Chapter 8 #2
Darcy reached down and grabbed her bag, slinging the strap over her shoulder, before she shot Juliet a glare. “Nope. Not acting. And not trying to get what I want. In fact, I’m giving you what you want; I’m out. Record ‘Porchlight’ yourself.”
Juliet scoffed. “Yeah, okay. You’re going to seriously walk out of here? Walk away from working on Shelby Linwood’s album?”
Darcy seriously needed to get real with herself if she thought for a second Juliet would buy into that.
Darcy gave her a tight smile, one that belied bubbling frustration underneath the surface. “I’d rather not be on this album at all than disrespect Shelby by putting out a subpar cover with you.”
With that, she reached up and ripped the headphones off and tossed them on the chair, before she turned on her heel and walked right out.
Juliet’s heart was still pounding a little harder, a little faster, from when they’d been standing so close, their emotions running right under the surface. And that thrum of anticipation didn’t die down until she realized – Darcy really was leaving.
Like. She actually left. She walked out of her recording booth, past Dustin – quickly thanking him for his time – and then she shut the door to the control room behind her.
“For what it’s worth, I thought a lot of her ideas were great,” Dustin chimed in.
She reached up to rub at her temple. “Thanks, Dustin. That’s very useful right now.”
The newest grievance with Darcy? She’d put Juliet in the position of calling Thomas to discuss the cover.
Juliet detested needing to reach out to Thomas and ask for things. First, because she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw his mustache-having, car-salesman-smile ass. Second, because it made her feel like a child.
She detested it even more when their conversations didn’t go in her favor.
She tossed her phone onto the counter, needing to not have it in her hand anymore. Logically, she knew her phone was innocent. Illogically, it was the conduit for the terrible conversation she’d just had.
“I take it things didn’t go well with Thomas?” Laura asked from where she sat on the couch in Juliet’s hotel suite.
Juliet couldn’t join her, pacing the floor instead. Too much riled-up energy inside, too much agitation.
“No,” she muttered, darkly. “Even though I explained to him that Darcy was the one who walked out of the studio and verbally recused herself from doing the song, it doesn’t matter. If there’s no Darcy, there’s no song.”
Massive insult to injury.
“Got it,” Laura said, quietly. She tapped her fingers on the cushion next to her in thought.
“Okay, why don’t I change our flight out tomorrow to earlier in the day, then?
Right now, we aren’t scheduled to leave until eight at night; we might as well head out earlier so you can have more time to prepare for your show the day after. ”
Laura’s suggestion was reasonable – her suggestions typically were – but it gave Juliet pause, her pacing coming to a sudden stop.
“You want me to just quit on Shelby’s album?” She asked, incredulously.
How… un-Laura-like. And definitely not what Juliet was ever going to do.
Laura shrugged. “Well, if you can’t do it without Darcy, and you can’t make it work with Darcy, then I don’t really think there’s anything else to say.”
Juliet folded her arms over her chest, eyeing Laura closely. “Okay, now I know you’re playing me.”
Laura breathed out a laugh. “I guess we’ve worked together for too long.”
“Well, you know I’m never going to just walk away from ‘Porchlight.’”
“I do,” Laura agreed, mildly. “Which is why I thought I should lean into how ridiculous that would feel to you, to prevent you from spiraling down a rabbit hole. You don’t need a rabbit hole right now; you need a solution.”
Juliet’s stomach revolted, even as she knew Laura was right. Because, “The only ‘solution’ is going to Darcy and convincing her to work with me.”
“Unfortunately, yes, that seems to be true.”
Unfortunately, indeed.
Juliet knew this, already. She’d known this would be her predicament as soon as Thomas said that she couldn’t record “Porchlight” solo.
Either she had to walk away from contributing to this album for her favorite, most revered musician or she had to find a way to make it work with Darcy. There was no alternative.
She didn’t want to walk away from this.
And she definitely didn’t want to let Darcy win. If Juliet backed off now, Darcy would have had the final say. The song would be called off because Darcy had decided to walk out.
“If I may…” Laura started, trailing off as she arched an expectant look at Juliet.
She sighed, acquiescing. “If you can’t, no one can.”
“I get it. You two went into working together with hugely different ideas. And you’ve spent the last few months taking swipes at one another.
” Laura pursed her lips, clearly debating how she should phrase whatever was coming next.
“Maybe this can be an opportunity for you. Maybe you can take advantage of Darcy.”
That perked Juliet’s ears right up. “Now, you’re speaking my language. In what ways are you thinking?”
“In that maybe you will enjoy working with someone who cares more about music than anything else? Someone who, in that way, is exactly like you.” Laura aimed a serious, intent stare at her, one that Juliet felt pierce through any armor she could possibly try to summon.
“Put the Darcy of it all aside. Couldn’t it be at least a little refreshing to work with someone who hasn’t been chewed up and spit out by the industry, yet?
Someone who doesn’t seem to see every interaction as transactional? ”
Juliet felt Laura’s words land heavily inside of her, unexpectedly taken aback.
She didn’t know why, exactly, Laura’s quiet, calm, and factual assessment hit so hard inside of her.
She wasn’t saying anything truly groundbreaking.
Juliet was well aware that the majority of her interactions with people were, indeed, transactional.
Even if they didn’t have a negative connotation; it was just the way the world worked.
Especially the entertainment industry part of the world.
Perhaps it was because Laura was forcing her to see that part of why she disliked Darcy was the flip side of the naiveté coin. Yes, her na?ve thoughts were annoying, if they were actually legitimate. But…
If she had to be honest with herself, she had to admit that she was a little envious of that. Maybe more than a little. She was deeply jealous that Darcy got to experience this level of success without being tarnished by the ugly parts of it.
Not yet, anyway.
Shaking her head, Juliet swallowed heavily, poking her bottom lip out in a frown. “I was hoping for one of your more inspired ideas, admittedly.”
Her tone was as glib as she could make it.
“I’ll take a tire iron to her windshield for walking out of the studio on you, how’s that for inspired?” Laura suggested.
A laugh escaped Juliet as she resumed her pacing. A little slower this time, a little more thoughtful.
“All right,” she murmured, rolling her shoulders back. Already mentally preparing herself. “I’m going to find out where Darcy’s staying, I suppose.” That was step one.
“She’s here,” Laura informed her, leaning back against the couch. “Room 2030.”
If she didn’t already pay Laura so handsomely, she’d be getting another raise right now.
Juliet had been declared one of the most charming women in the music industry by Chartline multiple times, and she supposed it was time she put that skill to use. Even if it galled her to do so for Darcy.