“That’s a cool way to explain it,” Heather offered, scribbling something in her notebook. “Now, I’ve seen you play in the round at the Bluebird a couple of times. It’s always fun to see the audience react when you start strumming a familiar tune they had no idea you wrote. Have you ever considered going on the road singing and playing your own songs? You’re quite talented—you can play, sing, and write. A triple-threat in this biz. And you got that country swag going on too, I might add.” She looked over the rim of her glasses flirtatiously.
Clay looked down at the table, shaking his head. There were numerous times over the years that Warner Music and other labels had tried to woo him into becoming a touring artist. He was adamant that he never wanted to be in the spotlight. “I have no desire to be on tour.”
Heather shook her head. “It’s a shame.” She flipped her notebook to another page. “You won the Grammy for Song of the Year last year with your crossover hit, “Forever in Love”. And you were nominated for an Oscar. What is the magic ingredient for a country song to crossover like that?”
Clay blew a puff of air out of his mouth and shook his head. “There was nothing commercial about that song when it first released on country radio. It wasn’t until it crossed over that it turned out to be the biggest hit I ever had. You just never know. If I knew the magic ingredient, I’d have more money than God.”
Heather laughed out loud swinging her purple hair over her shoulder. “You write a lot about love. Is there someone in your life that you draw inspiration from?”
Clay could feel heat start to rise from his neck. Heather knew nothing about the last forty-eight hours he had spent with Katie, the very thought of her naked body on top of him causing his lower region to tingle. “I…uh…I have a special lady in mind. Yes…” His cheeks were warm, and his tongue felt larger than his mouth. If they continued down this path, he knew he’d be a stuttering, mumbling idiot for sure. Drawing in a deep breath, he willed himself to concentrate speaking very slowly. “All artists draw from their own experiences. It’s nothing new.”
Heather was looking at him with wide eyes, her right brow perfectly arched as if she could see right into his heart. “Well, whoever she is, she’s one lucky muse.”
Clay offered a friendly nod and watched her reach for the recorder. “One last question for you Georgia Clay. What is the best advice you could give to someone who wants to make it in the songwriting business?”
Running his hands through his shaggy hair, Clay sighed. “We have to be honest and say what we set out to say. Just keep doing that.”
Heather nodded and smiled. “Honesty. It sounds so simple.”
“It really is.”
“Well, congratulations on your commercial success, Georgia Clay. All your fans wish you nothing but the best. And good luck with your lovely lady.”
“Thanks.” Clay shifted uncomfortably wishing the bulge in his pants would disappear. There was no way he could stand without Heather noticing. Darn that Katie Parker.
CHAPTER NINE
Bored out of her mind on the third conference call of the day, Katie listened to one of her West Coast team members go on and on about the latest increase in insurance premiums. It was a precarious time in the industry, everyone noisily interjecting thoughts and concerns in the conversation. For the first time in her professional career, she wasn’t the loudest voice in the mix. She was laid back, her mind wandering the entire time to thoughts of Clay. She couldn’t help but imagine what he was doing, hopeful that he might reach out to her sometime soon. Leaning her head on her hand propped up on her desk, she closed her eyes and couldn’t help but fixate on their time together, going over every detail of their whirlwind weekend. Images of his muscular, toned body were branded into her brain, making her crave his warm skin next to hers. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and shook her head. Clay had been pretty clear that he didn’t believe in long distance relationships. She begged to differ. After mulling it over, she decided that a four-hour commute wasnota long-distance—it was a short distance. Yes, their relationship could be considered a short-distance relationship. She jotted down her quirky thought on a sticky note so she wouldn’t forget and noticed her muted cell phone lighting up.
“Clay,” she whispered excitedly. Reaching across the desk to her office phone, she quickly muted the conference call so she could answer her I-Phone without her co-workers knowing.
“This is Katie Parker.” She didn’t mean for her voice to come across as business-like as it did.
“Hey… Katie. It’s Clay. Clay Watkins.”
The wide grin on her face was almost clown-like. “Hey, Clay. I was just thinking about you.”
“Really? Well, that’s a nice thing to say…”
They talked on the phone for the next few minutes, Katie having to put him on hold a few times to interject an agreement or two on her conference call. When she finally ended the business call from the West Coast, she relaxed, kicking her heels off under the desk and let Clay know he had her undivided attention.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you during your workday.”
“No! It’s totally fine. I’m so glad you called me, Clay. When can I see you again?” There were a few seconds of silence as her bold question must have caught him off guard.
“You know, I’d really like that,” his voice rumbled, making her insides stir.
She smiled, licking her lips. “Well, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think I’d like that too.”
His baritone laugh made her blush. She was a goner.
“Well…one of the reasons I was calling was to ask…if you wanted to join me on this thing I have going on Thursday night.”
He seemed hesitant and nervous trying to ask her to go to something with him. “Oh? What kind of ‘thing’?” she asked gently.
“It’s a songwriter’s showcase at the Bluebird Café in Nashville. I do it every other month. I don’t know if you can get away early on Thursday and take Friday off, but I’d love for you to be my guest and stay… through the weekend?”
Katie covered her mouth with her hand so she wouldn’t squeal out loud. Clay Watkins was inviting her to Nashville for the weekend. Of course, she could take Friday off. Being a bona fide workaholic, she hadn’t taken a random day off in years. The company owed her numerous vacation and personal days. The time had finally come for her to cash in. The thought of spending quality time with Clay on his home turf something she wasn’t about to miss.
