“It’s not her anyway. I told her I’d call when you were ready. I made her promise to give me the time I needed to talk to you. But, Xander, she’s a wreck. Don’t make her wait too much longer.”
I stand up and stare at him. “When did you become so mature?”
He shakes his head at me.
Walking over to the door, I look through the peephole to see who it is. It’s Aerie.
As soon as I open the door she rushes in. She’s dressed more casually than I’ve seen her before. She’s wearing some kind of track suit. Her blond hair is pulled back and the sneakers on her feet make her seem really short. She’s almost a whole head shorter than me.
“Xander,” she greets me in total business mode.
“Aerie, what are you doing here?” Then I remember she asked for an interview. “Now is not the best time for that interview.”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“What’s going on?” I ask her as I close the door.
“Can we sit down and talk?”
“Sure. Come in.” I move past her, escorting her toward the living room.
River’s still sitting on the couch and stands up the minute he sees her.
“River,” she says softly and crosses the room to hug him. She holds on to him tightly. “I’m so sorry I had to run out on Dahlia. As soon as I explain everything to the both of you I’m heading back over to see her. Jagger’s meeting me there with lunch from her favorite place.”
“She understands. I’m sure she’d love to see you,” River responds.
She pulls away. “Mind?” she asks, looking at me and pointing to the large graphite-colored chair that used to be my grandfather’s favorite.
“No. Have a seat.” I wonder what could be so urgent that she would come over here to talk when I know she’s obviously seen the headlines. “You want a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you, I don’t drink coffee. I’m fine really.”
Aerie takes a deep breath, pulls some papers out of her bag, and sets them on the large glass coffee table. “Well,” she says, “I have something I want to show you.”
“Okay. Shoot.” I’m a little agitated that she’s not just getting to the point, but I think I get it. “Fuck, did Damon send you over? What does he want now? For me to sign some kind of huge-ass contract?” I say, pointing to the stack of papers on the table.
“Xander, relax, man. Let her finish.”
“Didn’t you hear?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Hear what?”
“Damon no longer owns Sound Music Magazine. If it hasn’t been announced yet, it will be later today.”
River raises an eyebrow. “Really? Why’d he sell it?”
Aerie snickers. “Well, he didn’t really have much of a choice. We were in poor financial condition. I actually think it was a takeover. I’m not sure about the details, but I’ve been reassured that the company that bought it intends to keep the magazine intact. I’ve never been more thankful in my life on both counts.”
“Who bought it?” I ask her.
Aerie shrugs her shoulders. “A company by the name of Plan B. It’s a small private company. Sound Music is its first acquisition, but I know another magazine is being shopped.”
“Interesting,” River responds.
“Are you concerned?” I ask him.
“No, just curious.”
“Sounds like perfect timing if you ask me,” I interject.
“It is,” she says, looking a little nervous. Then, “I can’t divulge the details just yet. I’m sorry.”
I shrug. It’s no skin off my back.
She fumbles through the papers on the table and my agitation level only grows.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you. I just wanted you to have these,” she says after she’s located what she’s looking for. She rises and walks over to where I’m still standing at the bottom of the steps in the living room.
“What are they?” I have to ask because I have no fucking clue why she’s handing me a stack of papers with numbers all over them.
“Sales reports and various supporting documents from when your father was signed under Sheep Industries’ Little Red label.”
I hand the papers back to her. “What do you want me to do with these?”
She pushes them toward me. “Look at them.”
“Aerie, I have a lot going on right now. Can this wait?”
“Xander, I wouldn’t be here if it could wait. I talked to Ivy yesterday and she told me everything. I know your mind is probably in a million places, but these reports are what she needs to get out from Damon’s hold.”
“Damon’s hold?” I question.
“Yes. Damon is blackmailing her—or he was. I wanted her to have the information either way.”
“Fuck, I knew he was up to something. I just wasn’t sure what. Do you know what he’s holding over her?”
“All she told me was that he’d said he ruined Nick and he would do the same to you. But I overheard him on the phone with his attorney just before the takeover became official, and he said at least the marriage clause was executed before his old man passed. I know it has something to do with the will, but that was all I heard.”