“How bad are the numbers?” Stu asked.
“They’re not great.” Casey pulled a sheet of paper from the folder she was carrying. “Let me summarize. Last summer’s club tour was slightly profitable but once we joined the Onyx Knight tour, our expenses went up proportionately to our earnings, so the profit was nothing to write home about. And frankly, if Tyler and Bash weren’t paying their roadies personally, and Tyler, Bash and Lexi were actually taking the per diems, we wouldn’t have been in the black at all.”
Stu grimaced. “So Ford and I are draining resources,” he said.
“Me, Tyler, and Lexi can afford it,” I said gently. “We’re making sacrifices to make this band a success. You and Ford need the money and we don’t begrudge you having money to live on while we’re on tour.”
“But that’s why we’re here today,” Casey said. “I have a plan to get us to the next level. Good music isn’t enough these days—you need a brand, marketing, PR, the works.”
“Don’t we have a brand?” Ford asked in confusion.
“Not really.” Casey smiled. “Tyler and Bash have the Pretty Harts metal vibe with the leather and tattoos and such. Ford looks like a throwback from ZZ Top without the beard. Stu’s British punk roots shine through with his Union Jack T-shirts and studded leather. And Lexi, well, she’s got so much of her pop roots ingrained in her, it’s hard to tell where Special Kay ends and Nobody’s Fool begins.” Special Kay was the pop group Lexi had been in before she’d joined us.
“I feel called out,” Lexi laughed.
“I don’t mean to call anyone out,” Casey said. “I just think we’ve been winging it and the time for that is over. We threw together an album, did a random club tour, and then latched on to Onyx Knight. It got our name out there but it was without focus, without direction. That ends now. Everything I’m about to propose was actually Sasha’s idea.” Sasha was Casey’s daughter, who’d graduated college last year and taken over as our manager since Casey technically didn’t have the time. It was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to show her the music business ropes, but then Sasha had disappeared without much explanation.
“Is she all right?” Lexi asked softly. “She said she was going back to school to start her master’s degree, but we haven’t seen or heard from her in months.”
Casey nodded. “She’s had a bit of a health issue. She’ll be okay but I thought it would be better for her to focus on that until she’s feeling better. I’m sure she’ll tell you about it when she’s ready. In the meantime, I’m taking the reins for a bit. If that’s okay with you.”
“Can you?” Lexi asked pointedly.
“Not really, but I’m making the time because you guys are important to me. Which is why I’m here.”
“Okay, let’s hear it,” Tyler said, folding his arms across his chest, though he was grinning. “What’s the plan, boss?”
“You might be a little uncomfortable with it at first, but try to remember there’s a method to my madness.”
A collective groan went through the room.
“We’re going to need a drink when this is over,” Stu stage-whispered, though everyone heard him and he knew it.
“Trivia tonight at Kendall’s,” Lexi said.
“The Banger Brothers do well at Kendall’s,” Ford pointed out.
I perked up. “Yeah, we do, don’t we?”
We high-fived each other as everyone else laughed and rolled their eyes.
“I’m bringing in a stylist,” Casey said. “To give you guys ideas about a cohesive look. I’ve also hired an outside PR firm to start getting us interviews, autograph signing sessions, really put us out there.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad,” Stu said.
Casey smiled. “Well, there’s one more piece to the puzzle.” She looked over at Ford. “How would you feel about dating Avon Simms?”
The room went quiet as we all took a moment to digest what she’d said.
“Wait, are you serious?” Ford asked after a moment, looking around. “You want me to start dating some woman I ain’t ever heard of before?”
“You know who she is,” I told him. “The Sports Illustrated model who wore that red bikini everyone talked about for a year.”
“Oh, the blond.” He was thoughtful. “She’s mighty sweet-looking, but I ain’t goin’ steady with no one. Why can’t Bash do it?”
“Bash already pulls his weight publicity-wise,” Casey replied. “Tyler and Stu are no longer on the market, and you need to take on a little PR. I’m not trying to be ugly, but you have the least name recognition, and dating Avon Simms would put you out there big-time.”
“What’s in it for her?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“She’s had some bad press of late, to do with partying and a bar fight—she needs to get on the straight and narrow too. And her dragging you to a few movie premieres and such will change everything. Your name, and by extension, Nobody’s Fool’s, will be in the news. Which is where we want to be. Give it three months or so and then you’ll have an amicable breakup, no hard feelings, and go your separate ways.”
Ford looked up at the ceiling, either counting to ten or praying. “Fine,” he said after a few minutes. “But I ain’t cuttin’ my hair.”
Casey laughed. “We’ll see.”
3
Brianna
* * *
“On August 1, 1981, MTV played their first ever music video—what song and artist was it?” Kiki read each trivia question aloud and our group would quietly deliberate the answers.
“None of us were even born in 1981,” I muttered, shaking my head.
“‘Video Killed the Radio Star,’” Gordie said, typing the answer on the console our group shared. “By a band called The Buggles.”
“How the fuck do you know that?” I demanded, laughing.
“I know things.” He shrugged.
“And we are now in first place!” Kiki yelled.
“Well, shush, don’t jinx it.” One of the other waitresses that worked with us at the catering company, Jenna, whispered.
“We’re taking a thirty-minute break,” the emcee announced. “The next round begins at nine-thirty.”
“Let’s order,” Gordie said, reaching for a menu.
“Want to share an order of those loaded tater tots?” I asked Kiki.
She nodded. “Yum. Bacon and ranch and cheese and freakin’ potatoes. Life don’t get much better than that.”
“If I could eat those loaded tater tots in bed with Chris Hemsworth, preferably while we’re both naked and having orgasms, that would be better,” Jenna deadpanned.
We all turned to look at her and then burst out laughing.
“I’d eat anything he wanted if I was in bed with Thor,” Gordie said, fanning himself dramatically.
“It’s been so long since I was in bed with anyone, I don’t know if I remember how,” I sighed.