Page 67 of Another Postcard

“You heard me. Your time is up. I told you I’d back off a little while. And I did. We gave you two months, Brooklynn. It’s longer than your contract stipulates.”

“My contract…” She was clearly confused.

“Cooper told me to inform you that you’re expected to return to the tour for the final concerts. Starting with D.C. Next weekend.”

She straightened her spine and glared at me. “I told you. I’m done.”

“Did you ever read the full contract, Brooklynn?” I asked, knowing very well she hadn’t read ALL the fine print. Noah and I might have been a little underhanded with it. And if she had read it, she would have confronted me about it a long time ago.

“What are you talking about?” she asked warily.

I pulled the papers from my jacket and quickly stuffed them in hers so they wouldn’t get too wet. “Go home and read it thoroughly, Brooklynn. Seems like you aren’t fully aware of all the details. And we’ll see you on Friday. Or you’ll be in breach of contract and I don’t think you want to be in that hornet’s nest with the label.”

Then I held her chin a little tighter and covered her mouth with mine. I kissed her with all the love I’d been storing up for the last two months. When I finally let her go, she stood in a stupor and stared at me.

“We’ll never be done,” I whispered before giving her one more hard kiss and walking away.

39

Brooklynn

“Brooklynn, what were you thinking signing this without having a lawyer look over it?” Ollie, my lawyer, rubbed a hand over his shiny bald spot and then adjusted his glasses, peering at the paper again.

I shrugged and slumped back in my chair. It had been two days since I saw Levi and I was a fucking mess. Why did he have to show up at the very moment when I was the most vulnerable? Now I couldn’t stuff my love for him back in the box I’d been keeping it in. I made an appointment with my lawyer and brought him my contract with Stone Butterfly and the label.

“I was excited and I stupidly trusted Noah and Cooper.”

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re shit out of luck if you want out. It’s ironclad. You’re locked in for five years and—”

“FIVE YEARS?” I screeched and shot to my feet.

He leaned away from the force of my scream and winced. Then patted his ear and blinked. “Watch the lungs, Brooklynn. You’re going to pop an eardrum one of these days.”

“Sorry, Ollie. But get back to the five years.”

He pointed to a line on the paper. “Your contract is for the length of five years and has an option for three more. It includes two albums, another tour, the composition of at least one new song a year and—” he paused and looked closer. “Um, that’s unconventional.”

I sighed dejectedly, flopping back down in my chair. “What is?”

“It also stipulates that you share at least eighteen hundred meals with the band’s front man, Levi Matthews. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are acceptable, no snacks or dessert runs included.”

A bark of laughter escaped before I could swallow it. “What other bullshit did that fucker slip into the contract?”

“You, um”—a chuckle slipped out but he quelled it when he saw my dark scowl—“Sections C 7.4 stipulates that you agree to forgive Levi of at least, I’m quoting, ‘one fuck up a month.’ As well as an addendum that informs you he has agreed to the same stipulation and he initialed it here.”

Ollie pointed out a few other ridiculous things that Levi had clearly wrangled into my contract and I couldn’t help laughing.

“He said something about giving me two months longer to stay away than my contract stated. What was that about?”

“Oh, there is a provision for you to take a temporary leave if an emergency arises involving your sister, Baylee. It gives you six weeks at the most and if more is needed, you can work it out with the label on a case-by-case basis. Oh, and you have a non-compete.”

“What the fuck?” I shouted then immediately apologized when Ollie winced. “Sorry.” Now I knew why the fuck I hadn’t been able to get another gig.

He’d really covered all of his bases, hadn’t he? I was going to kick Cooper’s ass for getting the label’s lawyers to agree to this ridiculous document. I sighed. Apparently, I was still a member of Stone Butterfly whether I wanted to be or not.

I couldn’t deny that a part of me was doing a tiny little happy dance. I’d missed music and performing, but mostly, I missed the family I’d become a part of when I joined Stone Butterfly. And, I felt ready to let go, to find freedom from the chain around my neck that was my past. I’d finally let it all out during my visit to the cemetery. I wasn’t going to let those people have an effect on my life anymore.

“BK! For fuck’s sake, girl. You look terrible.” Simon had come running when he saw me but as he came to a stop in front of me, a frown marred his handsome face. I’d just arrived at the arena for my first concert since Rome. I was nervous, a new feeling for me. I’d never been nervous performing, just the occasional jitters after it was over. Simon’s familiar greeting went a long way in soothing my nerves.

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