I nod. Glance out the side window, then back to Adam. “She wants to sign with me.”
“No shit,” he repeats, this time with a great big grin on his face.
I laugh. “Yeah. I think she really likes the idea of being with a female-led label.”
Adam tips his head. “I think she really likes the idea of working withyou.” Then his expression turns a bit more serious. “Do you think it’ll satisfy Josie?”
That is the million-dollar question. “I hope so. I told her I’d check in with her after the show, actually.”
“Okay. You want to practice what you’re going to say?”
I grin and tip my head onto Adam’s shoulder. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this—someone I could lean on and come to for help with my work or whatever else I’m struggling with. That’s my own fault. Iris has been there. Josie has told me her door is always open. I was just too stubborn and proud to take them up on the offer.
I’m going to do things differently from now on. “Yeah. That would be great.”
I make Adam wait in the hall while I call Josie, too nervous to allow him to eavesdrop but too infatuated to send him any farther away.
Alone in the room, I take a moment to silently freak out before dialing. I hate myself for putting this off for as long asI did, because Adam was right—it would’ve helped my case to show her I was open to her suggestions. And considering she has ten years of experience on me and has probably seen plenty of bands on the verge of breaking up, if I’d told her about the tension in the group when I first caught wind of it, she likely would have come up with a better strategy than showing up to the brewery uninvited and asking them to please pick me.
But Adam is almost as good at giving pep talks as Iris, and I know what I’m going to say.
I hit the call button and as soon as she picks up, I blurt out: “I’m sorry it took me so long to touch base.”
“Better late than never,” Josie says, and her voice is wry, but I know it likely did irritate her to have to wait.
“Things have been very hectic out here. To make a long story short, it looks like Dempsey is breaking up, and Sheridan Dempsey is going solo. I’d love to hear your input on signing her.”
Understandably, Josie takes a beat to process this. “That… is not the update I anticipated. Have you already pitched her?”
“She approached me, actually. I told her I was interested, but that I’d need to speak with you.” I lick my lips, and continue before Josie has a chance to cut in. “Listen, Josie… I know my performance this past year has left a lot to be desired.” I’ve started pacing around the room, and I stop in front of the window. The Strip sprawls out below me, showy and artificial. “I know I have some bad habits I need to break, but I really,reallylove this job. I love working for you.”
Josie sighs on the other end of the line. “I’ve loved having you on my team as well, Eleanor.”
My stomach plummets.Past tense.
“I have to say, your lack of communication on this trip hasn’t exactly reassured me that you’re willing to implement my feedback.”
“I know,” I say quickly. “I know that. But I am willing—I’mmorethan willing to work on my approach. It just… took me a minute to understand what you meant when you said I needed to be a team player.”
Because most of what I know about the music industry, Griffin taught me. He taught me to play by my own rules, and I buried my head in the sand and ignored Josie’s advice for so long because Griffin also taught me it’s dangerous to put too much trust in someone else. For years I’ve been afraid of failing, and equally afraid to ask for help.
It’s infuriating, after all this time, still to be confronting ways that relationship fucked with my mindset. But I see it now, which means I can change it.
“I meant that I need you to come to me when you aren’t sure how to handle something.”
“Yes,” I say, nodding vigorously even though she can’t see me.
“And to trust that the policies I put in place are there for good reason.”
“I do,” I tell her. “I do trust you.”
A long, deep breath fills the silence. “Come to my office first thing on Monday. We’ll draw up the offer for Sheridan together.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and pull the phone away from mymouth as I flail around for a second, totally exhilarated. “I’ll do that,” I tell her, sounding a bit breathless. “See you Monday.”
I hang up and blow out a shaky breath, then grin down at my phone for another moment before spinning on my heel and heading for the door.
Adam is right there when I open it, sitting on the carpeted floor right next to my room. He lowers his own phone and lifts his brows. “How’d it go?”
