to get me then?”

“How about after the show? I can watch, then we can leave from there. Any chance of getting me in?”

“Of course, but that would be dangerous, Charlie. I might be tired and grumpy and hungry, and…”

“I might just take my chances. We’ll discuss it later. Please don’t close your mind to the idea, though. It would be fun to watch you in action, then when you get done schmoozing, I can race you out the back door and bring you home. Yeah, it sounds fun.”

“You might be a nut.”

“Sometimes you feel like a nut… Sometimes you don’t!” Another giggle got us through our meals and back on the road. She showed me to her house, had me put her address into my onboard GPS, then as we unloaded her luggage, asked me to walk her to her door. I was surprised when the door opened and a beautiful copy of an older Alicia, a maybe fortyish woman, opened the door and greeted us.

“Alicia! You’re here. I was so afraid when you said the plane was out of order.” They hugged, obviously as close as two people could be.

“Mom, this is Charlie Connor. The guy I texted you about. He lives on the other side of the racetrack. He gave me a ride home and fed me. I think we’re going to see each other again, so take a good look and don’t shoot him or anything if you see him around here. OK?”

Her mother started laughing. “Nice to meet you, Charlie. She’s making fun. I only shot at that one person, and they were trying to come into my room through my window. It’s not something I do a lot of.”

“No window entries then. I’ll keep that in mind. Nice to meet you, Mrs…?”

“It’s still Broderick. Elaine Broderick. Just Elaine, Charlie, if that’s OK. I haven’t had time to replace her father yet. Don’t know if I’ll ever get around to it, to tell you the truth. Too busy trying to keep track of my jet setting daughter and my warrior son to look at, let alone look for, another man. The warrior son is coming home tomorrow, so there is something to look forward to that doesn’t involve that sort of thing.”

“Yes, it certainly sounds like it, Elaine. Alicia, I’ll leave you two to do what you two need to do.” Alicia took my hand and pulled me toward her, aiming her face up to mine for a kiss. I smiled, leaned down, and kissed her. She smiled in return. I whispered, “Alicia, call me. Please.”

“I will, Charlie,” she said as she nodded and went inside with her bags. The door closing as I walked away might have just as well been a door opening.

There was something going on here, and I wanted to know what it was. The time in the plane together may have been brief, and mostly one sided, but during that time, I knew I wanted to know this songbird a little better. She had that… That ‘thing’. I could feel it, whatever that ‘thing’ was.

The next day I was up early and in the office by seven. As my heavy hitters came in through the suite to ask how things went, I let them know the meetings were a success and had the division directors make sure their stakeholders were in the conference room at nine. We’d lay out the plan and get this sucker done. There was a lot of money and a lot of follow-on work in the balance.

Before the meeting, I got a text. ‘Thank you, again’

I replied. ‘Any time, Alicia. I mean that. Looking forward to the day after tomorrow.’

I got her final words and smiled. I really smiled over a personal issue for the first time in a long time. It was a simple ‘Me too.’

The meeting went well, the timelines were set, and we knew it was going to be a gold mine for the company. Our researchers, lab techs, and analysts had broken their backs making this thing viable. It wasn’t like we were raking in cash for nothing. We worked long and hard for it, investing time and money both, and it was going to pay off. That was the business we were in.

That evening, I got another text. ‘Would you think me crazy if I thought about you today?’

I thought for a minute, then replied. ‘Yes, but crazy is evidently not the wrong answer. That means I’m crazy, too.’

It took a couple of minutes, but her reply, again, was short, succinct, and final. ‘Good. See you at my place day after tomorrow, Charlie. Twoish. Dress casual, please. Goodnight.’

I sent her a thumbs up emoji and let it go at that, had a snack and a drink, pondering my newfound relationship with this beautiful woman, then wondered what a treasure like that would want with a guy like me. I finished the popcorn, covered in parmesan and garlic seasoning, then the iced whiskey, and decided it wasn’t any of my business what or why. As long as she wanted me around, I was more than happy to have her around. Good God, but she was gorgeous.

I worked all the next day and the following morning, tweaking our latest venture and making sure the others we had running were on track. Two were preparing for launch and were in their final phases before being turned over to the integration contractor for mounting on the parent platform.

At noon, I took off, told the office staff they could find me if they tried hard enough, fielded a couple of questions about my intentions with statements similar to ‘none of your business’ and just ‘nunya’, caught some humorous snide remarks and laughter, then left for home. I wanted to clean up, change, and organize Charlie Connor in a ‘what now’ kind of way. I was out of my comfort zone. Way out. Not only that, but I was smiling about it for some reason.

I lifted the knocker and let it fall twice. I’d heard once that was appropriate. Who sets these rules, I’ll never know, but that was what I got out of whatever I’d heard or read. I don’t even remember…

“Good afternoon, Charlie. Please come in. Alicia will be right with you.” Elaine’s presence broke my mental meandering.

“Thank you, Elaine. I love your place. I would assume you have a bunch of horses out back somewhere?”

“Good assumption. My late husband had a penchant for racehorses and there is more than one champion stud out back keeping me in the style of living I’ve grown accustomed to.” She giggled. “We have a few horses, Charlie. I was half kidding about the lifestyle thing, but there really is a market for our horses’ services and we have a lot of money wrapped up in them. I have people for that, though.” She giggled. It made her sound and look thirty years younger. “She told me you’ve shared that phrase. We laughed when she did. It’s funny.”

“Yes, it is. Anyone who has people to see to their bidding, is either in a position to need the assistance, or too damned lazy to do it themselves. I have a feeling that you, like me, need assistance with our chosen professions.”

Elaine laughed again. “True that. I’m actually not able to feed them all myself anymore. It would be a bit too time consuming, not to mention way too labor intensive.” She shook her head. “Welcome to the Broderick Ranch. Home of your girlfriend, from what I hear.”

“Cool. That answers one question.”

“What question was that?”

“Whether or not I can refer to her as my girlfriend.” That got both of us laughing.

Alicia walked into the room wearing a cute little short shorts outfit and high heeled sandals. She was so pretty it wasn’t funny. Her dark hair with its red tints was completely at home over the baby blue outfit and her tanned and toned legs.

“Hi, Charlie. Thank you for this. Mom, were you nice to him?” she asked, grinning and reaching for my hand.

At her mother’s reply, “He’s still standing, not bleeding, and has the same number of holes in him as he did when he arrived, so I guess I was,” we all broke out in laughs, giggles, and chuckles, depending on which one you were hearing.

“Come on, Charlie. Let me show you around.” Alicia took me for a tour of their little place. I say little, but it was a real horse ranch. Acres and acres of horse paddocks, workout corrals, and two large barns to house the animals highlighted the tour. There were also miles and miles of pasture, hills, and woods, as far as the eye could see. She described the place as she pointed out the landmarks. From that, I surmised this was a pretty big place. Bigger than mine, certainly, but I only had a few animals on mine and didn’t need that much room.

Out by the larger of the two big barns, as we were looking down the center of it, at most probably twenty first-class stalls, each holding a wonderful animal, she asked me, “Are you sure you want to take me to Santa Fe tomorrow? You know you don’t have to. I’d like it, though.”

“Let’s discuss that after dinner. You did invite me to dinner, right?” I smiled at her, getting her attention.

“I’m sorry, but the quality of the food and company I provide has nothing to do with the question. If you want to take me, I’ll smile and bat my eyes at you. If you don’t, I need to call my managers and have them make other arrangements.”

“Let me see those pretty eyes going then, sweetie. I’ll take you. I’d like that, to be honest.” She batted them a bit, acting flirty and smiling. The woman was gorgeous by any standard, but by mine, she was not only that, but probably the prettiest woman to ever talk to me. “You are such a flirt. Do you really feel something, Alicia? I need to ask because I do.”

“Yes. Let’s not dwell on it, but I do, too. It may be simple juvenile infatuation, but it’s there. I hear from some of the people close to me that I often act a bit… A bit… Youthful? They actually say I act like a bratty child at times, but I need different words if I’m talking about myself.” She wrapped her arms around my midsection and hugged me tightly for a few seconds. “It’s not that often, but I’m sure when I’m stressed out and a bit on edge, it can happen.”

“Doesn’t scare me. I’ll handle it somehow. Enough of the mutual admiration society meeting minutes. Tell me what you do when you aren’t on the road. If you say ride horses, I’m going to be disappointed.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you, so… Charlie, I’ve been riding since I was born. I’ve ridden in competition. Eastern and Western both. Steeplechase, trials, and barrel racing are all behind me. I had fun, but they are young women’s sports. I do ride, though. You?”

Her arms were still around me and she was lightly hugging me, still. It felt wonderful. I wrapped her up and hugged her back. She looked up at me and smiled. “Yes, Alicia, I do. I have a few at home as well. After you get home and the benefit is over, I’ll have you out and make you dinner. Sound good?”

“Completely. Come on back to the house and we’ll talk.” She did just that, showed me around their house, her father’s library, and his bar. She offered me a drink, which I gladly accepted. There were some exceptional examples of fine whiskeys, so I availed myself of one.

We sat in the library and chatted for a few minutes about our childhoods, school, and subsequent activities. That got us started and soon she learned about my parents, their lives, my military career being cut short, and my short-lived romantic episodes brought to a close by greed and gluttony. I learned about her failed relationship with a label executive that wanted to have sex with some really young women, of which she was one at the time, and how she had to change companies because of it. Not her only failure either, I heard of the old high school boyfriend that tried to come back and cash in on the past. That didn’t work well either. Both of the men got cut off before they got what they wanted, neither handling it well, and both involved the police, lawyers, and thankfully sympathetic judges.

We wound up spending hours talking, then Elaine came in and asked us if we were hungry. I was famished but didn’t want to advertise the fact. Alicia helped me out. “Mom, I could eat the south end of a northbound horse. I don’t know about my guest, but I’m starving. I had no idea I could talk myself into a hunger like this.” She smiled at me, stood, and held out her hand. “Come, guest. Let’s eat. Hopefully it will taste better than the north end of a southbound horse, or vice versa, or whatever.” She and Elaine laughed at the shocked look on my face.

“Charlie, I made dinner, and no horses were injured during the making of the meal. And I didn’t shoot anyone. Come on, kids. Brian and I are waiting for you to join us. Ali, Brian has a girl with him. Be nice.”

“Yes, Mother.” I thought I saw a smirk. Elaine left. I stood as Alicia pulled me up. “Brian has a different taste in women than I do in men. It’s all good. Come on.”

We went into the dining room, Elaine at the head of the table. Brian sat on one side of his mother, with a young lady sitting next to him, and Alicia sat on the other side, with me next to her. I was sitting across the table from a thirty-something-year-old teenybopper dressed like a twelve-year-old hooker. Yeah, I know, that description is hard to process. She was wearing pigtails, a crop top, short shorts, off black pantyhose, and Keds with frilly socks. Oh, yeah, and blue eyeshadow, lots of it, and red lipstick. Wow.

Dinner was exquisite. Chicken cordon bleu with asparagus and some of the best mashed potatoes I had ever tasted. The conversation offered by the two guests was limited, but I understood that. I couldn’t talk much about what I did, other than make things for government research, and she couldn’t talk much about anything that involved words with more than five letters. It was actually funny. Brian was looking for lust and Alicia was looking for love. The young lady and I were the fruits of their current labors.

Brian and his companion departed the table just as soon as dessert was finished, heading out for town, him kissing both his mother and his sister and asking them not to wait up for him. His date just bounced on her toes and waved, giggling, as he pulled her out of the room. I was having problems placing him as a Captain in the Army, Green Berets, no less. It just seemed… Different. Let’s go with different.

As soon as the door shut, both Elaine and Alicia broke out laughing. Elaine explained it. “Brian was a bad little boy, and his father sent him off to military school. He never had the teenage girl experience, if you get my meaning, and has been obsessed with cheeky bimbos, strike that, bimbettes, ever since. Where he finds them, I’ll never know, but he does. In any case, Charlie, I’m glad you came over, and I’m glad we were able to spend some time getting to know you. I assume this isn’t a flash in the pan, like the flash we just saw exit?”

“No, ma’am. Elaine, I’m enamored with your daughter. Simple as that. I’d like to take her to the ball for the hospital, and what happens after that is completely up to her. After the fifth date I’m going to recommend to her that we stop keeping track and just try to spend time together and have some fun.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now, if you two will excuse me, I’m going to do some surfing. Please let me know before you leave, Charlie.”

I nodded. She rose, then I did, and she left the room. I started picking up dishes to help clean the table, but Alicia put her hand on my arm and pushed it down, setting the plates back on the table.

“Charlie, we have people for that.” She giggled. I just smiled and shook my head. A slight, young Hispanic woman came into the room, and hugged Alicia.

“It’s nice to have you home, Alicia. We’ll all be glad when your tour is over, and you can stay a while. Mr. Connor, I’ll take care of the table, but thank you for your offer. You take Miss Alicia into the library and ask her for a glass of her father’s best Canadian. You will like it, I’ll bet.”

“Good idea, Consuela. I’ll take it from here. Charlie, on her days off, you can help me clean the table after dinner, if you like.”

She led me off down the hallway, Consuela waving at me and me waving back, as if I was being absconded with. I was. Enjoyably so.

Chapter Two - The Songbird - Charles Fornau

Alicia brought out a large bottle with a miniature model of a caribou on the cap. She poured me a small glass and offered it to me. I like Canadian whiskey, now, and have enjoyed the finer versions of Crown Royal and a few others. This was smooth. It was delightful. I smiled and nodded to her as it hit my throat.

She poured herself a little one, dropped a big round ice cube in it, then offering me one, dropped one in mine after I nodded.

“My mother likes you. That makes two of us. I have a question for you, Charlie, and I want you to think seriously about it before you answer.”

I nodded. “I can do that,” I told her.

“What would you say to a twenty-eight-year-old virgin?”

I looked at her, then my drink, then the books on the far side of the room, then at her again. “Take your time.”

“Take my time?”

“Yes. You want to make sure you are doing the right thing with the right person. The only other explanation is that you are a cold, prickly, introverted sociopath, although a beautiful one, with no desire to love or be loved by anyone. I think it’s the former. The latter just isn’t you.”

She started laughing. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Deadly serious. I’m not here to get laid, Alicia. I can do that anywhere, anytime, with any number of anywhos. I see… I feel something in you that I’ve never seen or felt before. If you are telling me you’ve never done that, made love to a man, then take your time. If it’s me, we’ll figure it out. As long as we are trying to be in that type of a relationship, I won’t do the anywho thing. I’m not a hormone addled teenager, hon. I’m also going to be careful with the information, though, just in case.”

“What do you mean by that? Being careful with the information.”

“I read. Making love to a virgin can be a painful experience. Again, if it’s me, I’ll need to be careful and prepare for our first time so that I can protect you and make sure it’s as enjoyable as possible within the constraints of physical limits.”

“That’s so sweet. I have toys, Charlie. I’ve just never had a man.”

“Oh, then never mind. If it’s me, you’ll let me know if and when you might be ready, and I’ll do my best to give you the moon. And the stars.”

“That sounds fun.”

“I should check in with your mother. She wanted to talk to me before we leave. As it is now, we won’t be able to lift off until after ten.” I held my drink up.

“Ahhh. Got it. Twelve hours from bottle to throttle and all that. My show is at nine, and I have a pre-show thing with a radio station at eight. We have plenty of time. Plus, we gain an hour. You’ll lose it coming home, but if… Never mind. I’ll go get Mom.”

I grabbed her wrist, startling her, but she looked down at me and didn’t pull back.

“Can I have a kiss before you leave?” I asked. It was a sincere question. That was all I wanted from her at that point.

“Of course.” She kissed me, softly, placing her hand on my neck to let me know she was there willingly.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you.”

“No problem. I need to loosen up a bit. I’ve… It’s…” I interrupted her.

“I’ll try to be more careful next time.”

She smiled and kissed me again.

“Don’t. I want you to want me, Charlie. I don’t want you walking on eggshells.” I nodded. She touched the top of my head then walked out to find her mother.

On her return, Elaine thanked me for coming to visit and during a brief moment when Alicia went off by herself, told me to be careful with her little girl. I assured her I would and thanked her for her approval, if that’s what this was.

“Yes, Charlie, that’s what this is. You seem like a nice fellow, and I can’t dig up any dirt on you, so I approve. Again, be careful with her. She’s been hurt, badly, and doesn’t deserve it. Her heart is as big as it can possibly be, but that just means she’s more vulnerable.” All I could do was nod.

“OK, I’m back. I need to get some rest for the trip tomorrow, so, Charlie, how about I walk you to your car and we call it a night?”

The goodnight kiss out at my car was one of the good ones. Lightning, electricity, warm fuzzy feelings and all that stuffed into two long and two short kisses. I’d never felt any of this before. Nothing even close had ever been within my experience, even though two of my previous relationships were supposedly very serious.

------

I picked her up in the morning, with a short but sweet good morning kiss, then without any fanfare, just swept her off to New Mexico so she could get back to work.

I had passes to watch her shows from backstage and was able to come and go from her room as I wished. From what I was told, her hairdresser, her wardrobe specialist, Cindy, her PA, and I were the only ones with such privilege. The show was amazing, reminding me there was more music out there than what I had listened to recently.

After the show, she came back to her room, finding me kicked back waiting for her. She again showed me why I was there. She plopped down in my lap and just relaxed.

“Thanks for the ride back. I’m glad you came. I’m glad you stayed. What did you think?”

“I loved it. Can’t wait for Tucson so I can see it again.”

“You don’t have to. You don’t have to wait. You are welcome at any of them. Any time. I mean that. Oh, I have a label exec here that I need to talk to. I’d like to see you off properly, so please hang in there for a few minutes. Can you do that?”

After I told her it was no problem, she kissed me and told me she’d be done in a just a bit. I left the room as he walked in and went to locate something to drink. I found her secretary, Cindy, the Wonder Assistant, who led me to a cooler full of beer and soft drinks. With a Pepsi in hand, I returned to the room, and although I wasn’t eavesdropping, I heard through the door the guy talking to her. He was talking loudly, like he didn’t care who was listening. “Come on, Ali, it’s how things are done. I don’t care if you don’t want to, I do, and if you don’t get with the program and let me fuck you a little bit, we’ll just watch your career crumble. No big deal. You’re already half undressed anyway.”

I heard a scuffle and a scream, Alicia yelling “No!” twice, at the top of her lungs. I tried the doorknob and finding it locked, I went into the room shoulder first, shattering the door frame.

As I grabbed him by his shoulder and his arm, he pushed her with his free hand and she fell backwards, then turned and hit her head on the dressing table. I saw her drop like a rock.

“You stupid son of a bitch, she said ‘No’!” As he spun in place, I put a fist in his solar plexus then just cold cocked him with a punch up and into his right jawbone. SHIT!! That had to have hurt me worse than it did him. It just had to have.

Cindy, the Wonder Assistant, the same one I was bragging about earlier, had called 911 at the first scream, and within about a half a minute, two uniformed Santa Fe police officers entered the room, arrested me, and started calling for back up and ambulances. I was read my rights and accused of assaulting both of them, Alicia and the jackass.

Cindy was not a forceful woman. She tried, in her own shy way, to explain what probably happened, but when the corporal asked, “Did you see the altercation, ma’am?” she shook her head. “Do you personally know Mr. Connor?” She shook her head in the negative again.

“No, I don’t, but I’m pretty sure Miss Broderick is in love with him, so please be careful with him.”

I smiled at her. She shrugged. I wasn’t necessarily abused, but it was six hours before Cindy was able to convince the ER people to tell the police Alicia wanted me with her and that Jackson Malone was the culprit and was in the process of sexual assault and possibly rape when I broke in on them to stop the slimeball from proceeding with what he thought was his ‘due’.

It was by far not the worst or even the longest six hours of my life, but maybe the most boring. I figured that if nothing good happened by eight o’clock in the morning, I’d have about five thousand dollars an hour worth of lawyers on the scene first thing.

At four a.m., I heard footsteps, many of them actually, walking down the corridor approaching my cell. “Mr. Connor. Nice to make your acquaintance. I’m Lawrence Jenkins. Legal counsel representing Harmony Media. We’d like to clear this mess up, so if you will sign this release, I can get you out of here at once.”

“A release, counselor?”

“Yes, a release stating that it was all a misunderstanding and that neither Miss Broderick nor Mr. Malone is going to press charges if you’ll do likewise and just let it all go.”

“That won’t be happening, counselor.” I looked over at the detective, a suit with a badge on his belt, anyway, and told him, “Look, officer. That guy was in the process of raping Alicia. I’m not signing anything that negates that. Nothing.”

“I’ve heard enough,” the suit said. “Mr. Connor, you’re free to go. With any luck we can have Malone switch places with you. Your hand doesn’t look so good, and Malone is in surgery right now fixing his jaw. Quite a hook you have there, Mr. Connor.”

“Thank you, I think, officer.”

“Detective Lieutenant, actually.”

“Oh. They brought in the big guns.”

“Yeah, when this dude showed up in a helicopter, they wanted me involved. Oh, by the way, Mr. Jenkins, it will be at least forty-eight hours before any more progress is made on this case, so why don’t you get back on your helicopter and go away.”

“You can’t do that, detective. I’ll have every judge in this county on your back.”

“Good luck with that one, counselor,” the detective said to him as he was pulling me out of the cell by my elbow. “Mr. Connor, Miss Broderick would like to see you at the hospital. I have a cruiser out back waiting to take you there if you’ll just go straight out that door right there.”

Jenkins hollered again, “You can’t do this, detective. He hit our employee. He attacked both of them. He’s the bad guy here. Stop him.”

I looked back to a waving detective, shooing me out the back. “Go, Mr. Connor. Go. Vaya Con Dios.”

I didn’t look back again, regardless of the profanity and screaming. The good lawyer was losing his cool, for sure. There was indeed a cruiser there, just outside the fire exit in the back of the building, the front passenger door open and waiting. The officer looked at me and waved me in, and as I was buckling in, she took off for the hospital where my girlfriend was being cared for. She parked in the emergency area where a sign indicated ‘Police Vehicles Only’, then escorted me inside.

She already knew where to go, obviously, as she took me directly to Alicia’s room where there was still another officer outside the door.

“Police protection?” I asked my escort.

“Not really. There are a couple of lawyers, the one harassing you, and one trying to get in here. That Cindy girl tried to explain everything. Nice girl, but kind of a ditz when things catch on fire.”

“Got it. Can I go in now?” I pleaded.

“Yes. She’s been asking for you.” The officer took me in the room where I saw the angel, the beautiful woman I recently met, working on pulling up a shiner on the right side of her face. I could see the bump, still in her hair line, and a lot of red skin, but no cuts or bandages.

“Hey, girlfriend. How ya doin’?”

“Better now, boyfriend. I heard they had you locked up. You need to know I don’t date convicts or prison goers or convicted felons. All them things would be a no go.”

“Yeah. About that. I think we’re good. They let me spring the joint.” She winced when she giggled. “They actually accused me of beating you both up. Who was that guy, anyway? I couldn’t believe what he said!”

“Yeah, I know. Label Vice President. He’s an asshole, but I didn’t expect this from him. I don’t know, maybe I did. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. Last time I changed labels.”

“You probably won’t need to do that this time. I think this time you’ll own enough of the company that they won’t want you to leave. I’m putting my people on it. Yes, Alicia. I have people for that.” She smiled. “I heard everything that bastard said.” She smiled again and nodded. “I hope when it comes time they listen to my testimony.”

“Cindy, hand me my phone, please.” I looked over and saw Cindy getting up and approaching us from the corner of the room. She was as meek as I’ve ever seen a professional woman. I mean she was turning herself inside out with guilt over what happened. “Charlie, I have a recorder on my phone. We all do, I know, but I have a button for it on my home screen. When Malone came into the room, I pushed it. It’s all recorded.”

“Well, good. I think you are about to own most of a record company.”

“Media corporation, Charlie. This is the new millennia.” She smiled at me then reached for my hand. Once I gave her the left one, as the right one was still a bit iffy, she squeezed gently. “Thank you for being there. I doubt he could have gone through with it, but it was a very uncomfortable position to be in. I’m certainly not anyone’s ‘fuck toy’ as he referred to me. Just because I sing for them doesn’t mean I’ll do anything and everything else for them.”

“I’m glad I was there, in any case. Oh, here comes the cavalry.” A young lady with a portable x-ray machine approached me and asked me for an ID, then proceeded to have me fill out a piece of paper and take some shots of my hand.

Alicia looked surprised at the whole transaction. “Sorry, but his face hit my hand pretty hard just as your lights went out, Alicia. I didn’t mean to hurt myself, but it was sort of inevitable.”

“Jesus, Charlie, are you going to be OK?”

I shrugged and let the lady finish her radiological activities.

“You’ll be notified shortly, Mr. Connor. The radiologist is downstairs reading those pictures right now. If it’s broken, we’ll come get you and get it taken care of.”

I thanked her and shortly thereafter got a text on my phone that it was, in fact, NOT broken, but that ice would help and if I needed something for the pain, Advil or Aleve would help. I was advised to follow up with my doctor back home if I had problems with it, or it felt like it was getting worse. I didn’t get into any details because I didn’t want to get grounded medically. I knew I could make it home with the way it felt. I had made it a lot further, in a lot worse shape than this.

“Alicia, are you going to be able to perform? You have several more shows before Tucson.”

“Yes, Charlie. I get tonight off, then Las Cruces. If I can do that show in Las Cruces tomorrow night, I’ll be fine.”

“If that changes, doll, you have to call me. Promise me. I’ll come get you and take you home.”

“I promise. Mom said the same thing. Not involving you, but I’m sure she’d be happy if you were the one taking me home at this point.”

“OK, then. I’m going to go get some sleep. I highly recommend you two do the same, then let me know how it’s going and where you are. Cindy, get a couple of your roadies to stay a little closer to her, please. If you don’t have anyone you trust, I do. I have people for that.” I grinned at Alicia and got one back. “I’ll be at my hotel, kids.” I leaned over and kissed Alicia then looked over at Cindy. “Cindy. Stand tall and take care of this girl, please? Don’t cower to anyone. You have her and me behind you. No need to be a shrinking violet when you can be a Venus fly trap. If I don’t hear from either of you, I’m going home when I wake up. You guys have a job to do, and I need to let you get to it. Alicia, promise me? If you need help, you’ll call?”

“Yes, Charlie. I will. No heroics.”

I looked over at Cindy. “Yes, Mr. Connor. No heroics. I’ll try to be… I’ll do better.”

“Alrighty then. I’m out of here.” One more time I leaned down to kiss Alicia. I whispered, “Please let me know how the show tomorrow night goes, okay?” Alicia nodded. “Be careful. I think I love you. Don’t say anything. It’s just a me thing. You don’t need to reply. It’s probably better at this point if you don’t.” The kiss on her lips kept her from speaking. I laid my hand on her tummy, caressed it a bit with my fingers, then turned and walked out. I didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t stay. They had lives to live and a schedule to meet.

Back at the hotel, I thought about what I said to Alicia, decided I wasn’t punch drunk from being tired, and slept like a baby for eight or nine hours before flying home. In the plane, high above Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, I thought about the words again, and what they meant. After processing the words, and their meaning, I was glad I said it. I meant it. I was in love again. I was in love with a songbird.

Chapter Three - The Songbird - Charles Fornau

I heard nothing from her until late the next night when I received a lengthy text.

Her: ‘Charlie, everything went fine. I feel fine. Cindy and Mom both have instructions to let you know if that changes and I can’t reach you for one reason or another. Can’t wait to see you again. XXOO.’

Me: ‘Thank you for letting me know. I’ll still worry, and I feel the same… At least. OOOXXX.’

Her: ‘XO. Now we’re even.’

Me: ‘XO. Never happen.’

Her: ‘Hahaha (smiley face). Goodnight, Charlie. (Heart emoticon).’

Me: ‘same to you, sweetheart. XO. (Heart exclamation point emoticon).’

She let it go at that, probably figuring I could have gone on all night, and she certainly couldn’t. She had to be too tired to put up with my schoolboy antics, having just done a show after her injury. After thinking about that for a few minutes, I noticed I did feel a bit younger just then, but I’m glad she gave up.

I spent the next couple of weeks living my normal life of solitude and toil, save a couple of texts from either her or Cindy. On one occasion, Cindy sent me a short one telling me Alicia fell asleep while composing a text to me. She took a picture of her boss’s phone.

The unfinished text read, ‘Almost done. Just two more shows. Pick me up in (then nothing).’

I had to laugh. Poor thing was so beat she couldn’t stay awake.

I texted Cindy back. ‘Pick her up when? Where? She left out a few details (smiley face).’

Cindy: ‘After the show in Tucson. I’m sure she wants you there for the show, too. She said as much to me anyway.’

Me: ‘I’ll be there. Give her a hug for me if she ever wakes up (smiley face).’

Cindy: ‘hahaha’

So, three more days. Her Phoenix show, the next one, was two days later, then Tucson was the night after that. I’d bring her home then and let her sleep for a while before picking her up for the benefit. She mentioned doing a number for them, but we could work all that out before then.

I was sitting in the office around three in the afternoon the day after she fell asleep at the phone when mine rang. I looked at it before answering and saw the picture I took of her out at her ranch with a five-million-dollar stud stallion behind her in a trot. It was a “Kodak moment”, and I was lucky enough to catch it.

“Hey, girlfriend! Feeling any better?”

“Yes. Oh, Charlie, I’m so sorry about last night. I should have called instead of texting. In hindsight, that might have been better. I might have stayed awake so we could talk.”

“Don’t worry about it a bit, hon. Another few days and I’ll have you back home and we’ll be able to spend a bit more time together.”

“Is that something you’re looking forward to? As much as me, maybe?” she said then giggled.

“Are you wanting time off, or time with your boyfriend?”

“If I said both, would you dump me for being nothing but a lazy, worthless wench?”

“Not at all. I’d love you even more for being honest. I can imagine how much work it is doing what you do. Don’t feel bad about needing a break. Hell, Alicia, even the most staunch of us slavedrivers takes a break now and again.”

“Love me even more, huh? That sounds nice. Yes, Charlie, I need a break. The little one a few weeks ago was nice, but I really want to take some time off and hit a beach bar somewhere warm where there are few or no clothing requirements, then do nothing but let the rum soothe my aching body.”

“Woman cannot live by rum alone. Want company? Want a ride?”

“If I said both, would you NOT dump me and take us somewhere nice? I think I’d love to go on a vacation with you.” She cleared her throat, noticeably. “You know, it’s absolutely amazing how I can go for over ten years without finding a serious relationship, then along comes a stranger on the way home and I can’t get enough of him. What’s up with that, anyway?”

“Same here, except I had a couple that looked serious to me, but really didn’t work out that well. Still, the serendipity thing seems to be affecting me, too. I wasn’t looking, and as a matter of fact was trying to keep my distance after the last fiasco, but then a cute little songbird stuck her thumb out. Figuratively, of course.”

“Yes, figuratively, of course. I would never literally hitchhike, but figuratively, that’s exactly what I did, wasn’t it? I’m glad it happened. I’m glad you were there, Charlie. I really am.”

“I am, too, Alicia. You know, that was a lot more than the plane ride was worth. What you gave for it, I mean. I’ll do my best to make sure you get your money’s worth.”

“You already have, Charlie. It’s been two rides and it’s sneaking up on being three in a few days. I think I’ll be owing you before long, if not already.”

I told her in no uncertain terms, “Don’t even try to pay me for what I’m doing. For me this is like picking you up and taking you to the mall, or the football game on Friday night. I don’t expect you to pay for the gas. I’m in that mode. The early relationship thing, and I’m loving it.”

“Me, too. Wanna see my cheerleader outfit? My homecoming dress and high heels?”

“If I said both, would you dump me for being a horny old bastard?”

“No. I’d love you more for being honest. If you didn’t at least want to see what I might have looked like in them, you wouldn’t be much of a male of the species, would you, now?”

“Valid point, but I’ll bet you were stunning. More like you still are. I’ll bet they still fit, too.”

“Thank you. I’m sure they do. Same size, anyway. Charlie, come early on Friday, okay?”

“I’d love that. I love watching you sing. Does it bother you that I’ve used that word?”

“No. I have, too. Charlie, Cindy has made arrangements at the rear entrance of the convention center for you. You can show up any time after four and we should be there. Should I send a car or something?”

“No, sweetie, I’ll have a rental at the airport and whisk you away back after the show. If that’s OK, I mean.”

“Totally fine, unless you want to spend the night so we can rest up a bit. Hint, hint?” she said, ending in a whisper.

“We’ll talk. Where would you stay if you were staying?”

“No clue. Probably a Doubletree or something.”

“Let me take care of it. We’ll spend the night, adjoining rooms, somewhere, but it won’t be a Motel 6 or a Super 8. Sound reasonable?”

“Sure. Let me tell Cindy, and make sure they are all taken care of, then we can split.”

“Hon, if you want, I can make room for Cindy as well, just in case,” I mentioned.

“Okay. If she doesn’t use it, I’ll pay you back.”

“No need, and we’ve discussed that. Okay. I’ll see you at the show on Friday, we’ll leave there Saturday morning, and hit the ball in the evening.”

“It’s a date,” she giggled.

“The third, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yes,” she said, “but Friday night may wind up counting for one, so we might as well give up trying to keep track and just live it.”

“I agree, Alicia. Let’s stop keeping score and try to have fun. See you in a of couple days. Hope it goes well in Phoenix.”

“We’ll be fine, Charlie. Take care. See you Friday, Love. (She made a kissing sound in the phone and hung up.)

Well, that was a nice conversation. Love, huh? Cool, maybe she’s been bitten as bad as me. We’ll see, I guess. OK, we need some rooms. Tucson. Something special. I hit the web and then called a place called The Blenman Inn. It was an old, historic in fact, inn that was more like a bed and breakfast. I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse, since it would make it easier on their housekeeping staff. They had one other group of two older couples staying there, so I rented the entire place, all five of the other rooms so we could have some privacy. Hopefully, Alicia will be happy with it. Supposedly everything the two, or three, if need be, of us would desire, will be at our fingertips there at the inn.

Looking good, Charlie. Looking good.

My operations director made the forecast of us being able to reach a current large contract’s terms, and the associated bonus follow-on delivery, about three weeks early, so at the point that happened, which should be in about two months’ time, I decided to use the extra time and money wisely. I’d tell Alicia it was to be used for extra porridge and fresh celery stalks, but in fact, each employee was to be given an extra paid week off after delivery was accepted, half of the staff at a time. God knows they’ve worked hard to make sure the work was done. In addition, that would enable me to sneak off for a while with my songbird without catching too awfully much flak about it.

Flying into Tucson is always fun. On a weekday with fighter jets and warthogs running around all over the place, it’s just that much more so. It brought back memories of my days in the service of my rich uncle. I miss the Air Force, but not enough to give up what Mom and Dad left me to care for, and certainly not enough to leave all the fine people working for us behind. It’s not like they’d want me back or anything, after my accident, but it’s fun to think about.

I arrived at the concert center, showing my ID and a screen print of a ticket Cindy had sent me. It was more like a ballpark ticket than anything else, but that seems to be the way of the world. Everything is digital these days. I was escorted backstage by a young, but sharp looking, kid in an Alicia Broderick Western Tour t-shirt. He introduced himself as Billy and told me he would be around within earshot if I needed anything. Once he got me back to Alicia’s dressing room, he turned me over to Cindy. She was standing next to Alicia’s open door, while the latter, half-dressed, was talking to a young man in a business suit, and a middle-aged woman in a pantsuit reminiscent of Hillary, Queen of Billary.

“She wanted the door open until you got here, Charlie.” She looked in and announced me. “Oh, Princess Belle, the beast is here!” then started laughing and showed me in before shutting the door behind her and grabbing us both a bottle of water.

“Oh, Charlie, you’re here. Goodie! I can keep the door closed now. See, Lance, I wasn’t kidding. I’m not going to have any more shenanigans, and I don’t trust Monica any more than I trust you or that scumbag you work for.”

“Whatever. We just need you to get that contract for next year signed. You know the details, just sign the damned thing.”

“What’s the rush, Princess,” I asked, looking toward Alicia.

“Oh, Charlie, it’s just that they need to make arrangements and all that. I told them I need some time to look over it, but…”

“Monica? It’s Monica, right?” The woman nodded at me, very annoyed that a peon would stick their nose in their business. “Well, Monica, if memory serves, she should have a few weeks, at least, to look over it and see if all the Ts are dotted and the eyes are crossed.” I crossed my eyes at Cindy and Alicia getting them both to smile.

“This is none of your business, mister. Please vacate the premises while we discuss business.”

“Let me introduce myself, Monica, and whatsyourface that probably works for Jackson Malone, Vice President of Stupid. I’m Charles Connor. Anything she wants me to hear,” I pointed at Alicia, “I can listen in on. If you need the contract signed that quickly, another label is probably making a play for her, and you guys just found out about it. Sounds possible, anyway. Leave the contract and let her read it or send it to her lawyers and let them read it. Malone tried to pressure her into something, and we had a bit of an altercation. Your jaw won’t hold up as well, Monica, and you, whatsyourface…”

“Lance. Lance Malone, asshole.”

“Relation?”

“He’s my uncle, asshole, and you broke his jaw.”

“Get out. Alicia, tell them to get out before you quit and go to work for me or someone that knows what they’re doing. Please. I’m not demanding, just saying that there is something wrong here. I think you smell it, too.”

That was a preview of The Songbird. To read the rest purchase the book.

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