Page 41 of Crazy Love
“Or Manchester the following week.”
“Then there’s nothing after that until November.”
“Unless they can make it across to Sweden,” pipes the bespectacled one.
Even I think Sweden’s a bit far to go for an audition. All right, the distance isn’t so much the problem, as getting there. We’re not exactly loaded, the four of us.
“I’ll play,” Loveday says, her voice ringing out strong over the muttering of the two assistants. Her words silence everyone, and cause every head to turn towards her, mine so fast it actually hurts.
“I beg your pardon?” Callahan says.
She steps forward to the front of the stage, up to the microphone, so that her statement is clearly heard. “I’ll play bass for them, so that they can audition for you.”
“Lowdy,” Jessie protests. “What the fuck? What are you doing?”
“Giving them a chance. We’d never have had one if it wasn’t for them being here, and I don’t want them to miss out because of some stupid twist of fate.”
“That’s Dane’s band you’re talking about. The last thing we want is for them to get a gig supporting Black Halo.”
“No, it’s just the last thing you want. I hope they get it. I hope they succeed and that they’re just as big as Black Halo one day.”
“You fucking turncoat.” Jessie backhands her across the face. The slap’s excruciating sharpness, as it’s amplified the mic, makes me wince. “We’re through. You’re out. Bitch Slap doesn’t need you.”
Loveday simply straightens herself and levels a withering look at Jessie. “I’m not sure I need it.”
“Yeah, well…” Jessie turns on her pointy heels and stomps off, sounding like a psychotic race horse. Ivy throws Loveday an apologetic smile, but then follows.
“I really didn’t fancy going on tour,” she remarks to Callahan on the way past, prompting a bark of laughter from her former band mate.
Pride swells in my chest when I turn back to Loveday. There are tears swelling in her eyes, but she finds a smile for me and one for Dane when he hops onto the stage beside her.
“Do you know any of our tracks?” he asks. I’m impressed he’s focussed on practicalities and not enjoying the opportunity to gloat over Jessie making a tit of herself.
I climb up beside them, and Joel follows at my heels.
“Actually, there’s one I bet she knows,” I say.
Dane swirls round. For a second I think he’s going to punch me, in fact he swings, but then seems to change his mind and claps me on the back instead. “Are you insane?” he says between gritted teeth.
“She’s offering, Dane. Look what she’s just given up for us. I refuse to be a bastard about this. Besides, we need him—” I nod at Graham Callahan. “—to hear this. You heard the two ladies, his diary’s pretty chocka. It makes far more sense to do this now.”
“Except, we’ve never played with her, and we’ve never done this song with the bass section.”
“It’ll be fine, honest. I’ve jammed with her. She’s good, Dane. She’s fucking good.”
“Far better than Knox,” Joel adds, settling behind the drum kit. “And she doesn’t have a prawn habit.”
He’s walking a dangerous line with that remark, but thankfully Callahan doesn’t seem to hear it.
“Is this acceptable to you,” I ask our trio of judges.
“Sure,” Callahan waves a hand, then brings it down on his chunky thigh. “Fire away.”
“You all right?” I ask, returning to Loveday. “I’m sorry if it’s screwed things up for you with Jessie.” I incline my head in the direction her band mates have just run.
“It’s all right. I knew she’d freak, and she’d already threatened to give me the chop for consorting with you. So, what’s this song you want me to play? Have you got music?”
I bow my head to focus on my toes a moment. “You know the notes you wrote on my arse? You said you’d remember them. Can you remember them?”
