“I think so,” I say cautiously. “I mean, are you sure you want me out there with you?”
“Positive. Don’t give it another thought.”
I chuckle. “How could I not? I’m about to turn my whole life upside down.”
“You and me both, baby. But we’ll have each other to figure out what’s next.”
That’s a loaded statement because he has a big decision to make too.
But doing it together sounds a lot less scary than trying to do it alone.
“I’m going to tell her now,” I say quietly.
“Then I’ll see you in a few days. Let me know your timetable, and we can book your flight tonight.”
Holy shit.
I’m really going to essentially quit my job and run off on tour.
Something I’ve wanted to do my entire life.
I can’t decide if I’m excited or terrified but there’s no time for that.
I have to talk to Dr. Kincaid, clear out my desk and office, call Harley, and figure out how to get unemployment benefits.
I’ll think about everything else later.
Chapter Twenty
Ross
Sasha Petrov is our manager and the head of Hart Records, which is Onyx Knight’s label. Her mother, the one and only Casey Hart, was a huge star in her day, before leaving rock and roll and marrying the king of a small eastern European country called Limaj. She started Hart Records and oversees the talent, but Sasha runs the day-to-day operations.
The label is small but filled with big talent, which I assume was done by design, so I’m a little nervous about the conversation we’re about to have. Me, Sasha, and Casey Hart. I’ve met Casey on multiple occasions because the band has performed at the palace a couple of times, but this is different.
This is about my future.
“Good morning,” Casey says, smiling.
“Hey!” Sasha smiles too.
Video chats make things easy but sometimes they also make it difficult to read people. I can hear their voices and see their faces but it’s not the same as being able to study their body language. Whether or not they’re nervously tapping their foot on the floor or gripping a pen hard enough to break it. Those are the types of things I look for in any business setting to tell me more than what people say.
Hopefully, I won’t need to read between any lines today.
“So, let’s get down to business,” Casey says. “It’s almost dinnertime here and I have about twenty-eight minutes until I have to go.”
“We ran numbers for two scenarios,” Sasha says immediately. “The first is rebuilding some version of Ross & the Rock-its as the opening act for the rest of the tour. We’d front the money for equipment, salaries, and merchandise. You’d basically perform and get a paycheck. There is no risk on your part and very little on ours. Merch is always tricky but I have to believe your fans from before are going to want T-shirts, if nothing else.”
I nod. “What about my job with Onyx Knight? Benefits, all those details.”
“We’ll keep you on the payroll in that capacity, as an employee. So nothing changes for you and very little changes for us. Pete would get a raise to take over your job, and I’m going to assume that you’d be available to help him with details he might not be aware of since you’ve been doing this for so long.”
“Of course.” I nod.
“And your salary would go up to two hundred thousand,” she continues, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “You’ll be doing a job and a half so it’s only fair that you get paid for it.”
Holy shit.
