“He’s perfect. You know he is.”
“He is perfect, absolutely. He is the perfect bass player for Smoke and Mirrors. You know how I know? They’ve got four Grammy nods and three CMA awards. That’s CMA as in Country Music Awards. Not rock. Country. And again, because it can’t be overstated, Drew already has a job. Playing bass for Smoke and Mirrors.”
“Okay, first of all, they walk the line between rock and country. And secondly, you know he’s not happy there. I’ll be shocked if the band manages to hang together another six months. Not with all the shit that’s gone down with them in the last year.”
“Oh, you mean like all the shit that’s gone down in Shaken Dirty?” Caleb asked snidely. “Because even if Drew randomly decided to leave Smoke and Mirrors, do you really think he’d choose to jump from the frying pan into the fire?”
“You let me worry about that. You just get Drew on a plane.”
“That’s not going to happen, Poppy.”
“Come on, Caleb. Trust me on this.”
“It’s not about trusting you. It’s about the fact that Dad’s planning another tour for Smoke and Mirrors in six months. If I take their bass player—who we both know is the most talented member of that band—he’s going to lose his shit completely.”
“Big deal—let him lose it.”
“Are you kidding? Who are you and where’s my sister? You’ve spent your whole adult life trying to make sure Dad doesn’t lose it.”
“Yeah, well, maybe that was a mistake.” The words poured out of her as if they’d been there all along only she’d been too stubborn—too dead-set on winning her father’s approval—to realize it. “Besides, if Drew leaves Smoke and Mirrors, there are other options. They can pick up Li—”
“Li’s not good enough and you know it.”
“Seriously? Now you agree with me about him not being talented, but yesterday you were all ready to follow Dad’s lead and push him on Shaken Dirty? That’s awesome.”
Caleb huffed in annoyance. “I didn’t say he wasn’t talented. Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re putting them there yourself. I’m just repeating them.”
“You know as well as I do that Shaken Dirty has an embarrassment of talent. Most bands are lucky to have one really talented musician. They’ve got four. If the fifth one isn’t quite as good as the others, who’s going to notice?”
“Everybody is going to notice because it will be glaringly obvious. Plus, one okay musician in a band of greats is the difference between being The Quarrymen and being The Beatles.”
“Who the fuck are The Quarrymen?” Caleb demanded.
“Exactly what I’m saying. I want Drew.”
“Well, you can’t have him. Replacing him with a substandard bassist will be the final death knell of that band.”
“That band needs a death knell. They’re done and you know it.”
“I don’t know that—”
“Well, that’s a problem because you should. It’s obvious. Their last album flopped because it was all over the place. It had no clear direction because none of them could agree on anything. I tried to tell you guys that before the album dropped, but no one would listen to me. Add in the fact that they’ve gotten into numerous public fights recently and just last month they refused to perform at a scheduled charity event—fifteen minutes before they were set to go on.”
“I’m not saying they’re perfect. I’m saying I’m not ready to give up on them yet.”
“So don’t. But that doesn’t mean you have to keep Drew trapped there with the sinking ship.”
“Jesus. How many metaphors are you planning on using today? Dramatic much?”
She ignored him, too busy wracking her brain trying to come up with a bassist she could substitute in for Drew with Smoke and Mirrors. “What about Micah?” she finally asked. “He’s still under contract to us, even if he’s not with Shaken Dirty anymore. He’s good enough—”
“You did not actually just suggest replacing Drew with the most problematic bassist working in rock today. You did not.”
“It’s a solution.”
“It’s a bad solution.”
“Come on, Caleb. Neither of us have time for this argument. Just get Drew on a plane.”
“I will not.”
She sighed, ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “You know I’m right. You know he’d fit in perfectly with these guys.”
“Whether he’d fit in perfectly or not doesn’t matter. I’m not going to cannibalize one of our top performing acts just to help out a band that recently cost us millions.”
“We’ve already discussed that they aren’t going to be one of your top performing acts for long—”
“Not if I give you Drew they won’t. Seriously, Poppy, think about it. Dad would kill us both if I even suggested it. Plus, it would totally impact the label’s bottom line.”
“For a year, maybe. But if he works with Shaken Dirty as well as I think he will, he’ll take them to the next level. And then the money will come pouring in.”
“It’s already pouring in.”