Chapter 36

Harley

I was looking forwardto seeing the ladies from Harmony Place. We’d spent enough time together in the month I’d been there to feel like they were my friends, and that was one of many things I intended to continue working on now that I was home. River had preschool and his nanny to watch him so I could get away for a few hours now and then, and I’d enjoyed their company enough to want to see more of them.

We were all different ages, with different careers and at different points in our lives, but we all had the shared element of grief. Out of the whole group, I was probably closest to Mina, but maybe that would change now that we were meeting up outside of Harmony Place.

“Sorry I’m late.” Freya was the last to arrive, dropping into the empty chair across from me with a harried look. “Last-minute emergencies have become the rule instead of the exception.”

“I don’t envy your job,” Mina said, shaking her head. “You couldn’t pay me to be in politics.”

For a moment Freya looked thoughtful. “Sometimes I feel the same way, but if everyone says that, who would be out there fighting for us?”

“I guess it depends on what side of the aisle you sit on,” Harriett said pointedly. She’d expressed concern about keeping Freya in the group, but we’d decided to give her a chance based on our shared experiences.

“Let’s not talk politics,” Betty said amiably. “I just want some good old-fashioned girl talk today.” She turned to me with a teasing gleam in her eyes. “And I’m thinking most of that is going to come from you, little Miss-I’m-Hooking-Up-With-A-Hot-Rock-Star-Who-Happens-To-Be-My-Ex.”

I chuckled. “There hasn’t been any hooking up since we left,” I admitted. “But hopefully tonight.”

“Date night?” Mina asked with a grin.

“Family dinner with my son and sister. When they go to bed, then I’m hoping it turns into date night.”

“He’s so hot,” Harriett said. “I never thought I’d find a man other than my Diego hot, but Tommy fits the bill. Does he have a brother?”

I grimaced. “He does, but he’s not hot like Tommy. He’s already losing his hair and has a beer belly.”

“Aw, don’t hate on bald guys,” Mina said. “My husband was bald and sexy as fuck.”

“I’m not hating on bald guys, just this one in particular,” I said. “Trust me—not hot.”

“Are all the guys in the band in relationships now?” Freya asked, sipping the martini she’d ordered.

“Yeah,” I said. “Z’s with his wife Presley, and they have a two-year-old son. Kellan and Jesse just moved in together, and of course, the whole world knows about Kingston and Devyn.”

“Except me,” Mina said. “I don’t really follow rock and roll.”

“Well, Kingston is Onyx Knight’s lead singer. When their bass player passed away, they decided to hire a new one, and Carter left a note with his attorney that they should audition someone named Devyn Cates. So they did, and not only did they hire her, King fell in love with her. And if you knew him as long as I have, you’d know how crazy that is. He was the perpetual bachelor, a veritable rock god with a girlfriend in every city.”

“All it takes is the right person,” Harriett said softly, using her straw to absently stir her drink.

“And in the blink of an eye they’re gone,” Betty murmured. “Enjoy every moment, Harley. I’m not trying to be morbid, but I mean it.”

“Oh, I intend to,” I said. “We’re already talking about getting remarried. In Paris.”

“Oh my god!” Mina immediately lifted her drink for a toast. “Girlfriend, I expect an invitation. I’d fly to Paris for that!”

“Me too!” Harriett said excitedly. “Girls’ trip!”

“Oh, yes,” Betty said softly. “Please let us know.”

“I’d have to think about the timing,” Freya murmured, looking away.

“Well, it’s just talk right now,” I said. “We have a million other things going on anyway.” I sighed. “There is some serious crazy happening with the band that has to be sorted out before we can even think about a wedding.”

“Everything okay?” Mina asked curiously.

“Well, it’s a little complicated, but let’s just say that their old manager is trying to screw them over but we’ve got a plan.”

“Yeah?” Betty arched her brows. “Sounds sneaky!”

I hesitated. This stuff was private, but these were my girls from Harmony Place, and we’d shared far darker secrets there than anything to do with the band. “Kind of. There’s a whole thing with the master recordings of their first two albums. Their old record label had them sign a ridiculous contract that gave them a lot more control than regular contracts. It was never a big deal until their old manager went to work for another label, and promptly bought out the old one.”

“I’m already confused,” Mina said, wrinkling her nose.

“All you need to know is that this new label is trying to keep them from performing a couple of their biggest hits,” I said. “And—please keep this between us because it’s top secret—they’ve already come up with a plan. They’re going to re-record those two songs next week in Vegas, which means they’ll have brand new masters and can do whatever the hell they want with them!”

“That’s fucking brilliant,” Harriett breathed. “I love it.”

“Wow.” Betty looked impressed. “That’s hardcore. Excellent.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you have money and power,” Freya said wryly.

“Well, they were screwed over when they didn’t know any better,” I said. “So now they get to show them not to mess with the little guy.”

“Because little guys grow up to be bigger guys,” Mina said nodding.

“Good for them,” Harriett said. “It’s their music, right? They wrote the songs?”

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” I replied. “Thank god they knew enough to protect their writing credits. Unfortunately, everything else is a bit of a shit show. I don’t really understand it all. I’ve been a little distracted with my love life.”

“Are they playing in L.A. anytime soon?” Harriett asked.

“Not that I know of, but they usually do a few practice runs at random clubs before they hit the road, so if that happens, I’ll let you know.”

“I think I want to see them,” Mina said thoughtfully. “I’m going to look up their music on YouTube.”

“Look for a video for a song called ‘Shiny Pieces,’” I told her. “And you’ll see twenty-one-year-old me.”

“You were in one of their music videos?” Harriett asked, typing something on her phone. “Oh my god, here it is!” She turned her phone so everyone could see and we watched the video together.

A wave of nostalgia washed over me, looking at the past right there on the screen. Tommy and me on the back of a borrowed Harley. Carter racing down Sunset Boulevard in a rented Maserati. Kingston in a hot tub in a limousine surrounded by beautiful women, cruising down the Strip. Z at a club wearing what looked like millions of dollars in gold and diamond jewelry as he drank champagne. And Kellan lounging on a massive velvet canopied bed, set up on a pedestal, also surrounded by beautiful women.

All the shiny pieces of life in one rock anthem.

“That’s pretty catchy,” Mina said when the song was over.

“A few million people agree with you,” I said, laughing.

“You were so young,” Betty said softly, cocking her head. “And so in love. No amount of makeup or acting could cover that up.”

“That was when we’d been dating about a year,” I said. “We’d just moved in together and gone from dating to committed relationship. I was so excited to be in the video, and then not long after that, they released ‘Judgement Call,’ which went to number one. That changed the trajectory of their career. And mine, I guess.”

“Why yours?” Mina asked.

“Because I was an aspiring actress but once they started making money, I was focused on Tommy and I let my dreams fall away. And before you say anything about him, that was all me. He supported anything I wanted to do, but I felt like his career was more important. There were a billion hopeful blond actresses in Hollywood, but no one else had music like theirs or a lead singer like Kingston. You don’t see it as much in this song but listen to some of the albums. He’s amazing.”

“I’m a big fan,” Harriett said. “But I’ve never seen them live. There was never any time, always going from one movie set to the next. I won’t make that mistake going forward. I’m going to take the time to enjoy life. Money is important but not the most important thing.”

“For sure,” Mina said. “And trust me, no one knows this better than me. You get to be my age and suddenly all those piles of money mean less and less. Yes, I’m grateful that I can do whatever the fuck I want, but it didn’t keep my husband from dying. It doesn’t keep my old, wrinkled ass from shriveling up like a prune in the desert either.”

Harriett and I snorted with laughter.

Mina wagged a finger at us. “Don’t laugh. You’ll be me in thirty years, and though I’ll be dead by then, you’ll be thinking Mina was right! This sucks!”

“You look great,” Betty told her.

“Probably because she has the money for plastic surgery,” Freya said, shrugging. “Personally, I plan to cherish every wrinkle. They’re reminders of a life well-lived.”

Mina rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay, but when you have so many they roll on top of each other to the point you can’t see out of one eye and your nipples droop low enough to tickle your va-jay-jay, tell me you won’t be running for the plastic surgeon.”

“I know I will,” Harriett said.

“Same.” I nodded.

“Well, not me.” Freya shook her head. “My Harry loved me just the way I am and I’m not going to change anything.”

I saw Mina starting to say something I gave her a quick kick under the table.

There was no point in arguing, everyone was entitled to their opinion about stuff like that. There was a good chance Freya would change her mind as she got older, especially if she stayed in the public eye, but what did we care?

“So, tell me about this Paris wedding,” Mina said, getting the hint.

“You should get a couture gown,” Harriett added. “Have you ever worn Alexa Humboldt? She’s amazing, especially if you have a more rock and roll style. She did a lot of stuff for Casey Hart…”

Conversation turned to dresses and weddings and springtime in Paris, and I was caught up in the excitement. I was probably jumping the gun, but as we all knew firsthand, life was short. There was no reason not to enjoy every minute of it.