With those five words, Kate’s life shifted into high gear. Buddy’s tour manager, Riley Shea, wanted to hear every song she’d ever written to be sure she had enough material to fill her thirty minutes as the opening act. He approved of five songs but tossed the rest aside. She’d either have to write more, or they’d find other material for her. She began rehearsing with studio musicians to prepare for the recording of “I Thought I Knew,” and had meetings with people from publicity, wardrobe, and even a makeup artist. She met with a lawyer Buddy recommended, and her heart ached when she thought of Ashton. He should’ve been the one hammering out the agreement with Buddy and Taylor that would pay her more than a million dollars for the tour plus royalties for anything she recorded on their label.

It was overwhelming, but the constant activity helped to keep her personal worries on the back burner. She didn’t have time to think about Ashton or her dad or the tiny cracks that had appeared in her relationship with Reid during the last tumultuous week. And she still had to face her mother when she flew to Vermont on Friday evening. Until then, she pushed all her problems to the side so she could focus on her work.

On Thursday afternoon, Buddy dropped by the studio on the fourth floor of his office building to see how her rehearsals were going.

“Sounds real good, darlin’,” he said when Kate stopped to take a break. “Listen, we’re playing a benefit a week from Saturday, and we’d like you to open for us. It’s a smaller crowd, but it’ll give you a good feel for the concert venues.”

“How small?”

“Five, maybe six thousand. No biggie.”

Kate choked. “Five or six thousand people?”

Riley laughed at her reaction. “Should we tell her how many come to a show on the road, Buddy?”

Buddy smiled. “Nah, let her find out. Well, I’ve gotta get home. Oh, Kate, Taylor wants you to come out to the house the day after the benefit to meet the kids. She makes everyone we work with part of the family.”

“I’d love to. Tell her thanks for me.”

“I’ll let you get back to work,” Buddy said. “Just holler if you need anything.”

“Buddy?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

“My pleasure. Have a good time in Vermont.”