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“What about your fans? Don’t you think they’ll be disappointed by the change? They love you for your wild rock’n’roll. Is there a chance you’re going to let them down with this change?”
I glance to Lacy and see her eyes go wide at the query. It’s a tough question. Josh knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s framing the question innocently enough, his eyes big and unassuming, but he’s also needling me in a subtle way. If I were ten years younger and a lot stupider, I’d be offended and get pissed. But I keep my cool.
“You know, I think my fans will actually love the new stuff. I’m grateful to have such a loyal fanbase and excited to share this new music with them. And hey, even rock’n’roll fans could use a bit of romance in their lives, right?”
“Well, speaking of romance… Of course, everybody wants to know who the girl from the livestream was, your sexy, nerdy songwriting partner?”
“That would be Lacy Kincaid,” I say with a proud smile. “She’s a stellar poet who’s preparing to launch a book of verses. And she’s been helping me with my creative process for this album.”
“Lacy Kincaid,” Josh repeats as he scribbles down the name in his notebook. “I’ll look her up.”
“You can meet her in the flesh after this interview,” I say with a chuckle, pointing to Lacy in the corner. She looks like a deer caught in headlights when she sees me.
“No way! Well, I’ve got the goods I need here anyway,” Josh says as he turns off the recorder on his phone.
I wave Lacy over to us, and she approaches shyly.
“So, you’re the songwriting marvel that’s responsible for Ben’s musical transformation,” Josh says, giving Lacy his hand to shake. “Very impressive.”
“Thank you, but I wouldn’t say I’m a songwriter. Or a marvel,” Lacy adds. “Just a poet.”
“Hey, some great songwriters were also great poets,” Josh says. “Joni Mitchell. Patti Smith.”
“Beethoven wrote some really poetic letters,” I add to Josh’s list.
“Yep. Another great one. So, let’s see, Lacy Kincaid, maybe you have a songwriting future ahead of you,” Josh says eagerly. “Especially if you’re hanging around this guy,” he says, giving me a nod. “Anything going on between the two of you? Off the record?” He asks, giving me a pointed look.
“No comment on that,” I say with a confident smile. “On or off the record. You know me, Josh, I like to keep my private life private.”
“That wasn’t always the case,” Josh says with a grin. “But I can respect that. Anyway, my time is up,” he adds. James is already hustling over, preparing to scoot Josh off to make way for the next journalist. “It was nice meeting you, Lacy. Ben, I look forward to hearing the new tunes at the listening party.”
“Thanks, Josh. See you soon.”
Josh saunters off.
“So, what did you think?” I ask Lacy.
“He seemed nice,” she says hesitantly.
“He’s a good guy.”
“But then some of the questions he asked…”
“You mean the one about disappointing my fans?”
“Yeah. It seemed kind of rude?”
“He was hoping to get a rise out of me,” I say with a shrug. “That’s his job, you know? Josh is one of the best. He’s withRolling Stone. You don’t get that gig as a music journalist if you’re dumb.”
“And the question about us…” Lacy says, her voice trailing off hesitantly.
“Again, an expert play on Josh’s part. He could have asked that question first. But instead he got me comfortable with some soft balls and had me feeling like I could trust him and confide in him. And then he made that ‘off the record’ request.”
“Nevereveranswer anything ‘off the record,” James cuts in as he bustles back over to us, picking up the tail end of the conversation. “Nothing is every truly off the record.”
“Yep,” I give Lacy a confident nod. “I learned that one the hard way.”
“But that seems so sneaky,” Lacy says, biting her lip anxiously. “How can you even sit down and talk to these people if they’re going to be duplicitous or ask rude questions like that?”
