Page 94 of Rock On

“Date night?” Mina asked with a grin.

“Family dinner with my son and sister. When they go to bed, then I’m hoping it turns into date night.”

“He’s so hot,” Harriett said. “I never thought I’d find a man other than my Diego hot, but Tommy fits the bill. Does he have a brother?”

I grimaced. “He does, but he’s not hot like Tommy. He’s already losing his hair and has a beer belly.”

“Aw, don’t hate on bald guys,” Mina said. “My husband was bald and sexy as fuck.”

“I’m not hating on bald guys, just this one in particular,” I said. “Trust me—not hot.”

“Are all the guys in the band in relationships now?” Freya asked, sipping the martini she’d ordered.

“Yeah,” I said. “Z’s with his wife Presley, and they have a two-year-old son. Kellan and Jesse just moved in together, and of course, the whole world knows about Kingston and Devyn.”

“Except me,” Mina said. “I don’t really follow rock and roll.”

“Well, Kingston is Onyx Knight’s lead singer. When their bass player passed away, they decided to hire a new one, and Carter left a note with his attorney that they should audition someone named Devyn Cates. So they did, and not only did they hire her, King fell in love with her. And if you knew him as long as I have, you’d know how crazy that is. He was the perpetual bachelor, a veritable rock god with a girlfriend in every city.”

“All it takes is the right person,” Harriett said softly, using her straw to absently stir her drink.

“And in the blink of an eye they’re gone,” Betty murmured. “Enjoy every moment, Harley. I’m not trying to be morbid, but I mean it.”

“Oh, I intend to,” I said. “We’re already talking about getting remarried. In Paris.”

“Oh my god!” Mina immediately lifted her drink for a toast. “Girlfriend, I expect an invitation. I’d fly to Paris for that!”

“Me too!” Harriett said excitedly. “Girls’ trip!”

“Oh, yes,” Betty said softly. “Please let us know.”

“I’d have to think about the timing,” Freya murmured, looking away.

“Well, it’s just talk right now,” I said. “We have a million other things going on anyway.” I sighed. “There is some serious crazy happening with the band that has to be sorted out before we can even think about a wedding.”

“Everything okay?” Mina asked curiously.

“Well, it’s a little complicated, but let’s just say that their old manager is trying to screw them over but we’ve got a plan.”

“Yeah?” Betty arched her brows. “Sounds sneaky!”

I hesitated. This stuff was private, but these were my girls from Harmony Place, and we’d shared far darker secrets there than anything to do with the band. “Kind of. There’s a whole thing with the master recordings of their first two albums. Their old record label had them sign a ridiculous contract that gave them a lot more control than regular contracts. It was never a big deal until their old manager went to work for another label, and promptly bought out the old one.”

“I’m already confused,” Mina said, wrinkling her nose.

“All you need to know is that this new label is trying to keep them from performing a couple of their biggest hits,” I said. “And—please keep this between us because it’s top secret—they’ve already come up with a plan. They’re going to re-record those two songs next week in Vegas, which means they’ll have brand new masters and can do whatever the hell they want with them!”

“That’s fucking brilliant,” Harriett breathed. “I love it.”

“Wow.” Betty looked impressed. “That’s hardcore. Excellent.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you have money and power,” Freya said wryly.

“Well, they were screwed over when they didn’t know any better,” I said. “So now they get to show them not to mess with the little guy.”

“Because little guys grow up to be bigger guys,” Mina said nodding.

“Good for them,” Harriett said. “It’s their music, right? They wrote the songs?”

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