Loving Dallas(74)

Wade leans down, putting his face level with mine. “If I had it to do over again, I would run home before you could say my name three times fast. But you’re right. These are the decisions you have to make. Sacrifices. No one said it would be easy.” He straightens, nodding at someone who’s entered the backstage area to announce that it’s time for him to go on. “Good luck to you, kid.”

I hear the unmistakable click of heels coming toward my room, then a knock rattles my door. I highly doubt I have groupies in Rio de Janeiro, so that only leaves one person.

“There you are,” Mandy says, sliding open my door and slapping me with a hate-filled glare. I switched seats with my drummer on the plane so I didn’t have to deal with her. She wasn’t too thrilled about it.

“Here I am,” I say evenly.

“So I heard you have big news. I’d say congratulations, but I figured we’d find another way to celebrate.”

She pulls a bottle of champagne from behind her back and it’s like a twisted scenario of when Robyn helped me celebrate “Better to Burn” going gold.

“Celebrate whatever it is for me. I’m pretty beat. Jet lag. You understand.”

Her eyes narrow on me and she stalks over to my bed. I wasn’t ready to discuss Robyn and the pregnancy so I’ve been avoiding my manager mostly. And I was angry about how she treated Dixie and afraid I’d lose my temper. But it looks like she’s going to force a confrontation so it must be time to get it all out in the open.

“Dallas, I’m going to try my best to make something very clear to you.” She sits down and I fight the impulse to shove her into the floor. “I have a very special relationship with my clients. One that allows me to become as close to them as I possibly can. It makes for a much more symbiotic relationship, in my opinion.”

“Meaning you f*ck all of them, right?” Afton Tate mentioned this to me on the unsigned artists tour. He turned her down so she wouldn’t sign him.

“Meaning we don’t keep secrets from each other. Meaning I know everything about their lives so that if they knock up some random hanger-on from their hometown I can do what needs to be done before it affects their career. Do you understand?”

“Wade talk to you?”

She nods. “He was my client once. He knows how important it is to me to know what’s going on with my clients.”

“For you to know about it, Mandy? Or for you to try and control it? Because the way I see it, you told my sister to sit out in Nashville, then you told my pregnant girlfriend to stay away from me. What I can’t figure out is why you think either of those women is any of your business.”

“You are my business, Dallas. So anything or anyone that affects you is my business. If I hadn’t told your sister to sit out that number, you wouldn’t be here right now. And if your girlfriend, or whatever she is, hadn’t gotten knocked up and trapped you in a relationship, I wouldn’t be having to try and contact every one I know who can help us frame this in a more positive light.”

“Don’t bother. Far as I’m concerned, you’re fired anyway.” I stand and walk over to the door. “Here. Let me walk you out.”

Mandy stands, staring at me like I’ve said I want to rap folk music with a gospel choir. “Are you insane? Do you really want to throw all of this away? After how hard we’ve worked for this? You signed a contract. I can sue you.”

“How hard I’ve worked, you mean? And no, I don’t plan to throw everything away. Just you. Sue away, sweetheart.”

I don’t bother waiting for her witty comeback. I just guide her gently out of my room and close the door behind her.





37 | Robyn

SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER DALLAS LEAVES, MY BOSS MAKES A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. The Martin family has decided to expand into more than just bourbon. They’ve partnered with a midsize rum distributor they’ll be renaming Sunset Bay. Next up is a moonshine manufacturer they plan to call Moonlight Bay.

Everyone is ecstatic, hugging and cheering, and already chatter about who might head up the teams for the new companies is flooding through the conference room.

“You’re the front-runner for the PR campaign on the expansion,” Katie tells me as the conversations around us die down. “Drew said he overheard Mr. Martin talking about it this morning when he was taking some photos for the press release.”

“Thanks for the heads-up.” I should be thrilled. This is huge, even bigger than the promotion I’ve been vying for. Instead I just feel . . . overwhelmed. I still haven’t told my boss I’m pregnant and I’ll need to schedule my maternity leave. If I do that now, it’s likely I won’t get to head up this campaign or even be involved with it at all.

As the meeting comes to a close, I hear Mr. Martin call my name. I wait for the room to clear before making my way to where he stands. Thankfully, Katie hangs back with me.

“Good news,” he announces with his booming voice as I approach. “The board voted and we want you to head up the campaign to promote the expansion. We need new logos, new label mock-ups, new banners on all the social media pages, and something huge to celebrate. I’m thinking a gala downtown. I’d like to see a list of ideas in my email inbox by tomorrow. And reach out to local vendors and see who might want to host exclusive previews of the bottles once we’ve updated the labels.”