THE BIGGEST STAGE (A Brothers of Rock - WILLOW SON - novel) by Karolyn James Page B

why …”
    Colby got on the practice stage.
    Jett and Ryker fired up their amps.
Their guitars were already growling. Brantley hit a few beats. Van slapped a
few heavy notes on the bass.
    “ From
the top! ” Brantley shouted.
    He gave a four count and they
started to play the new song.
    It sounded better, tighter right
now than on the recording.
    Colby held the notebook and started
to sing. The words that were so easy to write were now so easy to sing. A few
words and lines really didn ’ t
mix in with the entire song, but it was a good start. A damn great start.
    Standing there, Colby used a pen to
circle and scribble parts he didn ’ t
like. A few lines mentally connected with him that would work with an acoustic
song. Suddenly there were two songs in Colby ’ s
mind. This was just how things went. This was why he couldn ’ t afford to spend time with a
woman. No room for a relationship. Time right now was going to be spent
bringing Willow Son back to the front of the world. They were rockstars, they
were rich, but they weren ’ t
done yet.
    As they finished up the new song,
Colby launched from the stage. He grabbed an acoustic guitar and plopped down
on a chair and started to pick at the strings.
    “ What
are you doing? ” Jett asked.
    “ I
have something here, ” Colby
said. “ These lines don ’ t work with that song. Something
slower. Something raw. Give me something, guys. ”
    There was silence for a few seconds
and then Ryker started to pick at his guitar. The clean, electric sound with an
echoey reverb effect worked.
    Colby nodded, wanting more.
    He watched Ryker ’ s fingers and started to play
what Ryker was playing.
    “ Yes, ” Jett yelled. “ Go with it. ”
    Jett came in with a soothing and
subtle bass line, adding more life.
    Colby started to belt out the lines
that didn ’ t work with the
first song.
    They worked with this song
though. Goddamn, they worked.
    The even newer song only lasted all
of a few more bars before Colby ran out of lines. He waved the song off and
stood up. He put the guitar down and ran a hand through his hair.
    “ That ’ s good. ”
    “ That ’ s great, ” a voice added.
    Colby spun and saw Portis standing
in the open door to the garage.
    “ You
here to sign the band? ” Colby asked.
    “ No. ”
    “ Then
get out. ”
    “ Colby, ” Harry said. “ Take a goddamn breath, man. ”
    Colby walked toward Portis. Dressed
in a suit, looking killer sharp, Portis had that look of businessman asshole
that pissed Colby off.
    “ What
do you want? ” Colby asked.
    Portis touched his jaw and lip.
They were still swollen from where Colby punched him. “ I came by for two reasons. First, I wanted to
apologize for my comment. I deserved to get smacked for what I said. ”
    “ Okay, ” Colby said. “ And? ”
    “ Second …” Portis looked around, looked at
the rest of Willow Son. “ I
have an offer for you. For Willow Son. I don ’ t
think you ’ re going to want
to refuse it. Want to hear it? ”
    Colby looked back at the band. They
were all nodding.
    “ Yeah, ” he said. “ What ’ s the offer? ”
     
    **
     
    “ When
did you move up here? ”
    Tessa tried to remember the last
time she talked to Anna. It hadn ’ t
been that long. Last time they talked, Anna was in Colorado. Working and
saving, waiting for ski season to start where she claimed she could make a
killing working at the resorts.
    Now Anna sat across from Tessa in a
small corner coffee shop an hour north of Sacramento. Anna looked strikingly
beautiful with her dark blonde hair pulled to the left in some kind of sloppy
yet cool artsy looking fashion. She wore black glasses that were too big for
her small face, but, again, they looked cool on Anna.
    Anna was always the smart rebel.
The one who could mouth off, skip school, and still become valedictorian. The
one who could have gotten any scholarship she wanted - to any art school across
the country - yet she decided on just traveling and making