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Did he know?

Did he know about Pepper and I?

“Salt,” Scott cut in. “Let’s go to my office.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Jeff didn’t say another word as we got up and left. Scott sighed once we were out of earshot. “Beefing with him isn’t a good idea,” Scott warned under his breath.

We went into his office and he shut the door.

“Can I ask you something?” Scott said, gesturing to a chair.

I took it. “Sure.”

“Is this whatyouwant?”

My brows shot up. “Do you mean… what do you mean exactly?”

“Everything.”

He was being vague. I knew that, but there was no way to discern what he was insinuating. His poker face was too good.

“It’s everything I want,” I said. “I love music.”

“And you want Rosethorn? You don’t have an agent or a lawyer. It’s good practice to have both of those before signing contracts.”

“I can get a lawyer,” I said. “Although, you are a lawyer.”

Scott chuckled. “I’m Rosethorn’s lawyer.”

“Are you trying to take advantage of me?” I asked.

“No, not intentionally. And this company is good.”

“How long have you worked here?” I asked.

“Four years,” he said. “Pepper hired me after the company acquired some big names. She’s the best.”

“And Jeff?”

Scott gave me a flat look. “I’m not at liberty to say. Let’s get into everything, but like I said, a lawyer isn’t a bad idea. Don’t rush into any of this, kid. It’s big stuff, and I’m nice enough to tell you that.”

“Thanks,” I muttered.

We spent the next hour going over contracts. Scott was fine. He was straight forward. He answered all of my questions about insurance, advances, and expectations. Pepper had prepared me well over the last couple days, and while I trusted her, she’d been clear not to trust everyone in the company. To ask questions, even though it was her label.

I could see why she hired Scott, though. He was patient and even gave me a couple of lawyer recommendations once I admitted I didn’t really know anyone. Nancy probably would have, but it was easier to go through Scott.

The hour flew by, and I was handed over to Lee and Kendra, who I liked a lot more. The two of them were way more relaxed and I liked the ideas they had. We spent an hour going over marketing plans and where I could grow, what I wanted my image to be like.

All of it was a whirlwind.

It was exciting. It was exactly what I wanted. And while I was very focused on the tasks at hand, I couldn’t help but think about Pepper.

Everyone but Jeff respected her. The way they spoke about her when she wasn’t in the room was entirely different from the way he did, and it made me wonder just how long he’d been talking about her that way.

It infuriated me.

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