Dear Readers, Here is a newly rewritten chapter that integrates with the core of the original Wildcat Fall. This is the continuing saga. I would appreciate any feedback. Constructive criticism is important to me as I am rewriting this story. Thanks.

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Chapter Twelve
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As they rode to the train station, Lisa smiled. “We’re going to take the Amtrak Acela to Grand Central Station in New York. Once we get there, we need to go down to Greenwich Village. I thought we’d stay at the hotel where we stayed this summer.”

Teri was shaking her head. “How come we don’t just take our car service straight into the Village? It will be faster.”

Lisa touched Teri’s shoulder. “Uh, remember this whole trip is Ninja style. We’re not using our credit cards or leaving a paper trail. Remember, we were never there.”

Teri nodded. “Okay, good thinking. So we need to take a fistful of cash with us.”

Smith smiled. “I came prepared. I’ve got cash and my credit cards are separate from the Wildcat business.”

Jenn smiled. “My card is also just mine, too. I’m not part of the Cat Corporation.”

Teri grinned. “The Cat Corporation! I like that. I wonder if our business has a name?”

Pulling their luggage behind, it took an hour to get down to the Village. After checking in, they all had a chance to relax.

They walked around and looked at the shops, then had dinner at an Indian restaurant. They enjoyed listening to Smith tell stories of playing in New York ten years ago as an eighteen-year-old punk rock star.

They walked over to the club, and after Smith handed the manager a folded bill, they got an excellent table. As they sat down, a waitress greeted them and placed menus on the table.

They all ordered drinks and French fries for the table. They’d watched the four musicians set up and test their volumes. Finally, Jack Dempsey leaned into his mic. “Evening, folks. Tonight, we’re calling ourselves the Groundhogs of Punxsutawney. We’re a season early for Groundhog Day, but it was the first thing we’ve agreed to tonight besides the set list.”

They watched the drummer count off, then the bass, and Jack Dempsey started playing. The keyboardist began a blues riff that served as the intro to an old Muddy Waters song. Teri whispered, “That’s Your Hoochie Coochie Man. Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, and Willie Dixon, released in 1954.”

Smith surprised them all when he chimed in, “And written by Willie.”

They watched. Teri whispered, “That guy is good.”

Lisa smiled. “Beautiful voice, too.”

When they finished, Jack credited the other musicians. “Thank you,” he said. “As you’ve figured out, this is what old rockers do on the weekends. We still have our day jobs but love the music too much to give it up. Bill and Pete are studio musicians. And Rodger has invented too many toys for Cracker Jacks. He doesn’t need to work. That first number was a Willie Dixon song, but let’s switch it up with something by the Stones.”

The four of them all listened as the band did Time Is On My Side. Each one of them took a short solo, and each was perfect.

All of them were in awe throughout the whole evening. Occasionally, Teri had to discreetly get out of her chair, stand, and watch from the back. She deflated her inflatable donut when they snuck out before the lights came up.

As they were walking back to their hotel, Jenn was laughing. “Well, after listening to Jack, it’s obvious where the two of you get your talent. His band was great.”

Lisa turned to Smith. “Did you see the redhead?”

Smith smiled and shook his head. “This is one of those trick questions where no matter what I say, you’re going to punch me.” He rubbed his shoulder, anticipating a shot from her fist.

Lisa laughed. “She’s beautiful.”

Smith shrugged. “Yeah, but I only looked for a minute. I think she was with your guy, Jack. She just kept staring at him.”

Lisa rubbed his arm as she held it. “So I noticed. I also noticed that she wasn’t much older than me.”

As they climbed the stairs to their suite, Teri smiled. “He’s talented. Don’t you wonder why he was never a star?”

Jenn nodded. “Maybe he didn’t get the breaks. We don’t know the whole story.”

Lisa agreed. “I guess we’ll get all of that from Jessica when she gets done.”

After a good night’s sleep, they snuck back into Philly, hoping that Richard would never find out they’d disobeyed his instructions.

Teri and Jenn had driven out to the band house on Saturday afternoon, and on Monday, Teri was giddy to finally get back to work. She waved at Jenn heading back to Philly.

She and Phil were downstairs in the rehearsal area. “I want your opinion. I was looking at these twenty Christmas songs that Taylor and Beyoncé have sent me. I’m thinking about five standards, with three duets. That leaves ten solo cuts for each of them.”

Phil reviewed the sheet music that Teri had prepared. “Excellent work. Now, whose record label is releasing them?”

Teri smiled. “We have lots of choices. They each have their own companies, but I was thinking of proposing a third party to make the whole thing charity-based. Maybe pick something like donating everything to World Central Kitchen and let Bill Wiggins handle it through Warners.”

Phil agreed. “Total transparency would make it easier for everyone to say yes. And World Central Kitchen is international. They’re an impressive group that feeds anyone in crisis. ”

“That’s why I chose them. I was hoping everyone could get behind their charity. Say, Phil. Have you ever heard of this guy, Jack Dempsey, our sperm donor?”

Phil grinned. “Sure. Jack’s a well-known producer with album credits. And he’s an excellent musician. Speaking of that, am I not supposed to know that the four of you went up to hear him this weekend?”

Teri’s head snapped around and looked at Phil. “Huh? How’d you know?”

Phil was grinning. “Right. Simple, Teri. You forgot that dragging Smith along was a beacon to everyone in the room. C’mon, Teri. He’s a celebrity and in New York? A movie star, retired rocker. Right, nobody notices Smith and three beautiful women spending the evening watching the show. A friend of mine called me. They were at the bar when the four of you walked in. You know that band you heard is made up of studio musicians. I got three calls today about it all from friends in the industry. One guy who recognized you and Lisa even asked me if the Wildcats were thinking about replacing me with Jack as your producer.”

“Does Richard know that we went?”

“Nope. He would be upset over you going up there. I’ll just keep it a secret and hold it over your head.” Phil smiled.

Teri felt queasy. “I guess we were being reckless, but it was worth seeing him perform. He’s talented.”

Phil grinned. “Yep, I’ve heard that he’s good. He’s famous for tutoring young bands in the studio.”

“Well, how come he’s never cut an album and made a name for himself?”

Phil shrugged. “Fame’s not for everybody. Many producers find their satisfaction behind the scenes. Not everyone likes the bright lights. It’s a young person’s lifestyle.”

“So that’s it?”

“Well, you’re much more than a performing talent. This entire project with Beyoncé and Taylor is a great example of what you’re capable of achieving. You’re not intimidated by arranging and producing a whole album right off the top of your head. And you have no trouble composing material, either. Add that to a great voice and the ability to play whatever you touch; not too many people have that gift. You’re one of a kind.”

“Wow, thanks. So you think that it’s more than DNA, huh?”

Phil laughed. “Sure. Your Mom raised you in a loving environment, letting both of you find yourselves. Lisa’s spent her whole life doing what she loves. And Amy provided you with whatever support you needed to pursue your musical career. She’d never said no to either of you. She’s pretty encouraging.”

“Yeah, she’s terrific. And I suppose we should thank her a million times for everything she has ever done for us. I’m glad that she and Conor are together.”

Phil smiled. “Well, just remember, you are the spark that excites the Cats. Richard and I heard the old four-piece band several times. They were great, but couldn’t light up a big room. When you got on the stage, it was a different band. I heard all the new arrangements and that third voice. Honestly, from my perspective, you were the fifth finger in the glove.”

“Am I the pinkie?”

They both laughed, and Teri surprised herself by hugging Phil. “Thank you.”

Phil blushed and squeezed her back. “Working with you and the Wildcats has been a dream. I enjoyed slogging around this Summer while we toured. I enjoyed the crowds cheering while I was sitting in the middle of the audience, controlling the soundboard. I’m looking forward to going to Europe with the entourage in tow. This will be the closest I’ll ever come to being a grandparent.”

“You’ve spoiled me, Phil. I never realized I’d find a producer who could be so patient in teaching me the ropes. I was completely lost the first time we recorded. Now, I enjoy the quality of sound we get from the band. But I have a question. Whatever happened to EBR and their record release? We did all that arranging and rehearsing.”

“I was talking to Wiggins. EBR is different. Their album is finished, and he said it’s pretty incredible. The band used all of your suggestions for arrangements. Warner’s has released two songs to critics and a few key radio stations to gauge their reactions. Naturally, Spotify and some others got copies, too. The idea was to build momentum and spark listeners' interest in wanting to hear more.”

Teri cheered. “That’s great. What’s next?”

“The band doesn’t want to tour behind the album, so things are moving slowly. None of them seems eager to rush things.”

Teri thought for a minute. “I wonder if they’d be interested in coming over to Europe for a few selective shows? The whole band and their families might enjoy a vacation. Maybe we can extend the same offer to the Flower Sisters and their families, like we did in New Orleans and LA. I can imagine a few Wildcat cuts recorded in live in Rome or Paris on the second album.”

“Now that’s a great idea.”

Teri was on a roll. “Warner could build a mobile studio to ship over to Europe. We could convince EBR to do a live show and record a record. Heck, how neat would that be to rock an album in Paris!”

Phil stared at Teri. “I’m sure that Bill Wiggins would fund a recording studio.”

Teri shook her head. “I’m just throwing out ideas.”

“Second album? You think the Cats are going to have a second album by the time we go to Europe?”

Teri hesitated. “Maybe. We’ll definitely have lots of new cuts by June. I don’t know what the Saturday Night Live crowd wants to hear. Would they want recycled hits or new stuff?”

Teri thought for a minute, then answered her own question. “How about if we do twenty-four bars of Run, Run, Gone! and then flip into something new? And I want to have a bunch of my Vampire Opera tunes ready to go by then. The original idea was to slide a few songs into the new album. I was thinking about incorporating some of the first album songs into the opera, too. By the time we release the third album, we’ll be ready for Broadway.”

Phil smiled. “Have you thought about who’s going to play the romantic leads?”

Teri stopped for a minute. “No. How cool will that be? But that’s for the experts. My ego doesn’t demand I be the top dog. And I don’t know the first thing about performing on Broadway.”

Teri buried herself in the Christmas project, then made a few FaceTime calls, and then talked with the producers about the Christmas project. They’d agreed to get the set list submitted for approval and, once they heard back, start work in the studio.

When all of that was decided, Teri used their limo service and headed back down to West Philly.

When she walked through the door, Jenn looked up. “What’s up? Is everything okay?”

Teri kissed her lovingly. “Oh, it's all good. We’ve taken the Christmas project as far as we can until we hear back from Taylor and Beyonce.”

“Do you talk to them?”

“Nope. I’m just in discussion with their people. I doubt that I’ll do much more than arrangements. They each have producers who will probably want to call the shots.”

Jenn smiled. “How crazy would it be if they wanted to record at Electric Lady Studios and use Jack as their producer? You and Phil could hang out in the background.”

Teri shook her head. “That would be spooky kind of stuff. I would love to just talk to him. But telling him about Lisa and me might send him over the edge.”

“Oh, yeah. You should ask Jessica to take a look at the young woman he had with him at the show. She’s young. Maybe that’s his daughter.”

“Nah, definitely a girlfriend.”