AVA
Three days after I acted like a softie and a fool in the executive studio, Lorelai buzzed me to say that Kelly Magill and Marcus Daily were waiting to speak with me. With my consent, all of Bruno’s friends had either been employed by LSA or signed with LSA mere hours after the board meeting, but I had not spoken to any of them, and we had no arranged meeting, so I was surprised they were looking to meet with me.
My transition to COO was a massive shift. Everyone associated with our label was nervous that we wouldn't survive the loss of the Difrancos—and since Bruno was busy being Bruno, it wasn’t just my job to oversee basic everyday operations, but I also had to manage all the existing creative projects and their emotional fallout. I was drowning in calls and chaos, but I still clicked the intercom button on the phone and said, “Send them in.”
I didn’t know much about Kelly or Marcus, but I liked that they strode into my space confidently. They seemed completely unfazed by the heated situation that surrounded LSA’s new management and for that reason alone their presence was a relief.
Trying to appear as kind as they looked, I signaled to the chairs in front of me and said, “Please, have a seat. Can I get either of you some water or perhaps a coffee?”
Marcus’s phone dinged and without responding to my offer, he pulled it from his pocket and fixated his eyes on the screen.
Kelly waved off his behavior. “Ignore how fucking rude this shitbag is—he spends his life with his face hypnotized by that phone, but he’s listening.” I smiled and snickered, wanting her to see me as friend not foe.
She furrowed her brow. Clearly, not totally buying my convivial attitude, she accepted my offer by saying, “We’ll both take coffee. Creamy and sugary for me. Black for him.”
I relayed her request to Lorelai and then turned back to her to ask, “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
Kelly casually leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She wasn’t what you would call a pretty woman, but she was strikingly handsome, with angular features, red hair, and a personality that seemed unrelenting. On a dramatic sigh she sweetly conceded, “Listen, we all know this shit is complicated.”
Her voice was laced with compassion, but just like she wasn’t totally buying the friendliness I was selling, I wasn’t one hundred percent on board with the pretty, pretty compassion she was offering me. Kelly and I obviously had some of the same talents—the ability to work a room and get stuff done. I leaned back in my chair, putting more distance between us, deciding it was okay if we weren’t going to be friends. At the very least, we’d respect each other.
“What’s so complicated?”
Marcus’s fingers that had been tapping away at his screen stopped moving. He looked up at me and grinned and then shaking his head, he returned to his screen.
Turning to him, Kelly prodded, “What are you smiling at?”
He didn’t look at either of us when he said, “I like her. She’s coy.”
Kelly rolled her eyes at him and then subtly stomped her foot and clicked her tongue. Her behavior was a mature physical expression of a preschooler’s tantrum. “What the fuck, Marcus? What happened to good cop/bad cop?”
Still tapping at his screen, Marcus said, “Just because you pontificate a plan in a cab next to me, does not mean I agree with it. If you expect me to adhere to said plan, you need to get my explicit consent.”
Cheeky bastard.
Smiling condescendingly at her, Marcus added, “You can’t play a player, Kels.”
Kelly crossed her arms over her chest and slumped down in her chair as she huffed, “Well, we certainly can’t now.”
The two of them were spiteful and spatty like siblings but the kindness and care between them was obvious. I winked at Kelly and said, “I like him. He’s totally an asshole.”
We were all laughing when Lorelai came into the room with their coffees. Mine was a hearty laugh born from somewhere deep and real in the depths of my core.
Feeling happy, I said, “You don’t need to play me, Kelly. I understand why you’d be wary of me, but you don’t have to be. Just give it to me straight; what do you need?”
Kelly sighed again. And then she said, “We need to do our jobs.”
“Okay…” I left my sentence open and waited for her to explain.
Pointing her thumb at Marcus, she said, “He’s probably going to be the best talent manager this place has ever known. He finds talent and handles them with kindness and honesty. He’s literally obsessed with the need to discover talent. That’s why his face is always glued to that stupid screen. He’s hunting the internet for inspired nobodies. And right now, we need a nobody.”
I clarified, “Bruno needs a nobody.”
Marcus revised my clarification. “We need a nobody. Bruno’s LSA Records is the only version of LSA Records we’re willing to support.”
Nodding, I said, “Fair enough.”
Kelly went on. “But to really find talent, he has to see them perform live. That means he either needs access to the company jet or money in an expense account that will allow him to move around the world freely.” I could see in the shifting of her gaze that she was skeptical, perhaps even certain that I would turn down this request that she was making for Marcus.
I stood and walked toward the door to my office, then called for Lorelai to come back in and take notes. I could have called her on the intercom, but I liked the show of getting her myself. Once she was in the room and seated on the couch behind Marcus and Kelly, I paced behind my desk as I announced, “Marcus Daily needs a corporate American Express card. Please have it expedited. I want it in his hands in the next forty-eight hours. Also, in general, tell HR that Bruno and friends are free to book the corporate jet for LSA business.”
“Really?” Kelly questioned.
I nodded and then pushed her to go on. “What’s next?”
Kelly glanced at Marcus, and he said, “Fourth floor.”
“What about the fourth floor?” I asked.
“Bruno wants it,” Kelly said. Of course he did.
“That’s literally our best production space.” I laughed. “Booked solid with reservations for recordings for the next year or so.”
“He wants it.” Kelly shrugged.
I sighed, and then looking at Lorelai, I said, “Have Robert and Cheryl work on rescheduling the next four months of bookings in the fourth-floor studios.”
Kelly looked at me dumbfounded. “Really? It’s that easy.”
I looked her in the eyes when I answered. “I want him to succeed, Kelly. Just as much as all of you do.”
“Told you,” Marcus said, maintaining his totally engaged disengagement. He was so odd, but strangely likable. After a few more clicks on his screen, he stood and slipped his phone into the back pocket of his jeans before jutting his hand out, looking to shake mine. I gripped it and shook it firmly, then he said, “Pleasure working with you, Ava. Plan on doing it for like”—he paused to wink before he said—“ever.”
My cheeks heated. He was actually charming in a sort of douchebag way, not unlike a really good salesman. Without saying goodbye, he turned and headed out of my office, leaving Kelly behind. Awkwardly, she didn’t stand or move to leave. It was clear she wanted me to feel uncomfortable.
Behind her, Lorelai shifted in her seat and cleared her throat, then asked, “Will that be all, Ms. Childs?” Since I became her boss, Lorelai insisted on calling me by my last name and I hated it.
“It’s Ava,” I mumbled for the four thousandth time, “…but yes, and thank you.” Looking relieved to get away from the vibe Kelly was fostering, Lorelai rushed out of my office.
Once the door was closed, I smirked at Kelly. “I think you scared her.”
“Who? Your secretary?” She scrunched her nose and shook her head, still awkwardly staring at me. “Nah. I mean, I’m pretty sure you scare her, but I’m not a threat… to her.”
I chuckled. She was a trip. Delighted, I pointed at her and asserted, “I like this. Please, by all means, be protective of him. He deserves to have people care about him in that way.” Before going on, I moved back to my desk chair and took my seat. “But I’m not going to lie; I’m curious just how deep your affection goes. Are you in love with Bruno?”
Kelly tucked her chin in revulsion and gagged. “Fucking gross.”
She wasn’t. It was clear.
“What about you? You spend your life pining for the boss’s son?”
I waved my hand in front of my face, signaling stop, and said, “Girl, please.”
We both giggled, but the mood remained tense.
She cracked her neck, left then right, and then in a tone that was intentionally kinda creepy, she said, “We’re different. But we’re also the same.” I didn’t respond. “Did you know I’m the youngest of six siblings? Only girl. Irish bruisers. Tough bunch. Bad guys, you might say.” She stood. “The lot of us scoundrels,” she winked. What she said next was presented as an afterthought when it was really the main point. “I like edgy, scrappy women, but in the end, if you do him wrong, it’ll be scoundrel against scoundrel.”
“Noted,” I said coolly and then unwilling to let her threats lie, I asked, “What is it you do, Kelly?”
She shrugged, stood, and backed out of the room with her eyes on me the whole time. She left my question unanswered—on purpose, of course.