Southern Rocker Boy (Southern Rockers Book 1) (25 page)

Again I nodded. I took a deep breath. “So. You want to go evaluate the competition?”

She grinned and shook her head as she said, “Sure.”

I laughed, took her arm in mine and walked her out to the full auditorium. We sat in plush seats and watched nervous, hopeful contestants audition before the three judges, Giovanni Carnevale, country star Allison Ewing and record producer Ryder Reed.

I was probably more intimidated by Allison than anyone else, considering she had graced several posters on my wall when I was a teen.

But with each passing audition, I realized what kind of stiff competition I faced. I was intimidated by all of them. It was instantly clear that our move out west had been premature. I was way out of my league. Even Courtney’s performance raised the bar.

I was just about to turn to Courtney and tell her I had to bail when I heard the first notes of “
Dream On
.” My eyes were drawn immediately to the stage, where I saw that familiar shock of vibrant red hair.

It was Lacy, standing straight and proud in a long ivory gown that accentuated her lovely figure, rather than wear it on display. Her hair was curled delicately around her shoulders, and her tattoos were vibrant and bold and beautiful on her skin, including a brand new one over her heart. Her dress dipped low enough so that everyone could see the daffodil molting into a flock of birds, flying away.

It was the perfect mixture of class and edge.

Courtney’s voice was soft as she leaned in towards me. “Did you know she was going to be here?”

I shook my head. I was clearly dumbstruck and completely speechless as I watched her sing. It filled my heart to overflowing to see her again so close. I memorized every detail of how she looked, how she stood, how she sang. I held my breath through her whole performance, especially as we got closer to that epic note at the end that she had never quite mastered. I clutched the arms of the chair I was sitting in as I mouthed along with the words.

When she reached that zenith she clearly went for broke, and nailed it just like I knew she would. Tears filled my eyes when I saw the look of jubilation, even surprise, on her face. She knew she hit a home run. “That’s my girl,” I whispered softly to myself. I watched the judges huddle together, whispering excitedly, happy smiles all around.

And that sealed my fate.

I didn’t care how outclassed I was. I had to move on in this competition. This was more than just about my career now. This was about my life… and I knew without any doubt I couldn’t be happy, couldn’t be successful, couldn’t be complete… without her in it.

When I walked out on that stage, I spotted Lacy easily in the first couple of rows. She was equally as stunned as I had been when she saw me. I grabbed my guitar and headed to the edge of the stage, sitting on it like I used to perch on that old log by the creek on my Daddy’s land. I forgot about everything else, transporting myself back in time, when it was just her and me and nothing else mattered in the world.

I played each note with feeling as I revisited the song I had taped for the audition. And I sang it to one person and one person only. I watched tears fill her eyes as she watched and she listened. I had a lot to make up for, I knew that. But I would do anything she wanted to win her back again. Life wasn’t living without her in it. I wanted to sing with her. I wanted to make love with her.

I wanted to make a life with her.

Tears spilled down my face as I fought for my place in her world. My voice didn’t crack until the end. I sent a nervous glance to the judges, but they were all misty-eyed. Allison even had to reach for a tissue. Graham handed his handkerchief to Shannon, who sat next to him on that front row. When I glanced back at Lacy’s spot, she was gone. I escaped the stage the second I could to chase after her.

I found her backstage.

We stood staring at each other for one long moment. I took a step towards her and she took a step back.

I knew this would be a difficult battle to win.

“You did great,” she managed in a tight voice strangled with tears.

“You, too,” I said. She nodded her thanks. “Lacy,” I said, my voice trailing off helplessly.

She turned and walked away. Courtney had come up behind me, tears in her own eyes after my emotional performance. She touched my arm and I turned to face her. In just a look, I answered all the questions she was afraid to ask. She pulled herself together enough to offer me a friendly hug.

I stood in her arms and tried my best not to cry.

I didn’t see Lacy again until the following week, when we were tasked with learning a number with the band. She kept true to her rock roots with as she channeled Amy Lee. I opted for Queen and Courtney, who had made it through to the next round, sang a country ballad that would have done Reba proud.

The following week was the final cut. We were shuffled like cattle into different rooms. I found myself with several familiar faces from my group. I had no idea if that was just how we were separated, or if it meant we would all leave or stay as a collective group.

Lacy being in my group gave me hope.

Courtney grabbed my hand, understandably excited about her advancing this far. We sat on the floor together, cross-legged. She hung onto me for hope, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Lacy. She stood alone, like she had been forced to do so much of her life. I wanted to go to her, to hold her, to encourage her, but I was frozen to the spot, terrified of my own fate.

It was make it or break it. Do or die.

When Vanni walked into the room, there was a collective gasp of anticipation. He smiled. “I just want you all to know that you all did great. I’ve been doing this show a couple years, and the talent this year is outstanding. That is thanks to all of you, so give yourselves a big hand.” He clapped for us and we nervously followed along. “That being said, the cuts this year have been harder than any year before. We’re going to have to let people go who are seriously talented. Whatever happens today, I want you to know that each and every one of you has what it takes to turn music into your career. You should never give up if that’s what you really want. This business isn’t for the faint of heart. It will test you to your absolute limit and beyond. But as they say, success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal. You always have to push through to that next step, no matter what, especially if you want a significant career.”

We all nodded. Nothing he said made us feel any better.

“Who here wants a significant career?” he asked. We responded in kind. “Are you ready to fight for it, no matter what happens?” We all roared our response. “Good. Because you’ve all moved on to the live shows.”

Chaos exploded as people jumped to their feet, screaming and crying, jubilant with the news. I twirled Courtney around in my arms. As I set her down I turned to see Lacy, standing close to Vanni before she gave him a hug.

My brow furrowed as I watched them interact. His affection for her was obvious. I thought about them back in the dressing room at Southern Nights, when they were cozy on the couch, his hand on her skin as they chatted closely.

Was it some quirk of fate that she ended up on
Fierce
, the very show he judged?

Was that why she finally quit? Because she couldn’t try out for the show as long as she was under contract with Gaynell?

Was that why they had showed up at all, coming to see Lacy perform and not me?

I was filled with more questions than answers. As soon as he moved on to the next ecstatic contestant, I made a beeline for her. She backed up as she saw me approach, as if I posed her some kind of threat.

I supposed in her mind I did.

“Congratulations,” I said through the lump in my throat.

“You, too,” she offered. “On everything,” she added, her eyes looking past me. I turned to see Courtney hugging another lucky contestant.

She thought I was there with Courtney.

I wanted to say a thousand things. I wanted to tell her that Courtney was just a friend, something I had decided before I even met Lacy. I wanted to tell her that I had no idea that Tony Paul was Gay’s son, something I feared she suspected toward the end, which made her bolt like she did. She thought I had chosen the enemy, which was clearly what she always feared. I wanted to tell her that I had no idea that Gay had sabotaged her and that I should have believed her when she tried to tell me. I wanted to tell her I was sorry for believing the beautiful lie when her amazing truth was always standing right in front of me.

I wanted to promise her everything I had, to somehow make up for fucking things up so badly before.

But all I could do was stare into those beautiful caramel eyes I thought I’d never see again. I’d take her into my arms if I could just muster the balls.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, taking her body into my aching arms. I had dreamed about her so many times in the last few months. I relished how warm and real she felt. She stood stiff in my embrace for a long moment. When I didn’t let go, she finally inched those arms around my neck. I nearly wept with joy.

It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

There was only one prize I wanted now, and it wasn’t the title of
Fierce
. Each week I stayed I had one more chance to show her how much I loved her and always would.

I had the next six months to win back her heart. And that was the only competition that I cared to win.

END OF BOOK ONE

Stay tuned for
SOUTHERN ROCKER CHICK
, the second book in the Southern Rockers trilogy, where we get to know Lacy’s side of the story. Coming November 2014!

Then prepare for the competition of a lifetime in
SOUTHERN ROCKER DUET
, where Lacy and Jonah fight for their futures, and their hearts, coming this December!

Ginger Voight is a screenwriter and bestselling author with over twenty published titles in fiction and nonfiction. She covers everything from travel to politics in nonfiction, as well as romance, paranormal, and dark, “ripped from the headlines” topics like
Dirty Little Secret
s
.

Ginger discovered her love for writing in sixth grade, courtesy of a Halloween assignment. From then on, writing became a place of solace, reflection, and security. This was never more true than when she found herself homeless in L.A. at the age of nineteen. There, she wrote her first novel, longhand on notebook paper, while living out of her car.

In 1995, after she lost her nine-day-old son, she worked through her grief by writing the story that would eventually becom
e
The Fullerton Family Sag
a
.

In 2011, she embarked on a new journey—to publish romance novels starring heroines who look more like the average American woman. These "Rubenesque" romances have developed a following thanks to her bestselling
Groupie
series. Other titles, such as the highly-rated New Adult serie
s
,
Fierce,
tap into the "reality-TV" preoccupation in American entertainment, which gives her contemporary stories a current, pop culture edge.

Known for writing gut-twisting angst, Ginger isn’t afraid to push the envelope with characters who are perfectly imperfect. Whether rich, poor, sweet, selfish, gay, straight, plus-size or svelte, her characters are beautifully flawed and three-dimensional. They populate her lavish fictional landscapes and teach us more about the real world in which we live simply through their interactions with each other. Ginger’s goal with every book is to give the reader a little bit more than they were expecting, told through stories they'll never forget.

For more, please visit
gingervoight.com
.

Please follow Ginger on Twitter
@GingerVoight
and “like” her
author page
on Facebook for all the latest news on public appearances and new releases.