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“I think they’d go much higher if you hold out,” I said. “That’s what I was planning to do, pit them against each other.”
“The reps still here?” Andy asked.
“No.” I shook my head.
He raised a brow. “They leave their cards?”
“Yes, but—”
“Collin and I will handle it then,” Andy said, cutting me off. “We’ll take over from here.”
Worried, I frowned. “If you say so.”
I’d been reading everything I could get my hands on about record contracts. The amounts the reps had offered for a group with a following as big as ABCR’s seemed too low. I also worried about the contingencies that had been mentioned. If the band broke any terms, they would owe payback amounts. Ditto if the album they eventually recorded didn’t meet the label’s expectations.
“Definitely handling the reps from now on,” Andy said. “Send them to me if they try to talk numbers with you anymore.”
“You really should get a lawyer involved,” I told him. “Before you agree to anything, even verbally.”
Andy gave me a look. “How are we gonna afford a lawyer?”
I gave him that same disbelieving look back. “Haven’t you been saving your portion of what Skellin has been paying you?”
When Andy hesitated, my brows drew together.
What expenses could he have? He had a place to stay with his grandmother, a nice place, and no future contingencies to plan for like I did. He should have a couple thousand saved just from his portion of the gig money. He was also in charge of the merch money. Surely, he hadn’t spent it. What would he spend it on?
“I’ve got some savings.” He shrugged. “But not enough to pay a fucking lawyer.”
“Maybe you could find one to take a percentage of whatever deal you cut.”
“I dunno.” Yet his eyes narrowed as if he were considering my suggestion.
“You should talk it over with the others.” I glanced around. “Where’s Rachel and Barry?”
“Barry took off with a couple of chicks.” Andy frowned. “Rach took off with a guy.”
“Your sister is coming to my house to spend the night,” Miranda said. “Remember?”
Fans gone, she closed the cash box and joined us. She handed the cash she’d collected to Andy. His job was to deposit the merch money into a band bank account. But now I wondered if it were wise to let him handle that with no oversight.
“What’s the balance in the band merch account?” I asked.
“I don’t recall offhand,” Andy said, not meeting my eyes.
At that, my wondering turned to outright worry.
ABCR might not be my future as I’d once naively believed, but it was my sister’s future, my boyfriend’s, and my best friend’s. If Andy was siphoning funds that belonged to all of them, that wasn’t cool.
“Andy ...”
Before I could finish, Collin turned me toward him.
“Babe.” His hands on my upper arms radiated heat into my skin. “I made some calls and reserved us a place to stay tonight. With Rach at Miranda’s, I figure you wouldn’t worry about her being alone at your apartment.”
He was right, and his consideration for my sister warmed more than my skin. It glowed in my heart.
He gave me a wicked grin. “Just think ...you and me and a king-size bed in a motel room all night.”
