from
their father, Evan was the strongest man Ryan knew. It seemed he could handle
anything. Except maybe this. “You’ve got a lot to live for.”
“Oh yeah, like what?”
“You have this company, friends, a family
who loves you. You’re rich, smart, successful…” Ryan grinned when his brother
shot him a derisive look. “Maybe you should go on that show, The Bachelor.” He
laughed. “You could meet thirty eligible women who’d fight for the right to
make the acquaintance of your big bank account.”
“Get outta here.” Evan rubbed his face. “Go
and ask Susan to set up refreshments in the board room.” He looked at his
watch. “You have exactly ten minutes to get your ass in there.”
Ryan got up and made his way to the door.
Looking back, he saw his brother reach for the phone. “You gonna try callin’
her again?”
“What choice do I have?”
***
After their meeting, Ryan made his way down
the hall to Brianna’s corner office. “Hey there, you got time for a coffee
break? I just got out of a hellacious meetin’ and I’m not ready to get back to
work just yet.”
She looked up from her computer monitor, hitting
him where it hurt when she licked her lips. “I always have time for you, you
know that.” She pointed to the chair across from her desk. “Grab a coffee and
tell me all about this meeting that has you so wound up.”
Ryan poured himself a coffee from the
carafe she always kept on a little table in the corner, though caffeine was the
last thing he needed. Seeing Brianna had already given him the adrenaline surge
he needed. “Lance Leeman is makin’ noise about findin’ a new label.”
Her mouth dropped open as she turned her
swivel chair to face him. “No way! He’s been with Titan since the beginning.
Why would he want to leave?”
Ryan sighed as he slumped into one of the
uncomfortable armchairs he hated so much. His next order of business would be
hiring an interior designer who would gladly help him put his stamp on the
building. “He says he doesn’t like the direction we’re takin’ the label.” He
chuckled. “Says there’s no place for rap in country music, and he mentioned
those boys goin’ on the awards shows with chains hangin’ from their belt loops
and full sleeves of ink. He says he doesn’t want to be a part of a label who
endorses that kind of artist.”
Brianna winced. “You can’t deny it. The
face of country music is changing. It’s not my grandmother’s music anymore.”
“Thank God for that.” Ryan laughed when she
pointed at him, trying to contain her smile.
“Behave yourself.” She pinched her lips
together, trying to look stern. “There will always be a place for the old school
country artists like Lance. You need to remain diverse. Otherwise, you’re going
to lose the broad appeal that Titan built its reputation on.”
Ryan’s vision of the new Titan included
young, fresh artists who weren’t afraid to push the boundaries and introduce
country fans to a new kind of music. As far as he was concerned, artists who
couldn’t see their vision shouldn’t have a home at Titan. Unfortunately, he and
his brother disagreed. Evan was determined to keep Lance and the old guard
around as long as possible.
“Evan thinks it’ll look bad if too many of
the old boys bail all at once. Personally, I think we should just clean house
and start fresh.”
Brianna smiled. “Your father would kick
your ass if he heard you say that.”
“I don’t care. This is our company now. I
love and respect the old man, but when he retired and put us in charge, he
agreed to let us do things our way.”
“I know, but I’m afraid I have to agree
with Evan on this one, Ry. You need to take it slow. If you try to implement
these changes all at once, you risk alienating the artists you need to move
forward. People don’t like change, especially when their livelihood is at stake.
We’ve all seen artists who said or did the wrong thing and
their father, Evan was the strongest man Ryan knew. It seemed he could handle
anything. Except maybe this. “You’ve got a lot to live for.”
“Oh yeah, like what?”
“You have this company, friends, a family
who loves you. You’re rich, smart, successful…” Ryan grinned when his brother
shot him a derisive look. “Maybe you should go on that show, The Bachelor.” He
laughed. “You could meet thirty eligible women who’d fight for the right to
make the acquaintance of your big bank account.”
“Get outta here.” Evan rubbed his face. “Go
and ask Susan to set up refreshments in the board room.” He looked at his
watch. “You have exactly ten minutes to get your ass in there.”
Ryan got up and made his way to the door.
Looking back, he saw his brother reach for the phone. “You gonna try callin’
her again?”
“What choice do I have?”
***
After their meeting, Ryan made his way down
the hall to Brianna’s corner office. “Hey there, you got time for a coffee
break? I just got out of a hellacious meetin’ and I’m not ready to get back to
work just yet.”
She looked up from her computer monitor, hitting
him where it hurt when she licked her lips. “I always have time for you, you
know that.” She pointed to the chair across from her desk. “Grab a coffee and
tell me all about this meeting that has you so wound up.”
Ryan poured himself a coffee from the
carafe she always kept on a little table in the corner, though caffeine was the
last thing he needed. Seeing Brianna had already given him the adrenaline surge
he needed. “Lance Leeman is makin’ noise about findin’ a new label.”
Her mouth dropped open as she turned her
swivel chair to face him. “No way! He’s been with Titan since the beginning.
Why would he want to leave?”
Ryan sighed as he slumped into one of the
uncomfortable armchairs he hated so much. His next order of business would be
hiring an interior designer who would gladly help him put his stamp on the
building. “He says he doesn’t like the direction we’re takin’ the label.” He
chuckled. “Says there’s no place for rap in country music, and he mentioned
those boys goin’ on the awards shows with chains hangin’ from their belt loops
and full sleeves of ink. He says he doesn’t want to be a part of a label who
endorses that kind of artist.”
Brianna winced. “You can’t deny it. The
face of country music is changing. It’s not my grandmother’s music anymore.”
“Thank God for that.” Ryan laughed when she
pointed at him, trying to contain her smile.
“Behave yourself.” She pinched her lips
together, trying to look stern. “There will always be a place for the old school
country artists like Lance. You need to remain diverse. Otherwise, you’re going
to lose the broad appeal that Titan built its reputation on.”
Ryan’s vision of the new Titan included
young, fresh artists who weren’t afraid to push the boundaries and introduce
country fans to a new kind of music. As far as he was concerned, artists who
couldn’t see their vision shouldn’t have a home at Titan. Unfortunately, he and
his brother disagreed. Evan was determined to keep Lance and the old guard
around as long as possible.
“Evan thinks it’ll look bad if too many of
the old boys bail all at once. Personally, I think we should just clean house
and start fresh.”
Brianna smiled. “Your father would kick
your ass if he heard you say that.”
“I don’t care. This is our company now. I
love and respect the old man, but when he retired and put us in charge, he
agreed to let us do things our way.”
“I know, but I’m afraid I have to agree
with Evan on this one, Ry. You need to take it slow. If you try to implement
these changes all at once, you risk alienating the artists you need to move
forward. People don’t like change, especially when their livelihood is at stake.
We’ve all seen artists who said or did the wrong thing and
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