Chapter 26
Alice
“Thank you, 1924. We’ve had a blast so far. We’re taking a little break, but we’ll be back in a bit with more music!” Lark waved at the crowd before the stage lights went dark.
We all stumbled off the stage and headed for the bar for drinks.
“This place is awesome,” Bailey shouted as we settled on barstools. “We gotta come back for a girls’ night sometime.”
She wasn’t wrong. The whole place had a glitzy art deco vibe. But it wasn’t the geometric black and gold wallpaper or the backlit golden bar with built-in sculptures that had my attention. I was too busy craning my neck at the patrons, searching for Noah to take in the details.
Where was he? He never missed one of our shows if he could help it. Was there something wrong with DJ?
“Where’s your boyfriend?” Lark asked, literally reading my mind. “He’s usually bought us at least one round by now.
I swung my gaze between Lark and Bailey, unsure how to answer that. I hadn’t come right out and told them I was with Noah, but I guess we’d been suspect, given how often he showed up and bought us drinks and helped us load up at the end of the night. We really did need a roadie. Especially if my boyfriend was going to flake out on us.
Wait…
Shit.
I opened my mouth to refute their assumption when someone spoke over me.
“That’s quite some show you ladies put on tonight.”
Rolling my eyes at the patronizing asshole, I turned around to give him a piece of my mind but stopped short when I saw who’d made the comment.
Tyler Worthington was here.
Tyler mother fucking Worthington.
AKA the Tin Gods’ manager.
One of the biggest names in the music business, Tyler Worthington, was here.
Talking to us!
I sent a holy shit look at Bailey, but she was too busy hacking up a lung as she’d apparently swallowed her drink wrong when she’d realized who was in front of us.
“Tyler.” Lark gave him a little smirk as she put her hand out for a shake. “Nice to see you. I didn’t know you were in town.”
He shook her hand. “And I didn’t know you had a band. You’ve been holding out on me.”
“I wasn’t aware I needed to run every career decision by you.” Lark dropped her hand and leaned back against the bar. “Last I checked you aren’t our manager.”
Tyler tilted his head as he looked at her, then me, then Bailey, before he turned his attention back to Lark. He kept his poker face in place as he replied, “And maybe that needs to change.”
“Holy shit,” Bailey whispered next to me. Her fingernails bit into my arm as she grabbed me. “Is this really happening?”
“Yes, this is really happening.” Tyler gave her a genuine smile. “I like your sound, ladies. You’ve got spunk, bounce, and ballads. Not to mention balls. I think you can really go places with the right representation.”
“And that’s you?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. I tried to stay calm even as my blood whooshed in my ears. It felt like an out-of-body experience. How was this real life?
“I think so.” Tyler shifted his weight and shoved his hands into his dress pants pockets because the guy had shown up to an off-Strip bar in a full suit. “And I guess that’s for you three to decide. Unless you already have representation…”
Lark did that thing where she raised only one eyebrow. “There’s been some interest, but we haven’t signed with anyone yet.”
“Good. Because you’re going to want to sign with me.” Tyler reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a business card. “Give me a call in a day or two. I want to look at all the songs you have, and maybe we’ll be able to talk terms.”
Lark took the card, and Tyler gave us another nod then turned to go.
“Wait,” I called. “That’s it? Aren’t you going to stay for the rest of the show?”
Tyler gave me an enigmatic smile. “I guess you’re going to have to wait to find out.”
Then he turned and walked away. None of us said a word as we watched him go. He walked all the way down the bar and then climbed into a booth in the corner, alone as far as I could see. No Noah. No date. Just Tyler.
“Holy shit,” Bailey squealed. “Tyler fucking Worthington wants to sign us! We gotta thank Noah.”
“Why do you think some guy had anything to do with this?” Lark curled her lip. “We’re a bad ass group. Talented. Write our own music. And we own any stage we stand on.”
“Besides, I don’t think Tyler would all but make an offer to a group he didn’t really want,” I protested. “He might come to listen because the guys asked him to, but he’s not going to waste his time or his money floating insincere offers.”
But still I felt dread knot up my stomach. This was exactly why I didn’t want anyone to know about us. No one would respect our group if they thought we’d climbed our way to the top by getting on our backs.
My own bandmember thought we had my sex life to thank for our potential offer.
Ugh.
I felt sick.
“And just because he offered, doesn’t mean we have to accept.“ Lark pursed her lips.
“What?” Bailey all but shrieked. “Are you crazy? Tyler fucking Worthington wants to sign us, and you want to pass that up?”
“I learned my lesson after the whole Joe Fisher fiasco. It’s not the plan, remember?” Lark grabbed her drink and downed the whole thing in one go. “We were going to cut our own EP and make them come to us.”
“Uh, hello.” Bailey waved her hand in Lark’s face. “That’s happened. And we didn’t even have to pay out of pocket for a freaking EP. Tyler fucking Worthington came to us. He’s asking to represent us . We didn’t go to him.”
“It’s still not the plan,” I reiterated. “And we need to talk it over first. If it’s not unanimous, we don’t do it. That’s the rule, remember?”
Bailey huffed and turned back to her drink. “You’re both insane.”
“No, we’re both careful,” Lark retorted. “Regardless of what happened before with Joe Fisher, we’re not signing with the first asshole who comes along. We’re going to do our due diligence and make sure it’s a deal we all want.”
Bailey scowled. “He represents acts bigger than us. Why wouldn’t we want to sign with him?”
“Because we haven’t seen his terms.” I shook my head. “Yes, this is amazing, but we’re not going to jump on command. We’re going to control our destiny. And that includes signing with people who care about what we think and want.”
Bailey huffed and buried her face in her drink.
The second half of the show started out a little stilted. Between the tension with Bailey, knowing that Tyler was still in the audience, and having his potential offer looming over our heads, we played like it was our first show. But halfway through the first song, we all settled into it, and then the whole show just flowed.
Tyler didn’t approach us again, and we were all too into our heads to talk about all the what-ifs as we broke down our equipment. Or at least I was. Because suddenly Lark shoved her phone in my face.
“Did you see this?” she asked.
I took her phone and read through the Babbler article about the guys playing laser tag. I smiled at the pictures of Noah laughing with the guys and one of him dramatically dying. But as I skimmed the rest of the article, my smile slowly fell away.
“Yeah.” Lark sighed. “I didn’t think you had.”
I shrugged. “It explains why he’s not here tonight.”
“Does it though? Because Tyler was here after hanging out with them.” She sighed when I didn’t offer an explanation. “What’s the deal? Are you two together?”
I groaned. “Kinda? Mostly? Fuck, I don’t even know anymore.”
“Shit, is he making you hide your relationship?” Lark sneered. “Because that’s fucked up.”
I grabbed a box and headed for the back door. “No, I was the one who didn’t want everyone knowing our business.”
“Uh, excuse me.” Lark ran after me and grabbed my arm, stopping me. “Since when are we everyone? I thought we were tight. What the fuck?”
“What’s going on?” Bailey came over to where we were glaring at each other. “I thought you two were pissed at me. It’s a little early in the game to be this fractured, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know,” Lark bit out. “How about you ask Alice here? Apparently she doesn’t think we merit being in the know about what’s going on in her life.”
“What? You mean how she’s with Noah?” Bailey cocked her hip to rest the box she was holding. “Or is something else going on that she’s not telling us about?”
“At this point, there’s no telling.” Lark scoffed.
I groaned. “That’s not fair, Lark. I just, I’m…I got burned pretty badly with Parker —you guys know that—and I’m not really eager to put myself out there like that again.”
“With guys or with us?” Lark raised her eyebrows. “Because from where I’m standing, it feels like you don’t want us in your life like that either.”
It felt like she’d landed a physical blow. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I thought we were family!” Lark shouted. “You’re my girl. And Bailey’s my girl. Sure, I’ve got my mom and my sisters, but it’s not the same, and you know it. We’re supposed to be tight. We’re supposed to be family. What the fuck is going on with you?”
“Seriously?” I shook my head, incredulous. “Do you know how long it took me to get over what Parker and the guys did to me? They took my whole life away. I went from having a boyfriend and a family we put together with the band to having nothing. Nothing . I lost my boyfriend, my boys, my band, my home—everything that made me feel secure. I don’t, I wouldn’t survive if that happened to me again. It’d break me.”
“But we’re not them.” Bailey dropped her box and put her hand out like she wanted to touch my shoulder but was afraid I’d turn rabid and bite her.
“And you can count on us.” Lark tilted her head, sympathy shining from her eyes. “We won’t turn into douchey guys who bitch about one of us getting more attention than the others.”
“Mostly because we’re happy for Lark to take that bullet,” Bailey snarked, making me laugh reluctantly.
Lark shot her a fake glare. “All for one. Always .”
“Always,” Bailey repeated, putting her hand in the middle of our group.
Lark put her hand on Bailey’s and they both looked at me, patiently waiting.
I sighed and dropped my box then put my hand on theirs. “Always.”
“Monarchs soar!” Bailey yelled, lifting her arms in the air.
I laughed wetly, then swiped at my eyes.
“So seriously, what’s going on with you and Noah?” Lark asked again.
Bailey’s wide-eyed gaze bounced between us, but she didn’t say anything.
“A lot.” I sighed. “It started out platonic after he apologized for being a dick. We hung out, and he came to the shelter a few times when I was volunteering. But somewhere along the way, I started falling for him. And now…”
“Now you don’t know how to handle it because everyone leaves you,” Bailey finished for me.
I swung an incredulous look her way. I knew she had depth, but I never expected such a nuanced take from her, and especially not after three drinks.
“What?” Bailey shrugged. “You kinda use your insecurities like armor. You got don’t fuck with me vibes for days. It’s one of the reasons guys hit on you so often. They like the challenge.”
“Not to mention you’re gorgeous,” Lark tossed in.
Bailey lifted a shoulder. “I thought that went without saying.”
“When does a woman ever not want to hear that she’s gorgeous?” Lark asked incredulously.
Bailey tipped her head. “Touché.”
“I…” I sighed. “You’re not wrong.”
Bailey smirked. “I rarely am.”
“I just…I never knew my dad. My mom was out of my life by age four. You can imagine what foster care was like, I’m sure. And you know the whole Parker debacle. I guess I learned not to rely on anyone. I just can’t.”
“But we’re telling you that you can.” Lark stepped up to me and wrapped her arms around me then shook me slightly. “Let us love you, dammit!”
Bailey laughed and joined our little huddle. “Yeah, let us love you.”
I had to blink because my eyes kept filling up with tears. Then my arms wrapped around anyone I could reach. “I do love you guys.”
“Does that mean you’ll finally move into my complex?” Bailey wiggled next to me. “You wouldn’t believe the gorgeous men always hanging out in the gym. It’s a literal feast.”
“I…” I remembered the conversation I’d had with Noah about my pathological need to live way below my means. I had my friends, and I had him too. Maybe I could afford to spend a little more and not save all my pennies. “Are there any units available?”
“Yes!” Bailed squealed, bouncing in the middle of our huddle. “I bet we could get you in this weekend.”
“But she’s not going to be checking out the boys at the gym.” Lark laughed. “Alice already has her man. She just needs to get to publicly claiming him.”
I groaned and broke away to pick up my box again.
“How would you feel if he told you that he wanted to hide being with you?”
I couldn’t help but jolt at Lark’s question. Shit, that wasn’t right.
“Exactly. That’s how you made him feel.” Lark rubbed a hand on my shoulder to blunt the verbal blow she’d just dealt me. “Don’t ever spend a minute worrying about what people might say or think. If they’re not on the Monarch train, fuck them. There’s always gonna be haters. But you can’t dim your sparkle because some assholes might have a problem with it. There’s no point in wasting a second worrying about people who were never going to be on your side in the first place.”
“Unlike us.” Bailey grinned at me. “Lark and I will always have your back. One for all.”
Lark laughed. “Uh, I think you mean all for one?”
“Eh, I’ve heard it both ways.” Bailey shrugged. “We’re a package deal. That’s what I mean. For life. Good luck kicking us out of your life. You’re stuck with us, sis.”
I grinned back at Bailey. “That doesn’t sound half bad. Deal.”
“And Noah?” Lark asked with that one raised eyebrow.
I shifted the box in my arms so I could rub my temple. “Hey, you got me to agree to being family and moving all in one night. Can I take a breath to think about the rest?”
Lark shrugged, but I could tell she was disappointed in my answer.
“Besides,” I went on. “We have a lot to think about with the whole Tyler mother fucking Worthington thing.”
“Eeeee!” Bailey squealed. “I still can’t believe he wants to sign us!”
I grinned and laughed with Bailey and Lark as we continued to load up our van.
But in the back of my mind, I was thinking about what Lark had said. Maybe it was time to have a talk with Noah.
Probably long past time.