Scout picks up her phone, and her thumbs fly over the screen. When she sets it down between Audrey and Gemma, she says, “She’s being humble. Look at these. She’s incredible.”
My Instagram page is on display, but I’m oddly calm as I watch Gemma and Audrey scroll through. Maybe it’s the alcohol. Or maybe it’s progress. Who am I?
Gemma looks up and grins. “I don’t ever want to hear the words photography and hobby come out of your mouth in the same sentence again. It’s forbidden. These are so good, Sophie.”
Audrey agrees and then looks at Scout and says, “Album jacket. And website.”
Scout smiles and agrees, “Yes, ma’am,” like she was thinking the same thing.
Gemma nods exaggeratedly, and her topknot bounces. “Defo.”
They’re clearly so close that they carry on conversations with few words.
I’m lost until Audrey looks at me and says, “We’d like to hire you. We’ve been looking for a photographer to work on the jacket for Rook’s next album, and Scout wants to update their website.”
Scout adds, “Gus hates photo shoots, so they haven’t done one in a couple of years. It’s time.”
When I look at them, thunderstruck, Gemma whispers, “Say yes. Saves a lot of time to say yes straight away, because they’ll wear you down in the end anyway. Cute on the outside, honey badgers on the inside.”
I look at each woman, Lola included, and they look equally anxious to hear my answer. “But…” And that’s where I stall out.
Lola shakes her head and presses a finger against my lips to shut me up. She looks at the others. “Soph is a boss bitch in every way, except acknowledging it. She’s not there yet.”
Gemma takes another sip of her drink. “We’re a straighten each other’s crowns kind of girl gang. No shit talking yourself allowed, only problem solving and world domination.”
“Were you scared when you started managing Rook?” I ask Scout.
She sighs, but she’s smiling. “How many conversations did we have before I pulled the trigger and did it?” she asks Audrey and Gemma.
Gemma holds her hands up. “I’m drunk, and I don’t have enough fingers to count. But it was a lot.”
Audrey nods and then looks at me. “She went back and forth for months. Worried she couldn’t do the job.” She puts her hand up to her mouth like she’s sharing a secret but doesn’t lower her voice. “Spoiler alert, she can do anything she puts her mind to. She also worked for me at the time and felt guilty leaving. I was, of course, sad to see her go. She was invaluable. But I always knew she was capable of so much more, and I wanted that for her.”
Scout smiles. “But we ended up working together again.”
“Again?” Lola asks.
“I sold my advertising firm two years ago when Scout, Gemma, and I decided to start the label.”
“I thought the label was Rook’s?” I ask.
“Rook’s on the label, and Gus and Franco are involved as producers, but the company is one hundred percent women-owned and operated,” Scout explains.
“Holy shit, I didn’t know that. So, you three run the label?”
They all nod.
“Badass,” Lola whispers, grinning.
“And you’re still managing Rook?” I ask Scout.
She nods. “Yeah.”
“Were you always involved in the music industry, Gemma?”
“Nah, not until I met Franco. I’m an architect. I still do small side projects because I love it. Right now, I’m overseeing an affordable housing cooperative in Carlsbad. It’s an experimental, multi-family structure, with a focus on sustainability and space-saving efficiency. The label’s an opportunity to look toward the future for my family, though, especially since Rebel’s obsessed with music like her dad. It’s the perfect opportunity to spend more time with all my favorite people.”
Lola and I look at each other, floored. “There’s some intense female energy flowing here. This is what you need to tap into. There’s a reason we’re here, Soph.”
