CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Two months later
Teddy,I texted.Guess what?
I give up.
I could practically see his smug little smirk. I rolled my eyes at my phone and typed back:You didn’t even try.
There’s an 80’s movie marathon on cable this week?
Almost as awesome.I bit my lip, not wanting to come across as bragging, but he was the first person I wanted to share the news with.My album,Shattered Glass? It’s number one on CDBaby and Beatport. Number six on iTunes.
I squinched my face up and hit send. Then grinned ear to ear at Theo’s reply.
Holy shit! Calling…
My phone lit up and I answered, “Holy shit.”
“That’s fucking awesome, Kace.”
“Thank you,” I said, plucking at a stray thread on my couch pillow. My smile wouldn’t dim. “It took a little bit of time to get the ball rolling, but now the downloads are really steady. It’s pretty crazy. Grant and Phoebe said ‘The Lighthouse’ and ‘One Million Moments’ were bestselling singles.”
“Hell yeah, they are,” Theo said. “Any record execs calling you yet?”
“No.”
“They will.”
“Grant thinks a video on YouTube will get their attention. He’s full of ideas. Before we released the album, he talked about just me and a guitar and some candles in an empty room. But now that some money’s coming in, he’s thinking water tanks and special effects. Can you believe that?”
“I’m really damn happy for you, Kace.”
“Thanks, Teddy.”
“So, are these Olsen people legit? They’re not ripping you off, are they?”
“So far, they’re great. We have a contract. I pay them 15% of everything I make plus a flat fee for the use of their studio and for production of actual CDs.”
“Sounds fair.”
“Sounds on the low-end to me. If I ever make a shit-ton of money, I’m going to take care of them. I wouldn’t even be taking this next step if it weren’t for them.”
“What is the next step?”
I flumped back in the chair with a sigh. “Grant wants to do a release party.”
“Where? When?”
“Next Friday. Le Chacal. I had Grant do it there so I can hang with Big E. I need all the friends there I can get.Hint, hint.”
I was teasing and I wasn’t.
“Shit, I wish I could,” Theo said. “But Gus is already up my ass about missing work. And I have class. I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be sorry,” I said, keeping the disappointment out of my voice. “It’s expensive, and it’s short notice. I don’t actually expect you to drop everything and fly out for a silly party.”
