Music City Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Kid, we’ve got to talk.”
    Tracy looked worried and asked, “Is there a problem?”
    Alex nodded a solemn expression on his face. “Yes, there is.”
    Tracy gulped, “What did I do wrong?”
    Alex smirked. “You can’t come to work dressed better than we are—lose the suits.”
    A smile bloomed at the corner of Tracy’s mouth, “I can do that.”
    Tracy began dressing in nice khakis and jeans, but kept wearing his seemingly endless supply of Italian loafers. Every once in a while, he still wore a tie, even with jeans—a look Tracy pulled off well. Because Alex liked Tracy so much, and he was such an asset to their small team, Alex overlooked Tracy’s wardrobe and model good looks. Derek's instinct was right. Tracy fit with them seamlessly, like he’d worked with them for years.
    Due in part to Tracy’s unrelenting efforts, they enjoyed a very comfortable and profitable caseload. Their clients included people looking for old school chums, lost loves, former teachers, old playmates and friends. Sometimes Derek wondered if Tracy had called everyone he knew just to convince them that they needed to find someone.
    Tracy handled the billing like an accountant and he acted as their public relations and marketing director. He took out tasteful advertisements in trade magazines and business began to flourish. Just mere weeks after Tracy was hired, neither Derek nor Alex knew what they would do without him. He had not only become their invaluable assistant—he had fast become their friend.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    When Shelly was sixteen, she met music mogul, Trent Shepard, at Murphy’s Diner. The diner was near Trent’s office and he liked the atmosphere and the food of the diner so he ate there quite often, sometimes twice a day. He had no family, only the clients he represented.
    At first, Shelly had no idea what Trent did for a living; she didn’t know what most of the people who passed through the diner did for work and she never pried. She didn’t feel like it was any of her business unless a customer wanted to talk about work with her. Trent was no different than any of the hundreds of customers that passed through the diner on a daily basis, other than he was one of her favorites. He had an ease about him and a very good nature. He was easy to talk to and she was always pleasantly surprised by how generously he tipped her.
    Shelly’s personality was infectious, and she and Trent had become fast friends.
    Shelly did not tell a lot of people about her past. A year had passed since she had left her old life behind and found her niche in Nashville. Very few of the customers, even the regulars, asked how she came to be there. With her friendly smile and accent, most probably assumed she was born and raised in Nashville and never gave it a second thought. Shelly pushed her life in North Carolina to the back of her mind and focused on the present—her wonderful life today, not how dark and bleak it was a year ago and every day before.
    Trent told her about his own life, about the parents he had looked up to and how very much he missed them. As time went on, he began to ask Shelly about her past. Hesitantly at first, Shelly told him about her mother, about her existence in North Carolina. She was on her break, getting some fresh air outside on a cool spring evening when she finally told him about the siblings she had left behind. It was hard to confess to Trent how she felt guilty that she really didn’t miss anyone. She was curious about who took care of the babies now that she was gone, but she didn’t think about them like she thought she should and that occasionally burned on her conscious.
    Trent began to look forward to his talks w ith Shelly more and more each day. She was a great kid who had been through more in her short life than anyone he knew. He tried to assure her that she had absolutely no reason to feel any guilt. She was lucky she had escaped North Carolina in one piece.