Grace Unplugged: A Novel (14 page)

G
race (aka
Gracie
) wound up doing three showcase venues within a week’s time. Although it had started out exciting, Grace could tell she was becoming jaded. Maybe
jaded
was the wrong word. But she was skeptical. She didn’t mention her concerns to anyone, not even Mossy, but as she was getting ready for her fifth showcase, in yet another LA club, she felt seriously doubtful.

“Let’s give her big hair tonight,” Phoebe was telling Kendra. “With blue highlights to go with that top.”

Kendra seemed to consider this as she paused to sip a cocktail that she’d brought backstage with her. She and Phoebe always seemed to have alcohol on hand. “Yeah.” Kendra nodded. “Blue highlights. It’ll be fun.”

As usual Grace kept her opinions to herself as she took a drink from her water bottle. What did it matter if she had blue, green, or purple highlights? And what good did it do to get up there and sing her dad’s one-hit wonder to a crowd that was obviously there to drink and hook up? Oh, sure, they clapped and cheered. But then they went back to their drinking and dancing and flirting; Grace felt certain she was forgotten.

“Use this lip color,” Kendra told Phoebe as she held the shiny tube to the light so she could read the bottom. “Purple Plum Madness.” She laughed. “Yummy.”

Grace held her lips slightly apart, like she’d been trained to do while Phoebe slathered on the lipstick. She wondered when she’d get to play for an audience that had actually come to see her. Would fans ever buy tickets just because they were into her music? Or would she be always playing in second-rate clubs like this one? She’d seen an actual rat outside the backstage door tonight, and it was at least a foot long!

As the stylists continued with her hair and makeup, Grace tried not to remember the e-mail she’d gotten from her mom this morning. Mom tried to sound brave and encouraging, but Grace could read between the lines. Mom was freaking. When she told Grace she was keeping her in her prayers “both day and night,” Grace knew that meant Mom was waking in the middle of the night, worrying about her. Probably having a maternal panic attack. But, Grace reassured herself as she was pulling on a new pair of boots, even if she was safely tucked away at college, her mom would still be worried. That was what parents did. Grace hadn’t answered the e-mail yet, wasn’t sure if she even would. Really, what could she say?

“Ready to rock and roll?” Kendra gave Grace’s hair one more fluff and a spray.

“Sure.” Grace gave them a forced smile, avoiding looking into the well-lit dressing room mirror. She’d learned that hard lesson last week. It was better not to know exactly how she looked before she went out on stage. Perhaps in time she’d get used to the harsh makeup and overly styled hair. But she just wasn’t there yet.

Still, as she took her guitar out of its case, she felt the usual comfort of holding such a familiar part of her life . . . her old life. She stroked the smooth wood finish and sighed. Some day she’d be able to call the shots. Until then she would keep jumping through these hoops.

“Ready to go?” the stage manager called into the room.

“I’m coming.” Grace thanked her faithful stylists. And they held up their drink glasses and, using language her parents would not approve of, told her to go out and rock the house.

And rock the house, she did. The only time Grace truly felt like herself was when she was performing, when she was moving and singing and playing and rocking. Now that felt good! For the length of the song, she could pretend the audience was there to see her. And she could pretend everything in her life was on track. She could even pretend being made up and dressed up and paraded around like a circus monkey was okay. But then the song ended, and it was time to face reality again.

“Great job,” Mossy said as he greeted her backstage. “You look hot, and your performance was on fire. The crowd loved you.”

She shrugged. “I guess.”

“Hey, what’s with the glum face?”

She made a stiff smile. “Sorry. I guess I just keep hoping I’ll get a gig where people really come to see me.”

“That’s what we’re working toward,” he reminded her. “This is paying your dues.”

“I know. I know.” She tried to brighten up her smile. She didn’t want him to think she was ungrateful. “Maybe I’m just tired.”

“And just you wait until that single comes out—then they are going to be all over you. That’s when everything’ll change. You just gotta be patient till then, Gracie. A rock star isn’t built in a day. You do wanna be a star, don’t you?”

Her smile grew more genuine now. “Absolutely.” She nodded.

He slapped her on the back. “Good girl. Now go on out there and schmooze with your fans while I talk to the club manager for a few minutes. Need to attend to some business.”

So Grace went back out to the crowded club where she always tried to act like she was comfortable but never really quite fit in. Sure, a few people would greet her. And almost on cue, some drunk dude would come hit on her. But she really did not understand why people found this atmosphere so enjoyable.

“Over here!” Kendra called out over the loud music.

Relieved to see a familiar face, she went over and joined Kendra at a tall table. “You were fabulous tonight,” Kendra told Grace. “Really, you had these guys eating out of your hand.”

“Thanks!”

“Now if you just had more songs to give ’em, I’ll bet they would keep you up there all night.” Kendra waved to a waiter now, holding up two fingers and nodding.

“I’m working on more songs,” Grace told her.

“Good for you. Because with talent like yours, you shouldn’t waste it on a single. You know what I mean?”

Grace smirked at her. “You mean like my dad?”

Kendra threw back her head and laughed. “Well, I didn’t want to name names.”

Now the waiter came to their table, and after complimenting Grace on her performance, he plunked down two pink cocktails then took off.

“Who’s the other one for?” Grace asked.

“For you,” Kendra told her. “Let’s drink to your success.”

Grace studied the drink for a moment.

“Come on, Gracie. It’ll do you good. Might loosen you up a little. You seem pretty uptight, you know.”

Grace reached for the drink and took a tentative sip. “That’s not bad,” she told Kendra. “Better than champagne.”

Kendra winked at her. “I thought you’d like it.”

The following Friday Grace was doing another showcase appearance at another club. But by now she was getting resolved to this crazy lifestyle. Like Mossy kept telling her, she was paying her dues. But she was also getting a little more confidence. Besides that, the single was about to release. And already she’d seen posters with her face on them. It was actually starting to happen, and it was exciting.

“How about a little less
Early Avril Lavigne
,” she said to Kendra as they started getting ready backstage. “And a little more
Post Renae Taylor
for my look tonight?”

Kendra laughed. “You saying you want us to soften you up some?”

“Just for a change,” Grace suggested.

“Sure.” Kendra took a sip of her martini. “Why not?”

“But if Moss complains, you gotta take the heat,” Phoebe warned.

“No problem,” she assured them. “I’m a big girl.”

Tonight, when they finished with her, she actually did look in the mirror and, to her relieved surprise, she looked okay. Better than okay—she looked good. “Thanks, you guys,” she told the pair.

“Go rock ’em!” Kendra held up her glass.

“Knock ’em dead,” Phoebe called out.

Feeling more assured than ever, she took the stage by storm and launched into what she felt was one of her strongest performances. She just wished that it could go on and on. She needed more songs!

Afterward, she went out to the club to look for Mossy. She wanted to hear his reaction to her softened-up appearance as well as her heated-up performance. When she spotted Moss, he was sitting with a guy who looked exactly like TV superstar Jay Grayson. And the closer she got to their table, the more this dude looked like Grayson.

“There she is,” Mossy said loudly above the music. “Gracie Trey, I want you to meet Jay Grayson.”

For a split second she was speechless, but not wanting to look like the starstruck dimwit that she really was, she stuck out her hand and smiled. “Pleasure to meet you, Jay Grayson.” She could feel her knees trembling, but at least she was still standing upright.

“You too, Gracie.” His eyes lit up. “Hey, Grayson and Gracie—that kinda has a nice ring to it.”

She laughed as Mossy pulled out a stool for her.

“You were great out there,” Jay told her. “Really awesome.”

“Thanks.”

“Mossy tells me you’re still new to Hollywood, but you could’ve fooled me. You look like you’re fitting in just fine.”

“I’m learning the ropes.” She elbowed Mossy. “Paying my dues.”

He winked. “That’s right. Everybody does it.”

Jay nodded. “Yep. I paid mine too.”

“So how do you know Mossy?” she asked. “Are you a musician as well as an actor?”

“No. But my brother Drew is a musician, and Moss reps him.”

“Aha.” She gave Mossy a sly look. “And here you had me thinking I was your only client.”

He laughed. “That’s what I want all my clients to think. Makes you feel special.”

“Better watch out for that one,” Jay warned in a teasing tone.

Grace could tell that some of the club patrons were watching their table and whispering among themselves. She knew that was mostly because of Jay, but she pretended that it was because of her too. It wouldn’t be long now—people would be turning their heads to notice Gracie Trey just as much as Jay Grayson. The fun was just beginning. She could feel it.

Just a few days later everything she’d dreamed of seemed like it was finally happening. It started with Mossy dropping by several promotional posters for her at the apartment. “They turned out real nice,” he said as he unfurled one to show her.

“Wow!” She stared at the image of herself on the glossy Sapphire Music poster. “This is so cool!”

“I brought you some extras in case you wanna send some home.”

“Sure. Thanks!” She wondered what her parents would think if she sent them one . . . or Rachel. For all she knew, they would probably think she was flaunting herself or bragging. They might even use the posters for fire starter.

“And I assume you have a radio,” Mossy said with a twinkle in his eye.

“The single is out?”

“Some early releases are going out to the radio stations this afternoon.” He told her some station numbers to tune in to. “You’ll want to be listening this evening.”

“You bet. Absolutely.”

After Mossy left, she turned on the radio, listening to songs by performers she admired as she straightened up her apartment. Then she tried her poster on several walls, finally settling on a good spot in the living room behind the couch. She was just looking for something to stick it onto the wall with when a song by Renae Tyler started to play. She danced to the music as she went through the kitchen drawers, where to her surprise, she found some pushpins. Mossy’s assistant seemed to have thought of most everything.

With Renae still singing, Grace climbed onto the couch to hang the poster. She was putting in the last pin as the song ended, and she could hear the DJ speaking in the usual fast-talking DJ sort of way, but it was the mention of her dad’s name that caught her attention. She hopped down from the couch and listened.

“Well his daughter did her own version, and I got to tell you, this girl can really sing! Here’s the premiere of Gracie Trey singing her daddy’s hit, ‘Misunderstood.’”

Grace started jumping around the apartment like a crazy girl now. She was so excited, she wanted to call someone. But at the same time she just wanted to listen to the song. Hopping up and down, she was laughing and crying and carrying on so wildly that she got worried the people in the apartment below might call in a complaint. The song ended, and she flopped down onto the couch. This was it. She had made it. Wow.

She sat there for awhile, just trying to soak it all in, longing for the moment to last longer. And then, even more than that, she longed to share it with someone. She could call Mossy, but that seemed anticlimactic since he’s the one who told her it would be on. She could call the stylists, but this wasn’t big news in their world.

She picked up her phone and considered calling Rachel. But after their last conversation she was pretty sure it would end up being another downer or a lecture about being a good daughter. And her parents, well, that was just out of the question.