“Yes, I’m absolutely certain,” I say.
Kevin sucks in a breath through his teeth, leans back in his chair. “It’s going to cost you.”
“I know,” I say. “I am prepared to pay.”
In all honesty, Kevin has no idea how much I’m willing to pay for what I want. Nobody knows that. Apart from me.
“I will begin negotiations with Haven this week,” Nerisha says, collecting her papers.
Kevin shakes his head. “I can’t believe this is it.”
“The end of Evergreene,” I add.
He rubs a hand over his face. “I thought we had more time,” he says, and I hear then just how hard this is hitting him.
Nora and Nerisha share a look.
“Ladies, thank you for your time today,” I say. “Perhaps Kevin and I could talk alone for a moment.”
“Of course. I’ll be in touch, Cassie, and Kevin, good to see you again,” Nerisha says as she tucks her papers in her briefcase and stands. She shake hands with me, with Kevin, and then Nora shows her to the door.
“You must have seen this coming,” I say to Kevin once we’re alone.
He sighs again. “Yes, of course. It’s been coming at me like a fucking freight train for years. I just … I always thought I could stop it in time. That I could make it work. I’d get the boys into rehab. You and Clarence were always reliable. Even when Vik got arrested, in some ways I thought that was what needed to happen. If one of them was out of the game, then it was one less bad influence on Stephan. He could go back to writing and focusing on the band.”
A puzzle piece falls into place. “So this is surprising you? Me wanting to break away?”
“Yeah, I mean…” He pauses, leans his elbows on the table between us. “No. I guess not. When I really think about it, you are in the best position to have a solo career. And I know you changed your contract earlier this year to that effect, but I just thought you were doing it because you got that new hot-shot lawyer … Fuck, I was an idiot to not see it, right?”
I smile at him. “Not an idiot. Just a bit short-sighted. But I’ve started to see that a lot of men are short-sighted.”
“Or idiots?” he offers a grimace of a smile.
“Yes, fine. Some are just idiots.”
We share a huff of laughter, but then Kevin’s eyes turn serious. “I’m proud of you, Cassie. For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing. Even though it’s going to cost you. And it’s going to make my life a living hell for a while, I have no doubt you’ll be a huge success.”
I smile to myself. That is, until Kevin notices.
“What? What did I say?”
“Nothing. You just sound like someone else.”
“You know,” he says, “if you need a manager…”
I’m not surprised he’s suggesting this. I’d expected it. What I don’t have is the answer he wants to hear. I don’t think Kevin is a bad person, but I don’t think he’s always had my best interests at heart. That may be because he was thinking of the band as a whole, and so maybe, if he’s my manager as a solo artist, he would advocate better for me. But I’m not fully convinced. And I don’t want to feel pressure to give him an answer now, even though it feels second-nature to tell him what he wants to hear. I need to stop doing that to myself.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell him honestly.
“Okay,” he says, clearly resigned to this fate. “I guess I’d better head to Haven.”
“I am sorry for the hassle,” I say – that people-pleaser in me piping up despite myself. Because when I take a second to consider this, I don’t think I am sorry. This is business. This is the way it goes.
“You shouldn’t be.” He stands. “God knows you’ve been messed around enough over the years. It’s a nice change for you to do the messing around.”
I stand and fold my arms. I don’t say that I agree with him, but I do.
“How is Clarence?” I ask, out of nowhere.
