A Song for the Season

Super Amazing

Once the concert ends, an after-party fills the Ryman’s lobby, where VIPs, friends, and Belle Starr’s touring crew mingle in front of the ornate staircase leading to the balcony. Tenney and Logan change out of their show outfits and meet outside their dressing rooms, but a maze of cement hallways gets them turned around. Just then, the click of high heels catches up to them from behind.

It’s Belle, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders and pulling them in close. She thanks them for helping her end her tour the right way. When Logan asks if there is a right way, Belle admits she’s superstitious. The first show of a tour sets the tone, but the last show is the one everyone remembers, and tonight’s was unforgettable. She confesses that touring, however dazzling it looks, is tougher than people realize, though Tenney can’t imagine why anyone would want a life like that to end.

Near the staircase, they find their parents waiting. Logan asks his mom if she’s sad the tour is over, but Mrs. Everett insists it’s more of a joyful send-off. Dad pulls Tenney into a hug, raving about their encore with Belle. Mrs. Everett wishes Logan’s dad could’ve seen it, too. He’s away on the road, filling in as a backup guitarist for a band touring Asia, and sadness flashes across Logan’s face before pride takes over.

Logan tugs Tenney toward the dessert table, and they pile their plates with chocolate chip cookies, brownie bites, and cheesecake. Tenney jokes the show felt like a marathon, and Logan agrees, though he admits they were a little off at the top of “Music in Me.” Tenney’s laugh turns into a poke at Logan’s arm that sends a brownie wobbling off her plate. He cries out, catching it before it hits the floor.

Before they finish eating, Zane Cale’s phone starts buzzing nonstop. Zane is the owner of Mockingbird Records. A fan filmed their encore with Belle and posted it online, and the clip is spreading fast enough to flood his inbox, including a message from a booker in Chattanooga who’s interested in them for a show next month. That has Zane thinking bigger: putting Tenney and Logan on tour.

Zane waves the parents over, his excitement turning serious, and asks if everyone can meet at his office to figure out how to build on the buzz before it cools off. Dad points out that it’s already November. Zane says if a tour is happening, he wants it on the road before the year ends.

The adults compare calendars, weighing the holidays, missing school, and how easily a schedule like that could overwhelm two kids. Tenney barely hears any of it, too busy watching Logan’s face light up with the excitement bubbling inside her. A tour is what musicians dream about, and Zane is considering it for them. Then she jumps in. If Zane can make it work so she doesn’t fall behind at school, will Mom let her go?

When Mom finally says “Probably,” Tenney squeals, and her parents trade a look that seems to stretch on forever.

The whole ride home, Tenney’s insides fizz with excitement. She can’t stop bouncing in her seat, telling her parents how amazing, how beyond amazing, how über amazing a tour would be. Some things are worth losing control over.