Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Would she pick up if I called her?
Would she tell me to go to hell?
If I wasn’t such a coward, I could just pick up the phone and find the answers to those questions. But I hadn’t. I didn’t want to alter the memories of how Suzie thought of me. She was a fan of my work, but she seemed to be a fan of me as a man. At least, she had been. Now, she probably thought I was the lowest form of human scum.
“How does that sound, Gavin? A jet of your own to travel in, the Gavin Express?”
I blinked and brought my attention back to the meeting. “Sounds like I can write and record while I travel,” I answered with a wide trademark smile that told them that I was a team player. Always.
“Excellent.” Miller stood and nodded to the rest of the table. “We’ve got marketing and promotions working hard. You do your thing and we’ll do this again in a week, yeah?”
I nodded and stood to shake Miller’s hand, turning my attention to the rest of the table while Alex ironed out the details. “Thank you, all, for supporting my creative vision.” These small moves made everyone feel important, and they were. It took an entire team to put an album on the market and I never left anyone out. Tomorrow, they would each receive a bottle of tequila from Gavin Ross.
When the conference room was empty of all the suits except for Alex, I let myself drop into a seat with a groan. “Is it me, or are these meetings always exhausting as hell?”
“It’s you,” Alex answered with a laugh. “Gavin, they want to fast track the album with no penalties for the delay. And even better news? Those three songs your producer let them hear? They loved them and want to buy them for Just Becca! You know what that means?”
Money.
“It means we’re getting paid, and you might even get a songwriting Grammy out of it.” Alex’s wide smile was contagious. The man only thought about money, but he worked hard for it. His greed was good for my career and I was grateful.
“Thanks, Alex. I’m not glad you made me leave early, but I am pleased with the results.”
Alex scoffed. “You’re not still thinking about that woman, are you? Look around, Gavin, there are tens of thousands of women in spitting distance who would line up to spend the night with you.”
“It’s not just about the sex, Alex. She’s just… great. Ya know?”
Alex frowned. “Was she upset that you had to leave?” At my silence, he laughed. “Don’t tell me that the man as smooth as silk left without saying goodbye. Holy shit, you did! What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t. Obviously.”
Alex shook his head and clapped me on the back with a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, once she hears the new album, she’ll come running back.”
“The album isn’t about her,” I insisted. “Maybe a few songs.”
“All the songs,” Alex said on a fake cough.
“Whatever. My sister called, I need to see what she wants.” It was an excuse to get out of a conversation I didn’t want to have, but it had nothing to do with money, so Alex bought it.
“Too bad she decided to become a doctor. With her looks, I could buy my own damn jet.”
“Yeah.” I laughed and shook my head. “Stupid heart surgeon.”
“Right,” he snorted with absolutely no sense of irony.
I left the conference room and took the elevator down to the street and the waiting car, before I called Zola. “Gavin,” she answered, a smile in her voice.
“Hey, Zo, sorry I missed you. What’s up?”
“Thanks for letting me use the guest house. One less thing to worry about before my fellowship starts.”
“My pleasure. Stay as long as you like. Granddaddy isn’t cramping your style, is he?”
She laughed. “Are you kidding? His social life is hashtag goals. The man is hardly home, strolling in all hours of the night now that his personal driver just turned eighteen and has no curfew. This is a strange but wonderful town, by the way.”
I smiled at her words. “Isn’t it?”
“They love you here.” She sighed. “Well, everyone besides my new boss, Suzie.”
At her name, I perked up. “Suzie? You spoke to her? Wait, she’s your boss?”
“Technically, but her brother is the head of cardio at the hospital, so he’s my actual boss. But I met Suzie when she stopped by the other day. Looking for you.”
She stopped by the mansion? “How did she seem?”
“You mean, other than totally gob-smacked that you’d gone back to L.A.? Or upset that you didn’t say goodbye? Other than that, she seemed fine.”
“Zola,” I groaned. “That’s not helping.”
“I’m not trying to help, Gavin. Suzie isn’t one of your groupies. She’s a nice woman. You know how I know?”