to follow us as much as we want women and girls. Bria’s beautiful. The young generation would even call her hot.” He smiles at Bria. “No disrespect.”
“None taken.”
Ronni clearly disagrees with him. “But I’m putting my foot down on the highlights. She needs them. Brown hair is boring. She needs to look more edgy.”
“What do you say, Bria?” Jeremy asks. “In the name of compromise, will you consider highlights? I think you’d look spectacular.”
She shrugs. “I could try it. It’s something I can undo if I don’t like it.”
“I’ll set it up,” Ronni says. “I know a stylist in the city. I’ll have him reach out to you.”
“I’ll go with you,” I tell her. “It might be fun.”
“Be sure to tell him no haircut,” Bria tells her.
Ronni gets up, leaving her plate for someone else to clean up. “Jake said he wants you both in the booth for the track-eight chorus. After that, we’ll work on Liam’s riff on track eleven.”
Track eight is ‘On That Stage.’ It’s become one of our favorite songs to sing together.
After Ronni leaves, Bria throws her plate in the trash, covers the remaining food, and stashes it in the studio fridge. She’ll take it home; she’s been doing it all week. It makes me feel bad that she relies on leftovers to feed herself. The money hasn’t exactly been flowing in lately. We’ve been working more on the album than onstage performances. It’s been tough on most of us, having to put what little we do make back into the band, but especially on her, as she lives in the city. I wish I could help, but I’m barely scraping by.
Before I return to the booth, I take Jeremy aside. “Is there anything we can do to help Bria with expenses? She drives an hour both ways to rehearsal, five times a week. It hasn’t been easy.”
“We’re operating on a shoestring budget as it is,” he says. “Maybe she should move to Stamford, or even better, one of the towns nearby. Rent would be a lot cheaper, and she wouldn’t have to use her car as much.”
“I don’t know if she’d do that. Her brother lives in the city, and they’re very close.”
“I’ll ask Ronni if IRL will front her some money.”
“Don’t do that. They’re relationship is tenuous at best. We don’t need to make it worse.”
“Agreed.”
“I’ll think of something,” I say.
“I don’t doubt that you will.” He pats me on the back. “I’ll try, too.”
When I join Bria in the booth, she’s already got her headphones on and Jake has her singing so he can calibrate the synthesizer. I’m glad she doesn’t have to cut her hair. I like it the way it is. I pretty much like everything about her.
The music starts. Bria sings, then stops.
I missed my cue. “Sorry. Can we start again?”
She knows why I messed up. For the next half hour, we watch each other as we sing the chorus over and over until Jake is one hundred percent satisfied.
The way she looks at me when we sing. It’s like her hunger and need match mine. I’m surprised I don’t have a boner.
Hours later Ronni calls it a wrap. Jeremy pulls out several bottles of champagne, and we toast to the completion of our second album.
“Give me a month to get a couple of these tracks on the radio,” Ronni says. “We’ll need that much time to master and market it.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Liam says. “More songs on the radio. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“I have something else for you to drink to,” she says. “I spent the better part of the afternoon on the phone and I’ve lined up a performance next Friday at the most exclusive club in New York City. The band that was booked cancelled. I want you to sing your new stuff, so make sure you rehearse plenty. I’ll get you a playlist in a few days.” She turns to Bria. “And get that hair done.”
Jake finally kicks us out at seven. I hang back, knowing Bria doesn’t want the others, especially Ronni, seeing her take the leftover food.
She has the bag from the fridge in her hand when Jeremy walks in. Her cheeks flame. “It shouldn’t go to waste. You know, with all the starving kids in Africa and all.”
Jeremy hands me an unopened bottle of champagne. “Maybe you kids can put this to good use.”
“Don’t mind if we do,” I say.
He hands an envelope to Bria.
“What’s this?”
“A little something