Page 85 of If Not for My Baby
Tom stiffens. “What does he want?”
“To see you, obviously. Just a drink.”
“It’s nearly midnight. I’ll give him a ring tomorrow.”
“No,” Jen warns. “He is the chairman and CEO of Sierra Records. You’ll go see him now.”
“Sure, I know what it is Brad does,” Tom says evenly. “He lives here in the city. I’ll meet up with him this weekend.”
“He flies out tomorrow. He’s been trying to reach you all day.”
“I had a gig this afternoon.”
“And all night.”
“I was at a show.”
“Tom,” Jen snaps, voice more severe than I’ve ever heardher. “You know what this is about. Put on a clean shirt and go downstairs and meet with him. For the love of God, do it for me. Do it for your career.”
Tom’s jaw works as he thinks this over, and then he stands, towering over the three of them, and combs through his suitcase for a shirt. It’s a defeat of some kind, and though I don’t understand what’s just transpired, I feel the weight of it in my gut. He’s lost this round.
I stay put, toes curling in the coarse carpet. Indy and I make wired eye contact and Tom heads for the door behind Lionel and Jen. But not before he doubles back to cradle my face and give me a gentle kiss. It’s over as quickly as it’s begun. “I’ll be right back,” he murmurs with heat. “Don’t go.”
I nod, dazed. An entire militia couldn’t pry me from this room. He’s almost to the door when he adds, “And don’t change.”
Lionel makes asheeshsound and I cross my legs beneath his shirt. Jen rolls her eyes and the three of them leave, drowning Indy and me in utter silence.
“Holy hell,” she breathes. “He wants you bad.”
“Indy, oh my God.” Before my knees can give out I sit on the bed.
“Yeah,” she says, joining me. “That was nuts.”
“Everyone’s going to know now, aren’t they?”
“Correct. Lionel’s a talker.”
I bury my face in the sheets and moan my frustration. This is a disaster.
“It’s not that big of a deal. The band will keep quiet, the public won’t know.”
“It’s going to change the dynamic. Everyone will think I only got the duet because we’re fooling around. If word gets out, I’ll never be taken seriously for another tour.”
At that Indy’s brows rise. “You’d do this again?”
I hadn’t actually thought too much about it. But I can’t deny how thoroughly I’ve enjoyed life on the road. Even the never-vacant front lounge has become a comfort. I’ve made great friends, seen more of the world than my entire twenty-four years combined, and gotten to sing day and night. “Maybe, yeah.”
I pick at a loose thread in the duvet before curiosity bubbles up in me. “What was all that tension? About Brad and Tom and Jen?”
“Brad Engelmann has been pushing Halloran to sign on for another album. His last contract ended withKingfisherand the start of this tour was the end of his exclusivity.”
“So what? Doesn’t that mean Tom’s the one with the leverage?”
“I think Brad Engelmann is always the one with the leverage. The old whale basically runs the music industry. If Halloran doesn’t sign soon, I’m not sure they’ll ever do another album with him. It’s like akiss the ringkind of thing.”
“That’s slimy.”
Indy shrugs. “Kind of, but Brad’s all right. That’s just how this business works. It’s Jen’s neck on the line really. She’s Halloran’s manager. It’s up to her to make sure hekeeps making music and for the right people. It’s also her paycheck.”
