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I flush as I walk forward, nodding. No matter how many times he tells me, it still feels strange to call him by his first name.
“Please, call me Fiona.” Fiona holds out her hand and shakes mine. Her grip is firm and sure. “It’s nice to meet you, Piper. Carl has been singing your praises.”
That’s surprising, considering he barely knew my name the last time I was in his office and I didn’t manage to complete the task he’d asked me to. But I smile and nod instead of saying that.
“And I was just boasting some more,” Carl says. “Not many employees would have flown to Texas at the drop of a hat. Impressive work, Piper.”
“Thank you.” I swallow. “I wish I’d been successful.”
“You did better than most, including me. Kyle hasn’t returned a single one of my calls or voice mails. And Kyle’s manager spoke highly of your efforts. You certainly did something right.”
“Braydenspoke highlyof me?”
I’m…shocked. We spoke for three minutes, if that, at the fair. The only way he would have said something about me was if Kyle had asked him to, and I ignore the way that makes me feel since I don’t have time to deal with it right now.
“Some artists fizzle out,” Carl continues. “It happens, and it’s why we have Fiona—so there’s always fresh blood coming in.” He glances at Fiona, then refocuses on me. “How would you like to help out with that?”
“You’re still transferring me to A&R?”
I was so worried about the potential consequences of not managing to get Kyle to sign a new contract that it never occurred to me I still might get a promotion. Carl has never struck me as the generous type.
He nods. “Assuming you’re still interested.”
“I—yes. Very interested.”
“Great. I’ll—” There’s a knock on the door. “Come in,” Carl calls.
Eva appears. “Carl, they’re hoping for your opinion on a call in the main conference room.”
Carl stands and buttons his suit jacket. “One moment, ladies.”
Fiona glances over at me as soon as the door shuts again. “Nice to meet you, Piper.”
“You too,” is all I manage in response.
I’m still in a state of shock.Years, I’ve waited for this moment, and now that it’s here, I can’t fully process it.
“You heard about Jason Martin?”
I nod. “I did.”
“Everyone will be focused on that for the rest of this week. Come Monday, it’ll be back to business as usual. We can introduce you around then, get you up to speed on how things run in the department.”
“That sounds great.”
She smiles. “Unless some new sensation comes up and we decide to leap on it. You never know.”
I hesitate, then decide I have nothing to lose. “I saw an unsigned band perform in Texas while I was there. They were good.”
“Does that mean Carl will get a new CD now that you’re back in the office?”
I feel my cheeks redden. Most artists submit digital demos, but I couldn’t exactly email the label head. For years, I’ve left CDs anonymously instead. Hoping one would land in the right hands and make a difference. “No.”
Fiona smiles. “I love the initiative. But I threw out my CD player eight years ago, so those all ended up in a drawer in my office. Do you have adigitalclip of this band?”
I’m surprised Carl gave the demo CDs to her. Disheartened she never listened to a single one.
“I do actually.”
