their band together a few months ago” or “I want to sign you right now and give you lots of money.” “You showed a lot of versatility for a three song set. I have to ask, though—why the cover?”
Jake fell back and let Chris field the question.
He shrugged. “We have our fair share of fans in the greater area, but it tends to be the bar-going crowd. Most of the people here this afternoon are a little older. You cant please everybody, but you can sure as hell do your damnedest.”
“Good answer.”
“Plus, we like paying homage to the gods of rock,” Jimmy added in. Jake was surprised—Jimmy didnt really talk to strangers.
After a few more stilted attempts at small talk, Jake was the one who got his thoughts together and asked the question none of the rest of them had the stones to say aloud. “So, did we pass the test?”
Reilly shot him a grin. “Oh, Im going to like you. Nothings set in stone yet, of course, too many details to go over, but provisionally— youre in.”
Jake said, “Holy shit.” Chris whooped and was immediately chest-bumped by Jimmy, the force of their enthusiasm knocking them both back a few steps. Parker looked a little green. Jake sincerely hoped he could wait until Reilly was gone before he threw up again.
“Heres my card,” Mike said, handing one to each of them. It had the MERI corporate logo on it with his picture in the corner. The logo was embossed, contact information printed neatly underneath. “I was hoping we could get together sometime while Im still in the area to discuss particulars, though I understand if you want to go over the contracts first. How does Thursday sound?”
“Thursdays good for me,” Jake managed to get out, still hardly able to believe that this was really happening. Today was Sunday; that gave them four solid days to freak out. “Guys?”
“Uh-huh,” Parker said faintly.
“Lets do lunch,” Chris said with a grin. Jake could cheerfully have killed him for getting hold of himself so quickly, except that then theyd be short one lead singer.
“Good, good. That Italian place—Giuseppes—it looks nice.” “Theyve got a great veal parmesan,” Jimmy told him. “Delightful. One oclock sound good?”
Jake had to hope that the other guys were absorbing the details of this conversation, because the only thing going through his mind right now was Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, we’re having lunch with a rep from MERI. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pinched himself, just in case—but ow , no, he was definitely awake.
He managed a wave as the guy moved off to his car, and then Chris cuffed him across the back of his head to snap him out of it. “Did you forget to put your brain in this morning, asshole?”
“Be glad its broken,” Jake muttered, rubbing the spot where Chriss watch had hit his head. “There would have been clapping and verbal diarrhea otherwise.”
“Well, get your shit together by Thursday, okay? I dont want him to think youre”—Chris fluttered a hand around in the air to illustrate whatever it was he didnt want Reilly to think Jake was— “you know.”
“Gay?” Parker supplied with a quirk of his lips.
“Well, its not like hes going to miss that,” Jimmy said. “Hey!”
“Jake, if you could stand the idea of getting inked, youd have a pink triangle tattooed across your chest.”
That was true, so Jake just shrugged and took it. “Whatever, if hes read my blog, he already knows Im gay anyway.”
“I was talking about hiding the fact that youre a total spaz,” Chris said a little irritably, but then he broke out into a wide grin. “Holy shit, you guys, we made it. Can I get a high five or something here?”
Jake muttered, “Oh, and Im the spaz,” but he submitted to the group hug Jimmy initiated with as much grace as he could muster. It wasnt so bad, though being pressed up against a half-naked Parker was kind of awkward. “So, I guess we need a lawyer?”
“And a lot of beer,”
Jake fell back and let Chris field the question.
He shrugged. “We have our fair share of fans in the greater area, but it tends to be the bar-going crowd. Most of the people here this afternoon are a little older. You cant please everybody, but you can sure as hell do your damnedest.”
“Good answer.”
“Plus, we like paying homage to the gods of rock,” Jimmy added in. Jake was surprised—Jimmy didnt really talk to strangers.
After a few more stilted attempts at small talk, Jake was the one who got his thoughts together and asked the question none of the rest of them had the stones to say aloud. “So, did we pass the test?”
Reilly shot him a grin. “Oh, Im going to like you. Nothings set in stone yet, of course, too many details to go over, but provisionally— youre in.”
Jake said, “Holy shit.” Chris whooped and was immediately chest-bumped by Jimmy, the force of their enthusiasm knocking them both back a few steps. Parker looked a little green. Jake sincerely hoped he could wait until Reilly was gone before he threw up again.
“Heres my card,” Mike said, handing one to each of them. It had the MERI corporate logo on it with his picture in the corner. The logo was embossed, contact information printed neatly underneath. “I was hoping we could get together sometime while Im still in the area to discuss particulars, though I understand if you want to go over the contracts first. How does Thursday sound?”
“Thursdays good for me,” Jake managed to get out, still hardly able to believe that this was really happening. Today was Sunday; that gave them four solid days to freak out. “Guys?”
“Uh-huh,” Parker said faintly.
“Lets do lunch,” Chris said with a grin. Jake could cheerfully have killed him for getting hold of himself so quickly, except that then theyd be short one lead singer.
“Good, good. That Italian place—Giuseppes—it looks nice.” “Theyve got a great veal parmesan,” Jimmy told him. “Delightful. One oclock sound good?”
Jake had to hope that the other guys were absorbing the details of this conversation, because the only thing going through his mind right now was Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, we’re having lunch with a rep from MERI. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pinched himself, just in case—but ow , no, he was definitely awake.
He managed a wave as the guy moved off to his car, and then Chris cuffed him across the back of his head to snap him out of it. “Did you forget to put your brain in this morning, asshole?”
“Be glad its broken,” Jake muttered, rubbing the spot where Chriss watch had hit his head. “There would have been clapping and verbal diarrhea otherwise.”
“Well, get your shit together by Thursday, okay? I dont want him to think youre”—Chris fluttered a hand around in the air to illustrate whatever it was he didnt want Reilly to think Jake was— “you know.”
“Gay?” Parker supplied with a quirk of his lips.
“Well, its not like hes going to miss that,” Jimmy said. “Hey!”
“Jake, if you could stand the idea of getting inked, youd have a pink triangle tattooed across your chest.”
That was true, so Jake just shrugged and took it. “Whatever, if hes read my blog, he already knows Im gay anyway.”
“I was talking about hiding the fact that youre a total spaz,” Chris said a little irritably, but then he broke out into a wide grin. “Holy shit, you guys, we made it. Can I get a high five or something here?”
Jake muttered, “Oh, and Im the spaz,” but he submitted to the group hug Jimmy initiated with as much grace as he could muster. It wasnt so bad, though being pressed up against a half-naked Parker was kind of awkward. “So, I guess we need a lawyer?”
“And a lot of beer,”
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