Page 14 of Love Deep
“I’m definitely not leaving my kid with you.”
“So, you’ll go? Your mom will definitely sit for you.”
I start trying to think about whether Iwantto go. Do I want to see Fisher? Do I want to miss the opportunity to see him again?
“Vagina,” Eva repeats.
“Okay, I’ll go. And you know what? I’ll bank an opportunity to terrorize you about something one day.”
She shrugs. “So be it. As long as you go tonight, you will not hear another V-word from my lips.”
I grab a head of cauliflower and dump it in my cart. My mom makes great cauliflower cheese. She and Riley can make it tonight. While I’m out.
SIX
Fisher
I’m scanning my emails to see if anything else has come in about Gerry. If he’s sniffing around Vivian, there must be other artists of mine he’s approached. I just don’t know if any of them would tell me. I don’t even know if Vivian would have told me about his call if I hadn’t been there when it came through.
My assistant, Frankie, messages me. It’s late in New York. She’s sent through a link. I click, and it’s a gossip site’s coverage of a celebrity party.
Why did she send me this?
I scan the text, then scroll down to see the pictures. It’s loads of people from the music industry in attendance. Then I scroll back up to see what I’m looking at.
The stars were out in force for music industry powerhouse player Gerry Banks’ welcome to Re Records party. He’s taken the position of CEO of the third-largest record label…
I don’t need to read any more. But I want to see who’sthere. I scroll down again, this time making sure I clock people in the background as well as the talent who the camera is focused on.
I scroll farther and farther down. He got a lot of big names to attend. It looks like no expense was spared. He certainly spent PR money on the party. Why else would a private party get so much media coverage—even if it did have some of the biggest music industry stars of the moment attending?
As I get closer to the bottom, I notice country artist Alison Banks is there. I screenshot it. She’s in the middle of a three-album deal with me. What the hell is she doing at a Re Records event?
And just before I hit the bottom of the page, another Right Records artist is pictured—Jax Cinq. He’s a pain in my ass. I’d happily hand him over to Gerry. It would take a load off my plate.
I’m pissed about Alison, though. I examine her picture more closely. Maybe she accompanied someone who has ties to Re Records. I can’t remember who she’s dating.
I type out a quick text to Frankie. She responds right away to say she’s already gone through possible scenarios, but Alison is secretly dating her manager, so it’s not because she was someone’s plus-one. I ask her to set up a call with Alison and shove my phone into my pocket.
I’m due over at Byron and Rosey’s cabin, and I don’t want to be late. I’ve been eating there most nights, so it’s not like it’s a big deal, but still. I expected to be having dinner with Vivian more often. I thought I’d even have taken her down to Grizzly’s by now. But she’s very low-key and incredibly low-maintenance. When she’s not in the studio, she just wants to hang out with her husband and kid. It’s great. But I feel a bit like a spare part. Especially with all this stuff withGerry going on. I’ve got more time to ruminate on it, and I wish I could be back in New York, where I’d be able to do more. In my experience, meeting in person is the only way to understand properly if someone’s telling the whole truth.
But I promised her manager I wouldn’t leave. Plus, keeping Vivian happy is more important than ever if Gerry is going to steal Alison from me—and presumably, he has other artists of mine in his crosshairs.
I head over to the cabin right next to mine. The security here is great. I don’t even lock my door. It’s like being transported back to the 1950s. Vivian has said a few times how safe she feels here. That’s what I wanted for her. As a mom, I’m sure safety for her family is at the forefront of her mind. I got that right. I just wish I hadn’t committed to Vivian’s manager that I’d be here all the time. She really doesn’t need me. But I only have myself to blame. I was the one who agreed to be here. I’m not going to go back on my word.
Rosey throws open the door with her typical enthusiasm. “Hey!” she says. “Juniper’s joined us for dinner.”
I look over Rosey’s shoulder to see Juniper talking to Byron. She turns, and it’s like the world shifts into slow motion. I swear I can hear rivers gurgling and birds tweeting as our eyes meet, almost like she’s putting some kind of calming spell on me. I raise my hand and give her a half wave, and she lets out a small smile that’s completely beguiling.
“Can I get you a beer?” Rosey asks.
“Sure, thanks.”
When I reach Byron and Juniper, I bend and drop a kiss on her cheek. She smells sweet and floral—that jasmine scent again. I breathe her in, and my heart rate drops, and my shoulders lower.
“So good to see you again.”
“And you. I didn’t realize it would be the four of us.” She glances over at Rosey.
