“It’s Han Solo and what’s-his-name.Chewbacca?”
“You’re kiddingme.”
“I’m totally fucking serious. Do not even get me started on thecenterfolds.”
Jessa wrinkled her nose. “Cliche,much?”
“Very much. Which is why we never do it as his place. I could stand looking at young Harrison Ford while I’m in bed, but the rest of it is untenable.Andhe ditched me halfway to orgasm thismorning.”
"Halfway?"
“Three-quarters of the way. He had toleave. I’m three-quarters considering never speaking to himagain.”
Jessa made a sympathetic sound, though I wasn’t sure if it was for me or baby Nick. “He probably feels bad for having to leave. I’m sure all he really wants to do is please you,Roni.”
“Where on Earth would you get thatfrom?”
Jessa looked up. I was folding her laundry and she looked me over, pointedly. For the first time, I really noticed the faint purplish circles under her big brown eyes. Jessa was gorgeous—literally, lingerie-model gorgeous—but right now, she looked like a wilted flower someone had forgotten towater.
“You’re seriously asking me that,” she said, “while I’m wearing a nursing bra with milk-absorbing pads and I stink of spit-up and I haven’t had a proper shower in three days? Take a look in the mirror. You’re twenty-seven and a total babe. You have all that glossy black hair and epic cleavage and a manicure, and your own condo. He’s twenty-three. He lives in some nasty room in his biker clubhouse, right? With centerfolds on the walls? He probably worships the ground you walkon.”
I stared at her. “Why aren’t you showering? What about your nanny person? What’s-her-name?”
“She got sick and had to bail a few days this week and I didn’t want some stranger coming over, so it’s been a bit around the clock. And Brody’s been so busy with the album, the upcomingtour…”
“Fuck that. Hand me that baby and go have yourself a fuckingshower.”
“Okay. I will.” I could see the relief in her body, the total gratitude, as her shoulders softened. But Nick was still firmlyattached.
I made a mental note to tell Brody to hire on some more help for her, or something. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it. And knowing Jessa, she hadn’t actually told him how tired she was. He probably didn’t realize how much help she actually could’ve used while he was working. It wasn’t like she had a mom or a sister who could come around and watch the baby for an hour here or there so she could have a bath. Jessa was on her own, had always been on her own in some ways, and I knew she wasn’t used to asking forhelp.
I also made a mental note to make myself more available. Check on her, even when she didn’task.
“Babe. I hope you know you don’t have to feign interest in my bullshit with Taze just so you can get a shower. I’m capable of holding a baby for thirty minutes foryou.”
“It’s not that.” She looked at me, kinda hopefully. “I wanted to talk to you aboutDirty.”
“Dirty?”
“Yeah. Here’s the thing.” She sat up a little straighter, like this was important… which was odd, since Dirty really had nothing to do with me, and vice versa. “They’ll be finished recording the album next week, and then they start up promotion for it right away. They leave on tour in January. But Brody says they’re getting restless and kinda driving him up the wall about it. It’s been so long since they’ve played a full show live, and apparently they really want to do a show before the tour starts, just something fun, and they’ve been asking Brody to put something together. He says it has to be over the holidays, here in Vancouver, since that’s the only time they’ll all be available and they’ll all be home for theholidays.”
“Cool. Put me down for a handful of tickets. You really didn’t need to invite me in person,” I teased. “I know I’m pretty essential at a party,but…”
“Brody thinks it should be intimate,” she went on, “but still kinda big. Someplace more special than the Back Door, a higher capacity venue, since they’ll be playing some of the songs from the new album for the firsttime…”
“Sounds aboutright.”
“No media. Just fans. And he wants it on New Year’sEve.”
“Oh. Well, I can come late, after my thing.” I had an event at a pub I was working that night already, so hopefully I could make it work. “What time do you think they’ll playuntil?”
“I don’t know. The thing is… the nightclub Brody was hoping to get, the one where they held auditions for the documentary series and filmed the big reveal show with Seth, is alreadybooked.”
“The Ruby.” I knew the place. I knew the owner, actually. “I’m not surprised. Every decent place in town and then some will already be booked. Brody must knowthat.”
“Right. And that’s the thing… His plate’s kinda already overflowing, overseeing all the promotion around the album launch, planning the tour, and now the baby… Maggie’s just as busy. So they’ll need a promoter to put this show together. Brody was saying he’s gonna bring one on nextweek.”
The wheels were starting to turn in my head. I could pass her a few names, for sure. But Brody definitely had better connections than I did in the rock ’n’ rollworld.
