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“New guitarist, studio time. Let’s add one more, shall we? All in favor of Art as our new manager?”

Everyone’s hands shot up and my mouth fell open. “Wait, I didn’t–”

“Stop. You’re going to tell everyone you didn’t do much, which we all know is a lie. You’ve been supporting us since the day you showed up. You watch our backs, get us what we need, and you do it all without asking for anything in return,” Hendrix argued.

“We need you, Art,” Laz agreed, finally speaking up. “All your suggestions have done great things for us. Our social media is exploding, the crowd at the club now cheers for us, and once we do our recordings, we’ve got a real chance at getting a record deal. None of that would’ve happened without you.”

They all agreed with bobs of their heads. Aliyah stood next to Ruby and gave me a thumbs up, a smile on her face. And Hendrix was pressed up against my back, conviction steady on his face. I’d never felt so wanted in my life. Not just for money or stability, like Val wanted. Not because it was my job to take care of them like Sophie. The band didn't have to keep me around. They wanted me anyway.

Tears burned the backs of my eyes, and my voice shook when I spoke. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes,” Hendrix urged, tipping my chin to look at him.

Blinking back a few tears, I lifted my shoulders helplessly.

“Yes.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

ARTHUR

Since they now considered methe band manager, I got to go with them for their recording session. I still didn’t know about that title, but I tried my best to live up to it. The recording session with the whole band was on a weekday, so I had to take some time off, but it was amazing to watch them thrive. Aliyah spent the time before the recording session learning the music, and she fit really well with the band once they played together. Ruby was ecstatic, and even though I could tell it was hard on Laz to watch, he said nothing. He was a little quieter than before, but friendly with Aliyah and Hendrix said he was working on helping Laz get over Ruby.

The recording studio emailed me a small demo of the recording a few days later, just as a preview of what the music would sound like once it was finished. I didn’t tell Hendrix how expensive it was to go to this place. I was pretty sure, based on the fact that they all lived together, that they wouldn’t have been able to afford it. It was a gift from me, since I had more than enough in savings to cover it. He hadn’t asked yet, but if he andthe band ever did, I’d already made up a little white lie about it being severely discounted because it was their first time.

I was supposed to wait until I got home to listen to the recording, but I was too excited. I waited until the office had gone to lunch before pulling it up and turning my speakers up. My heart fluttered wildly in my chest as I heard Hendrix’s voice croon out the opening lines. I’d seen them play on stage, relaxing at home, in the studio, and now on an actual track. I felt privileged to be part of their journey and for the first time in a long time, I was really excited about my life outside of the time I spent with Sophie. This was as much for me as it was for the band and I almost cried hearing it coming out of my computer speakers.

“Hey, that song is great. Who’s it by?”

I nearly jumped out of my own skin, spinning around to face Henry. He cracked up at my reaction, patting my shoulder apologetically.

“My bad. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I was just listening to your music. I’ve never heard this song before.”

Willing my heart back into normal rhythm, I sucked in a breath. “Unless you go to club Envy Thursday nights, you wouldn’t. The band is called Children of Myth. They’re amazing. They’ve been playing in small clubs around the city for a while, but I helped them get some studio time recently and got the demo this morning.”

Propping his hip on the edge of my desk, he tipped his head to listen. When the demo ended, I restarted it for him, letting him get the full effect. Watching my friend bob his head along with the music, knowing it was Hendrix’s band that he was enjoying, filled my chest with pride. But I wasn’t expecting what he said next.

“Are they with a label yet?”

I frowned. “No. Not yet. Why?”

“My older brother works for Envision Records. We’ve got a little thing where if I find a band that isn’t represented and he likes them, he buys me dinner. And I’m talking about a nice dinner. Lobster, filet mignon, that kind of thing. I’ve only ever found two, but damn, it was worth it. If he signs them and they make it big, he promised to buy me a car. If these guys are looking for representation, then I can send the demo to him. Maybe even get him to invite you to dinner, too.”

He said it so nonchalantly, like Envision Records wasn’t one of the biggest labels in the country. I gaped at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish because I seriously didn't know what to say.

“I-I-”

“I mean, you don’t have to. If they prefer to produce on their own then–”

“No! I mean– Yes! Absolutely! How many songs does he want to hear? Should he go to a show instead? Should I wait for the studio to be finished?”

Henry’s head tossed back when he laughed and he put his hands up to slow down my babbling. “Hold on, hold on. Easy tiger. Just what you’ve got now will be enough. Usually I send him a clip from whatever fair or whatever I see the band at, so this is a huge step up from that. Can you put it on a thumb drive for me? I’ve got a family dinner this weekend. I can show it to him then.”

“Oh, my god. That would be amazing. Thank you!”

He snickered, tipping his head towards my computer. I rushed to do as he asked, moving the file onto a blank thumb drive for him. My hands shook as I handed it to him, which he found entertaining, but I couldn’t help it. I knew, deep in my soul, that Children of Myth was worth signing. They were amazing, and I wanted more than anything to have them get the record deal they deserved.

“Let me know if you need anything else. Or if he wants to see them live. They’ve got a regular slot at Club Envy, but they play a few other places during the week as well. I owe you for this, Henry. Honestly.”