Chapter Text
Cassidy sighed before taking a sip of her coffee and leaning her head back against the padded cushion of the chair she was sitting in. She'd been called into her manager's office at an ungodly hour and wasn't a bit happy to be there. She watched as Marty slapped a tabloid down on his desk and pointed at it.
"Congratulations, Cass. You made the tabloids for the third time in two weeks."
Cassidy cracked a grin before shrugging. "It wasn't my fault some little tart thought I was hitting on her man. Believe me, I wasn't." She inclined her head toward the offending tabloid. "Hell, I didn't even know they still printed those. I thought they were all online now."
Marty shook his head as he sat down heavily in his chair. "Don't worry, you made TMZ too. Nothing like being railed against on two different forms of media."
He sighed as he popped an antacid in his mouth and frowned at his client. He could tell that even though her head was pointed in his direction, her eyes were closed behind the sunglasses she wore, probably there because she had overindulged the night before. He frowned at her scuffed boots that were propped up on the edge of his desk before turning his attention back to her face and pointing a finger at her.
"Let me tell you something, young lady. You're going to put me in an early grave with all these shenanigans you get into. You're old enough to know better, Cassidy."
He nodded to himself as she continued to be silent. He wouldn't be surprised if she started snoring at any moment. He was sure the next words he spoke would get her attention.
"Since you can't behave yourself, I've decided that your reputation needs some work. You're going to do what I tell you to, or you're going to find yourself another manager!"
Cassidy sighed as she shifted around for a comfortable position, really wishing that she had been able to sleep a few more hours. "Ok, Marty, I'll behave myself."
Marty snorted before nodding. "Oh, I know you will, sweetheart because I'm sending you on tour with a vocal band. They're going to open for you, and hopefully, they can teach you some manners between shows."
Cassidy's head flew up and her feet hit the floor as she suddenly sat forward, giving her manager her full attention.
"What did you just say?"
-----‐--------------------------------------------------------------
"What did you just say?"
Tim stood in shock with the rest of Home Free as Luke, their manager, smiled with excitement.
"You heard me correctly. I got you an opening spot on Cassidy Lee's upcoming tour! You're going to be the opening act for a country legend!"
Tim snorted as he shook his head. "She's a legend all right." He looked around at the other guys, seeing the same look on their faces that he was sure was on his. "Since when are we an opening act? We've been doing our own shows for years."
Luke sighed as he realized that the guys weren't as excited by this news as he was. "The record company feels that you'd benefit from the exposure that a tour with Cassidy would give you, and I have to agree." He held up a hand when Austin started to speak. "Now, I understand that you've got a very loyal following, but if you all ever want to move past making videos on YouTube and relying on patrons, you're going to need to move into the national spotlight. A tour with Cassidy Lee will get you that exposure."
Tim shook his head as Chance muttered to himself beside him. "We don't need her help. Luke, she's in the tabloids every other week! We work really hard to not get that kind of attention."
Like nodded. "I know, but she's still just as popular as she ever was, even with the bad press. Hell, the bad press probably makes her more popular. It will work to your favor boys, trust me."
Rob spoke up from the other side of Tim, resignation clear in his tone. "When do we start this tour?"
Luke grinned, knowing that if Rob was on board, it wouldn't take long for the others to fall in line. The big man was like the dad of the group.
"Two months from today. It'll kick off here in Nashville." He looked at his phone before continuing. "It'll be nationwide with the possibility of extending overseas if the interest is enough. I'm telling you, this is going to catapult you into the spotlight."
Tim sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck where he could feel a tension headache starting. He didn't know Cassidy Lee's music well because she was considered Outlaw Country, something that he'd never really been interested in, but he and everyone else knew her reputation.
He shook his head slightly as he thought that he knew better than to believe everything he read, but when someone was continually in the media, and not because of their work, you had to wonder if some of what was printed were true.
Just that morning, there had been an article on the website TMZ, outlining an altercation the star had gotten into with a fan. The female fan had apparently been offended by the way Cassidy was talking to her boyfriend and had tried to punch the star in the face. She'd blocked the punch, and security had quickly stepped in, but the damage was already done.
He could certainly see where having a group like themselves on tour with her would help calm down the fans, and he wasn't stupid enough to think that it wouldn't help them further their career along as well.
As he sat listening to the other men around him talk about the tour, Tim couldn't help but think that this was going to be problematic for everyone concerned.