Page 80 of Just Business

The three of us walk to where Doug is already standing waiting at his office door. After offering us all a bottle of some fancy as shit water, he motions for us to have a seat. As he circles around to his oversized, gaudy desk, we settle in, the air practically crackling with tension.

Tyler clears his throat, breaking the silence. "Doug, as you know Austin’s contract is coming up for renewal."

Doug raises one bushy eyebrow. “If I’m not mistaken, he still owes us one more album.” He directs the statement at Tyler like I’m not sitting right here.

“Correct. So we’d like to fulfill the contract with a live album,” Tyler says. Doug gives a short, dismissive snort, and I feel my hackles rise. I can already tell he’s not going to go for it, but Tyler presses on. "Hear us out. Austin has two more concerts coming up. We’ll record both and pick from the best.” He turns to Kate. "Any word from Albuquerque and Denver?"

"I have,” she replies, scrolling to something on her laptop. “As luck would have it, they both have openings soon." She flips open her day planner, which is crammed with sticky notes. “The venue in Albuquerque can do three weeks from now and Red Rocks is free the following weekend.”

Tyler glances at me, his eyebrows raised in question. "Those work for you?"

“I’ll do what I have to do,” I reply. I still stand by what I said to Tyler weeks ago. I hate the flashy lights and confetti, but these fans deserve what they paid for. Then I'm done.

“I’ve been working on some new music. I’m willing to throw in some new songs at the next two concerts. We can add it to the album,” I add. This isn’t something I’ve talked to Tyler about since the idea popped into my head, quite literally, two seconds ago.

Everyone turns to me. Tyler’s eyebrows rise. “You’re willing to do that?”

"Yes," I respond without hesitation. We both turn to Doug, waiting for his reaction.

His head tilts slightly back and forth, and I can tell he’s weighing the idea, running through the logistics in his mind.

Doug shifts in his seat. “I’ve gotta hand it to you two, you’ve put together a solid pitch.” He pins me with a stare. “But you seem to have forgotten what you’re like on tour. You really think you can keep your head on straight and stay sober long enough to give us a concert worth recording?”

My jaw clenches and I stare right back at him. “Not a doubt in my mind. It’ll be the best you’ve seen.”

He appraises me for a long moment, dragging the seconds out, but finally he looks away.

“So what do you say? A live album with never before heard songs?” Tyler asks.

Doug huffs sharply, his nostrils flaring. “I’m not saying yes, but I’m not saying no. Give me something worth listening to and you’ve got a deal. If it’s anything short of perfect, the deal’s off,” he says, extending his hand first to me, then to Tyler, and lastly to Kate.

“I’ll head out now and let you guys get to work,” Kate says, standing. I get to my feet and walk with her to the hall, leaving Tyler to discuss more details with Doug.

When we step into the hall, I think I catch Kate off guard by pulling her into a hug. She’s been my publicist for years, and I know damn well that a hugger she is not. She doesn’t even return it. She stands stiff and unmoving until I drop my arms to my sides.

"What was that?" She’s blinking rapidly.

“It was a hug,” I reply, a grin tugging at my lips. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I’ve left you to clean up my mess more times than you deserve, and you’ve handled it all beautifully. I don’t think I’ve ever really thanked you.”

Kate narrows her eyes and not a single wrinkle forms from all the Botox. "I was doing my job. But you’re welcome.” She pauses, then continues, her voice softer. “I’m proud of you. You had us all worried for a while there.” She hesitates again before reaching out to awkwardly pat my arm.

I can’t help but chuckle. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Kate had a control panel in her back to flip her to robot mode. But her words mean something to me. She's cleaned up a lot of messes for me, and she's never once complained.

She turns, her heels click-click-clicking sharply down the hallway before she’s out the door. I head back to the office, taking my seat again beside Tyler.

Steepling my fingers under my chin, I lock eyes with Doug. “I’ll give you the best album you’ve ever heard, but once it’s done I’m out. I’m leaving.”

Doug gives a curt nod, like he was expecting this. He's actually putting up less of a fight than I expected for a man who’s made millions off my career. I guess he got more fed up with me than I realized when I was at rock bottom.

He levels me with an unreadable expression. “Then I guess we better get started.”

Doug, Tyler, and I spend the rest of the day making all the necessary arrangements for my upcoming performances. Luckily, the pickup band we were using is available and willing to work with me again. We start on my setlist, and I let them listen to the new songs I think I should perform. We have a lot of planning to do in a very short amount of time.

Austin was right, there hasn’t been much time to talk. We’ve only managed a few texts here and there, just enough to check in. My chest aches from how much I’ve missed him. The only bright spot has been the Norwegian band that was here to record. They’re young and spunky, and I laughed until my sides hurt more times than I could count. Their music has an electronica/pop sound that’s fresh and exactly what the American pop scene needs.

Each day, we recorded late into the night. We’d start working early, scarf down some lunch, and get right back to it, working until we practically needed toothpicks to keep our eyes open. Around midnight, we’d stop, and I’d drag myself home to sleep before doing it all over again the next day.

We wrapped recording yesterday, and now I find myself staring down a few days with no sessions lined up. Josie’s school year is in full swing, and with all of Abby and Jay’s after school activities, her schedule is more packed than it’s ever been. We haven’t had much time to hang out, and she’s already had to postpone our breakfast date today because Abby has an all-day band competition out of town, which means I’m sitting at my kitchen table alone, sifting through the stack of bills I need to get caught up on.

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