The first moment I’d seen Fox, he’dswooped in and protected me from Uncle Vincent’s wrath. So maybe it wasn’t sohard to believe. Maybe I was genetically inclined toward love at first sight.
And in my defense, it’d been more likelustat first sight.
But Fox had bared his soulto me and neveroncestopped being kind, and I’d…
“Black, no sugar, right?”Lucy asked as she set a little succulent with a number sticking out of the potin the middle of the table. I wondered if it minded being a service number.
Maybe it was happy with itsuncomplicated plant life.
Right now,Iwouldhave been happy with its uncomplicated plant life. Waiting tables didn’t seem so bad ifit meant I didn’t have to let down someone who’d been a loyal friend to me fromthe moment we’d met.
Even though his loyalty wasmeant to be to Harmony Records. He’d stood up for me to the last moment, andthen he’d walked away quietly when I’d sacrificed him to save myself.
“Wanna tell me what’s onyour mind?” Lucy prodded when I didn’t respond.
“I…” I glanced around theroom, wondering if anyone was listening. I needed to tellsomeone, but tellingsomeone meant admitting I was gay.
“Can you keep a secret?” Iasked, knowing it was a pointless question but still needing to hear ayes.
“Sure.” Lucy shrugged.
Okay. Fine.
It wasn’t like I hadanyoneelseto talk to, wasit?
“I was… Fox… I…”
“I noticed the crush on him,”Lucy said. “You’re not evencloseto as subtle as you think.”
Oh.
“So you know…?”
“That you’re gay? Yeah. Orbi maybe, I dunno, I guess you can identify however you want. But it’s true, y’know?We can spot our own at fifty paces.”
“You’re—”
“Gay, yeah,” Lucy said,smiling at me. “Surprise?”
I sat back in the flimsyplastic chair, listening to it creak ominously even under my feather-lightframe. “Wow.But you’re so…”
“Pretty?” Lucy asked,eyebrow raised.
“No. I mean, uh, yeah,” Icorrected, realizing what I’d just said. “But I was gonna say successful. God.You’reeveryone’sproducer. And noone cares?”
“They mostly don’t ask, Imostly don’t tell them. But no, it’s never been, like, anissue. I get why it’s a secret foryou, though, and it’s safe with me.”
“I don’t want it to be asecret,” I said. “My uncle does.”
“Vincent?” Lucy asked. “Ihate to say this, but I hate him so much. He’s such an asshole.”
“You’re not the first personwho’s said that.” I looked down at the small plastic-topped table between us,reaching out to brush my fingers over the spikes on the end of the succulent’sleaves.
“I’m shocked,” Lucydeadpanned. “He’s a piece of work. And he’s terrible at his job. I’ve seenenough of the clauses in your contract to know you got a bad deal.”
“Yeah,” I said, not entirelysurprised to hear that. If anything, hearing that only made me feel worse. I’dthrown Fox away to keep my hands on a contract that evenLucythought wascrap.
“You can always renegotiate.Ideally with someone…otherthan Harmony Records. Honestly? I dunno whyanyone signs up with them. I guess because you can just… apply, it doesn’t take anyconnections.”
