Cutting Ties

CUTTING TIESANNIE JO HAWNER Copyright ©2023 Annie Jo Hawner All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the publisher.The unauthorised reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain can lead to legal action and is punishable by up to six months jail term and a fine of up to £50,000.This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.All products, brand names, trademarks mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective holders/companies.Cover designed by Annie Jo HawnerEdited by Iris Peony Editing and Rian Haf KempFormatted by Annie Jo Hawner For the original 'Annie Jo Hawner'; my Nan.Thank you for introducing me to Eurotrash. PrologueAs the subtle reflection of my features become visible on the phone screen, I realize I’ve failed. The words of yet another rejection fade into blackness, taking with it my last shred of hope and leaving me with no choice but to look at myself and accept that it's all over. Tom was victorious. He did exactly what he said he would do.'... We wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavours.'Yeah, I bet you do. Asshole.I press the lock button hard and drop my head onto the counter, hitting my forehead a couple of times. I can’t avoid the agitation and frustration. I guess it’s better than the sadness and anger I used to feel whenever I was rejected. I doubt they even listened to it. Yet another demo I have spent hours on in the studio making sure it was absolutely perfect, utterly wasted. I’ve convinced myself that every company has a blocked list, with my name sitting right at the top, in bold, highlighted, and underlined, to make sure no one risks signing me. Not me, oh no. Tom’s made certain that no label will touch me after his lies."Remi," my mom’s hand quickly creates a cushion between my head and the countertop, "stop. You’re not wearing a hole in this granite.”My sister, Riley, chuckles beside me as I lift my head to look at her, putting an end to my tiny pity party, "Take it, it was another no?""Yeah…" I mumble, fed up with the fact that this has happened again."Assholes.""Riley!" mom warns, placing a fresh cup of strong black coffee on the counter she was so determined to protect my head from getting hurt. "Here, drink this." I offer her a timid smile, loving how she always knows how to make something feel better. "Are all the big companies contacted now?""Yeah, Ryan is distributing my demos out to some smaller labels and talking to people, but nobody is biting... I might as well just give up now."My mom raises one eyebrow and says, "absolutely not! You're not thinking like that. It nearly happened before it can happen again. And this time a cheating asshole won't get in the way!"The good thing about my mom? She doesn't let you wallow."Amen to that!" Riley adds, pouting and agreeing like she’s starring in her own episode of The View.I lift my coffee, gripping it tightly with both hands, and slowly take a drink, grateful that I took Ryan’s friend Mike up on his offer to work behind his bar. My parents are both practicing lawyers, but unlike them and Riley, I didn’t go to college. I've wanted to be a musician and perform since I was a little girl. Though my parents have been my biggest supporters, I don’t think that when they agreed to let me attend every dance class, have singing lessons, piano lessons, and guitar lessons, I would still have the same fantasy at twenty-three.The bar is a stopgap, and not at all what I thought I would be doing at this age, but the extra money helps my parents cover the studio bills, and Mike, the owner, lets me perform new material for the customers from time to time."If me and Yasmine come to the bar tonight, will you give us beer?" Riley pulls me from my thoughts, leaning across the island and talking quietly while our mom has her back turned to us, cooking some breakfast for us all. Her optimism is amusing—as well as stupid—because she has drunk in a bar with her best friend before, but not this one."Sure! Soda or root beer." Her enthusiasmdiminishes instantly, replaced with the mother of all bitch faces. "You have like two months, Ri!""Exactly, so you can sneak me a drink early. What difference does sixty days make?""The difference between Mike losing his liquor license, me losing my job, and you ending up in jail." Admitting defeat but still not happy, she stands up and mouths 'Bitch'. I mouth back 'Hoe' earning a gasp of feigned horror before she reaches across to smack me playfully across the head. I lean back before she can make contact, retaliating by sticking my tongue out at her. We argue and fight, but I do love the crazy girl—even if she steals my clothes and has an opinion about everything I do.Once it’s all ready, my mom serves up the eggs, bacon, and waffles and sits down beside me at the island. We do this almost daily because, for so long, it has been just the three of us. My parents amicably separated when I was nine and Ri was six, when they realized that they had become more like best friends than spouses. Well, that, and my dad came out as gay. The dynamics of our family unit never changed until he met Terry and moved away, but our dad has always remained such a significant part of our lives."What time are your lessons