Page 100 of Reckless

“I really appreciate you choosing me for this interview, Jude.”

My eyes flick to Fisher and back again. “Sure,” I say. She doesn’t need to know I have no desire to be here, never mind choose her.

“We’ll film the whole thing in one go and cut out anything that doesn’t need to stay in. Is that okay?”

“Fine,” I agree and just because I’m a dick, I check my watch.

“We must get approval of the final segment before it airs,” Fisher states from behind us.

“Of course,” Ivy smiles at him. “It’s in the contract.”

As she shuffles her notes and the camera guys do their thing, I think about Krista and what she’s doing right now. What would it be like if she were here with me now? What would she think of Ivy, who keeps uncrossing and crossing her legs trying to draw my attention to her thighs. My eyes never stray there. I’m not interested in the slightest.

Knowing she makes a habit of getting involved with the celebrities she interviews makes her even less appealing.

The cameras roll and I wait while they record Ivy’s introduction and the reason we’re all here. Once that is done, she focuses on me. I look at her, not the camera.

“So Jude, first, I hope you’re doing okay during your break from Reckless Soul.”

“It’s not my break from Reckless Soul,” I say, keeping my voice light. “The band is still whole. We’re taking some time to recalibrate after a long period of touring. Everyone needs time off. I’m sure you’ll agree.”

“Of course, and that is great to hear.” She doesn't let on that my reply irked her.

She’s trying to dig and find out if there is a rift.

“Everyone is aware of the unfortunate news coming out about your manager defrauding the band and stealing money from you. How did you feel about that when you found out?”

Jesus Christ. Her landmines are coming in hard and heavy. I’m used to this shit.

“Not great, Ivy. Finding out our manager was stealing from the fans was hard to hear. We appreciate the fans so much. To hear they’ve been taken advantage of like that hurt all of us.”

Fisher puts a thumb up behind Ivy’s back. Dick. I know how this game works. I don’t need him praising me for knowing how to prevent myself from being backed into something that isn’t true.

“It must have hurt you and the rest of the band.”

“Of course, I mean, Cody was with us for three years and we never realized what he was doing. That’s tough, you know. When you trust someone and that trust is broken, it’s difficult to wrap your head around.”

She can see she will not get me to complain about losing money, making me look like that is all we care about.

“This all happened around the same time the band announced they were taking a break from performing for a while. Can you tell us a bit more about the break?”

“Hold up.” Ivy looks at Fisher. “We discussed this, Ivy. The band put out a statement two months ago about the break. And the reasoning behind it. That is old news. We don’t need to go over.”

“Right, I’m just following the flow of questions.”

“Well, skip that one.”

Shit. Maybe Fisher isn’t as bad as I thought. I remain quiet through the entire exchange. Ivy looks back at me with a smile, agreeing to skip that and repeats the initial part of her question, adding on ‘was it a coincidence?’

“We didn’t find out for a few weeks after the announcement. The first we heard about it was when the investigation started.”

“And your previous manager was arrested.”

“Yeah.”

Ivy’s face takes on a compassionate expression for the camera. “Quicksilver Entertainment has made a statement about refunds being made to fans, not just for the cancellation of the gigs you were scheduled to perform, but also for the additional money they were charged, which your previous manager was allegedly skimming from the label.”

I just stare at her. I’m not sure what her question is, and she’s answered whatever it was she is insinuating.

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