“Of course.” I stand, and the girl shoves the phone toward Kelsey.
After we take a picture, she turns her head and tells her friends, “I told you it was her.”
Her friends frown and mumble. “We have tickets to your show on Wednesday, and they didn’t believe me when I told them it was you sitting here. We made a bet that if it were, I could take a picture with you. We didn’t want to bother you with a million photos.”
Smiling, I look at the group of friends she’s with. “How about we take one group photo?” A crooked smirk takes over my face as I eye her friends.
“Really?” she shrieks.
Laughing, I nod my head. “Oh, my God. We’ll forever love you. I mean, we already do. Seriously.”
After taking a couple of pictures with her friends, I sit back down with Kelsey.
“It’s like you’re famous or something.” Her eyebrows scrunch in confusion, and her eyes roll before a big smile appears on her face. “I’m so damn happy for you.”
“I can’t believe that just happened,” I squeal quietly. I don’t know who’s fangirling more—the girls or me.
“It’s freaking amazing, and it’s only going to get better. Aren’t you happy you brought your bodyguard with you?” She gives me her best smile, all pearly whites and dimples.
“I sure am.” Tapping my glass to hers, we drink more mimosas and celebrate.
…
“At what time do you have to be at Riot,” Kelsey asks as I step out of my room with a towel wrapped around my hair. After more mimosas than I could count, I took a power nap and showered before having to leave for my show tonight.
Riot is a Nashville staple. A bar where all artists want to sing in at least once. Fortunately for me, I’ve played there often and always love the energy of the people that frequent it.
“I’ll be there at six. Everything has been taken care of through the phone, but I like getting there early anyway.” Knox and Harris handle all the business, even when they can’t come to a show. They’re currently looking into signing another artist, and they’ll be in town on Tuesday for my Wednesday show and stay through Sunday for the ACM Awards.
“Perfect, I’ll go with you.”
“Oh, yay!” I clap my hands. “If we’re ready before, we can go earlier and have a drink before it’s time to go on stage.”
Agreeing, Kelsey and I both race to get ready and meet in the living room two hours later.
“Let’s go.” Kelsey links her arm in mine. “I’m going to have to soak up nights like this before you leave me for the small-town life.” She locks the door behind me as I laugh at her exaggeration.
“I’ll still be visiting. Do you think you’ll always have a couch I can crash on?” I lift my brows and smile.
“I’ll have to consult it with my new roommate when the time comes.” She shakes her head and sighs. “I hope you don’t mind the inconvenience,” she adds, layering on her thick southern accent.
Giggling, I smack her shoulder.
“You know you’ll always have a place here,” she says softly.
“Thanks, boo.”
The crowd is small when we arrive at Riot, so we grab two seats at the bar and order our drinks. Once the bartender serves a gin and tonic for Kelsey and my whiskey soda, we toast and drink.
“I love this place,” she looks around.
“Me, too. You’d love the bar I usually play in Everton. Not the same vibe, but it’s a lot of fun, and they make great cocktails.”
“More persuasion, I see.” She smiles.
“Well, it’s about time you visit.” I lift my eyebrows. She promised me she’d visit Everton when I first got signed. Then, when my single came out. I’m still waiting for her to see the place I’ve told her so much about.
“How about this? After the ACM Awards, I’ll plan a weekend trip.”
“Yes!” I dance in my seat and allow the burn of the whiskey to warm my insides.
“Hey, you’re Sutton, right?” I look to my left and see a familiar-looking woman, but I can’t place her.
“Yeah.” I nod.
“I’m Ellie… Thorne,” she adds her last name.
“Hey, I knew you looked familiar. You used to sing, right?”
Ellie nods. I remember hearing her music a couple years ago. “I’m songwriting now, so I’m in town for work.”
“That’s cool. This is my friend, Kelsey. Do you want to have a drink with us?”
“I’d love to. I’m actually here to see you perform tonight. I figured all work and no play wasn’t the right way to do this visit, and it’s been a long time since I’ve visited Riot.”
“This place is special.” I look around as Ellie sits on the empty stool next to me.
“Where do you live?” Kelsey leans forward on the bar and asks her.
“In a small town outside of Chicago. I lived in Nashville for a bit, but I moved back home to be with my boyfriend. He’s where I want to be, and I can write songs from anywhere.” She smiles kindly.
“You hear that, Sutton. She can work from anywhere and visit Nashville when she needs to,” Kelsey talks slowly as if I were a small child, elbowing my ribs.
Ellie’s eyebrows rise in confusion. I shake my head and roll my eyes. “My music label is in Everton, Wyoming, and I’ve been traveling back and forth, spending more time in Everton. I’m considering moving there and coming to Nashville when I need to, but it’s a hard decision to make when this is the place where everything happens,” I explain.
“I get it,” Ellie nods. “I’ll be honest though, once you start touring, Nashville will just be a base the same way Everton would be. If your label is there, chances are, you’ll be staying less and less in Nashville unless you have a show, which I’m guessing is already the case?” Her guess turns into a question.
“Yeah, it’s definitely already like that, which is why I’m at this crossroads. It’s hard to leave Nashville behind
