The Kaleidoscope Album Box Set

by Bryce Oakley

  Vero stood and gave Pia a warm hug.

  Sabrina walked over and gave Pia a quick hug. Domino followed close behind.

  Zoey was paralyzed on the couch, and before she knew it, she was the only one not standing politely to talk to Pia.

  Her mouth went dry. She realized she was clutching the arm of the couch.

  A producer popped her head in. "We're five minutes away from needing the band for a final soundcheck and run through," she said.

  Pia nodded, turning back to the group. "I really am a huge fan, and I'm so sorry that I can't spend more time with you this morning, but I did want to invite you all out to the ranch for dinner tonight," she said.

  Billie quickly looked over at Micah, as though to ask if their schedules would allow it.

  Pia winked at Micah, who smiled. "I think we can fit it in," she said.

  Ah, so Micah had already known about the invitation, but wanted Pia to invite them in person. Crafty.

  Zoey immediately wanted to come up with an excuse to bail out of it. Should she fake a stomach ache? A headache? A broken ankle? The last one would take some serious commitment.

  Pia turned and looked at her, almost surprised to see her still sitting. Pia reached out a hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said.

  Zoey shook her hand, no longer positive she could communicate in the English language. Instead, she nodded. "Yeah," she finally said.

  She wanted to kick herself. Yeah?

  "Thank you for having us," she added quickly.

  "It's a shame y'all aren't playing ‘Midnight’. I love ‘Kaleidoscope’, but ‘Midnight’ is my favorite from that review copy you so generously sent over after my relentless begging. Oh, but I also really like ‘Jealous Heart’. It's hard not to pick them all. It's a fantastic album. But I do think ‘Midnight’ is my favorite," Pia said, looking around at the rest of the band, like she didn't know damn well that ‘Midnight’ was about her.

  Billie smiled warmly. "That's Zoey's song. We're so proud to incorporate more of Zoey and Meg's unique and beautiful voices into the album," she said officially, as if quoting a press release.

  Pia nodded, then turned to Zoey again with a grin. "Gorgeous work."

  The producer knocked again and opened the door. "Alright, sound check and run through, then off to styling," she said, flipping a page on a clipboard.

  "See you out there," Pia said, giving a wave and bowing out of the room.

  Six pairs of eyes instantly landed on Zoey.

  "Oooh, her favorite," Domino teased.

  Sabrina laughed. "I think someone has a little crush," she said.

  "What? I do not," Zoey snapped.

  Sabrina laughed harder, as though she was surprised.

  Domino tilted her head. "I think she meant Pia, straight girl."

  Zoey rolled her eyes. "Sorry, that was so weird," she said, wiping her clammy palms on her jeans.

  She noticed both Meg and Vero were giving her interested looks, but Domino, Sabrina, and Billie were in their own world, laughing about something Zoey hadn't heard.

  "It's good to have friends in high places," Micah said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Now get out there, my little fledglings," she said, pushing them out through the door and following close behind.

  * * *

  Zoey would never get used to how bright studio lights were. When she was watching television, she'd have never guessed that literally everyone on stage had the shining power of a thousand suns bearing down on them.

  She tried not to squint as they sat on the sofa, giving their interview.

  "Why the long break between albums?" Pia asked, but her tone was good-natured.

  "We wanted to make sure we were growing as people as well as musicians. Our world had been turned upside down quickly after Heart's Content, and so we took some time to reacquaint ourselves with the reason we make music," Billie said with a picture-perfect smile.

  Domino added, "We wanted the new album to be a reflection of who we are as artists, and it turns out, that takes a little bit of time. Our fans are honestly the best fans in the world, so we prayed that they'd stick with us, and it kind of looks like they have." She looked out at the audience with a shy wave, which made everyone laugh.

  They were so natural at this, and even though Zoey had so much more experience, she was so off her game in front of Pia that it was embarrassing.

  "Meg, I'm so curious to know where all of this lyrical talent came from," Pia said.

  "Me too!" Meg said with a giggle.

  Pia laughed, surprised. "Have you always been a songwriter? What made you want to add that talent to this album?"

  Meg blushed. "For our first album, I think that Zoey and I quickly realized that Billie and Domino are forces to be reckoned with when it came to creativity. We kind of let them push the ship off the shore, so to speak, because they're so talented. And I think that for this album, we had that solid foundation to give us the confidence to lean into different roles."

  Pia smiled. "I can't imagine a group of more confident women," she said, and the audience burst into applause.

  Zoey watched as Meg, Billie, and Domino lit up with smiles.

  Why was she so off her game?

  "And Zoey, we knew you were good with your hands," Pia started, but then paused, her eyes widening.

  "Oh?" Zoey answered quickly, her eyebrows raising.

  Domino burst into loud laughter, Meg quickly following suit.

  Pia laughed, holding a hand over her eyes. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just said that." She threw herself back in the chair as laughter shook her shoulders.

  The audience laughed along with her as one of the producers sat on the edge of the stage, shaking her head, but she had an amused expression on her face, at least.

  "Holy shit," Domino said, laughing, holding her stomach.

  Even Billie was trying to suppress a grin.

  Zoey tried to maintain her cool and casual air by leaning back and grinning mischievously, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. Her cheeks warmed with a blush she hoped wasn’t too obvious.

  "Okay, Kell, we're going to cut that, right?" Pia said, turning to the producer.

  The producer shrugged. "Guess we'll have to, P-Dogg,” she said dryly.

  Pia shook her head. "Ugh, I'm sorry," she said, still laughing and wiping at her eyes.

  "It's okay," Zoey said, and then she comically winked at Pia. Winked! Like some saucy minx!

  Pia laughed again.

  Domino looked between Pia and Zoey as if recognizing something — her eyes squinted just slightly, and her brow dipped, as if she was concentrating.

  "Okay, let's back up," Pia said. She straightened her posture on the chair. "Oh my gosh, what were we even talking about?" She asked, turning back to the producer.

  Fifteen minutes later, they were on the side stage, performing.

  Zoey felt at home behind a keyboard. She had chosen really cute boots to wear under flared velvet pants as though her usual aesthetic was "Mick Jagger and Stevie Nicks had a love child."

  "And I ain't some girl in your DMs," Billie sang, shaking her head. "You can spy my heart through a prism."

  It was a fun, upbeat, sassy song that really set the tone for the new album. Where Heart's Content was an album that lay bare the emotions of the Rush sisters, Kaleidoscope was a chance to delve deeper into the ever-changing and ever-emerging thoughts and emotions and psyches of all of the band members.

  Zoey made the slight mistake of glancing over to see Pia watching her intensely as she played the last few notes of the song. She had no smile on her face. She simply watched with the stare that made Zoey feel as though she was her prey. Zoey swallowed, trying to focus. She was usually so zen when performing, as though she was in a trance. But it was just like Pia to throw her right off.

  She finished the last note of the song relatively unscathed, and the audience stood, cheering and clapping.

  Zoey's face split into a smile of sheer relief.
>
  "That was The Shrikes. Their album is out everywhere on June 29th," Pia announced as the producers signaled a commercial break.

  Pia joined the group on stage, shaking their hands.

  "That was so good," Pia said enthusiastically, patting Domino on the shoulder. Pia pulled Billie into a warm hug.

  Even Meg was all smiles as she shook Pia's hand.

  Zoey was the last to join the group, walking slowly in her heeled boots. Pia took her hand, holding it firmly. Then, as if holding the woman's hand wasn't bad enough, Pia reached and put her arm on Zoey's shoulder.

  "Gorgeous," Pia said, her expression unreadable while her eyes felt as though they were seeing straight through Zoey’s body and into her soul. "See you tonight, then?"

  Zoey balked. "What?"

  "At the ranch. For dinner?" Pia said, leaning in close to be heard.

  Zoey blinked, nodding mutely.

  "See you then," Pia said, turning to walk off the stage.

  Back in the green room, Zoey reached for a bottle of cold water and began chugging it.

  "So, care to fill in the group?" Sabrina said, crossing her arms.

  Zoey turned to see all of the women in the room watching her.

  "What?" She asked, as though she had no idea what Sabrina could be talking about.

  "Why was I getting Pia and Zoey vibes out there?" Meg asked.

  "No way," Vero said, shaking her head. "Pia's just affectionate."

  Zoey nearly laughed, but took a deep breath through her nose to avoid it.

  "Yeah, I was getting a strange signal on my gaydar out there," Domino said, wrapping an arm around Sabrina's waist.

  "Well, your gaydar needs to be recalibrated," Zoey said, forcing herself to stay calm and not rise to the occasion. The last thing she needed was to be taunted about having a crush on a woman. And they would taunt her, relentlessly. They were bad enough when it was a guy she was dating, but if they had even the tiniest inkling of her feelings...

  She straightened her posture. "Projecting much?" She asked Meg with a wink.

  Meg laughed. "In my dreams!" She said.

  "Same," Vero said, and when Billie's jaw dropped, Vero shrugged. "What? I have eyes, Wilhelmina."

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Pia

  Pia watched as her housekeeper, Jenny, opened the door to a large group. She was standing in the sunken living room of her home, which she affectionately called The Ranch. It was a sprawling 70s estate tucked into the Malibu hills.

  After Elle died, she was desperate to move into a new home. It felt wrong to be in the home they had shared together, where she had found Elle dead. It was the style of home that Elle would have despised, and so, in a way, it was the perfect place to mourn her. No room for her ghost in a home she wouldn't have liked in the first place.

  She had been looking forward to that night ever since seeing Zoey in the green room that morning.

  Jesus, that woman was undeniably gorgeous. It was actually unfair how beautiful Zoey McCarren was. Her amber skin and glowing brown eyes... It wasn't Pia's fault that when Zoey was around, she was completely absorbed in whatever magic surrounded Zoey.

  It was her fault that she was unashamedly choosing to act on it, though.

  Zoey McCarren was a straight woman.

  But that never stopped Pia before.

  She almost laughed at the thought. It had come to her like she was some great seductress.

  Dream big, Marino.

  The women filtered in, Billie and Vero, Domino and Sabrina, Meg and a woman she didn't recognize but who had a New Zealand accent, and Zoey with Micah.

  Pia gave them all hugs now that they were in her home — which was definitely not just an excuse to touch Zoey again. The lesbian world was a small one, but it wasn't so small that she couldn't make new friends. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before, really.

  Oh, maybe because she spent days and nights sobbing to their first album and looking them in the eye would have been too painful at the time?

  Sure, she'd go with that answer.

  “I thought you had dogs,” Domino asked, looking around.

  “They’re a bit nervous of new people so they’re having an early night,” Pia said, pointing behind her. It was a lie, but she had read once in an interview that Zoey was afraid of dogs — to her deep disappointment — and because she had two beefy pit bulls, she figured it’d be better to keep Zoey comfortable for the visit than let the two dogs lick and cuddle everyone to death.

  Domino looked disappointed.

  Pia hugged Zoey, who stood stiffly in her arms. "Thank you for coming," she said, truly meaning it.

  "Well, I heard you have a legendary wine collection, so I figured I'd have to check it out," Zoey said with a gesture in the air as though she was too cool to have any other reason to come to Pia's home.

  "I'd be delighted to show you," Pia said, raising her eyebrows in surprise that Zoey was a wine drinker. In her mind, Zoey was too young to care about things like good wine.

  "Oh, what are you showing Zo?" Meg asked, hooking an arm through Zoey's.

  "Wine. You interested?" Pia asked.

  Meg rolled her eyes. "Not one bit. The box stuff is good enough for me," she said.

  Pia laughed. "Well, there's still time to fix that. Zoey, want to come pick out a few bottles for the table with me?"

  "Oh, um," Zoey said awkwardly, as though she was caught off guard. She glanced at the rest of the group, but they were talking animatedly about something in the kitchen. "Sure."

  Meg went back to the group and Pia led Zoey down a long hallway, walking slowly given that Zoey was in sky-high heels. Zoey's shoes clicked along the hardwood floor as they walked, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Zoey looking at the art on the walls and the dozens of closed doors that they passed.

  "They're chock full of dead bodies," Pia said, gesturing to the closed doors they passed.

  Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Only dead bodies? No paintings of yourself that age and decay so you don't have to?"

  "Oh, come on, that's in the attic," Pia said, pointing up.

  Zoey smirked, enjoying their banter again.

  They descended the stairs to the cellar and walked into the climate controlled room. Okay, to say she loved wine was an understatement. In fact, the wine cellar was an entire room in the basement — it was wall-to-wall cabinets, full of wine. She had wine from her travels, wine from gifts, wine from fans... she estimated her collection to be around four or five thousand bottles.

  She watched Zoey take in the room, seeing Zoey's eyes widen and her lips part slightly as she looked around the room.

  She smiled with pride, but tried to maintain as blank of an expression as possible. She didn't want to seem too smug about her wealth — she had worked hard, but she had also gotten extremely lucky. She gave away large sums of her money to her foundation and other charities, including her own animal rescue charity, but she still had plenty.

  She looked around the room with new eyes, wondering what Zoey must be thinking. The dark wooden cabinets had slots for wine bottles, and her wine fridge kept a dozen of her favorite white wine bottles chilled at her preferred temperature.

  She began to envisioned pressing Zoey against the glass door of the fridge or bending her over the counter in the middle of the room...

  "Damn," Zoey said simply, pulling her back to reality.

  "Oh, this old thing?" Pia joked, gesturing vaguely into the room.

  "How many bottles do you have in here?" Zoey said, reaching to touch a bottle in front of her. "I've only read about this wine."

  "The Quintessa Red? I prefer the 2013, but the 2016 isn't bad. A little young, I think." Pia answered, looking for a different bottle.

  "We should not be wasting your good wine," Zoey said, setting the bottle back down with so much fragility it could have been a grenade.

  "Nonsense. Despite appearances, I'm not going to drink all of this alone," Pia said.

  "I wouldn
't blame you if you did," Zoey said with a laugh. "I'd be selfish about my collection if it looked like this."

  "I'm selfish about certain things, but not wine," Pia said, not looking up at Zoey. She pulled three more bottles of red — they were having pasta, so a dry, heavier red would balance it nicely.

  She finally glanced up to see Zoey looking at her with an unreadable expression. Confusion? Intrigue? The stunning woman in front of her looked as though she was trying to solve a puzzle.

  "What are you selfish about?" Zoey asked lightly. Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

  Pia didn't move. "I'm selfish about who I spend my time with," she said diplomatically.

  Zoey tilted her head. "I'm sure there are plenty..." Her voice trailed off.

  "Plenty? Of?" Pia asked, her grip tightening on the neck of a bottle.

  Zoey didn't answer. She only raised an eyebrow.

  Pia cleared her throat. "I like your company, Zoey," she said simply.

  And she liked the sight of Zoey, too. Something in Zoey brought out a long dormant side of herself. Was that so wrong?

  "Why?" Zoey asked, sounding like an insecure teenager more than the confident, strong woman that Pia already knew she was.

  And yet, there was something so tantalizing about how Zoey seemed to need reassurance.

  Pia took a step toward her, but Zoey didn't step back. She held her ground. Good.

  "I don't know why, but I'm curious to find out," Pia said. "Aren't you?"

  "Curious?" Zoey swallowed.

  Pia nodded.

  Zoey shook her head. "I don’t date women. I don’t really date," she said, and Pia had the feeling that Zoey was asserting that to herself as much as to Pia.

  Pia simply nodded, her body so close to Zoey's that their toes were touching.

  "I don't believe you," Pia whispered.

  For one beat, Zoey looked frightened. Her pupils dilated slightly, her breath hitched.

  And then, just as quickly, she straightened her posture. "That was a fluke."

  "If I knew by the strike of twelve, I'd find you, I wouldn't have wasted all of my midnights," Pia quoted Zoey's song back to her.

  She had been pleasantly surprised — no, that was an understatement. She had been mindblown to find that Zoey had written a song about their kiss. When she had gotten the review copy and found the track listing, she just knew the moment she saw the title 'Midnight.'