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Jordan places his hand over mine, making me flinch. I’m definitely spiraling. Taking a breath, I remind myself that my uncle is on my side.
“I almost wish you would press charges on the dickhead,” Mr. Terrick mutters. “As much as this conversation is uncomfortable, we are on your side. If it felt differently than intended, that’s our fault entirely. You may be James’ daughter, but we’ve had the honor of watching you grow up into this beautiful, intelligent woman.”
“You’re going to make her cry,” Mr. Laurence chuckles. “He’s right, though. I’ve been wanting those three off our concert circuit for ages, so this allows me to fire them. They won’t be hired by another band that we manage. They’re now banned from working with us.”
I really was very close to crying before he announced that. My jaw drops in surprise. “Really?” I gasp.
Music Horde Recordshas a huge reach, and the fact that they're insistent on doing this means a lot.
“Lay,” my uncle admonishes. “We’ve fucked up with Lennon in the past by working her too hard and ignoring issues with her support team. There’s no way we’re doing the same to you. The second Zeke started getting aggressive he should have been gone.”
“That’s the issue. It was more creepy than aggressive, but he’s such a big guy. It could have?—”
“Yes,” Mr. Allen growls. “I don’t want our minds to go there because it’ll piss me off even more. I’m really glad that your boyfriend—Tyler?”
“Yes.” I nod, waiting to see where he’s going with this.
“I’m glad Tyler is staying with you more. What does he do for a living?” Mr. Allen asks. They’re not really this interested in my love life, not that it’s anything crazy. Whereas Lennon and her men were often caught having sex in public, I’m a bit more reserved.
“He recently opened his own business doing IT work about a year ago,” I explain. “He has contractual work that he can do anywhere, so he’s been spending more and more time with me.”
“How much time?” Jordan asks, a slight gleam in his eyes. I don’t know what it means, but the three men in front of me appear to be plotting.
“A few days out of the week?” I guess. Tyler lives in an apartment that he sublets for cheap. It’s in a great area of Georgetown, and we’ve been discussing if he should even keep it with how much time he’s on the road.
I have a cottage on Lennon’s back property that I stay in when I’m in town, so it’s not like we’d be homeless…
“Is there anything keeping him from being with you more often?” Mr. Laurence asks.
Nose wrinkling, I decide to call the old men out. Not that they’re all that old, but clearly they’re acting oddly.
“Spit it out,” I warn. “You’re up to something.”
God save me from wiley, old music industry men.They’re not fooling me.
“We have a band without a lead singer currently,” Mr. Allen says slowly. “You’re without a band it seems, so it makes sense for us to meld you together. However, the band is composed of all men and we need to pull your uncle for some work.”
“I don’t really like throwing you in with another band because it’s hard finding the right people to work with,” Jordan admits. “I want to stress that this is on a trial run basis only. If there are issues, please tell me. No more of this suffering in silence bullshit, Layla.”
“Who is this band? What happened to their lead singer?” I ask, ignoring his demands even as he glares at me. He’s a teddy bear with me for the most part, so I’m going to take my chances.
“Lyrica Travers withPull Down the Moonis currently in rehab,” Mr. Laurence tells me. My head tilts as I think about who that is. Nothing pops into my mind so I shake my head, looking confused. “She’s really big on the international scene, and has been overseas for the last six years.”
“She overdosed last week,” Mr. Allen sighs. “It’s been a bit of a mess, and we told her that she needs to be completely clean before we’ll have her back. So now we have a bass guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer without a band. They won’t be split up, so this may be their best option.”
I would ask for their names, but I still live in a bubble. I tour, only meeting other musicians if they open for me or vice-versa, and then I’m home to play with my nieces and nephews. The rest of my time is filled with my sweet, growly boyfriend who enjoys making my toes curl… often.
Forcing my thoughts away from Tyler, I think about what the label’s executive board members are offering me. A fresh start.
“Will I be touring overseas then?” I ask. I wouldn’t be against it, but I have ties that keep me in the US. Is this why they asked me if Tyler would be willing to stay on tour more?
“I can hear your thoughts from here,” Jordan chuckles. “The band returned to U.S. soil yesterday, and are already aware that they may be joined by a new lead singer. They want to continue touring and making music, so they’re open to it. We haven’t told them who it is yet. Figured you could meet together in a couple of days and see how you blend together.”
“It’s hard to find a perfect mesh,” Mr. Allen sighs. “I’m hoping this works, but if it’s a hardship and things go sour, I need you to promise me that you’ll speak up.”
“It really would be perfect if Tyler can join you on tour if you do decide to make a go of it,” Mr. Terrick says, twisting his lips in thought. “Do we have any work we can contract with him?”
“Well, I do Layla’s website, social media, and new music announcements,” my uncle says with a shrug. “I really hate assistants. None of them ever work out, and they just manage to piss me off.”
