Page 95 of Rock On

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” I replied. “Thank god they knew enough to protect their writing credits. Unfortunately, everything else is a bit of a shit show. I don’t really understand it all. I’ve been a little distracted with my love life.”

“Are they playing in L.A. anytime soon?” Harriett asked.

“Not that I know of, but they usually do a few practice runs at random clubs before they hit the road, so if that happens, I’ll let you know.”

“I think I want to see them,” Mina said thoughtfully. “I’m going to look up their music on YouTube.”

“Look for a video for a song called ‘Shiny Pieces,’” I told her. “And you’ll see twenty-one-year-old me.”

“You were in one of their music videos?” Harriett asked, typing something on her phone. “Oh my god, here it is!” She turned her phone so everyone could see and we watched the video together.

A wave of nostalgia washed over me, looking at the past right there on the screen. Tommy and me on the back of a borrowed Harley. Carter racing down Sunset Boulevard in a rented Maserati. Kingston in a hot tub in a limousine surrounded by beautiful women, cruising down the Strip. Z at a club wearing what looked like millions of dollars in gold and diamond jewelry as he drank champagne. And Kellan lounging on a massive velvet canopied bed, set up on a pedestal, also surrounded by beautiful women.

All the shiny pieces of life in one rock anthem.

“That’s pretty catchy,” Mina said when the song was over.

“A few million people agree with you,” I said, laughing.

“You were so young,” Betty said softly, cocking her head. “And so in love. No amount of makeup or acting could cover that up.”

“That was when we’d been dating about a year,” I said. “We’d just moved in together and gone from dating to committed relationship. I was so excited to be in the video, and then not long after that, they released ‘Judgement Call,’ which went to number one. That changed the trajectory of their career. And mine, I guess.”

“Why yours?” Mina asked.

“Because I was an aspiring actress but once they started making money, I was focused on Tommy and I let my dreams fall away. And before you say anything about him, that was all me. He supported anything I wanted to do, but I felt like his career was more important. There were a billion hopeful blond actresses in Hollywood, but no one else had music like theirs or a lead singer like Kingston. You don’t see it as much in this song but listen to some of the albums. He’s amazing.”

“I’m a big fan,” Harriett said. “But I’ve never seen them live. There was never any time, always going from one movie set to the next. I won’t make that mistake going forward. I’m going to take the time to enjoy life. Money is important but not the most important thing.”

“For sure,” Mina said. “And trust me, no one knows this better than me. You get to be my age and suddenly all those piles of money mean less and less. Yes, I’m grateful that I can do whatever the fuck I want, but it didn’t keep my husband from dying. It doesn’t keep my old, wrinkled ass from shriveling up like a prune in the desert either.”

Harriett and I snorted with laughter.

Mina wagged a finger at us. “Don’t laugh. You’ll be me in thirty years, and though I’ll be dead by then, you’ll be thinking Mina was right! This sucks!”

“You look great,” Betty told her.

“Probably because she has the money for plastic surgery,” Freya said, shrugging. “Personally, I plan to cherish every wrinkle. They’re reminders of a life well-lived.”

Mina rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay, but when you have so many they roll on top of each other to the point you can’t see out of one eye and your nipples droop low enough to tickle your va-jay-jay, tell me you won’t be running for the plastic surgeon.”

“I know I will,” Harriett said.

“Same.” I nodded.

“Well, not me.” Freya shook her head. “My Harry loved me just the way I am and I’m not going to change anything.”

I saw Mina starting to say something I gave her a quick kick under the table.

There was no point in arguing, everyone was entitled to their opinion about stuff like that. There was a good chance Freya would change her mind as she got older, especially if she stayed in the public eye, but what did we care?

“So, tell me about this Paris wedding,” Mina said, getting the hint.

“You should get a couture gown,” Harriett added. “Have you ever worn Alexa Humboldt? She’s amazing, especially if you have a more rock and roll style. She did a lot of stuff for Casey Hart…”

Conversation turned to dresses and weddings and springtime in Paris, and I was caught up in the excitement. I was probably jumping the gun, but as we all knew firsthand, life was short. There was no reason not to enjoy every minute of it.

THIRTY-SEVEN

---