"So, what do you think Lance?" he asked casually when he arrived at the studio.
"Where did you find these guys?" Lance replied. "They're brilliant."
"You think so?"
"Heck yeah."
"They actually sent us a demo, that was a little," Zac winced and waved his hand. "But Carmen heard it and told Ike she liked them so Ike looked further."
"Carmen?"
"One of his daughters."
"Oh. Yeah, of course. Duh. They have a million of them, I should have assumed that," Lance grinned.
Zac grinned back and went on:
"Ike thinks Carmen has Babsie's musical intuition."
"Ahh. Well, if Carmen's responsible for these guys getting signed, then I'd agree with Ike. They're a really talented bunch Zac, and if they don't make it big, then there's something wrong with the general public."
Zac laughed.
"How old is Carmen anyway?"
"She and her twin Esme are 12. And I only remember that because they're born the same year as Hope."
"Twelve?" a voice repeated behind them. "The opinion of a twelve-year-old girl is why we're here?"
Lance and Zac turned.
"Oh, hey Dylan, this is Zac Hanson. Zac, this is Dylan Parker, lead singer of Monkey Business."
Zac held out his hand and Dylan shook it, still staring at them with an expression on his face indecipherable to Zac.
"A twelve-year-old?" he asked.
"A twelve-year-old who knows what she's talking about," Lance observed.
"But a twelve-year-old?"
"You should thank her," Zac commented. "If it hadn't been for her, Ike may not have gone to the concert. And he was super-impressed with the concert you did."
Dylan looked uncertain.
"From what I remember about Carmen, once you get her talking about music, you can't get her to shut up. It's as bad as talking to Babsie - her mother."
"How is Babsie anyway?" asked Lance.
"Still in a coma. It's been well over a year now. Frankly, I'm beginning to wonder if she's ever going to wake up."
"Ouch. How's Ike doing?"
"Better. When she first went under I thought he was gonna crack."
They chatted a little longer then Zac started listening to the recording session. Dylan was evidently upset by what he had heard about Carmen and he must have told the others. But Zac, like everyone else, was impressed with the music and quickly reassured the guys, in not so many words, that they would not have signed them if they didn't have faith in those who recommended it. He also ended up inviting them over for dinner that evening.