Chapter 11

Nick walked leisurely, smiling ear to ear, from the Compound’s studios to the daycare centre in the main building to pick up Matty for lunch. He was in a fantastic mood because only minutes before, he wrapped up Billy Ames’ second album and that meant he can devote all his time to Tasha and finding that first single for her.

It had been five days since Tasha had flown back to Baltimore and he could still remember the childlike excitement on her face as she waved goodbye to him from the tarmac at LAX, wholly ecstatic at the plans they’d been making. She was scheduled to return to Malibu on Monday, three days from now, when they’d officially start the work of writing a Grammy-worthy record.

In the meantime, Nick needed to get all their ducks in a row, which meant meeting with his staff and coming up with a plan. JC had already signed up to produce Tasha’s first single, and after her success at the showcase, practically every single one of the musicians attending volunteered to help out with her first album. In fact, Nick had been dodging calls from Jay-Z’s people, because he’d been fishing for information on when her album was going to drop and if he can be a part of it.

Before Tasha left, they had a lengthy talk about what this could all mean to her. Nick was happy to hear that although he knew her first as a jazz singer, she said she’d always seen herself as a rock and roll performer, with a bit of old time blues thrown in for good measure. And she wanted to write. She’d written some songs for Metal Gyros but because their sound was much more hardcore than what she liked to write, she shelved them for when she went solo. Little did she know it was going to take six years for that dream to happen.

Nick made sure he made her promises. Especially after she signed him on as manager. He wanted to be sure that she knew he was just as invested in her future as she was. Outside of Matty, he was now responsible for another person’s success. That should have freaked him out, but her talent and her whole personality made him certain that even if every single one of his efforts failed, he was going to have fun trying.

The sound of his phone ringing interrupted his thoughts. “Yes Leigh?” He loved Leigh, his long-time right hand and online PR genius. She was all that to him until Howie decided to marry her and give her babies. Nick was lucky to get her working part time, if that. Lately, he even had to grovel to even get some of her valuable ideas. Lucky for him that Tasha was now officially a team project. Leigh was on board so quickly, he almost didn’t need to ask.

Nick looked at his watch. Leigh usually only called to check up on him and make sure he was on schedule. Today, there was nothing on his calendar except for a few calls later that afternoon with Kevin and the rest of the guys.

“Nick, you need to get to the conference room right now. Something big is going down.”

Nick picked up his pace. “Is it Matty?”

“Oh Matty’s fine. Howie’s at the beach house, having lunch with Matty and Jake. You, on the other hand need to deal with this. Now, Nick.” And with that, she cut the call, leaving Nick perplexed.

A second later, he received a text message from Tasha.

Is there something going on, Nick? My phone has been ringing off the hook for the past twenty minutes.

Nick typed quickly as he walked into his offices and tried to shove down the feeling of dread. It didn’t help that the words “Sex Tape” kept flashing in his mind like a neon sign.

Don’t answer any calls, just forward them directly to my office. Leigh is briefing me in a few. Hold on.

He rushed to the conference room and what greeted him resembled a war office. Multiple giant TVs were set up on the far wall. On the big meeting table sat five massive computer screens that seemed to be busily working through some online chatter and numbers.

Nick pointed to Leigh’s new PR intern. “Carson, is it?” He didn’t wait for the other man’s nod. “Go talk to reception. We’re expecting some calls forwarded from Tasha’s number. Have her direct it straight to the general voice mailbox. Under no circumstances will she answer any questions.” Carson blinked in surprise and didn’t move from his spot next to Leigh. “Now, kid. And run, for fuck’s sake.”

Carson jumped out of his chair like his ass was on fire and ran out the room. Leigh motioned Nick to stand next to her by the TVs.

“What’s going on?” He nodded to the two other guys in the room, both a part of the crack PR team that Leigh managed for him.

“We just got a delivery from the Ellen Show today. I think you need to see it.”

As she pressed play, an interview segment featuring Ellen Degeneres and Bruno Mars started playing on one of the big TVs. Confused, Nick turned to Leigh. She pointed to the screen. “Wait for it, it’s coming.”

“So Bruno, you and I were talking backstage earlier about the talented people who cover your songs. You found this clip on Youtube the other day. I saw it too, and it was amazing.”

“Yeah so my manager was telling me all about this video everyone online’s been talking about and it’s a cover of Grenade. Now, y’all know I love you all for covering my tunes but honestly Ellen, this woman was just…phenomenal.”

“I agree! Now we don’t know who she is, where she’s from, just that her name is Tasha. Tasha, if you’re watching, we want you on the show! In the meantime, just…oh just watch.”

They proceeded to play a thirty-second clip of Tasha’s performance of ‘Grenade’ from last weekend’s showcase, a video that looked like it was taken by someone in the audience that night. In spite of the shaky camera work, Tasha’s voice rang clear, powerful and she looked…well, she looked like a star.

“When did this air?” Nick asked, not taking his eyes off the screen. “And when did the package arrive? Carson!” He turned to the younger man who was trying to sneak back into the room. “Get Tasha on the phone right now. We need her on speaker phone.”

As Carson scrambled to do what Nick ordered, Leigh touched his arm. “They taped it yesterday and it’s supposed to air later today. Ellen releases some of her dailies to the press early and I’m guessing that’s why Tasha’s receiving those calls.”

Nick nodded. “And the package?”

“Half an hour ago.” Leigh nodded to one of the other guys in the other end of the room. “We don’t know who uploaded the video but the numbers are damn good.”

“Tell me.”

Leigh pressed another button and the video’s Youtube page was pulled up on screen. “The video went online Monday and as of today, it has almost two million hits. In four days, Nick. Once Ellen airs everywhere, it’ll at least double.”

Nick needed to sit down. This was moving faster than he ever thought it would. “Jesus,” he breathed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Carson raised his hand. “I can’t seem to reach Tasha, sir.”

He waved him off. “Don’t bother. I think news like this needs to be delivered in person. Leigh, call Janie and have her book the plane for me to leave for Baltimore as soon as possible. And call the Ellen Show. Our rockstar will be ready for national TV next week.”

********

Tasha looked at her phone screen for the hundredth time that evening. She’d stopped texting Nick when he said he was on a plane and that he’d explain what was going on once he landed. Unfortunately for her, she had no clue where he was or where he was going. So her anxiousness over this whole “situation” increased by the hour.

It was a good thing work had kept her busy. She had, at Nick’s urging, quit her day job and given her notice at the lounge. Today was her last day at both so she tried to keep her thoughts to the task at hand: finishing her last set and finally getting a full night’s rest.

She was sitting at the bar, enjoying a sip from her mojito and chatting with a few of her regulars while waiting for the band to come back from their break. She’d been offered a few hugs and a lot of “we’ll miss you”s but they all knew she was ready for bigger and better things.

She felt like she still was coming down from the high of her weekend in Malibu: the new friends she’d made, the record deal, a new manager and most especially, an exhilarating stage performance. She couldn’t wait to tell her dad all about her weekend and the big plans Nick had for her. She definitely can’t wait to start living in California part time.

What she was uncertain about was how her dad would take the news about her moving away. That was the only part that gave her pause. Although his tumor made him seem less, well, sympathetic in general, she knew deep down he needed her at least to be in the same town. At the same time, this had been her dream since she was a little girl and singing in the kitchen with her mother. Her dad, or at least the dad she knew growing up, wouldn’t want her to miss an opportunity like this.

She’d already been unearthing the small pieces she wrote years ago. At some point earlier in the week as well, she’d made a trip to a pawn shop in DC where she’d sold her guitar, the same one given to her by her dad  for her college graduation and started brushing up on her guitar skills. Nick would be so surprised. At the fact that she knew guitar, not her chops. She needed to work on her chops.

“Will you come back and sing for us some time, Tasha?” someone next to her asked.

She shook off her thoughts and turned to her left. “Of course, you guys know I love it here.”

“Even when you’re a super famous Youtube sensation?”

Laughing, Tasha turned and then stilled is surprise. “Nick?” Was she dreaming? He looked like Nick, especially in the dark jacket and white dress shirt.

His slow grin made her insides melt. “How’s my rockstar?”

She stood up and went straight into his open arms. He pulled her tight and laughed when she slapped his arm as she pulled away.

“You weirdo. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” She was still in shock. “Who’s with you? Did you bring Matty?”

Nick turned and motioned for JC to come forward. He was standing by the door with a fascinated Matty, staring at all the lights by the stage.

“JC and I have news. Big news. So we had to come here in person.”

Tasha couldn’t help but smile. “Good news, I hope?” she asked as she took an excited Matty in her arms. “Hey buddy, I missed you!”

He planted multiple kisses on her face. “Tasha, I miss you too!” With that he gave her a big hug.

“What’s the news?”

Nick led her to her bar stool before sitting across from her. “We just found out someone posted your performance from last weekend on Youtube. And your cover of ‘Grenade’ just got close to 3 million hits, at least that’s what it was when I got off the plane half an hour ago.”

Tasha shook her head. “That can’t be true. No one gets three million hits on Youtube.”

JC grinned and put an arm around her shoulders. “You do, apparently, Ms. Youtube Sensation.”

Tasha paled. “You’re not kidding. Oh my god, Nick. What does this mean?”

“That’s not all.” Nick added, “As of this afternoon, your video has been one of the most talked about videos online. Ellen Degeneres loved it so much, she wants you to be on her show next week.”

“Holy…” she stopped herself from cursing just barely. “Are you kidding me?”

“We’re dead serious, baby.” Nick’s smile was so wide it was infectious. “You are the next big thing. And you’ll be taping Ellen on Monday. Are you ready?”

“No.” Tasha’s shock had risen to proportions she wasn’t prepared for. Thank goodness she was sitting down. “I mean, yes, but…how...what…oh my goodness, I’m shaking.”

Nick held her hand in his. “This is going to start moving very fast, Tasha, and that’s why JC and I are here. We want to make sure you get to enjoy this ride as much as you can.”

JC nodded. “We’ll need you back in Malibu tomorrow so we could rehearse and maybe work on some vocal techniques. Also, from what Leigh tells me, they’re trying to get Bruno Mars do back up keys for you so this is HUGE.”

Tasha gave JC a look. “You’re not helping my nervousness one bit, Chasez.”

“Tash, Tash,” Matty’s hand went on her face to get her attention. “I wode on pane. Go woosh!”

Tasha looked at Matty in fascination. “That is so awesome, Matty. Did you meet the pilot?”

He nodded seriously. “I fwy. Matty fwy plane! I wings?”

Nick explained, “We used the corporate plane to get here. Matty got to ride shotgun with the pilot for a bit so it was a big day.” As he pulled Matty off of Tasha, he asked, “Are you done for the evening? If you are, maybe we can go celebrate?”

She shook her head. “I wish. I have one more set, but I’m all yours after.” She looked up and saw her band taking their places back on stage. “Stick around, you guys. I’m changing this one up a bit.”

Tasha walked up on stage and talked to her band leader, letting him know about the changes she wanted for the next few songs of her set.

As soon as she went to the microphone, there was noticeable quiet over the room. “So these next few songs are going to make me feel especially melancholy, especially since it’s my last night here at the lounge.” A few loud boos sounded from the audience. “Now, now. I’ll be back. But in the meantime, I’d like to say thank you to all of you for making my year here wonderful. Here’s a sneak peek of my new sound, coming to the Ellen Show next week.”

She launched into her very emotional rendition of ‘Grenade’ mashed up with a bit of ‘In Your Eyes’ from the showcase mixed in. She then did a few rock covers, including some Coldplay, the Killers and Black Keys. Definitely not the sound everyone in this room had been used to from her, but a welcome change nonetheless.

At the end of the set, everyone was either standing up clapping or cheering loudly. Tasha looked over to where Nick and JC were standing and beamed an excited smile. Never in the last week had she felt more confident and sure of her decision to follow her dreams. Her dad would understand. She knew he would.

*******

“How dare you make this decision without consulting me!” her dad screamed from a few feet away, as he struggled to get up from his wheelchair.

Tasha sighed. She expected screaming, just not this loud on a Saturday morning, especially not in the public game room of the long term wing of the hospital.

She stood up and walked over to him. “Dad, please, calm down.” She held onto his arm while he tried to stand by himself. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell you sooner, but this is a good thing. I have a manager and a record deal and we can finally pay off our medical bills…”

He turned sharply to her. “I didn’t mean to be such a burden to you, Natasha. You know you can always come and go as you wish. I don’t even know why you didn’t just let me die at home.”

Tears quickly pooled in her eyes. Every time she was with her dad, it was heartbreaking for her to see how much that loving personality changed because of the tumor and the treatment. His doctors said a change in personality was common but the degree of the change was different for everyone. Unfortunately for her, this seemed like a definite 180 degree change, all within a span of a year.

She remembered when she returned home twelve months ago after being informed of her father’s illness, he greeted her with an apologetic smile and vowed that he would fight this for her. And as the tumor advanced, there were more headaches and mood changes. Once they got into the Johns Hopkins program, his personality had pretty much changed into that of an evil twin.

“Dad, come on, how about some breakfast? I brought you the croissants you liked,” she pulled on his hand gently, leading him to the dining table a few steps away. “And coffee. I think we could all use some coffee this early in the morning.”

He pulled his hand away from hers. “I want you to leave.”

Tasha’s tears became a real thing at that point, but she was quick to brush them away. “Dad, come on. You don’t mean that.”

“I DON’T NEED YOU HERE,” he growled, pushing her forcibly, “Go whore off in California, I don’t want to see you again.”

“I’m not…” she stopped herself from screaming in response. “Dad, I don’t want to leave here with you angry at me. I just want to make things happen for us. This is a good thing. I’m going to be on TV next week, you can see me. It’s going to be wonderful.”

He sneered, “With or without your clothes on?”

Tasha flinched at that comment. It had been six years but she was still smarting from the sex tape scandal that her father had to cover up. And although she knew the real Jeffrey Callaghan had forgiven her years ago, this version of him still harbored harsh words and an unforgiving look in his eyes.

“I don’t deserve that,” Tasha said quietly, standing right in front of him. “You know deep down I don’t.”

The anger was still there, no matter how calmly she responded to his threats. “You’ll always be an embarrassment to this family, don’t you forget that. It doesn’t matter what you do in front of a camera or behind it. You’re still the slut who took her clothes off for the world.”

Tasha straightened her back and stood taller. “I’m also the same slut who’s still your only flesh and blood.”

Her dad’s eyes narrowed and fuelled with fire quickly. She saw his hand go up and she steeled herself for a slap in the face. It was his new thing. If he was angry enough, he would lay a hand on her. For the most part, she avoided it, but today, she really didn’t have the energy to sidestep it. Let it come, if it made him feel marginally better. She just needed to remember this wasn’t the real him, it was the tumor talking.

To her surprise, a strong arm stopped her dad’s hand before it connected with her cheek.

“No,” a familiar low voice said from beside her. “Move back, old man. You will not lay a hand on her. Ever.”

Nick Carter’s anger was a sight to behold. His eyes darkened, his breathing shallow and controlled, as if he was trying to keep himself from committing murder himself. He pulled her behind his protective stance.

Her dad pulled his hand away from Nick’s grip. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing here? This is a private conversation between me and my daughter!”

“I’m her manager and friend, and right now, I’m here to protect her against you. I said move back, old man. Don’t make me hurt you like you were about to hurt her.” Nick’s voice was low and unmistakeably seething.

This was getting too ridiculous. Tasha pulled herself away from behind Nick and stood between the two men. “Both of you, stop it. I can’t handle two alpha males before my morning coffee.”

“Jesus, Tasha, just stay back, I’m handling this.”

Tasha gave Nick a hard look. “You are not HANDLING anything. This is MY father. I will handle this. Wait for me outside, I’ll deal with you later.” She turned and looked at her father. “And Dad, don’t make me drag the nurses in here. Sit down and have your breakfast.” He opened his mouth to retort but she gave him the same death stare she gave Nick. “I said sit down and eat. Now, Dad.”

With a grumble, her dad sat on one of the dining chairs. She turned around and saw Nick still standing there, hands on his hips, with a frown. “Nick, please, just wait for me outside the room. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“But…”

“I mean it, Nick. This isn’t a situation I need saving from. Just go.”

He hesitated for a few seconds before turning away.

Tasha watched him walk out the rec room and into the adjoining reception area. What was he doing here in the hospital to begin with? He was supposed to be meeting her at the airport in two hours, not stalking her at the hospital while she visited with her dad.

“This croissant is hard,” she heard her father complain behind her. “And the coffee cold. Can’t you get anything right?”

She ignored him and picked up her mobile. She dialled her father’s doctor and the head of the treatment program, Dr. McCullough, who was thankfully on call at the hospital this morning. “Doctor M, it’s Tasha. I’m at the dining room with Dad, can you come by when you have a minute? He’s showing some, uh, unusual behaviour again, I thought maybe you can do a quick check up? Great. I’ll see you in a bit.”

As she pocketed her phone, she turned to her father, who was looking quite content having some coffee and croissants, despite his earlier complaints. She sat next to him on the table and reached out to brush some of his hair off his face.

“How is it?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Not bad. I still like the ones we got in that patisserie in Paris, remember that?” He looked up at her with a glimmer of nostalgia and smiled. “You were fifteen, I think.”

Her right hand flew to her chest as she saw her father’s eyes soften at the memory. She hadn’t seen him smile very often in the past year but when she had, it was almost a heartbreaking thing, because she knew it was temporary.

“It was a good trip. Mom loved it.”

He looked away and focused on his meal. “Next time, bring something more substantial. Like some bacon and eggs. And heat it up, for Christ sake.”

She nodded. “Yes Dad.” When she spotted one of his nurses enter the rec room with another patient, Tasha waved them over. “Dad, I’m going to get one of the nurses join you for a few minutes, okay? I’ll be back.”

Again, he grunted, seemingly not caring whether she was there or not. She muffled a sigh as she stood up and walked to the next room.

As expected, Nick was wearing a thin path across the carpet with his worried pacing.  He looked up once the doors opened and crossed his arms over his chest.

He was still angry but looked more concerned when he saw her.

“You okay?” he asked, walking up to her hesitantly.

“I’m fine. What are you doing here, Nick? I thought we were meeting at the airport in two hours.”

“I thought I’d surprise you,” he answered, running his fingers through his hair. “You were talking last night about your dad not having a big enough TV in his room so I thought I’d bring one and install it as a surprise. So he can see you on Ellen next week. But I saw you from here, he was about to hit you, Tasha.”

She shook her head. “It’s not what you think, it’s the tumor. It’s made him…unstable.”

“And you were just going to take it? Tasha, come on. Nobody deserves that.”

“He wasn’t always like this, Nick. He loved me. He still does. But the tumor is eating away at a part of his brain that affects his personality. Whatever he says, it’s not him talking, it’s the tumor.” She gave him a small smile. “But thank you for trying to come in and rescuing me, but you really didn’t need to.”

“Jesus, Tasha.” Nick sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine what…”

She shook her head and touched his arm. “Don’t. I told you. Everything with my dad is complicated.”

“You should’ve told me…we should’ve talked about this…”

She raised her hand to stop him from talking further. “Nick. Stop it. I told you what I told you. There’s more to this story but I’ll tell you in my own time.”

Nick looked into her eyes as if he was trying to figure her out. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

She smiled sadly and touched his face. “I won’t be. Thank you for trying to be my hero but this battle I have to fight on my own. I hope you understand.”

Nick nodded slightly and turned his face into her hand. He touched her fingers and kissed her palm lightly. The shock of his lips connecting with her skin sent a sensation so acute, she pulled away in surprise.

Thankfully, he didn’t notice. “Do you want me to stay?”

Tasha looked away and shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll meet you at the airport. I’ll be here for a while.”

He lifted her chin with his finger to force eye contact. “You know we’re going to have to talk about this, right?”

“Soon.”

With a serious look, he nodded and walked away.

As Tasha watched him get into the elevator, she realized that the tingling feeling in her hand was still there. All from when Nick’s lips touched her skin.