This arrangement seemed perfect. Ivy would get her album recorded. Mia could keep an eye on her and at the same time spend hours and hours with Nate. A month. It wasn’t a lot of time, but it was more than she’d ever expected to have with him after they’d parted in Sydney.
“When do we start?”
“I’m heading back to Vegas on Tuesday after I check in with Dr. Hanson.”
“I haven’t had a chance to ask. How did your dinner with Ivy and my dad go last night?”
“Did you know your sister wants to record some of Melody’s songs?”
“No.” Ivy had been acting weird since the tour ended. She’d become more demanding than ever, driving Mia half mad with her quicksilver moods and indecision. And now this. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Melody is a talented songwriter and Ivy wants to work with the best.”
“I tried to talk her out of it. What you composed during the tour was fantastic.”
“She thinks my songs are what are preventing her from moving to the next level.” Mia picked at a button on her blouse. “What if she’s right? Maybe trying something new will get her that superstardom she craves.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you ready to take your career to the next level?”
“I don’t think there’s a level above personal assistant.” Mia shot Nate a wry grin. But his question had merit.
What did she want to be doing ten years from now? The thought of continuing to cater to her sister’s every whim made her stomach churn. Mia supposed their father wouldn’t want to manage Ivy forever. Mia could step into that role. Did she want to? If she was honest with herself, she’d admit that more than anything else she wanted to write music.
“I was thinking more in terms of songwriting.”
“It’s not the easiest way to make a living.”
“You might need to combine it with something else to support yourself. Like producing.”
“Do you know how many female producers there are in the industry?”
Nate shook his head.
“Neither does anyone else,” Mia said with a touch of reproach. “Because the number is so small no one bothers to keep track. But it’s around 5 percent.”
“How do you know that?”
“When 1989 won the Grammy for album of the year, Taylor Swift talked in her acceptance speech about empowering women and how we should take credit for our own success.”
Mia had been sitting alone in Ivy’s house, watching the show and feeling a little sick to her stomach at how she hadn’t fought for songwriting credit on either of her twin’s albums.
“Afterward,” Mia continued, “she was criticized for how few women she’d had working on her album. Nineteen people, excluding Taylor, worked on 1989. Of those, only two were women. That means 11 percent of the production team were female. That’s double the percentage of women in the industry.”
“Women are underrepresented. How do you feel about changing that? Do you want to?”
“I won’t lie and say I’ve never thought about it. I’ve been creating beats since Ivy recorded her first single. I know what I would have done to make the song better. Although I’ve sat in on every one of Ivy’s studio sessions, most of what I know about the technical side is from watching other people.”
“Is that a yes or no?”
“That’s a hell yes, for spending several weeks sitting beside you and learning the ins and outs of what makes you such a fantastic producer. Beyond that I can’t say what will happen.”
Nate gave a satisfied nod and didn’t try to push for anything more. Mia was glad for both their sakes. He’d been so frustrated with her that last morning in Sydney when she dug in her heels and refused to even consider taking time off from her sister and spending it with him. She hadn’t seen the point in furthering their relationship when it was all bound to come to an end.
She might have given him a different answer if Nate had been the sort of guy who wanted something casual and would be happy to walk away at any point. If she could’ve sneaked away here and there for a long weekend with him they might still be involved.
But that wasn’t the sort of guy he was. At least not with her. He’d been pretty clear from the start that she was special to him. While he hadn’t minded keeping their blossoming romance a secret during the tour, everything had changed after they’d made love. He’d wanted to see her openly and as often as possible.