Page 8 of Cadence
“Congratulations!”
A loudpop, followed by the distinct sound of liquid spraying everywhere, fills my ears the second I step inside. Olive wiggles her hips, leaning forward to catch the fizz sloshing over the neck of the champagne with her lips, her eyes wide as it drips onto my floor. She laughs, shoving the bottle into my chest, wiping her hands down her jeans and tugging me inside.
“Tell me everything,” she beams as she kicks the door closed and guides the drink to my lips, tipping it upward. “What did they say? What were they like? I cannot believe you’re going to go on tour!”
“Woah, slow down.” I chuckle, my bag sliding off my shoulder to the floor with a thud. She follows me into the kitchen, watching as I set the presumptive celebration bottle on the counter and wash my hands. “I don’t even know if I got it.”
“What?” Olive says, sounding affronted on my behalf. “Why the fuck not?”
Grabbing two glasses from the cupboard, I start pouring. I might not know if they want me, but I’m not letting good champagne go to waste.
She squints at me, head tilting to the side like she’s only just noticing how tense I am. “Wait… You don’tthinkor youknowyou didn’t get it?”
I sigh, leaning against the counter. “No. I don’t know for sure, but considering the lead singer flat-out, with zero hesitation, saidno, I’m not holding my breath.”
And sure, I can take rejection. I’ve gotten worse in this industry. But this felt personal. He didn’t just pass on me; he took one look and made up his mind before I even played.
“I know you don’t want to, but why don’t you ask your dad to put a word in for you?” she asks, a sympathetic frown marring her delicate features.
I shake my head, my jaw tight. “No way. It’s bad enough he’s the reason I knew about the audition in the first place.”
Olive blinks, her glass pausing halfway to her lips. “Sorry, I’m confused. I thought you just said you didn't want to use him?”
“I don’t,” I say quickly. “I mean Ididn’t.Not exactly.”
Her face screws up, and I groan, lifting my own glass and downing half the contents.
“I was meeting him for lunch at his office a few weeks ago, and I overheard one of the execs talking about how Reign Cooper had just signed a mid-level band but their drummer had quit at the last minute,” I say in one breath, thinking back to the day I was standing in the lobby, trying to listen without being obvious. You can’t make a stink about not wantingDaddy’shelp if you’re eavesdropping in the one place where he holds all the cards. “He said they were scrambling to find a new drummer before the tour.”
Her eyes narrow slightly. “So you looked into it yourself?”
I nod. “Yup. Did a little digging and found out where the auditions were being held and when and emailed their manager.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I swear, it was all me.” My eyebrows practically disappear into my hairline as my voice rises an octave higher than normal. “Dad had no idea until I called him and told him I had an audition.”
Her skepticism morphs into a knowing grin. “That’s veryyou.”
“Erm…thanks?”
“No, I mean it,” she says and raises her glass in a toast. “That might just be the most PaigeEriksonthing I’ve ever heard. You hear an opportunity and make it your own. No shortcuts.”
I smile, unable to stop the small seedling of pride starting to grow in my stomach.
“Enough about me and my potential epic fail at my first ever audition. What did you do today?”
Olive’s quiet, swiping on her phone, her lower lip clamped between her teeth.
“Hello? Are you even listening?” I ask, refilling my glass.
“Yeah, I am,” she says, but she sounds distracted. She glances up from her screen before turning it to face me. “Remind me, which one is he again?”
Rolling my eyes, I lean across and point out Maddox. Her eyes widen, her attention bouncing between me and the image before she yanks the device closer, zooming in on the photo.
“Damn.Maybe I should audition,” she teases.
I scowl, hiding the way my lips twist behind my glass, because that bothers me more than it should.
