Chapter 7

After returning to Nashville, we all sat down, with Consuela, since she was contemplating moving to the ranch, to discuss the future. My future was set in stone. Nothing was going to change as far as I was concerned, save having beautiful women in my home now. The future we were looking at, for the most part, was Alicia’s.

We started taking notes, writing down names of industry giants, or industry geniuses that could help us with a startup. Of note was an executive that used to work for Harmony but was fired for not convincing a young starlet to sign with them. Clive Farrow. Another was Antonia Bessler.

Bessler worked at Granite Productions, the company Alicia left when the leeches and lechers showed themselves.

Farrow worked for them as well, but left and was hired by Harmony, then let go. There was more to the story, and Farrow knew it. Cindy had told the young lady about an incident involving another, younger star, so the girl, Wendy Lightner, wouldn’t sign with them. Cindy also warned her about Granite, so Wendy wound up with Capitol or some other big name. Farrow spoke with Alicia later and told him he didn’t hold any ill will toward Cindy for telling the truth about something, but it did create some problems for him, and he wished he could have spoken to both of them before that conversation. He might have been able to sign the girl and protect her from the perverts at the same time.

Bessler was running her own public relations firm now. That might be an interesting story, especially if she left Granite on bad terms.

Since it was the middle of the week, Alicia and Cindy decided to start making calls right away. I went to my office to check in. I planned on calling a couple of friends and asking them if they had any contacts in the business. I’m glad I put my plan into action. Dave Frye, President of Tennessee Trust, told me they do a lot of business with the industry, and he had a golfing buddy over at Bank of the South that did as well. He basically just said when we get ready to talk turkey, the two of them and their lawyers would meet with us and help any way they could. They knew enough about Alicia and Harmony to understand the problems. Dave also knew of Farrow and Bessler. Not a lot, but enough to know they weren’t part of the problem, and therefore might be good to tap for the solution.

I wrapped up my visit to the office, got a to do list and was sent on my merry way. I was told to return the next day to sign papers if I didn’t want security driving out to the place with paperwork to sign. I took heed.

We met that night over dinner, chili verde with beans and a salad. It was Elaine’s handiwork, but Consuela swore if I craved anything special that she’d be available, or I could always ask my girlfriend. Then she started a firestorm.

“Charlie, how long are you going to refer to Alicia as your girlfriend, anyway?”

“Consuela, my precious, until I can afford a ring that suits her personality and her value to me. I also need to worry about keeping her in the lifestyle she is accustomed to, so ... I don’t know. Decades, years, months, or days, it will be a little while.” It was a valid question. With all the rest of this going on, not to mention all the mushy promises made, I might as well bite the bullet and ask her. “I have a question. I have heard it is custom among some peoples, no names mentioned, to celebrate engagements with tamales. Is there any truth to that, Miss Gomez?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr. Connor, but I’ll bet you I can make tamales for dinner tomorrow and call your bluff.”

“You’re on.”

Alicia, Cindy, and mostly Elaine just sat there stunned at our two-way conversation. Not another word was said about it that evening. We did talk about other subjects, though.

Bessler pledged to help and after told by Cindy that Farrow was hesitant to get involved, she promised Alicia to contact him and try to get him out of retirement. That was basically it, he was just fed up with the industry and living on a hobby farm.