Page 50 of Everything In Between
FORTY-THREE
jersey
My mind runs on full cylinders throughout the entire night. Hayes and I get up right at six the following morning and I’m still exhausted. When I stare at my reflection in the mirror, I can see it. My eyes are tinged pink from the lack of sleep, and I have dark circles under my eyes.
I run some cool water and splash it on my face, hoping I’ll at least feel a little refreshed from my night of restlessness. As soon as I’m dressed, I start packing, thoughts spiraling this way and that.
In so many ways, I’m helpless, I’m in a transition period waiting to get back to LA so I can work with Bethany and my lawyers to figure out what to do next.
I hate feeling helpless, which is why one thought stands out to me more than the others right now.
Something that I can do next before we leave.
“Hayes.”
He pauses at the sound of his name and turns, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, baby?”
I press my lips into a thin line, wondering how he’ll react to my slight change of plans. “I promised Preston I’d say hi to Chloe before we left . . .”
“Don’t you think we—”
“Hayes, please,” I say, my voice breaking. “I need this.”
Hayes stares at me a moment, and then nods once, sliding his phone out of his back pocket, typing on the screen and then putting the phone to his ear.
“Hey, it’s Hayes. We have an emergency and we’re going to need to leave town quickly today.
Jersey wanted to say hi to Chloe though before we go.
Do you think you could make that happen? ”
An hour later, the truck is packed, and we head out. Hayes holds my hand over the console as the lake house disappears behind us.
“Sorry I ruined your vacation,” Kelsey says from the backseat where she sits with Periwinkle.
“It is what it is,” Hayes mutters, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.
“There will be more vacations,” I add, though I’m forlorn about leaving.
The drive is quiet and seems to take an eternity before we pull into the parking lot of Red Zone.
Hayes meets me at the front of the truck and offers me his hand, which I readily take.
My head still spins with everything that’s going on in my world, but as soon as we walk into the bar and I see Chloe beaming at me with stars in her eyes.
I put my troubles to the back of my mind, focusing on her.
Even as my world crumbles around me, without fans like Chloe, I’d be nothing. The least I can do is take a few moments to give back to her. Let her excitement remind me that all this will be worth it in the end.
By ten o’clock, the three of us are back on the road. As we drive away, I stare down at the selfie Chloe and I took, feeling my eyes well up again as everything comes back to hit me.
Hayes reaches for my hand and threads our fingers together. “That really meant a lot to Preston and Chloe. He said that this was a dream come true for her.”
“I’m glad I got to see her,” I say, my voice thick. I swipe away at a tear that escapes from the corner of my eye. “I told her I would make sure to get her tickets for my next show.”
“I bet that made her whole year.”
“I hope so.” I nod.
He squeezes my hand, and I look out the window, wishing there was a way I could go back to the cabin, lock myself away, and shut the rest of the world out, pretending none of this happened.
Unfortunately for me, though, it did, and the list of things that need my personal attention keeps multiplying.
The drive is spent mostly in silence. My nose is glued to my phone where I’m answering text messages and emails and the occasional phone call—mostly from Bethany or my lawyers.
I have a meeting with them first thing tomorrow morning to figure out the next moves.
Bethany has been texting me with updates on the statement my lawyers released and any new updates from the label or the media.
Kelsey is working hard on drafting a statement that she’ll release directly to the media.
Hayes is doing everything he can to be supportive. He’s almost always touching me in some way, his hand laced through mine or his palm resting on top of my thigh. It’s his way of quietly lending me his strength.
As soon as we make it back to Milwaukee, we drop Periwinkle off at home.
The little dog gives us a mournful look when we say goodbye, but then she plops down into her bed, perfectly content to sleep until we get back.
We meet Kelsey back down in the truck and drive to the airport.
The flight from Wisconsin to California flies by, my mind buzzing with scenarios preventing me from catching an hour or two of much needed rest.
Even that night, back in my condo, as Hayes draws me into his chest and holds me tight, I can’t shake the anxiety brewing in my belly.
He kisses the top of my head and runs his hand up the length of my back, trying his best to soothe me.
It works to an extent, but when morning arrives, I still feel entirely unrested.
My lawyer—Carla—Kelsey, and Bethany arrive first thing in the morning right as Hayes is brewing a pot of coffee.
I open the door to welcome them in and they step into the apartment.
Carla readily accepts a mug of coffee from Hayes, while Bethany stays back and wraps her arms around me in a tight hug.
Kelsey stands right behind her, looking about the same as I’m feeling right now, with dark circles underneath her eyes.
I close my eyes and hug her back, grateful that she’s here with me right now.
“I’m so sorry, Jersey,” she says. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
My throat feels thick, and I don’t say anything back, for fear of bursting into tears again.
I can’t cry about this today. The necessity of handling the situation takes priority, but the blatant violation and betrayal is still simmering underneath the surface, and I know at some point I will not be able to hold it back.
“Here, I brought you something,” Bethany says before reaching into the canvas bag on her shoulder and pulling out a package of Oreos and a big jar of peanut butter.
I laugh, despite everything, and accept the gift, my heart warming from the small gesture.
“Let’s head into the living room so we can get started,” I say, taking the cookies and peanut butter. I meet Kelsey’s eyes and give her a weak smile. “Thanks for coming.”
“I gave my statement yesterday to the press and resigned from my position,” she tells me as we make our way to our seats.
I haven’t had a chance to read her statement, but I don’t doubt she did what she had to do.
“I’ve heard from a few of my friends at Silver Shadows.
Callum is getting ready to give a counter statement today, so we should probably be ready for the worst-case scenario. ”
Carla is sitting on the chaise lounge by the coffee table. She takes a sip of her coffee and sets it on the table. “We need to start drafting something for your team to put out, Jersey.”
“I can help,” Kelsey says, sheepishly. “I may not technically be a part of your publicity team anymore, but I still have those skills.”
I nod. “I’m fine with that.”
Carla pulls a notepad out of her briefcase along with her laptop.
She opens it up and starts typing. Hayes sneaks into the living room and takes a seat next to me, wrapping one large arm around my waist and settling his hand on my hip.
I lean against him, letting his warmth ease some of the tension in my body.
“I have Kelsey’s statement right here,” Bethany says, handing me her tablet so I can read it.
Kelsey Hurst, a publicist for Vantage Personal Relations, is speaking out regarding Meghan Connelly’s new song
“I’m making a combined statement for myself and on behalf of Jersey Matthews.
It is imperative that people know that the song recently released by Meghan Connelly, produced by Silver Shadows, was taken without consent from Jersey Matthews’s private song bank.
Callum Strong, the manager for both singers, enlisted me to help him steal from Ms. Matthews, planning to use what he stole to promote Ms. Connelly’s career without consent from Ms. Matthews.
I am committed to ensuring that Mr. Strong and Silver Shadows are held accountable for this abuse of power within their industry. ”
I breathe a heavy sigh and look at Kelsey. She’s wringing her hands in her lap. “Thank you.”
“Is it enough?”
“Yes, it’s perfect.” I nod my head and hand Bethany her tablet back. “I didn’t even know Meghan had signed with Silver Shadows.”
“I didn’t either, but do you remember when Cal took her call that day you were in studio?” Bethany asks me. I vaguely remember what she’s talking about and nod. “I wonder if he was brokering that deal with her then.”
“They really didn’t waste any time then.” Hayes muses next to me.
I agree. “They must’ve signed her and had her recording pretty quickly.”
“Callum always has multiple things going on at once. He even had a big role to play in your relationship with Corey,” Kelsey adds, seemingly oblivious to the bomb she just dropped.
I blink a few times and my brain steers in a different direction, intrigued with what this might mean. “How so?”
“Well, he set you two up, and then eventually told Corey to break it off with you,” Kelsey says, dismally. “Not that Corey put up much of a fight. It was almost like he was relieved Cal advised him to end things.”
“Really?” I ask. I can feel Hayes’s eyes on me, watching my reaction to this news.
If anything, this drives home how lucky I am that things with Corey didn’t work out.
“If he was so deep in Cal’s pocket, that was destined to crash and burn at some point.
I’m just glad I got out of that situation when I did.
” I look to Hayes and can’t fight the smile off my lips.
“And I’m much better off for it. Cal’s utter disdain for my relationship with Hayes has much more clarity now.
He couldn’t control the narrative how he wanted, and he hated that. ”
He winks at me and leans forward, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“None of those details matter now,” Carla interrupts, redirecting us to the task at hand. “We need to focus on what our goals will be moving forward, and how we’re going to get you there.”
Hayes’s hand tightens around my hip, but he doesn’t say anything. “What do we need to do first?” I ask her, leaning my elbows on my knees.
“We’ll need to discuss your terms,” Carla says, peering at me over the rims of her glasses.
“In my professional opinion, I believe the best course of action would be to move toward termination of the contract. It is going to be difficult to prove that Callum stole from you, especially with you not having a registered copyright of the lyrics.”
“But it’s my song. Don’t I own any type of copyright?”
“You always own intellectual copyright privileges of anything you personally create,” she explains.
“However, it will be difficult to prove if we proceed that route and this ends up going to court. There is no digital time stamp on a handwritten notebook. There is no way to convince a judge or a jury that you wrote those lyrics first.”
I bite my lip but nod. “I understand.”
“It would be best to come to an agreement with Silver Shadows that moves toward terminating your contract with them. The only problem is that you have a clause in your contract stating that upon termination, Silver Shadows will maintain the rights and privileges to anything you’ve created under their label. ”
My stomach tightens like I got sucker punched, and I draw in a sharp breath. I was hoping there would be a better outcome on that front. Bethany looks at me in concern. “So, they’ll still own me.”
“Well, not necessarily,” Carla says. “They’ll own your catalog.
You’ll still be listed as the artist, but Silver Shadows will retain the rights, so you’ll have to have their approval to use any of the songs moving forward.
But you’ll be free to continue your career as you see fit without the oversight of the label for future albums or tours. ”
I swallow thickly, and let that really sink in.
Though the thought that all my work will stay behind me when I leave is heartbreaking, it’s comforting knowing that even if I stayed with Silver Shadows, I still wouldn’t have the control over it as I want.
That fact alone puts everything into perspective for me.
Ultimately, leaving the past me behind so future me can have the freedom to do what I want with my career is a fair trade.
I had hoped for something different, but this is the reality, and I’ll have to make peace with that.
Bethany told me once that I shouldn’t have to settle for anything in my life, but on the flip side of that, there are times where compromise is necessary.
Settling would be for me to allow Callum to steal from me and walk away from the transgression scot-free.
But I’m not allowing that. I’m going forward and making sure they can never use me to their advantage again.
I’m compromising the backlist so I can move forward and reach for the stars and moon myself.
“Okay,” I say. Bethany’s focus is still on me, watching for any hint of distress, but she won’t find any. “Let’s move forward with searching for a path to terminate. They can keep everything; I don’t care. I just want to be free.”
“We’ll do that.” Carla scribbles something on a notepad and then looks to me with an eyebrow raised. “Callum Strong’s lawyer is saying he’s requesting a meeting with you present. Would you be comfortable meeting with him face-to-face or would you like me to handle this for you?”
I don’t need long to decide. “I want to be there. Cal and I have had a rocky relationship, but he took it too far this time. I want him to look me in the eye and explain to me why he stole from me.”
Hayes gives me such a look of pride that makes my heart melt, and Bethany nods her head, her lips curving up a bit.
My lawyer types out a response. “I’ll make sure that happens then.”