Page 25 of For Eva

Holy shit.

I picked up my pack of cigarettes from the counter behind me and fumbled with my lighter. “So, then, you know them?”

Mandy let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, I know them. And meeting you is a sign. This is the push I needed to do whatever it takes to convince Alan—that’s my boss—that he’s basically cutting off his own dick if he doesn’t bring them on.”

I choked on the smoke I’d just inhaled, amused by Mandy’s intensity.

“Well, okay, then. Thanks so much,” I finally managed. She smiled and I paused, considering the words on the tip of my tongue, wondering if I could sprinkle in a kernel of truth to make them easier to say. “And you’re right, Eric’s crazy talented. I think he comes off as difficult because he cares so much about the band. But he’s really a great guy.”

I wondered if my nonexistent poker face had given me away, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Just consider this an extra thank you for last night. Plus, it shows the boys’ club at the label I know what the hell I’m doing.” She winked and scribbled information about the show in her notepad, then sucked down the rest of her vodka. “But there’s one thing I need from you, Eva.”

I nodded. “Yeah, sure, anything.”

Mandy leaned forward, pushing her finger onto the wooden bar top. “I need you to make sure those fuckers play the best show of their fucking lives.”

ELEVEN

Danny

April 1988

“What if we change the key from C to D?” Eric tossed his worn notebook beside him on the couch. “It works better with the lyrics.”

“And we slow the tempo down. Not a lot, though. I don’t wanna lose too much of that aggression,” I said, glancing up from my guitar.

Eric nodded. “Exactly.”

I played a slower chord progression in D. “Yeah, I dig that. And then I can start the solo after that line about ‘you couldn’t drag me down.’”

“Yep.” He turned up his bottle of Jack before offering it to me.

I gave the guitar a final strum, then propped it against the sofa and took a drink. “Damn, this is gonna be good. Really good.”

“I don’t wanna get all fuckin’ weird, but we make a good team, Kincaid.” He leaned back and lit a cigarette. “Which is why I don’t know about that chick of yours.”

My head dropped as I set the whiskey on the coffee table.

Here we fucking go again.

Eric hadn’t been thrilled about Eva moving to LA. Pissed the fuck off was more like it. I’d put off telling him until the last minute, tacking it onto the end of a conversation about the set list right before she showed up at the Long Beach gig. I knew I should’ve told him before then, but in my defense, hehadended up singing the shit out of every song during that show, his anger masking itself as passion to anyone who didn’t know better.

I rested my elbows on my knees and scrubbed my hands over my face. “Dude, I don’t get it. You havezeroissues with Angela. Matt and I have both had girls come and go, and it’s never been a big deal until now.”

Eric turned toward me. “None of those girls besides Angela were ever serious. She was around before I was. Will and her are gonna grow old together and all that shit. But…”

I narrowed my eyes. “But what?”

“But the main thing is Matt and Will aren’tyou.” He reached for the bottle on the table. “You and me write the songs. Yeah, they’re a big part of our sound, and they bring in ideas. It’s not that theycan’tdo it. It’s just that we’re better at it. You know that, and so do they.”

I bobbed my head in agreement. It was true. We all had our roles, and the dynamic worked. But that wasn’t gonna change with Eva around.

“Look, I know that week she was visiting I wasn’t around as much as I should’ve been,” I admitted, pulling my pack of Marlboros from my shirt pocket. “But it’s not like I’ve missed gigs or writing sessions or rehearsals. I call Gina every fucking day to find out who she’s talking to and who wants to talk to us. So, I don’t understand why you’re being so fucking dramatic about this.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Because you said it yourself. You ditched her because you thought she was gonna hold you back.”

“Man, that was over two fucking years ago when you first joined the band,” I mumbled, lighting my cigarette. “We were drunk and talking shit about how we couldn't let anything stand in our way. You don’t know the whole story with Eva and me.”

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