“So do my best to settle,” he filled in the blank.
“If you want to go on with your life, then yes.”
He thought about Andy and their future. He wasn’t about to let her go and he wasn’t going to let her down. He’d find a way.
Within an hour he was in Graham’s office.
Graham had returned to work at the beginning of February. He had limited mobility on crutches, which he used whenever he had a business meeting. Otherwise he used his chair and had Maggie nearby to assist him. She didn’t say much, and often left the office when he discussed business with his clients, but he was reassured by her presence just in case he had rushed coming back to work too soon.
He wasn’t surprised to see Vanni. Ivy Cunningham was an attorney on his payroll so he was privy to the problem. He’d also been thinking about some solutions, which made it convenient to face off with one of the biggest names on his label.
Vanni was impressed by how much Graham had bounced back from his gunshot wound from the year before. He remembered all too vividly seeing the man in charge of his career lying helpless and crippled in a Philadelphia hospital room; mostly because he remembered with painful clarity how it felt to watch the woman he loved choose another man over the future he was finally willing to offer her.
Now Graham reminded him of the man who had taken his fledgling career from the likes of Jasper Carrington and molded him into a superstar. He could only hope he still had some of that old magic still in him. “You’re looking well, Graham,” he said as he sat. He was genuine in his compliment, and Graham took it well.
“You, also,” he countered. “You clean up well.”
“I met with Ivy Cunningham today, to talk about the Wilke settlement.” He let out a deep breath. “I’m in deep, man.”
Graham nodded. “I know.”
“What do I do?”
Graham sighed. He knew that it took a lot for Vanni to set aside his pride and ask for his help. There was a residual bitterness over the struggles they had all overcome. But this was business, and if there was one thing Graham understood, it was business. “You finish your album. You tour. We have plenty of offers pouring in to use your music for movies. They want you to guest as a mentor on some talent shows. If you’re ready to work, I can find work for you to do. This is a lot of money but fortunately for you, you’re still in pretty good demand right now. But you have to strike now, while the iron is hot. Otherwise these offers go away.”
Vanni nodded. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but I’m not touring.”
This declaration startled Graham. Vanni had always been a workhorse when it came to Dreaming in Blue. “May I ask why?”
For one brief second, Vanni considered telling Graham about Andy and their baby. But he knew that wasn’t fair to Andy, who had wanted to spare Graham from any further pain regarding their complicated situation. If anyone were to tell him, she wanted it to be her. “It’s complicated,” he offered instead. “You know about the package that showed up on the doorstep. With Andy at the house, I just would feel better staying closer to home.”
Graham tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “You could take her on the road with you,” he offered, but Vanni shook his head.
“She wants to stay out of the limelight. The press has been brutal to her. Besides, if she’s in danger in our own home, imagine how easy it would be for one of my stalkers to find her on the road.”
Graham studied the earnest look on Vanni’s face. He knew that the younger man was sincere. Late in his dedication to her safety, maybe, but at least he’d finally shown up for the party. “So what will you consider?”
“Something L.A. based. And obviously something that pays well. And fast. And something I can be proud of,” he added. Now that he was going to be a father, he wanted to do things with a positive bent – not just the sex, drugs and rock and roll he’d become so famous for indulging.
Graham nodded and then made a note. “I actually have a meeting scheduled this afternoon that I think may fit the bill. A TV producer has wanted to meet with me regarding a possible new series, a talent show that opens up opportunity for people who might not get one otherwise. Let me speak with her and I’ll get back to you.”
Vanni stood with an extended hand. “Sounds promising,” he said as he shook his hand. “And thanks for all your support, considering.”
Graham stood with great difficulty, but he met Vanni eye to eye. “We’re adults. This is business. It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.”
Vanni nodded. He had grown to respect this man he had hated for so long.
He hoped that meant he was turning an emotional corner.
When he got back to the beach house, Yael was waiting for him. He wanted to know what Vanni’s plans were for Dreaming in Blue. He was chomping at the bit to complete the image overhaul they had started with Julian, one with a rougher, more music-focused edge. This was the band he’d always dreamed of having, and had grown quite impatient waiting for Vanni to get his priorities straight.
He wasn’t shy about telling Vanni exactly what was on his mind.
“I just don’t understand why we’re stuck,” Yael told him after Vanni tossed his jacket into a chair and sat on the sofa facing him. “We can replace Julian. This was never about one member of the band. I don’t understand why you won’t even consider looking.”
Vanni glanced over at Andy, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod. She came over to where he sat on the sofa. “Because Andy’s pregnant,” Vanni finally said. Aside from Iris and Jacob, they had not officially announced it to their immediate circle. “She’s due in July.”
Yael’s mouth dropped open. It was quite obviously not the answer he expected to his question. “Even more reason to get this thing moving,” Yael told him. “We wait too long and we’re going to fade into a memory behind the next big thing. If we get back in the studio and back out on the road, it will secure your future.”
Vanni sighed. He hated to have all this financial pressure and business pressure on his shoulders. He simply wanted to do his job, get paid and take care of his family – like anyone else.
But he wasn’t like anyone else, and he knew it.
Yael failed to see why Andy’s pregnancy could derail their plans. “You find a replacement now. We finish the CD and then we tour after the baby’s born. Hell, she can even come along.”
Andy shook her head. She hated to come in between the band but that wasn’t the life she wanted for a newborn. “It’s not that simple,” she offered.
“It is that simple,” Yael snapped as he jumped to his feet. “This is about music. That’s the deal we all made when we got into this band. It wasn’t about marriage and it wasn’t about babies and families. It was about making our mark. Remember?”
Vanni stood as well. “We have made our mark, Yael.”
“No, you made your mark,” he responded bitterly. “We aren’t Dreaming in Blue. We’re Dreaming in Blue featuring Giovanni Carnevale. Meanwhile Iain’s in England playing daddy, Felix is God knows where smoking God knows what and I’m sitting on my hands while you make up your mind what you want. I’m not your fucking backup player, man. This is my band, too. If you aren’t in it anymore, then let me know so I can find another lead singer. I’m sure any number of bars in this city are filled with guys waiting to snap up any opportunity to work.” Yael stalked toward the door. “We’re not all living on easy street like the superstar Giovanni in his expensive fucking beach house.”
With a slam, he was gone.
Andy turned back toward Vanni, who slumped down on the sofa, his head in his hands. She sat next to him and gently pulled the band from his hair, letting it spill around his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Vanni,” she said, although she wasn’t quite sure why she felt the need to apologize.
His dark eyes met hers. “Don’t you dare apologize to me,” he whispered. “You’re worth anything,” he said as he took her into his arms. She felt so solid, so real
… so much more substantial than any fleeting feeling of fame.
He kissed the top of her head as he held her in his arms and worried silently what he could do to keep their world from falling apart.
CHAPTER FIVE
Los Angeles, California
February 6, 2011
Gwen Perry entered Graham’s office with her wide smile. After working with Graham and with Dreaming in Blue through the duration of Graham’s recovery, she was happy to find him standing on his feet to greet her as she walked towards his desk. “Look at you!” she beamed.
He gave her a triumphant grin in return and allowed her to round the desk and give him a friendly hug. She was extremely adept at her job as a public relations agent. Under her watchful eye, Dreaming in Blue had not gone completely off the rails even with Vanni’s abhorrent and inexcusable behavior. She was the first one he called when he realized that the Wilkes were going to prove a long-term, public problem.
She had an idea how they could further polish Vanni’s tarnished image, and Graham was all ears for her suggestion. He indicated toward the chair. “So tell me about this brilliant idea of yours.”
She laughed heartily. “I’m not sure how brilliant it is,” she began modestly, but then waved her hand. “Oh, who am I kidding? This plan is beyond brilliant. It helps Vanni, it helps your label and best of all it helps someone reaching for a dream.”
He liked the sound of that. “Sounds ambitious.”
“Not as much as you’d think. It’s a successful model already seen on TV in many formats. The American dream is alive and well on network TV. We like to see people reach for the stars and actually catch one. It’s a winning formula.”
“So what makes your idea so original?”
She reached for her phone. “I’ll let my friend give you all the details. She’s on her way up right now.”
Within minutes Gwen’s friend was ushered into the office by Graham’s secretary. The woman was full-figured, though not as generously proportioned as Andy. Her brown hair was shoulder-length and streaked with blonde, and her tawny eyes reminded him of a cat’s. She was remarkably put together, like she had her own stylist in her back pocket, and he couldn’t help but think he’d seen her somewhere before.
He stood, as did Gwen, who introduced the two. “Graham Baxter, I’d like you to meet Shannon McKenna.”
They shook hands and his brow still furrowed with a slight hint of recognition. “Why do I feel like I should know who you are?”
The woman named Shannon laughed and sat in the chair next to Gwen. “I’m a product of Reality TV,” she confessed. “I was the star of the first season of Love Plus One, the dating reality show that puts a mole in the midst of bachelorettes competing for the eligible bachelor. This way he can cut right through the games and find his Miss Right.”
“Oh, yes,” he said. “One of our artists performed at the Hollywood Bowl for one of your dates.”
Shannon’s smile softened at the memory. “She did indeed.”
Her happiness was infectious, and Graham couldn’t help but return her smile. “I take it things worked out well, then.”
She flashed the diamond wedding ring on her finger. “Better than I had expected. Being the mole, anyway!”
They all laughed, and then Graham wanted to get down to business. “Gwen tells me that you have an idea for a new reality show. Tell me about it.”
“I started my career working as a production assistant for Dixie, the talk show host,” she began, clarifying as if she needed to – though Dixie’s name was recognizable all on its own. “I wasn’t too confident in my abilities because I had been fooled into believing only a certain kind of woman deserved the limelight. Women like me, like Gwen,” she referred to the zaftig woman at her side, “were delegated to the shadows in supporting roles. With a few notable exceptions, like Dixie for instance, most women who fight and claw their way to the top fit a certain mold – and girls like us don’t fit in.”
Graham nodded. He was aware of how the business demanded a certain type of perfection from women that it did not demand from men. It was one of the reason he found women who accepted their so-called imperfections so attractive, like Andy.
“So I was thinking the only thing people like to see more than an unknown reaching for the stars is the opportunity to champion the underdog. I found this out personally during Love Plus One, when I was certain that I’d be skewered by the audience for being so different, only to find they were rooting for me to ‘win.’”
Gwen nodded. “The average American woman is a size 14, so seeing people like Shannon and Dixie represented in the media affirms their value outside the accepted norm in the media – which is nowhere near the ‘norm’ for anyone else.”
“So the idea is to open up Reality TV to something ‘real?’”
Both Gwen and Shannon nodded, grateful that he got it. Gwen suspected he might, given his affection for Andy. He could have had any woman he wanted, and probably had, but he was willing to die for someone society generally disdained thanks to some arbitrary dress size. Shannon was passionate as she went on. “I want a show to embrace the inner diva of any girl with a dream, who has the chops to make it happen. I don’t want her plucked and prodded and crowbarred into some paint-by-numbers pop model that fits some passing fad of the moment. I want to give the audience someone to root for, someone they can truly idolize as a role model, even beyond a TV finale.”
“We want to call it Fierce,” Gwen added, and somehow he got the feeling the magical publicist had a hand in the title.
“And it’s open up to all kinds of contestants, not just one specific type,” Shannon clarified. “We’re not exalting any one group over any other, because we feel that’s just prejudice working in reverse. Male, female, gay, straight, fat, thin, able-bodied or challenged, we want everyone watching to feel represented. This is about talent – and owning who you are as an individual. As long as you are unafraid to sing your butt off, you can compete on our show.”
He nodded. It was a positive direction that dared to put talent over image, and in the pre-packaged, homogenized environment of Los Angeles it was a breath of fresh air, one not likely to be championed by entertainment types that bought into the traditional paper doll formula music had become since the advent of music video. “I like it,” Graham declared. “What do you need from me?”
“Your branding,” Gwen answered. “Shannon and Dixie can produce a talent show, but they want to give the winner, or really any of the contestants who earn your support, a true career in the business. That can happen with your label behind them.”
He noticed that Maggie had slipped in the room unnoticed. She had gotten used to being stealth since they had returned to the office. He gave her a wink of acknowledgement as she sat. “We’re always looking for that next superstar,” he said. “I would love to be a part of it.”
Gwen smiled. “There’s more. And this is the exciting part. Because this show is so progressive and inclusive, it’ll be a positive publicity boost for anyone who gets involved with it. We’d like Vanni to be one of the judges.”
Graham sat back in his chair, his hand to his chin. “How long of a commitment are we talking about?”
“We have been in network talks to run a summer season from May to September. We’d like the preliminary, off-camera judging to start in March. He’d be there from the beginning all the way to the finale.”
Graham nodded. It sounded perfect.
“He’s got a bit of a bad boy image, where he’s a sex hound who dates a certain type of woman…Lourdes, Kat, Holly. This would soften him up a bit – expand his appeal to those in his fan base who think they could never get a guy like him. It’ll show he values women beyond just the little sex kitten on his arm.”
He chuckled. If only they knew.
“But,” Gwen cautioned, “This means he’d have to keep his nose clean.” It was her hidden agenda to recommend Vanni, to force him to behave like a good boy so she didn’t hav
e to keep cleaning up his messes. He had the recognizable name that could work for Shannon’s purposes, but frankly Gwen wanted a break from prostitutes and highly publicized breakups and controversy.
Shannon nodded. “We’re hoping to make a difference with this show. Make a statement. It’s not going to be a train wreck just for ratings. I don’t want any part of anything like that, and neither does Dixie.”
“I understand,” he said. “I’ll approach him about it. We talked earlier today about opportunities that kept him local for the foreseeable future, and he did mention that he would like a project that he could be proud of. I really think this could be it.”
When they presented the financial compensation they were willing to offer, Graham’s eyes widened. There was no way Vanni could walk away from an eight-figure payday.
They all stood and he walked them to the door. “It was such a pleasure meeting you, Shannon,” he said as he warmly shook her hand. “Thank you for thinking of my label for this project.”
She smiled. “We always seek out the best,” she said. “And you’re the best in the biz.”
He gave Gwen another hug before he shut the door behind them and turned back to Maggie. She was already on her feet to help him back to his chair. It had been a tiring day and he was showing definite signs of fatigue – signs he’d successfully hidden from the women who had just left his office.
He only showed his weaknesses to Maggie.
“Sounds like a great project,” she said as she stretched out his legs. “Think he’ll go for it?”
Graham shrugged. “I don’t know what to make of Vanni these days. He might just surprise us all.”
Maggie wasn’t convinced, especially that evening when Graham perused through the DVD of auditions Shannon had left behind for his consideration. They weren’t kidding; some of these contestants did fit outside the traditional pop mold. But they could definitely sing their butt off, specifically a fresh-faced eighteen-year-old girl from Iowa named Jordi Hemphill. She was short and stout with a smile that wouldn’t quit and a voice that practically blew both Graham and Maggie off of the sofa. She sang the National Anthem, and her near-flawless five-octave range had “diva-in-training” written all over it.
The Complete Groupie Trilogy Page 58