Tennessee Line to LA Lights (A Matthew Gray Gubler FanFiction)

Chapter 9

"Wait, are you seriously telling me that you want me to record an EP?" Stephanie sat at the glass table in her bosses conference room. Adrienne was seated across from her, and their boss Terry.

"That's exactly what we're saying. Since your debut at The Lexington, they have had several inquiries into who you are and whether or not you've been signed to a label. Adrienne and I have discussed in length whether or not this would be an opportunity we should offer to you, and we have come to the conclusion that we would like to offer you a deal with Freedom 16, as an artist."

Stephanie looked from one face to the other, the magnitude of what they were offering, weighing on her. She kept going back and forth in her mind. It wasn't want she had set out to accomplish, but a singing career had basically landed square into her lap and would she regret it if she passed it up. She closed her eyes, rubbing the heels of her hands into her eye sockets. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to stare at the two sitting in front of her. "Okay, okay, let's do this"

Adrienne clapped her hands and slide a contract over to her, "Just sign all the flagged places."

Stephanie signed several different locations and then pushed the papers back to her boss and friend.

"We are allowing you to have complete creative control. We already know how talented of a writer that you are, so now is your chance to show us how talented of an all around artist that you are. Take a handful of weeks and get together 4 or 5 songs and then we shall tackle the next step. Once again Stephanie, welcome to Freedom 16 Records." Terry stood and offered his hand to her.

She shook it vigorously, the cogs in her head already turning with the new songs she needed to create. Once she had left Terry's office, she headed to the other side of the building, to where her small quarters were located. Once inside, she pulled out her cell phone and shot off a text to Matthew...

Stephanie: You will never believe what just happened to me!

She set the phone down on her desk, and pulled out her notepad. She already had a song forming and she wanted to get the lyrics jotted down before she lost them.

She had been lost in her own little world for well over an hour, but the vibration of her cell phone across her desk pulled her back into reality. She picked the phone up and pressed the green button, "Hey." She couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face.

"So what is this thing that happened," Matthew's voice sent shivers up her spine.

She proceeded to repeat the happenings of the hours preceding this moment. She and Matthew had been dating, yes dating, for the last few weeks. Things were moving along slowly, but she was letting him dictate the pace. He was attentive though, and made a huge effort in getting to know who she was now.

"Wow, that's awesome Steph. How are you feeling about it?"

She scrunched up her nose, "I was hesitant at first, but I think that this is a step that I need to take. I'd be kicking myself later if I didn't give it a try."

"You are more than talented enough and I think that people are right in wanting to hear more. I'm very impressed that you've gotten that kind of response and that you're still getting that level of response. Honestly, I'd really like to hear both songs again."

Stephanie quickly pulled in air, "Really?"

"Yeah. Speaking of things to regret, I kind of kick myself for taking off that night."

Stephanie laughed, "If you hadn't, I don't think that things would have turned out quite as amazing as they did. Things happen for a reason and well, we're getting that second chance for a reason."