Page 31 of Everything In Between
“But little did I know inside of that dive bar was Lorelai Brown, a recruiter for Silver Shadows. I had no idea she’d take a video of me performing my heart out for something I thought would be my very last opportunity to get up on stage and sing. And I definitely had no idea I’d be called to LA to be onboarded to the Silver Shadows Records roster. I was assigned to Callum, and the rest is history.”
“Wow,” he says, exhaling a breath. “That’s... a lot of change in a short amount of time.”
“It was. It still makes my head spin when I lay it all out like that. But I’m forever grateful. They took a chance on me, and it ended up changing my entire life.” I prop my cheek up on my fist and stare into the screen. Hayes stares right back, studying me.
“But it wasn’t all fun and games?” he questions, and I wonder if he’s remembering our very first conversation through texts.
I laugh lightly, though really, it’s not funny. “No, it wasn’t. They rolled out the red carpet for me until I signed the original five-year contract. It was too late by the time I realized Cal had a different idea of what my career was going to look like. And my contract is ironclad, so there’s nothing I can do about it, even when I adamantly disagree with the direction he’s taking me in.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, sincerely. “Is there really no way you can change how things are?”
“He keeps me on a tight leash. Occasionally, he’ll give into a suggestion, but I think it’s merely to keep me compliant. I have three years until my contract is up for renewal again since I recently went through the renewal process. Last time he gave me lots of empty promises to convince me to re-sign. I should’ve known better, but I fell for it anyway, thinking things would be different this time.”
“They keep you on for three years at a time?”
I nod. “My first contract with them was five years, and then they do three-year extensions. That usually allows them to get analbum or two out—if they’re lucky—with enough time for touring in between.”
“Is every label that way?”
“I think every label has a multitude of different deals they can offer artists, either new or returning. I’m not exactly in theknowabout any of that, though. Three years isn’t really a long time, but it feels like forever to me sometimes.”
“Well, just keep standing up for yourself,” he says, eyes on mine. “It’s your career. You shouldn’t have to bend to the will of someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”
“I wish it were that easy.” I sigh.
Hayes blinks. “If it were easy, anyone would do it, you know? But I think you can do anything you set your mind to, even if that is standing up to your manager.”
My heart flutters with the compliment. “Thank you... That means a lot to me.” His lips quirk up in the corners, but then fall into a massive yawn. I fight off a smile. “I should let you get some sleep. You’ve had a crazy long day. Do you have to work tomorrow?”
He shakes his head and stretches again before running one of his hands over his face. I track the movement, wondering what it would be like to feel those big hands all over my body. “I don’t have to be with the team tomorrow since we won yesterday. I’ll probably work on my own, though, get a light workout in, do some rehab, maybe a massage and some cryotherapy to help my muscles heal up. I’ve got an event out of town on Friday, which I still have to pack and get ready for. Then be be back here by Saturday evening to get to the hotel for curfew before the next game Sunday afternoon.”
“Well then, I’ll let you go.”
“Thanks for suggesting this,” he says, eyes gently tracing over my face. “I liked getting to see you this time. You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”
My cheeks warm a bit. “I liked it too.”
“We might need to make this the norm from now on.” He yawns again. “All right, well off to bed with you too, then. I’ll talk to you later?”
I love the hopefulness which laces his question. “Definitely. Goodnight, Hayes.”
ELEVEN
jersey
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
“Jersey’s here!”I hear someone shout as I step out of the limousine and then all the cameras turn my way.
I wave at a few fans who are lingering on the sidelines of the red carpet. Kelsey appears moments later and hurries down the carpet to meet me. She gives me a hug as the cameras flash around us.
“Thank you so much for coming,” she says softly to me.
“I wouldn’t have missed it.” I pull away and grin at her. “You know this is one of my favorite events of the year.”
“Ladies over here!” a paparazzi shouts. Kelsey and I turn toward them and pose together.
When they’re satisfied with their shots, Kelsey leans in. “Let’s get you inside so you can get a drink and sit for a while. Those heels look treacherous.”
