Falling Angel

by Carmen Richter

  “I didn’t want to say anything in front of your friends, but I saw the story about what happened to you in Seattle. Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

  “I’m in the market for a new manager and tour manager,” I sighed. “If you know anyone good, let me know.”

  “You know my wife, Tia, is my manager, right? She owns Transcendent Management in Sienna.”

  “Oh, my God,” I gasped. “I completely forgot about that. Is she taking new clients?”

  “Not personally, but a few of the managers at the company are. Not sure if anyone can start right away, but I’ll give her a call while you’re doing your meet and greet if you want,” he offered.

  I nodded and gave him a hug, unable to stop a few tears from leaking out. “Thank you. One of the guys on Ezra’s team used to manage his cousin’s band, and he’s pinch hitting right now, but this tour’s a lot more complicated than that.”

  “After what you went through, anything you need, Daph,” he told me. “We might live on opposite ends of the country and have crazy schedules, but I consider you a friend. Scared the shit out of me when I saw that story pop up on the news. I was going to call, but I figured you were scrambling trying to figure everything out after that.”

  “Yeah, I kind of was,” I sniffled. “I appreciate it, though. Really.”

  “Go head out to your meet and greet, and I’ll let you know what Tia says,” he said with a smile.

  After I hugged my friends and Rachel and Arielle at the meet and greet and told them I’d see them after the show, Ezra walked me back to my dressing room so I could get some rest. When we got there, Mikey was leaning against the wall.

  “Hey,” I chuckled weakly. “Since you’re standing there waiting for me, I’m going to guess you talked to Tia?”

  “Yep,” he told me. “And she’s actually waiting for me to call her back with you on the line too. She wanted to talk to you.”

  I nodded. “Come on in.”

  We went into my dressing room and I closed the door behind us so no one would hear the conversation. Then Mikey pulled his phone out and made a call.

  “Hey, beautiful. Daphne’s back from her meet and greet. I’m going to put you on speaker.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and put it on speakerphone. “Okay, we’re all here.”

  “Hi, Daphne,” Tia said.

  “Hey, Tia.”

  “I’m glad to hear you’re okay. Mikey and I were so worried about you when we saw the news,” she said sympathetically.

  “Thanks. I’m still a little freaked out, but I’m managing. Except for being in the market for a new manager and tour manager now,” I sighed.

  “I think I can help you there,” she chuckled. “Your show in Sienna is the day after tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah. Travel day tomorrow.”

  “Do you know what time you’ll be getting into town? I can squeeze in an afternoon meeting with you. I think Mikey and I came up with a temporary solution for you, and we’ll figure out something more permanent after your tour’s over. If that’s okay.”

  “I think around one, if we leave on time,” I told her.

  “Can you come to the office around two-thirty?”

  “Yeah, I can make that work. Um, do you mind sending me copies of whatever contracts you have for me to sign so I can have my lawyer go over them before we meet?” I asked. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but…”

  “I’d be worried if you didn’t ask. I’m happy to do that. Where should I send them?”

  “My personal email is daphprivate@daphnedeville.com. I’ll send them to my lawyer myself. She’ll pay more attention if it comes from me.”

  She laughed. “Makes sense. Can you do me a favor and reply to the email I’m sending with a copy of your rider so I can go over it and take notes in case I have questions?”

  I liked her already. I could tell she was concerned about her clients, and that making sure she was doing things the way I wanted them done was important to her. That was rarer than you’d think in this industry. A lot of managers seemed to think they knew better than their clients and tried to railroad them into doing things they didn’t want to do.

  “Yeah, for sure. Thanks for squeezing me in at the last minute like this,” I said.

  “I’m just glad I can help,” she told me. “Break a leg tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  When I walked into Transcendent Management the next day, the tall blonde I’d only met one other time was standing by the front desk with a huge smile on her face.

  “Hi, Daphne,” Tia said, giving me a hug.

  “Hey, Tia,” I said with a smile. “Sorry I’m a little late. We hit traffic on the way here.”

  “Totally okay,” she assured me. “Come on up to my office. I’ve got everything ready. And I’ve got a couple of people I want you to meet.”

  We took the elevator up a few floors, and then she led me into a cozy-looking office and gestured to a couch. I took a seat, fidgeting with my fingers as she grabbed a clipboard and a bunch of papers.

  “So, your lawyer called me this morning after she looked over the contract,” she started. “She said everything looks good, and she’s already filed the paperwork to get you out of your contracts with your current management and PR companies.”

  “Yeah, we talked about that before she called you. Since your company does management and PR, it’s kind of stupid to keep my contract with Randy. And, frankly, I think he was a little in over his head with the Seattle story. He had no idea how to deal with that, because it was a first for him.”

  “Unfortunately, we’ve dealt with some big stuff like that with a couple of our clients,” she sighed. “Crystal’s amazing with putting a positive spin on those stories. She’ll be coming in in a few minutes, so you can meet her.”

  “Sounds great. I do have to say, I’m a little concerned about being across the country from you,” I admitted. “I know most of your clients are in the same time zone.”

  “True, but we’re flexible. That’s what phones and video conferencing are for.”

  “Okay. I’m just making sure. Because I’m not planning on relocating from New York any time soon. In fact, I’m planning on taking a year or so off after my tour’s over. My boyfriend and his daughter are moving into my house right after the tour, and I just found out I’m pregnant, so I feel like I need to focus on being a mom for a little while,” I told her. “It’s going to be a big adjustment for all of us.”

  “Aww! Congrats!” she said with a huge smile. “That’s amazing. How old is your boyfriend’s daughter?”

  “Eight.” I pulled my phone out and showed her my lock screen, which was a selfie of the three of us that I’d taken yesterday. “Going on sixteen. She’s so smart and sassy. Ezra brought me home with him because I was scared to go back to my hometown during the break in my tour last month, but he didn’t know how to tell her that we were a couple, so we just didn’t say anything for a week. And she was finally like, ‘You know I’m not stupid, right? I know you’re dating my dad.’ And then she compared us to Anna and Kristoff from Frozen.”

  “That’s adorable. Oh, my God. Look at you guys. What’s her name?”

  “Ari. Well, Arielle, but we only call her that if she’s in trouble.”

  She laughed. “Like my daughter, CeCe. She’s Cecelia, but we only pull out the full name if we’re reprimanding her.”

  I smiled. “Mikey doesn’t shut up about you and the kids, so I already knew that much.”

  “Speaking of Mikey, he and I actually had an idea, if you’re okay with it. Mikey’s not going on another tour for a little while, so his tour manager, Damon, is free. I spoke with him yesterday, and he’s happy to work on the rest of your tour, starting with the show here in Sienna tomorrow. I already forwarded all of the info to him so he can familiarize himself with it, and he’s the other person I wanted you to meet today. He’ll be in with Crystal in a little bit. I can take over the office side of things until the tour’s over a
nd things have calmed down. Then we’ll be able to find a permanent manager for you, and since you’re taking some time off, you can ease them into working for you.

  “Usually, we’ll hire tour managers on a contract basis just for individual tours, but if you click with your next tour manager and you want to keep working with them, we can definitely keep them on retainer. We have a couple, like Damon, who work for us full-time and do other stuff when their client isn’t on a tour.”

  I couldn’t help it; I just started crying. After everything that had happened in the space of less than a week, having someone bend over backward for me like this was overwhelming. Tia handed me a box of tissues from her desk, then pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back.

  “I’m sorry,” I sniffled as I dabbed at my eyes with a tissue. “It’s just…after everything…having it be this easy to find a manager I trust seems too good to be true. And I’m sure the pregnancy hormones aren’t helping either.”

  She chuckled softly. “I know all about that. Did it three times. I swear the hormones were twice as bad when I had my twins. And I’m just so happy there’s something I can do to help you. Mikey’s had nothing but amazing things to say about you, and he freaked out when he saw the story about Seattle on the news. He was so worried.”

  I smiled. “He’s a good guy. One of the few real friends I have in this industry.”

  There was a knock on the doorframe. I looked up to find a petite brunette who couldn’t have been much older than me, along with a man with a slightly muscular build, light brown hair, and blue eyes.

  “Come on in, guys,” Tia said. “Daphne, this is Crystal Calvison, our PR manager, and Damon Harper, Mikey’s tour manager, who’s also your temporary tour manager, as soon as you sign the contract.”

  “Hi, Daphne,” Crystal said with a smile. “It’s really nice to meet you. My daughter’s a huge fan.”

  “That’s her way of saying that she’s had your new album on repeat since it released, but she doesn’t want to seem like a squealing fangirl,” Damon teased.

  I giggled. “It’s nice to meet you guys. Thanks for being so willing to jump in with both feet in the middle of my tour.”

  “After what happened to you? Girl, you’re my new hero for still getting up on that stage every night,” he said. “I’m happy to help.”

  “I think you’re going to have your work cut out for you, Crystal. My old PR rep was a little lost with how to handle the press surrounding this,” I said apologetically.

  “I’m up for it,” she promised.

  “Before we talk too much more, Daphne, can I get your autograph on these papers?” Tia asked. “Otherwise we’ll get to talking and I’ll forget, and that definitely wouldn’t be a good thing.”

  I laughed. “Yes. Absolutely. And please call me Daph. Feels like I’m in trouble when you use my full name.”

  She chuckled and smiled at me before handing me the contract with everywhere I needed to sign and initial marked up. I made quick work of signing it and handed it back to her. She quickly scanned it to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.

  “Okay, looks good,” she announced. “I think Crystal had some questions for you about how you wanted to handle the press.”

  “My main question is if you’d be willing to do an interview, or maybe a press conference,” Crystal said. “Just to give the facts about exactly what happened. I think that’s going to be the best way to get in front of this, since your other PR rep didn’t really do much and the rumor mill is running wild. If you’re not comfortable with that, the other option is releasing a statement. Either you can write it and I’ll go over it, or I can do it and you can approve it before I send it out.”

  “I hate to sound like a coward, but doing interviews about this makes me really uncomfortable,” I sighed. “But I was actually a journalism major before I got picked up by my record label. So I’m good with writing a statement and releasing it. Giving the facts and saying that I’m okay, but I’m trying to move on from it.”

  “You were a journalism major? You’re making my job too easy. At least give me a challenge,” she teased.

  “And I swear to God, your rider is way too simple. Where’s the crazy shit like pink champagne, exactly one hundred and twenty-three red M&Ms, and a fluffy puppy to cuddle with before the show?” Damon quipped.

  I laughed. “See, now I want a fluffy puppy. At least I know my boyfriend’s daughter wouldn’t complain about that.”

  “Aww! Am I going to get to meet her?” he asked.

  “Well, you’ll for sure get to meet my boyfriend, Ezra, because he’s the head of my security team,” I told him. “And his daughter, Ari, is staying for the show tomorrow before her aunt takes her back to New York. He flew her out to Portland yesterday to surprise me. So, yeah, you’ll get to meet her too.”

  “Sexy security guard? Yes, please!” he said, fanning himself.

  “Oh, my God, Damon. The woman just met you. And the sexy security guard’s taken. And clearly straight. Can you curb it at least a little?” Crystal groaned.

  “Just because he’s straight doesn’t mean I can’t stare,” Damon countered.

  I laughed again, this time so hard that I snorted. Yeah, I liked these people already.

  “I’d better not get him in a room with my best friend, Taylor. They’d do nothing but drool over hot guys together all day,” I giggled.

  I stayed in the office for a couple of hours talking with Tia, Damon, and Crystal, and by the end of our meeting, I felt confident that I was in good hands with Transcendent Management. When I stood to leave, I gave all of them hugs.

  “Do you have dinner plans?” Tia asked me. “Mikey and I wanted to take you out to dinner, if you’re free.”

  “Can I bring Ezra and Ari with me?”

  She smiled. “Absolutely. I’d love to meet them. And we’ll have our kids with us too. Something you’ll learn about Transcendent? We’re all one big family here.”

  “Then I’d love to. When and where?”

  “Mother’s Bistro at six?” she asked. “They’re super kid-friendly, and the food’s great.”

  “Sounds great,” I said with a smile. “See you then.”

  Tia walked me out, locking her office behind her. When I walked off the elevator into the lobby, I saw the love of my life sitting on a couch waiting for me, so I said goodbye to Tia before turning toward him. Ezra grinned and stood up as I walked over to him, giving me a quick kiss.

  “How’d it go?” he asked, holding his hand out as we started to walk outside.

  “I keep wondering if it’s too good to be true,” I said as I laced my fingers through his. “Tia’s so sweet, and she and Mikey’s tour manager, Damon, are going to take over managing me for the rest of my tour. She’ll handle the office and paperwork side of things and he’ll come on tour with us, and then she’s going to find me a dedicated manager after the tour’s over. Damon’s starting tomorrow at the show here. And the PR manager, Crystal, was amazing figuring out how to get in front of the press and stop the rumor mill.”

  He brought my hand up for a kiss. “It’s not too good to be true. It’s what you should have had all along. That’s what it looks like when your manager cares about you and wants only good things for you and your career.”

  I smiled. “I could get used to it. Um, I kind of accepted a dinner invitation for all of us. Think you could handle having dinner with your favorite rock star tonight?”

  “I’ve been having dinner with my favorite rock star every night for the past five months,” he teased, stopping to pull me into a hug.

  “I meant Mikey,” I giggled. “Tia and Mikey invited us to dinner, including Ari. They’re bringing their kids too.”

  “I guess I can suffer through it,” he mock sighed. “Any other famous friends you’re going to pull out of the woodwork?”

  “Honestly, I don’t have a lot of people in this industry that I’d really call friends. Really, Chanelle and Mikey are the only people I talk to outsid
e of when we see each other at social events. Sorry if you were hoping to meet Kim Kardashian or Beyoncé.”

  “The only thing that matters to me is that I have you,” he murmured. “Everything else about your crazy life is just details to me.”

  “You’ll always have me,” I promised. “Until you get sick of me.”

  He chuckled and kissed my nose. “That’ll never happen, angel. I love you way too much to let you go.”

  “Good. Because I love you and Ari too much to leave,” I told him, sealing my words with a kiss.

  “You do realize I’m not due for another four months, right, babe? I’m not completely useless,” Daphne said as I carried the last four boxes into Arielle’s new bedroom.

  Arielle and I had moved to Ashview two weeks ago, but Rachel had just brought the last of our stuff up here from Montauk today, most of which was stuff from Arielle’s old room. I was sure we’d end up donating most of it, because the day after we moved here, Daphne and I took Arielle shopping for basically an entire new bedroom. Everything from a bed to dressers to clothes to decorations, and even matching bathmats and shower curtain for her en suite bathroom.

  “You’re helping. You’re helping Ari decorate her room,” I countered as I set the boxes down and walked over to kiss her. “With a bunch of boy band posters. God help us. She’s starting to notice boys.”

  She laughed. “Just think. In four years, she’ll be a teenager.”

  I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

  Arielle’s ninth birthday was last month, and luckily for us, we actually had a ten-day break in the tour during that time. So, after we made a quick turnaround trip back to Montauk so we could be there for Arielle’s birthday party with her friends, she came with us out to Los Angeles, where the next show was, and we spent a few days playing tourist in the area. Daphne had insisted on taking her to Disneyland and Universal Studios, which was something I’d always wanted to do for her and never been able to afford. And seeing the grin that never left her face during the entire trip made suffering through the long lines and all the pictures with the Disney princesses more than worth it.