CHAPTER EIGHT

Jayde was called into work and made it to the office in the late afternoon. She began working and filing the paperwork from last night. A slight smile appeared on her face as she thought about all the events that followed the contract signing. Mr. Oniko had appeared from nowhere.

"And how did it go," he asked with a knowing look on his face. Jayde was his most capable employee. He could rely on her more than anyone. Jayde smiled as she looked at him. "That's my girl! You should call them soon to set up a recording day and time. I'd like them to come in at least 3 days a week. They're new so exploiting them more in the beginning is best if they want to make it in this industry. Get to it, Missy."

As Mr. Oniko walked away, Jayde's smile vanished. She had to contact Max already? It hadn't even been 24 hours yet. Wasn't that breaking some unspoken rule? But this wasn't a personal contacting. It was business. She had no choice but to swallow her pride.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Jayde dialed the number. On the second ring, someone answered with a, "What do you want." It was a male but it didn't sound like Max. Maybe she called the wrong number.

Jayde spoke cautiously. "Hello, this is Jayde, Mr. Oniko's assistant from O&M Recording. Is Mr. Jaxson available for a quick call?"

The person on the other end fell silent. "Oh... Umm... He's here somewhere. Let me get him. And I'm sorry about the way I answered the phone. I was just playing around."

Jayde chuckled lightly into the phone, "No problem, sir. I completely understand as it's pretty late. If Mr. Jaxson isn't available, I can always leave a message for him," she offered politely, although she felt very irritated.

"Who are you talkin' too on my phone," Max's voice beamed through the receiver. "Give it, ya pig!"

There was some rustling then a gentle, "Hello? This is Max." Jayde remained silent. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears as soon as she heard his voice. The same voice that was moaning her name but a few hours ago.

"Oh. Max, hi. It's Jay-"

"Jayde! Hey! Hang on. Let me step away from these loud asses." After a few seconds of quiet he was back. "How's it going? You sound tired. Why aren't you in bed yet?"

Jayde felt her cheeks warm up a bit. "I was called in tonight to do some scheduling. I had to file your contract as well. I was actually calling to see what worked best for you guys for recording? We have mornings, afternoons or evenings. Monday through Saturday. Sundays we're closed but if you want to use Sundays for practice, that's definitely doable."

Max's heart ached a bit, "So this is a business call... Okay. How often are you looking to have us in?"

Jayde heard the sadness in his voice but paid it no mind. "Mr. Oniko suggested 3 days a week at the least."

"Oh," Max sounded surprised even to Jayde. "Well... I mean that's quite a drive... Can I call you back later tonight with an answer. I should talk this over with the rest." Jayde agreed and he hung up without another word.

Max slumped against the wall and sighed heavily. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think I just witnessed your soul leaving your body with such a heavy sigh," his dads voice was gentle next to him.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind and I'm not sure what to do. Why is life so hard," Max felt so defeated, yet his career hasn't even begun.

"Well, I'm here. Why not talk to me about it," his dad pulled up a chair and ushered him to take a seat too. "What's got you so down, son?"

Max took a deep breath and explained everything that happened yesterday. "So you slept with the managers assistant? Well, were you safe?" His dad jumped right over the part about Jess showing up.

"Yes, but that's not the point," Max was irritated. But he didn't know what else to expect. His dad was never one to dwell on the past.

"So, you ran into Jess, she called this new lady a few nasty names and what," his dad pressed for information so he could try to help his struggling son.

"I snapped at Jess. I didn't care if I hurt her. I just wanted to protect Jayde. She was attacked for no reason other than my ex was still trying to control me. Jayde seemed sad after that, but she pretended it didn't bother her, which bothered me even more. How can I feel so protective over someone I'd just met," Max wanted to vent all this frustration to his dad in hopes of working some of it out. Even if his dad didn't have an answer.

His dad laughed heartily. Max was confused and waited for his dad to compose himself again. "Let me ask you, did you ever feel this way when it came to Jessica?" Max thought long and hard.

"No," he answered plainly. His dad nodded with the biggest grin on his face.

"Did I ever tell you how I met your mother? She was such a little minx back then." His dad chuckled again as he thought about the past.

Max was concerned. "Dad? Are you dwelling on the past? I don't think I've ever seen this side of you." His dad saw the worry on his face and slapped his back gently.

"Everyone has a past. Even if they don't talk about it. Doesn't mean it's hidden. Just means they don't want to bring it up or that they want to keep those precious memories to themselves. Well, the latter is the case for me. I never felt I needed to justify the way your mom and I met. And it doesn't matter to me what others say and think. But she had a dark past and didn't want others knowing. So I protected her. I protected her against your grandmother. Even my fiance at the time."

Max's eyebrows lifted at that last sentence. "Fiance? You were with someone other than mom?"

His dad nodded, regrets evident on his face. "But your mother... That was a woman worth giving up everything. I won't get into details this time, but, just know... If you're willing to walk away from others you love for one person... Never look back. That one person may be the best thing to ever happen to you," his dad patted his head and took a swig of his beer.

Max looked down at his steeltoed boots. "Dad, we signed with the company yesterday... but they just called me saying they want us in the studio at least 3 days a week. That's a 3 hour drive one way. What am I supposed to do? It doesn't make sense to keep going back and forth...," he looked up at his dad who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Well, I know what your music means to you and your mother. I don't believe in this music industry crap. Music gets old and outdated. No one remembers after a few years. So I guess the question is, what do you want to do, Maximus?" His dad looked at him intently. "This is your future. Just know you'll always have a place here. But if you truly believe your music can make a difference and bring good fame and money, do it. Chase your dreams. If that means you have to move away from home for a while, by all means."

Max was shocked to the core. Did his dad just approve of his music career? Or was he giving solid advice and letting his child know he could always return home?

"No matter where you are, your mother and I love you dearly. We want nothing but for you to be happy and successful. All we ask in return is you send letters and post cards, give us a call when you're not too busy. We believe you can make it far. You need to decide if you're good enough on your own."

Max stood up abruptly. "The fuck?! Did you just say you believe in my music?! What the hell is happening?!" His dad laughed at his silly response.