Page 75 of Christmas in Mistletoe
Damian nodded, then checked his watch. “We better get to the marketing meeting and then to the party.” He slicked back his hair. “How do I look? My make-up on-point?”
“To die for,” Fran replied.
* * *
The label partywas in an old warehouse in East London that used to be a huge wasteland of space, and was now a huge wasteland of space that had been swept twice and had a bar installed. It was freezing, but the amount of booze on offer was the way to stay warm. Fran stalked the room, waved at Jules and Niall, and headed in the direction of Fast Forward’s lead singer, Tenny. As usual, Dronk Records had invited everyone on their roster — from interns to superstars. Even Delilah was coming. Everybody was under strict instructions to take no photos or videos of the guests.
Fran recalled Delilah getting drunk at her very first Dronk Christmas party, when nobody knew who she was. In fact, it had been the Christmas party where they’d first kissed. Fran didn’t want any walks down memory lane fuelled by a heady mix of tequila and nostalgia, hence she was sipping sparkling water. She was a taken woman now.
She passed a chocolate fountain, with sugary doughnuts and marshmallows to dip. She got out her phone, snapped a photo and tapped out a message to Ruby.
‘I’d like to cover something else in chocolate and lick it off. I’ll leave your imagination to figure out what. Miss you x’
Fran hit send, pocketed her phone, and carried on walking until she landed next to Tenny. “Hey you,” she said, nudging Tenny with her hip.
Tenny gave her a hug, before taking a swig of her beer. Something about her stance had always tweaked Fran’s gaydar, and tonight was no different. Can someone hold a beer bottle in a gay way? If it was possible, Tenny was doing it.
“Great to see you. Great party, too.”
Fran nodded. “It is.” She paused. “Are you performing later?”
“We are.” She gave Fran a tight smile.
“Are you feeling more relaxed about it?”
Tenny shrugged. “I wouldn’t say relaxed, but at least this performance won’t be judged by the public or by the music press. This is just playing for our label, so the pressure’s off.”
A little like Ruby’s performance at the weekend.
She put an arm around Tenny’s shoulder and squeezed. “Damian said the weekend was fantastic. You’re doing brilliantly. Just keep going, and that’s the very best way to answer the haters. They’re doing nothing with their lives. You’re doingit all.”
Tenny gave her a tense smile. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure I was ready for the exposure, but the team have shown me I can do it. I just needed to believe in myself a little more, and cut out the noise — from my past and my present.”
Which sounded all too familiar. It’s what Ruby needed to do in order to get over her fear of success. Because that’s what it was. All these women had trained themselves to think they were one thing, because society told them they were. In actual fact, they could be anything they wanted to be. They just needed to believe it. Fran was pretty sure that Ruby’s weekend gig, plus her growing streaming numbers were the first step to her rebirth. Fran wanted to be there for all of it.
Tenny slipped away some minutes later to get ready to play.
Fran stood at the back waiting for them to appear when Delilah rocked up next to her. She chatted at speed in Fran’s ear about some producer she hated that Niall was trying to get her to work with.
“Can you have a word with them?” Delilah swayed as she spoke. “You’re the only person in the world who gets me, Fran. Nobody else does. Nobody else ever has.”
Fran’s defences went up as she glanced at Delilah. “Have you been drinking?” She already knew the answer.
Delilah shrugged, then held up her right hand, indicating ‘a little’ with her thumb and index finger. “I needed something to take my mind off the fact Gretchen hasn’t been answering my calls this week. Probably another relationship I’ve fucked up. First you, then her. I’m doomed to singledom.”
Fran grabbed her arm and moved Delilah to the side of the room. “What do you mean? Have you broken up?” She spoke slowly and at high volume, to make sure Delilah understood her over the music.
Delilah shook her head. “No, we haven’t. But why is she ignoring me?”
“She’s probably busy with her family. The whole world doesn’t revolve around you, Delilah.”
“Easy for you to say, with your new, talented girlfriend.” Delilah pouted. “Did she like that you posted that video? Is she getting more views?”
Fran didn’t like Delilah’s tone. “She is, but she’s still nervous about it.”
Delilah got out her phone and called up the video. “What if I post it on my socials and tell everyone to go and listen? That would get her noticed.”
Fran shook her head. No, she didn’t want Delilah to do that, but she had to handle it delicately. “That would be great, but I’d have to get Ruby’s okay, first. She’s nervous about exposure and what it would mean for her career. She likes to be in control. She’s been burned before.”
