Page 17 of Fa-La La-La Land
“Okay. Does she text?”
Rhys scoffs. “She’s old, but she’s not dead. She texts.”
That makes me smile—Rhys making a joke. That’s a relief. “Okay. So, should I plan the pool party barbecue thing with her?”
“Nah, I’ll handle that.”
“Great. I don’t think it’ll take much planning, you know, just like burgers, drinks, maybe some salad and veggies.”
Rhys goes still. “Speaking of burgers—wasn’t expecting to be the heifer in your analogy back there with Danny.” He waves his head in the general direction of VibeHouse.
I blink, then burst into laughter. “I’d almost forgotten about that.” Rhys’s pinched face tells me he hasn’t, and I pull back mysmile. “I use examples like that for leverage. People like Danny—who think they know it all—need to be reminded they don’t. So I brought up a subject I figured he’d know nothing about and leveled the playing field.”
Rhys doesn’t look convinced I’ve done him a huge favor.
I step around him to unlock my car while explaining my strategy. “A big exec like Danny knows nothing about living in a small town. He thinks he’s entitled to the most expensive steak for dinner because he’s rich. He has no idea what goes into making that steak taste as good as he wants it,” I say gently.
But the fact is, Rhys is a bit clueless too when it comes to what Danny’s doing to him. He looks at me with his hands on his hips, suspicion and accusation written all over his face.
“You would have preferred to be the bull, right?” I let go of my door handle and face him again.
“That oughta be obvious,” he says dryly.
I hit a deeper nerve than I realized.
I let out a breath. “The thing is, Rhys, you’re the one getting screwed by Danny—and he knows it. That analogy was about making him feel like he’s in charge, while also opening his eyes to your value, because he’s taking you for granted.”
I worry I’ve been too direct after already bruising Rhys’s ego once today. Slowly, the corners of his eyes crinkle, but he doesn’t look mad about what I’ve said.
“Heifers do the work. They’re the ‘talent’ Rhys, the most important component. Everything starts with her.”
Rhys raises his eyebrows and looks almost tension-less. His square jaw unclenches, and I see the piece of the Rhys I know loves performing. No one can act that well. I just don’t think he loves what he has to do on stage anymore.
I step closer and grab his upper arm, needing him to understand my point. “You should want to be the heifer. You shouldknow your worth, Rhys.” An idea hits me, and I squeeze his arm harder. “In fact, that should be your mantra!”
“Be the heifer?” An angry crease appears between his brows.
I laugh. “Know your worth. That’s your mantra.”
His face softens.
“Say it,” I demand.
“Here?”
I purse my lips and cross my arms.
Rhys glares before muttering, “Know your worth,” through clenched teeth.
I grin. “See! That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Rhys shakes his head once, trying not to grin himself.
I drop my hand from his upper arm to his wrist. “That’s what I was trying to get Danny to see, and I think he did, even if he doesn’t know it yet. But you have to see it first if you want him to.”
He studies me with a look so intense, it makes me very, very nervous, and I can’t quit talking. “At the very least, I got you a small get-together with friends and time alone to write the song you need instead of being forced to go out to parties, socializing…doing all the stuff you don’t want to do right now.”
Rhys’s mouth pulls into a smile. His blue eyes have that sparkle I’ve seen in so many of his videos when he’s on stage or when he’s talking about music.
