and slam-dunk it into the trash. This has to be one of the best moments of my life. Man, I wish Ella were here to see this.
“Do we go practice now?” Bria says when we calm down.
Garrett laughs. “Not so fast. There are a few personnel decisions we have to make.”
My smile almost cracks my face. “Oh, please let me be the one to toss Ronni out on her ass.”
There is a knock on the door. Niles sticks his head in. “You wanted to see me?”
Garrett waves him in. “Have a seat.”
Niles looks mildly ill, like he thinks he’s about to get the axe.
“Let me introduce you to the new owners of IRL,” Garrett says, gesturing to us.
“All four of you?” Niles says.
“That’s right. We’d like you to stay on if you’re willing. None of us know how to run a record label, and as far as we can tell, you’ve been doing a good job of it.”
He looks more than a little relieved. “I’d be happy to. Thanks.”
“Now can I fire the bitch?” I say.
Niles appears concerned. “Can I speak freely?”
“Please,” Crew says.
Niles stands and paces. “I know you all have your differences with Ronni, but I’ve been in this business for twenty-five years, and I’ve worked with a hundred reps. Believe me when I say Veronica Collins is one of the best, if not the best. She’s brusque, demanding, and unconventional at times, but she also gets the job done. She gets more airtime for her clients than anyone I’ve known. She got you the tour in Florida when nobody knew who Reckless Alibi was. She has a brilliant mind for this business.”
I give him a hard look. “Be straight with us. Are you sleeping with her?”
He chokes, pulls out his phone, and shows me the background picture: two little girls and a woman. “These three are my entire life. That woman out there may be sleeping with half of New York City, but not with me. You asked me to stay on as president because you trust I know what I’m doing. I’m asking you to trust me on this. Ronni will take you where no other rep can. You’re her boss now. She has to answer to you, not the other way around. All I’m asking is you give it a chance. Will it be difficult? Maybe. She can be hard-headed and heavy-handed, but in time, I think we can make this work. I promise it’s what’s best for Reckless Alibi. And as the owners of IRL, you need to do what’s best for business.”
I’m tempted to pound my head on the table. “Fuck.”
“He’s right,” Bria says. “As much as I hate to say it, we need to keep her on, at least for now. We’re only getting started. If we go with another rep, it could set us back. We don’t want to lose this momentum. It’s a small price to pay for success, don’t you think?”
“Are we all in agreement then?” Garrett asks. “Ronni stays?”
Everyone nods, albeit reluctantly.
“What about the others?” Niles asks. “There are six more on staff.”
Crew says, “If Ronni gets to stay, I doubt we can fire anyone else.”
Niles shakes our hands. He doesn’t appear to look down on us. He doesn’t even seem intimidated that a bunch of twenty-somethings are now his bosses. Maybe he’s impressed that we managed to get the company out from under Dirk. “So it’s business as usual?”
The four of us glance at each other. “Guess so,” Garrett says. “Go do whatever it is you do.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” he says.
“Hey, Niles?” I say before he leaves. “Can you send Ronni in? We have a few things to go over with her.”
He chuckles. “Sure thing.”
Garrett crosses his arms in amusement. “This is going to be fun. Liam, you have the floor.”
In usual form, Ronni saunters in five minutes later, letting us know we work according to her timetable, not ours. She’s annoyed. “Will somebody please tell me what the hell is going on around here? Dirk left in a huff, Niles is practically giddy, and the four of you look like a bunch of kids on Christmas morning.”
Crew gives me a nod. I’ve waited for this moment for a year.
“There are a few things we need to discuss with you.” I motion to an empty seat at the end of the table.
We’re all trying to keep straight faces. Ronni examines us one by one and crosses her arms in front of her, refusing to