FanGirl Squeal (RockStars of Romance Book 1) (8 page)

By the time he entered middle school, his dad had completely
disappeared from his life, and his mother was working two jobs to support them.
He was a latchkey kid. Music and sports kept him busy and out of trouble. There
were guitar and piano lessons, baseball, football, and soccer. One way or another,
Cash Myers was going to be rich. Either he was going to play a sport or become
a musician.

In high school, people really started paying attention to
Cash when he joined a band. Even though Superpower broke up after six months,
but Cash’s friends and mother saw something in Cash that he hadn’t seen in
himself…star potential.

 Jennifer didn’t push him, but his best friend, Donnie, did.
Donnie signed Cash up for solo gigs at open mic nights all over the city. He
pushed him to play at any gig that would let him. By the time he was a senior
in high school, Cash knew he wasn’t going to be a professional athlete since
not a single school had offered him a football or baseball scholarship. He
began to see music as a way out of Roxbury. He quit the football team and
focused on music.

After graduation, he packed up his song books and sheet music,
took his life savings and the three grand he’d gotten from his mother’s friends
and co-workers as graduation gifts and moved to Los Angeles, California...the
home of Sony and Colombia Records. He was determined to get a deal with one of
them. When every one else doubted him, he knew he was going to L.A. to become a
real musician.

It only took two years for the musical prodigy to get a
major record deal. Now here he was, sitting at a $30,000 baby grand piano in
his seven million dollar condo writing a song while his sister spent thousands
of dollars ordering clothes online and his mother was two floors below in her
own apartment cooking up a vat of his favorite clam chowder.

“You know, you can’t be depressed,” he scolded himself. “You
have a good life.”

“That you do, brother.”

Cash turned around at the sound of his best friend’s voice.
Cash was completely surprised to see Donnie. His best friend hated New York.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could smell your mother’s clam chowder back in Boston,” Donnie
joked.

His brown hair was tucked under a Boston Red Sox cap. In his
t-shirt, boat shoes, and shorts, Donnie looked like he’d just stepped off the
boat Cash bought him for Christmas.

“You feel like goin’ to Yankee Stadium and causin’ a little
trouble? You know they’re gonna get spanked by the Orioles today.”

Cash nodded. “Sounds like a plan. My publicist is on her way
over though so I gotta talk to her about something important, I guess. Must be
a pretty big deal since she flew in from L.A.”

“That’s that Cash Myers sex appeal,” Donnie joked. “Broads
will do anything to get a piece of you.”

“Dude, I’m not screwin’ my publicist!”

“Why not? Tracy’s hot!”

“And not into me,” Cash finished. “But you, big time Boston
lawyer, with your Harvard law degree, she’d definitely be into you.”

“Then hook me up! I’m down with the swirl! I’m okay with
being the milk in her coffee.”

Cash grinned. He had no idea how Donnie got into Harvard,
let alone graduated. He was always more interested in ‘booze and broads’ than work.
Which also explained why he was in Cash’s house in the middle of day on a
Wednesday.

Cash sat his Martin Standard on top of his baby grand piano
before walking upstairs with Donnie.

“So, have you heard from Victoria since she moved out?”

“No. We’ve said all that needs to be said.”

“Did she give you back the rock?”

Cash nodded his head. “Mailed it…with a note.”

“What a cold-hearted bitch,” Donnie whistled. “What are you
gonna do with it? They let people like you return million dollar rings, right?”

“I don’t know. Never bought an engagement ring before,” Cash
shrugged. “If I can’t, I’m gonna let Mom hock it. She can use what she gets for
it to buy her a house back home.”

Donnie stopped on the top step and grabbed the back of Cash’s
shirt. “Your mom’s movin’ back home?”

“Yeah. I gotta start lookin’ for new management.”

“Wipe that sorry ass look off your face!” Donnie howled. “You
know you’re happier than a pig in shit!

Only two people knew how badly Cash wanted his mom to quit.
Donnie was one of them. Having his mother just be his mother again was the best
announcement he’d heard all year.

“You know,” Donnie said as they walked down the hallway
towards the living room. “You’ve been doing the music thing for what, eight or
nine years? You don’t need to pay anyone to manage your career. You can do that
yourself. It’s not like you’re a rookie tryin’ to book his own gigs. You don’t
even have to work as hard as you used to ‘cause you’ve made it. Money isn’t an
issue. All you need is a good lawyer.” Donnie smiled proudly. “And you already
have me.”

Again, Cash nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but I don’t want to
do it myself. Not right now, anyway. Maybe after Brittany graduates and goes to
college when I’ll finally have some time.”

“You sound like her dad.”

“Yeah? Well, sometimes I have to act like it. I did adopt
her.”

Tracy was already sitting in the living room with Jennifer
and Brittany when Cash and Donnie entered. All three of them were wiping tears
from their eyes as Tracy slipped her iPad back in her bag. Cash immediately
went into protector mode as his skin pricked anxiously. Without knowing what
was wrong, he immediately got angry. Whoever had made his sister, mother, and
publicist cry would pay for it.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“Unswell your chest,” Brittany answered. “It’s good. Very
good. Sit.”

“I don’t want to sit.”

“Please, Cash, sit down,” Tracy pleaded.

Cash studied Brittany’s face then his mom’s very carefully
as he lowered himself slowly into a chair. Aside from damp cheeks, everything
looked okay.

“What’s going on?”

“Do you remember seeing Savannah Ford in L.A. at the KISS FM
party last month?”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

Tracy shook her head. Victoria had really done a number on
him. Normally, Cash didn’t forget a pretty face.

“Anyway, I went to college with Savannah and she’s a really
kind girl. Her entertainment site is bigger than Perez Hilton’s right now.”

“The blogger?” Cash raised his eyebrows. “You flew all the
way here to tell me she still wants an interview? That’s why we have phones,
Tracy.”

“No, it’s so much better.” Tracy’s brilliant hazel eyes
sparkled.

Her wide smile stretched across her face as if she was about
to deliver the best news ever. But what could possibly top his mother retiring
as his manager?

“Savannah is one of your biggest fans,” Tracy continued. “I’m
surprised you haven’t met her yet. She’s part of that group of fans that had
those SUPERFAN t-shirts this year. She’s the reason you met Michaela and her
parents. She gave them her Meet & Greet passes.”

“Just great,” Donnie broke in. “A bleeding heart. Go ahead
and give the boy her number and start planning the wedding.”

Brittany giggled. “Wait until you see what she did. We might
be planning a wedding for sure. I love this girl and I’ve never met her.”

Tracy opened her Kate Spade bag and pulled out an
elaborately gift wrapped square box. She handed it to Cash as if she was doling
out Christmas gifts to the poor.

“What is this?” he asked as he examined the silver and black
wrapping paper and bow.

“It’s a gift…from your fans. Savannah organized a thank you
gift for an incredible tour.”

“Really?” Cash sat back in the chair and held the box on his
lap. His fans sent him things all the time. Drawings, poems, one lady had even
sent him a box of Christmas ornaments. He’d never gotten a collaborative gift.

“Are you serious? They got together and bought me a gift?”

“Made,” Tracy corrected him. “It’s for your apartment. Open
it.”

Quickly, but carefully, Cash unwrapped the box and waded
through black tissue paper. He lifted a decent sized hardcover book out of the
box and stared at a picture of him on stage, the bright lights made it look as
if he was surrounded by a dozen stars. Kudus to the photographer. It was a
stunning photograph and whoever designed the cover made it look even better.

He read the title out loud. “I Breathed a Song Into the Air,”
he read. It was a line from his favorite poem. He racked his brain trying to
figure out if he’d ever mentioned that poem in an interview or onstage. He hadn’t,
he was sure. He never admitted to anyone that he liked poetry. He wasn’t sure
what it would do for his image. Being labeled as a “less douchier John Mayer”
already had the gay rumors flying.

“What is this?” he asked as he fingered the edges of the
book.

“You have to open it,” Jennifer answered.

Cash opened the book and turned the thick pages, quickly
scanning them. It was letters…to him from his fans. Letters and pictures,
personal pictures that he’d normally wouldn’t ever get to see. Fan meetups,
friendships being formed, concert signs, weddings, and graduations…even
tattoos.

Tracy, Donnie, Jennifer, and Brittany were all angled
towards him like little kids in a reading circle. There was a foreword, written
by the Savannah girl. He started to read it out loud.

On November
9, 2012,
Us Against
the World
was released and for Team Cash, our lives would never be the same.
From secret shows to standing in line for the Today show, to bargaining for
pre-sale codes, Cash Myers fans supported this album from start to finish.

I’ve been
a major part of Team Cash for eight years and every day, our FAMdom grows.
Being a part of such a great group of people supporting a great musician is
something I didn’t know I needed in my life until it became a part of my life.
I don’t know what I would do without Team Cash. We lean on each other for
support through bad times. We celebrate the good times. Through Facebook,
tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram, we have hollowed out a section of the Internet
and made it ours. We gather there for comfort and love. We share our stories, because
every single Cash Myers fan I’ve ever met has a truly great Cash story.

I don’t
know how different we are from other “fandoms” or even that we are different. All
I know is that true friendships and families have been created through your
music. It is the general consensus amongst the FAMdom that you’ve changed our
lives. Your music has brought people together who may not have ever met in real
life, at the precise moment we needed it the most.

When you
strap on your guitar or sit at your piano, you are sharing a piece of you that
we can take home and treasure. You’re sharing emotions, thoughts, and dreams
that we can relate to. We owe you so much more than a simple thank you.

As we
move into the summer and the end of the
Us Against the World
tour, we know that it’s time to transition
from tour season back to our regularly scheduled programming. The same goes for
you. We’re aware that not everything in your life may be as superb as Hollywood
would have us believe. You’ve said it yourself, “living in a fishbowl is hard
work.” We hope you see this as a token of our appreciation and a chance to feel
closer to the FAMdom that feels ultra-close to you (but not stalker close…we’re
not those fans
J
)

Thank
you, Cash, for eight years of great music and even greater tours. Thank you for
sharing your gift with us. And for some, thank you for being that one thing
that saved our life.

We
♥ you!

Cash was visibly taken aback. He wanted to keep reading, but
he feared he’d break down in tears, especially if the introduction had him
feeling emotional. Donnie would never let him live that down. As he scanned the
book, the stories seemed so personal that he wanted to be alone when he read
them. He planned to read each and every page.

“Let me see that,” Jennifer reached for the book. She leafed
through the pages slowly like her son had. “This is incredible. You always say
that you have the best fans in the world. I see that now.”

“Cash’s fans are awesome!” Brittany agreed. “They love him.
You should check the Cash Myers hashtag on Twitter and tumblr sometimes. It’s
amazing.”

“As soon as she showed me the book, I wanted to bring
Savannah up here to give it to you in person,” Tracy told Cash. “But she said
that no one wrote those letters in hopes that they’d get a chance to meet you.
They just wanted to let you know that they appreciate you the way you
appreciate them. And, since it’s a coffee table book, you can display it in
your home so all your guests will know how special you are too.”

Cash wasn’t listening. He was staring at a picture of
wild-haired brown-skinned girl with dark brown eyes. She was wearing one of the
SUPERFAN t-shirts that kept making appearances at his shows. The camera had
caught her mid-laugh while she was trying to keep her beer from spilling. The picture
made his heart surge with happiness. The girl looked so happy, so full of life
and joy that he felt like if he listened carefully, he’d be able to hear her
laugh. He showed the picture to Tracy.

“This is the girl from the club, right? This is Savannah?”

“Yup,” Tracy grinned. “That’s my girl.”

Donnie stood up in the middle of the living room with his
arms held out. “Everybody be quiet! If you listen carefully, you can hear Cash
falling in love with a gossip blogger-slash-SUPERFAN.”

Brittany laughed first. “Stop teasing my brother. He hasn’t
written a song about her so he isn’t in love…yet. He’s just very much in lust
with a gossip blogger-slash-SUPERFAN.”