Chapter 97

"Have an extra smoke?" She asked Ian.

"Yeah." He said, handing her a cigarette.

"I hear you and Dylan had a talk." She said, reaching for his lighter. He nodded.

She smoked in silence with him for a few minutes.

"So, let's start over", she finally said. "Hi. I'm Pearl. Welcome to the band." She extended her hand. He shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Pearl." He said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you. You fuck up again and you're out. And I'll make sure you never have a paying gig anywhere in this industry, ever again." She said, putting her cigarette out and walking back inside.

Rhys was up early. He had a zoom call with the director about the upcoming shoot next week and his lawyer was flying in that afternoon to stay with them for a few days. Pearl met him in the kitchen, he handed her a cup of coffee, kissing her forehead and smiling a devilish smile.

"What?" She asked.

"Last night was naughty as fuck.", he said, raising his eyebrow "I want more." He moved his hand up her leg, cupping her between her legs. She rolled her eyes and slapped his arm. "You are incorrigible", she said as she backed away and sat down.

"I mean it. I'm hooked. I'm so in love."

"Me too.", she said with a wink and she grabbed his hand and put it up her bathrobe again.

Jim walked in, interrupting. "Eh hum. Good morning you two." Rhys turned and stood at the counter. "Martha and her sister Mary are driving in today. I'm meeting them at their apartment to help them unpack. Is it ok if Martha starts tomorrow at the house so she can take today to unpack?"

"Yes, of course. Let us know if she needs anything to help her get settled." Rhys said. Jim turned to leave. "Wait." Rhys stopped him. He grabbed his billfold and handed him three hundred dollar bills. "You guys grab some lunch and get some things for them for their apartment. Maybe some groceries or something." Jim looked down and smiled. "Ok. I will."

Pearl told him that was really sweet of him. He smiled and started back after her, kissing her neck and moving his hand up her leg again.

"Oh.... hey. Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt." Ian said, opening the sliding door. Rhys sighed. "All good man."

"Was wondering what time we are getting started today." He grabbed a bagel and a cup of coffee.

"They guys are going to be here at noon." Pearl told him.

"Where are we working?" He asked. Pearl told him she would get around and meet him in the guesthouse in a bit and take him. He nodded and went back out the door.

"Now, to finish what we started" Rhys said, picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom.

Rhys went to the library to have his zoom call. Pearl got dressed and met Ian and took him to the outbuilding studio. "What is this? A barn?" He asked as they stood at the door.

"Sort of." She smiled and opened the door, flipping the lights on.

"Whoa! This is bad ass." He said, walking around. She hit the switch on the fireplace and turned the rest of the lights on. He sat his guitar case down and picked up the vintage Les Paul, turning on the tube amp next to it. He played a familiar bluesy tune Pearl recognized immediately. She walked up to the mic and turned on the PA. She begin singing the Led Zeppelin song...

"Workin' from seven to eleven every night

It really makes life a drag

I don't think that's right

I've really been the best of fools

I did what I could, yeah

'Cause I love you, baby

How I love you, darling

How I love you, baby

My beloved little girl, little girl

But baby, since I've been loving you, yeah

I'm about to lose my worried mind, oh yeah..."

He stopped playing and looked up at her.

"You are going to be one of the most famous female singers this industry has known. You know that, right?" He put the guitar down.

"No. But what I do know is that if we can get our shit together, we can be really good as a band. And hopefully you will be a big part of that and won't have to bounce around anymore."

"I'd like that more than you realize. Also, I have about 15 songs I've written on my own and collaborated with other musicians on that haven't went anywhere yet." He smiled at her and high fived her.

"Well, let's hear them." She said. And they got to work. By the time the guys got there an couple of hours later, they had worked through three of them and were excited to show them to the band.

They rehearsed until dark. They loved the new songs and Ian felt proud of himself. "Thanks for letting me contribute today. It felt good." He said to Pearl before he headed back to the guesthouse. Everyone packed up and headed home. Dylan hung around and asked Pearl how she was doing.

"I'm ok. Dealing with one thing at a time. Hoping this bitch doesn't accuse Rhys of these things."

"I'm here for you guys. I know you know that." He said as he put on his coat.

Pearl's text dinged. It was Rhys.

"I hope rehearsal went well. Come to the house, we need to talk."