“The festival’s under new management and apparently they’re clueless as all fu…fudge. Odds are it’s going to be a disaster. What the hell is Adrian thinking?”
Jimmy cocked his head, watching me with interest for some reason.
“Just because I’ve been on the other side of the country doesn’t mean I haven’t kept up with industry news.”
“So what would you recommend?” asked Ben.
It seemed like every set of eyes in the room was turned my way. I crossed my arms, feeling just a tiny bit defensive perhaps. “Festivals are a good idea, I’ll give Adrian that. Help to establish Adam more widely and build on his audience. I’d definitely talk to Tyra about a place in the Newport and maybe the End of Summer and Rock ’n Waves. You’re only interested in stateside at the moment, right?”
Adam gulped. “Ah, I guess?”
“He’s so clueless, it’s cute,” laughed Mal. Amazing he could keep track of the conversation while helping Gib create chaos on the high hats.
And Jimmy was still watching me, which I so could have done without.
“What?” I scowled.
“Just a thought is all…” said Jimmy.
“What thought?”
From over by the windows, Sam watched me too, his bland business face morphing into something questioning for a moment. The weirdness in the room was seriously starting to get to me.
“Bet you’ve kept up with your contacts too, haven’t you?” asked Jimmy. “Or it wouldn’t take much to get up to date. You always were good at the schmoozing and getting people to do what you wanted. Had a hell of a talent for it, if I remember correctly.”
Now even my brother joined in, his brows lifting in surprise. “Huh. Probably would never have occurred to me, but you’re right, Jim. It’s not a bad idea at all. Smart, organized, has experience or at least a working knowledge of pretty much every part of the industry.”
“What the hell are you all talking about?” I barked.
“Hell!” yelled Gib, making me wince. Evidently I’d raised my voice enough to penetrate through the earmuffs. Though really on a scale of inappropriate words, it couldn’t be worse than butt.
“She always did keep a close eye on everything. I mean, she was good at her job,” said David, carrying on the discussion. Though his tone seemed distinctly reluctant when it came to doling out praise. “Sure this babysitting thing is really for you, Martha?”
“It’s not a long-term solution, but it’s all right for now. Why?”
Sam cleared his throat. “They’re thinking you’d make a great manager for Adam. I happen to agree.”
“A manager? Me?”
“Sure, why not?” Ben walked over to stand in front of me, his mouth a very straight and serious line. “You’re your own kind of scary, just like Adrian is. But you’re way better at smooth-talking people than he’ll ever be. Adam could do a hell of a lot worse.”
“I’m my own kind of scary?” I asked, one brow raised.
“You know you are,” said Jimmy from over on the couch. “You’re a hard ass from way back.”
“All of this flattery is going to go to my head,” I joked.
“Ass!” shouted Gib.
This time it was Ben who winced. “Liz’s going to kill me. Look, Martha, just think about it, okay?”
“Shouldn’t Adam get a say in this?”
The baby rocker looked around the room some more with his big innocent bewildered eyes. If nothing else, the boy would look great on the covers of magazines. Though his clothes and hair needed a bit of work. “I guess she seems nicer than Adrian?”
“Martha nice? You’re hilarious,” said Mal, setting Gibby down on the ground.
The child immediately ran over to the couch to climb up between David and Jimmy. Both held up their hands and some complicated game involving Gibby taking turns high fiving the two men began. It was kind of cute seeing them interact with him. How natural and relaxed they were these days with a small child in their midst.
“Anyway,” continued Mal. “You don’t want anyone too nice. It’s an industry that’ll chew you up and spit you out if you’re not careful. You want someone like Martha who’ll watch your back and cover your interests.”
“Were you actually just praising me?” I asked, shocked.
One side of the maniac’s mouth pulled upward. “Marty, darling…a move into management makes total sense. You might look pretty as a picture, but you’re a natural bully and a thug. Always have been, always will be.”
So many smirks and smiles filled the room. Even Sam covered a bark of laughter with the worst fake cough ever. Bastards. But I didn’t flip out or fly into a rage. Instead, I took a moment to think the imbecile drummer’s words over. “Actually, Malcolm, I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“I think you should.” Ben slipped an arm around my shoulders, even going so far with the sibling affection as to kiss me on the cheek. “Martha?”
“Hmm?”
“You have a black eye,” he said, the words strained.
Dammit. I’d been distracted, and let him get too close. A strange sort of silence filled the room and I immediately took a step away from him, covering the right side of my face with my hand. “It’s fine. God, Ben, way to make a big deal out of it and embarrass me. I just bumped my…”
“No. Do not lie.” He loomed over me, radiating anger. “How did that happen?”
My mouth shut tight, a stupid unnecessary panic filling my veins. For fuck’s sake, this was my brother. No matter how upset he got, he wouldn’t hurt me. But the need for fight or flight pressed at me.
“Ben, mate, take a step back. Give her some space.” Sam’s calm and steady voice came from my side. When he’d moved, I had no idea. But he’d obviously been fast. “You’re scaring her. Look at her face.”
“I am not afraid.” My voice sounded about an octave higher than normal. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Of course you’re not,” soothed Sam, his rough, familiar features oh so welcome. I don’t know why his smile chilled me out, but it did. My shoulders inched back down and breathing came easier. “You’re a fighter, aren’t you, Martha? Now, why don’t you tell us what happened to your face? And like your brother said, the truth please.”
I sighed, turning my face away. “I got mugged.”
Beside me, my brother seemed to swell with fury. “And you didn’t think you should tell—”
“Ben,” said Sam with unerring patience.
“Inside voices,” shouted Gib, not the least bit ironically, before sticking his thumb in his mouth.
“That’s right, Gibby.” Sam nodded and smiled. “We’re staying nice and calm and using our quiet inside voices while Aunty Martha tells her story, aren’t we?”
The child nodded emphatically then crawled onto Jimmy’s lap, obviously in search of comfort. All of the tension in the room must have had him worried. Without a word, the singer gathered him close, cuddling the small child and rubbing his back.
“Sorry.” Ben slumped back against the wall, his face lined with concern. “I’ll try and relax.”
Sam turned back to me, waiting.
“Fu…fudge. Honestly, it’s humiliating, stupid, and not worth all of this drama.” First, I shoved my hands in my jeans pockets, but when that didn’t feel quite right, I tucked them behind my back. “Can’t we just forget about it? We’re upsetting the child.”
Nobody said anything, everyone still waiting for me to speak. I was not going to get out of this no matter how hard I tried. Dammit. Movements slow and steady, Sam withdrew my arms from behind my back, holding my hands in his larger, warmer ones. He didn’t pressure me further. Just held my hands, waiting for me to speak.
“I was walking home late from work last week and the guy ran up to me and grabbed at my bag. He just—he ripped it off my shoulder,” I said, doing the best to keep my own voice calm and even. But the frown was definitely back on my face. “But I hung on.”
Sam blinked. “You hung on to it?”
“It was Gucci. No way was I just going to let him take it.”