AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then you didn’t really narrow it down to two people,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “It was always just me.”
I laughed. “Kinda. You were pretty cagey, so we didn’t know what you were thinking or if you were truly interested.”
“Of course, I’m interested, but I’ve learned to be cautious. I’ve been burned enough times to know how fickle this industry is.”
“Not us,” I said firmly. “No games, no drama, nothing for you to worry about beyond the personality stuff we were talking about before. It might be a lot once we get into the thick of things. The press will be relentless, and like you said, there may be speculation as to how you got the gig. We plan to stay on top of all that, but we can’t control what other people say. We can only control our own narrative.”
“Of course.” She nodded.
“Sasha is going to be setting up interviews because that’s the only way to keep speculation to a minimum, so you’ll need to gear up for that because you have to be part of it.”
“I assumed as much.”
“As for money,” I continued. “I don’t have exact numbers for you, but whatever we make on the tour, you’ll make the same. Even if it doesn’t work out or you decide you don’t want to move forward with us after the tour, for those eight weeks, you will be a one-fifth partner in Onyx Knight and the profit will be split five ways. No expenses for you up front, everything is covered by the band, and Sasha will have details for you as far as projected profit. I honestly don’t know what we’ll net on a short tour like this, but I can guarantee it will be more than you make per year at the studio.”
“Oh. Okay.” She looked slightly shell shocked but then her face cleared, and she nodded. “Then hell yeah. I’d very much like to tour with you.”
“Well, all right!” Tommy got up and held out his hand, which she shook. The rest of us followed suit with handshakes and high fives as Z typed something into his phone.
“Sasha needs to know your availability for rehearsals?” he said. “She’ll be booking time for us. Probably about three weeks, four or five hours a day.”
“I’ll be free in ten days,” Devyn said. “I still have to work, but I can be flexible once my current project is over. The next thing on my schedule is basic, a jingle for a commercial, so we’ll knock it out in a day or two. Then I built some time off into my schedule to go visit my best friend in New York, but I can rearrange that.”
“Perfect.” Z typed something else into his phone before saying, “Sasha’s going to call you tomorrow to iron out some details.”
“Do you have an attorney?” I asked. “We have no plans to screw you over, but I’m sure you’ll want someone to look over the contract.”
“I do.” She nodded.
“Great. We can take care of those details while you’re finishing up your current project and then we’ll be ready to move forward.”
“I’m having a cookout at my house tomorrow afternoon,” Z said. “We’d really like it if you came. And you’re welcome to bring your grandmother. Mine will be there, along with my wife’s aunt, and my parents. It’s going to be a relaxed afternoon. Nothing but eating, drinking, and hanging out. It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other if you can make it.”
“Oh.” She looked startled, but then nodded. “Yes, thank you. That sounds lovely. I’ll talk to Greatty, see what she thinks. Should I bring anything?”
Z laughed, shaking his head. “No. Please don’t. My mother is going to cook enough to feed all of Beverly Hills.”
“Sounds fun. We’d love to come. Thank you.”
“Then we’ll see you tomorrow.”
We all exchanged phone numbers and then decided to play a little longer.
Devyn Cates was not at all what I’d been expecting, but I was as intrigued as ever.
In the very near future, I planned to find out everything I could about her.
6
Devyn
Greatty was far more excited about the cookout than I was.
I stressed about what to wear, what to do with my hair, how much makeup to put on, every little detail. Meanwhile, she’d fluffed her hair, put on lipstick, and announced she was ready to go, a tray of her white chocolate caramel sugar cookies ready to go, even though I’d told her we didn’t have to bring anything.
“Why are you nervous?” she asked as we drove towards Z’s house. “You’re one of them now!”
I chuckled. “It’s not that easy, Greatty. First, we haven’t signed anything, so it’s not official yet. And second…” I let my voice trail. There were so many potential issues. I wasn’t normally insecure, but this was different.
