"Sorry, it’s just, it’s easier to let her run it and tell us what to do than have her scrambling to cover for something."
"Sure." His tone says the opposite.
"Duncan, c’mon, don’t you want to tell people before they find out on some gossip site?"
"I’m pretty sure all my people already know. Or at least they have a strong inkling. I mean, I could call my parents I guess." Duncan shrugs but it’s the opening I need.
"Okay then, you call your parents, I’ll call Zara. And I’ll place an order for delivery from Sunrise Bakery."
"Alright." He slides off the counter, gives me a quick kiss, and takes his phone out to the balcony.
I open my food delivery app and place an order, it’s probably enough to feed eight but I’m overcompensating.
When I navigate to my text thread with Zara, there’s a message waiting.
ZARA: The shelter confirmed, you’re on for Thanksgiving from two to seven.
When I’m in Nashville for Thanksgiving, a holiday I don’t exactly celebrate, I volunteer at a soup kitchen.
I add it too my calendar, seeing it conflict with Duncan’s Teamsgiving event he shared with me, and decide to handle the overlap later. With a centering breath I call Zara.
"Rhys! I was just about to call you." She answers excitedly.
"You were?"
"Yes. You’re going to love me so much." I can picture her eyes sparkling with plans and her smug smile. "The Kingmaker was just nominated for album of the year and their schedule is about to be absolutely booked solid so this is a big get."
"How'd you hear that?" Nominations are usually announced for another month or more. But, attaching Lennox Calloway’s name to my album will help with the crossover exposure to the pop channels. This is my chance to expand my style of music beyond the country stations.
"A publicist never tells."
I let out a laugh. "Fair enough. Okay, so I have two weeks here and then what, four in Nashville."
"Six."
"Six weeks." Not bad.
"Months."
I freeze. "What?"
"You're going to record the whole album over the next six months."
"I don't need that long for the album."
"Well, I've got the time. And hell will freeze over before I give it up." I can hear her typing on her other phone in the background.
"Zar. This is too much."
"No, this is you reclaiming the spotlight."
"But last night you told me you could make a relationship work. Remember?" I ask her, my mind reeling with how I'm going to date Duncan from Nashville while recording an album and starting to rehearse for a tour.
"I do. And, this is going to make my job easier because you won't actually spend any time with him."
Now it's my turn to place my hand on top of my head in frustration. "But, this isn't what I wanted."
The background keystrokes pause.
