“Oh?”
“I think perhaps I will try to get in touch with Mr. Gordon to see if I can get some info.”
“Mad Dog’s lawyer? He’ll give you the lowdown.” I’d actually considered asking Norma if she could text Gordon for me, but then I’d owe Norma a huge favor. Not a good place to be.
“Indeed,” Jasmine agreed. “Don’t worry about Eddie any longer, and I will let you know if I hear anything, yes?”
“Thank you.”
She gestured with her head. “Now, let’s look at the bedroom while you tell me about your college plans. Got any? Or are you a student of life?”
We strolled through the apartment, and I told her in all honesty that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I told her about my high school in L.A., and how hard it was to finish. How I used to love school.
“I just don’t want to be a domestic for the rest of my life,” I said. “That’s all I know for sure right now. I love music, but I’m not a musician, and I’m not sure I’m all that interested in what Mad Dog does. He’s stressed out most of the time and worried about money. Eddie said he was going to teach me about the events business, but I don’t know.”
Jasmine made a noise. “Eddie needs to be taught about the events business before he can teach anyone else. He’s eager, but he’s still learning the ropes and doesn’t know where he’ll land yet. We employ almost a hundred people. Marketers. Booking agents. PR. Accountants. Graphic artists. Salespeople. Human resources. It’s an enormous operation.”
“I’m sure.”
We walked through the empty bedroom. “Maybe you need to take some general college courses until you find your niche.”
“Maybe,” I said, feeling insecure about where this was going. Was it rejection? From his mother? I couldn’t tell.
“Not everyone knows their calling when they’re eighteen. Serj pushed Fen and Eddie. Eddie responded. Fen resisted—explosively. You cannot force blood from a stone. But you can give that stone a push down a hill. Now my little stone is rolling around on his own.”
“Fen?”
She nodded. “One day he’ll be a great boulder, but for the moment it’s important for him to roll freely. I’m so very proud of him. I’m proud of Eddie, too, but they are very different. I feel as if I’ve failed to guide him. It’s really up to both of them now. I need to concentrate on the twins. They’ll be driving soon, then I’ll lose them.…” She sighed. “Being a parent isn’t easy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her gaze flicked to my face. “I can see that I’ve confused you, and that wasn’t my intention. You are always welcome to work at the festival offices, of course. We can find something for you, if that’s what you want. All you have to do is come to me and ask. I didn’t mean to rule that out.”
“Uh… thank you? I wasn’t intending, I mean—”
“It’s down the line. Let’s not worry about it now.” She smiled. “One thing at a time.”
I let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”
She gestured loosely toward the walls. “This is a nice corner bedroom. One window toward the lake, and one toward the building next door—which is not as good, but you can put up window treatments, yes? Come. Let’s look.”
We walked across the empty bedroom, and Frida immediately jumped up on the built-in window seat to peer out. Jasmine was right. There was only a small space between the two buildings, and this was nearly level with the window across the way. Talk about privacy issues. What was in that building? I wasn’t quite sure where we were on the Strip. Jasmine had driven us here, and I was too nervous to pay attention to where we’d parked. But the room inside the window across from us looked to be some kind of office.
An office filled with shelves of records.
A funny feeling crept over me.
As I continued staring into that office, Jasmine pulled out her phone and made a call, whispering to me, “Pardon me, please.”
Someone jogged into the office and picked up the phone. A tall, dark-headed male.
“Hello, darling,” Jasmine said into the phone. “Having a good day at work? Yes? Why are you not ironing your shirts? Doesn’t Zabel have an ironing board in her house? I know Pari keeps one of those tiny travel models in the record store. I think it is in that little closet behind you.”
Oh my God.
The person on the phone in the office turned around, paranoid, and glanced out the window. It looked as if his face was melting. Or maybe that was just shock.
Jasmine waved.
