drummer, to disembark the plane he took from Indiana. Her stomach fluttered with excitement and butterflies. The giddy feeling of anticipation inside her always accompanied meeting someone new. A new musician promised an entirely new journey for her to witness and facilitate. It changed according to whatever she might entail and she thrived on those dynamic changes. She saw how her dad worked as a business executive, doing the same core function of the corporation he started when he was in his mid-twenties. His unmitigated success and youth combined to make Nick Lassiter a mogul and he created his own empire that now included landmark buildings and real estate in downtown Seattle. By the time Nick met her mom, Joelle, the city lay at his feet.
But he still credits Joelle for showing him how best to enjoy his luxurious world.
The irony? Her mother was formerly married to the lead singer of the small, struggling indie rock band named Zenith before it skyrocketed to success.
Yes, the same Zenith.
It was a very long story that involved the passage of years spent drinking and using drugs and physical deterioration. The band eventually split up and Joelle divorced the alcoholic lead singer, Rob Williams. Rob finally sobered up and made a whole new life for himself, including the revamping of Zenith. Rob also married Nick’s sister, Rebecca Randall, who was also known as Karlee’s mom.
Oh, how deliciously scandalous and sordid Jody found it. She loved the story when she first heard about it in her teens and finally put all the adults in her life together.
Her dad once hated Rob for what he did to her mom, Joelle. But now? Rob was Jody’s favorite uncle. She adored Uncle Rob of Zenith.
Jody loved working with Rob and for him, almost like a talent scout but different. The business was their own creation. A mentorship designed to break down most of the barriers for talented musicians who might otherwise have no clear path to success. They would provide the necessary resources and a space to make it all happen.
Now? A fabulous drummer from Indiana, Ross Karahan, submitted a recording along with some extremely terse answers to the questionnaire. The sparse answers about himself received no clarity via a photo or any visual of him playing. Most applicants uploaded videos of themselves playing their instrument of choice or doing a live feature to enhance the application process. Not this guy. He used a black screen and shot himself smashing away at the drums. There was something visceral, almost rage-filled in the way he played. She and Karlee were slightly unsettled by it, but agreed that Rob and Spencer should review him. They immediately told her to offer him a spot.
Most applicants all but begged for help, pleading for a chance, a position, asking for Rob or Spencer Mattox to just listen to them play one time. If only they could be heard, their talent would speak for itself.
Literally, most of the candidates begged for any recognition. Some of their stories tugged at Jody’s heartstrings. That was the only part she detested about her job. Sifting through the desperate stories, all of them seeking hope and help for a talent that might, if given a chance, soar in the world. Changing their lives with the chance to have a career, earning money and fame or better yet, in very rare occasions, to completely alter the culture. They could tweak it. Adding true majesty to a new discipline of music. Those were the times when Jody felt totally fulfilled and found true purpose for her time here on earth. Again, maybe it was because she had zero, zip, nada in the talent department. So she found her thrills vicariously by being a partner, or foundation for others to expose their talents. Every new client she met filled her with zest and vigor at the possibility they could be the next world-changer, even if they only succeeded in changing another person’s life. Even if it were just her own.
Ugh. The plane was almost an hour late.
She tapped her foot. Rob was especially excited about meeting this Ross guy. She didn’t know why, but he asked her three times this week if Ross was expected to arrive here today. Yes. Yep. The guy didn’t back out. Few would have.
Jody held up one of those cardboard signs with Ross’s name spelled out on it. Feeling like an extra in a bad movie, she fidgeted from one foot to the other, occasionally hopping