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“Barry, it’s not a duet,” I say.

“Of course it is, kid.”

“No, I mean, Paisley won’t sing it with me.”

“She’s gonna have to. That’s what they’re expecting.”

“Barry,” I say, but it’s no use.

There’s a muffled announcement in the background. “I gotta run, my flight’s about to leave. I’ll get you the details next week. Stop by the office on Monday when you’re back in town, and bring Paisley with you. We’ll all talk then.”

Barry disconnects the call and I stare at the phone in a daze.

How the hell did Barry get my practice file and not the demo track?

Track 25

It Was an Honest Mistake

Paisley

December 22

“What’s up?” I ask, arranging the random curls of ribbon in front of me into a neat stack.

“So, there’s good news and…less-good news.”

I glance up at him. “Like, bad news?”

He scrunches up his face. “Eh. I mean. I guess it depends on how you look at it. Some people might say it’s all good news.”

Well, that’s not cryptic or anything.

Instead of taking the seat across from me, where he was before, Kash pulls out the chair next to mine and turns it to face me. I set down the ribbon and give him my full attention.

Kash leans forward and rests his elbows on his thighs, letting his linked hands droop in the space between his knees.

“Start with the good news,” I say.

He puffs out a slow stream of air, like he can’t believe what he’s about to tell me. “The label likes the demos. They’re really happy with what we put together. Barry says they’re going to book recording time with a producer and some session musicians to record with me early next year.”

“That’s great, Kash,” I say.

We worked so hard on those songs. I was worried that they’d feel rushed or they weren’t what the label was looking for, but now Kash is going to get his album, and I’m going to have some songwriting credits to my name. This is a win-win for both of us.

“It’s huge,” he says, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “And Barry wants more songs from us for a full-length album. He didn’t say how many, but I’m guessing another handful or so.”

“What?! That’s amazing.” I hold up my hand for a high five, and Kash smacks his palm into mine.

“Is there a deadline?”

“Not yet,” he says.

We both share a relieved smile.

“More good news,” I say. “Now we can take time to develop our ideas and enjoy the holidays with our families.”

“Yeah, about that,” he says, scratching his jaw. “It’s kind of a funny story…”