Page 90 of Stone Heart
“—Yes, but I don’t think it’s on Tisha to tell your mother what’s going on. She should hear it right from you.Afteryou talk to her, then Tisha will bring you to the studio.”
Lauren wished she had a camera to capture Cole’s hangdog expression. As she walked down the hall, she heard Tisha say, “Miss Padovano-Shea? Hello, my name’s Tisha and I work for Velocity Studios. Your daughter is here and would like to speak to you…”
“What’s going on?” Augie asked when Lauren returned. “Who’s here?”
“Cole.”
His face was blank for a second, and then he did a double take. “Wait, Cole? As in: Maggie’s kid? That Cole?”
“One and the same. And she didn’t tell her mother she was coming here.”
Augie howled with laughter. “Maggie’s going to bepissed.”
“No shit. She’s out with Tisha now, calling her mother so Maggie knows where she is—and that I had nothing to do with this bright idea.” Lauren shook her head one more time and looked towards the control room. “Fitz, I told her she could sit and watch until her mother arrived.”
“I’ll make it work,” the producer said over the speaker.
“Okay, before Hurricane Maggie lands, let’s get back to this.” Lauren gave Stevie a nod, and he started to pick at the strings on his guitar. Everyone refocused on the song they were working on. Lauren stopped them twice to talk about where Ox’s bass line was hitting, and DJ added an extra melody on the keyboard that Fitz suggested. As they were finishing, the door behind Fitz opened, and Tisha escorted Cole in.
“Tha’ twas great,” Fitz crowed. “I’m so pleased with you all. Take a few, and we’ll try another run through. We’re close, but I want ta try tweaking the intro a wee bit more.”
Lauren gave him a thumbs-up, but then there was an odd silence as Fitz muted the intercom. She saw him swivel in his chair to face Cole. Lauren couldn’t tell what they were saying but based on Cole’s large eyes and frequent head nods, she guessed Fitz was putting the fear of God into her, and that she had best sit quietly and watch or he’d kick her out.
The intercom crackled as it came back to life. “Alrighty then, I have ta speak with Tisha for a moment. I’ll be back in a jiff.” When Fitz left, Lauren caught Cole’s eye and waved her in.
“Gentlemen, this is Cole. Cole, this is Augie, DJ, Stevie, and Ox.”
“Hi! Oh man, this is so… I’m a huge fan!” Cole tried—unsuccessfully—to not gush.
Lauren and the band spent the next twenty minutes answering questions about recording and touring and showing Cole a few things about the different instruments. Augie let her play the drums, and DJ invited her to mess around on his keyboards for a minute. Lauren elbowed Augie, and they shared a laugh as Cole watched DJ with big eyes, her crush on him getting clearer, and worse, by the moment. Lauren also wrangled them all for a group photo with Cole.
When Fitz came back, Tisha followed on his heels with some water for the band.
“Time to get crackin’,” Fitz announced. “Cole, there’s a chair for you out here with me, but remember, you need ta stay quiet while we work. Or…?”
“Or I have to sit ‘my wee skinny arse’ in the waiting room with Tisha.”
“Good lass.” He chuckled.
Lauren put her headphones on and got up from the padded stool. She preferred to stand when she recorded. She adjusted her microphone and waited for the cue from Fitz. He ran the band through three songs. Two were high-tempo rock songs, and Lauren could see Cole nodding her head in time with the beat. The third was a gentle, slow ballad about living with memories that haunt you. She nearly lost her place in the lyrics when she looked up and glanced into the control room. Fitz was absently handing a box of tissues to Cole.
They ran through one more song when Fitz flipped on the intercom and said, “GREAT! That’s tha sweet spot, darlin’. You take a quick break, have some more water. DJ—I want to work for a bit on tha intro before we do more vocals.”
Lauren was surprised Fitz had called a break so soon and was about to say she could keep going when she caught sight of Maggie. And based on Cole’s sheepish expression, Maggie was clearly letting her daughter know exactly how much hot water she was in. Lauren pulled off her headphones and went to the door.
“Can’t we stay for a few more minutes, please?” Cole said.
“You’re going to try negotiating after you lied to me?” There was no masking the incredulity in her voice, and Maggie planted both hands firmly on her hips.
“Maggie. Hey,” Lauren said as she shut the studio door behind her.
“Thanks for letting me know about this one,” Maggie said. “I’m sorry she bothered you. I hope she wasn’t too disruptive.”
Cole looked at the floor.
“No, it was fine,” Lauren said. “I’m just glad we were here. Some days we work at my apartment or Augie’s loft.”
“Lauren…” Cole bit her bottom lip.