I straighten my shoulders and suck in a breath. “Which begs the question: what’s in it for us?” I clear my throat and hate how my voice drops when I add, “for me?”
Kevin looks around the room. Freddie has headphones on and is busy mixing with a couple of other sound engineers. The Evergreene boys are nowhere to be seen, and I choose not to imagine what they’re up to.
“Can I be honest with you?” Kevin tilts his forehead down, a serious look on his face.
“I’d like that,” I say, wishing my tone had the edge I’m feeling as I wonder why Kevinwouldn’tbe honest with me.
“I don’t know what the future holds for Evergreene. I don’t imagine the label will want to renew again after the next three records, unless something changes. The boys are getting harder and harder to control. It seems the more success you all have, the more trouble they get into. I had hoped you and Stephan having a relationship would calm him down?—”
Discomfort bristles up my spine. “We’re not in a relationship. Not really.”
“Well, don’t end it yet. The media love it. Let’s string it out a little bit longer.”
My stomach flips, and not in a pleasant way. I think about Melissa, Stephan’s on-of girlfriend of ten years back in Windsor, who has stuck by him through all his fuck-ups and flings and now, a mostly fake relationship with me. “Fine,” I agree in a quiet voice.
“Anyway, you’ve got to think about your future, Cassie. You’ve got the talent to go far, even as a solo artist.”
“A solo artist?” I say and then hold my breath.
“Come on.” He gives me a slightly condescending look. “You must have thought about it.”
“I mean, yes, kind of. I just … I just thought it was a long way off yet.” My hands feel clammy as they grip the contract. Three more albums. That’s at least another three years with Evergreene, probably longer with the tour obligations.
“There’s nothing wrong with planning for the future. Don’t wait for it to all go horribly wrong before you have a plan for your own escape. This duet could be a perfect way to plant that seed.”
Escape.The word heightens something inside me, but I can’t tell if it’s interest or fear. “But Pia hates me,” I say. “And we’ve never actually had a conversation. She ignores me when I come within a three-yard radius of her. She attacked the boys the last time we were all in the same room. And last week, she toldRhythm & Newsthat I looked like folk’s version of a Stepford Wife. There is no way she wants to do this.”
“Well, unlike you, she doesn’t have much choice. Femme Fatale needs some seriously good PR right now and a hit record. This will provide them with both.”
So, I’m being used to save her career?I can’t help but wonder, but I don’t vocalise it. Instead, I add it to the list of the many things I think but never say. “Who’s writing the song?” I ask aloud, because there’s no way in heaven or hell Pia Lindberg and I are going to be able to sit down and write one together.
“Theo Kalpiatis,” he says with confidence. “He’s already got something lined up, in fact.”
He’s one of the hottest songwriters working at the moment. Seven number ones in the last year or something just as wild, famous for more mainstream pop than either folk or rock. Perhaps this could work. He could create something where Pia and I meet in the middle.
That said, if I’m not writing it, I’m also not going to get the credit if it does blow up big.
“I need to think about it,” I say.
Kevin’s shoulders sink, and I feel myself shrink because I’ve disappointed him, and I hate disappointing people. “What’s there to think about?”
At first, I’m relieved when Stephan barges in looking like he’s ready to smash something. He saves me from trying to come up withthe bravery to stand up to Kevin’s negotiation tactics, which are famously slick and successful. But then he looks at me, and I see that his pupils aren’t just constricted because of drugs or rage, but because of shock.
“What is it?” I say, stepping close to him. For all our ups and downs, our ons and our offs, Stephan is still the closest thing to a boyfriend that I’ve ever had.
“It’s Melissa,” he says, and he stares down at me. I can see his pulse thrumming quickly in his neck. He takes a deep breath, and his face cracks, like maybe he’s about to cry. “She’s pregnant.”
And that’s the exact moment I know I’m going to sing that duet with Pia.
RHYTHM & NEWS
Saturday, April 14, 1979
BATTLE OF THE BANGS: How True Are the Duet Rumors?
According to a number of rumors circulating in our office, the Battle of the Bangs may be taking a more amiable turn. Sources claim that Evergreene’s leading lady, Cassie Everard, and Femme Fatale’s frontwoman, Pia Lindberg, are to record a song together that will be pushed for a quick release come the summer.
While the rumors may seem far-fetched, what with Cassie and Pia being arch-rivals, and their bands famous for getting into brawls at industry events, here atRhythm & News, we are inclined to think there is truth there. Keep in mind that Femme Fatale still have seats to fill on their upcoming world tour and Evergreene needs to maintain their wholesome image after Stephan and Vik caused chaos on a recent red-eye flight from Los Angeles to London Heathrow.
