In Harmony

by JN Welsh

  He hugged her. “I heard you’re having a time.”

  “No doubt.” She neglected to add, from Tommy. “She here yet?”

  He nodded. “In the back, plus one.”

  A glimmer of hope flipped her stomach. Nyah resolved that whatever happened, she had given all of this one hell of a shot. “Thanks,” she said to Oscar and made her way backstage.

  As Nyah got closer, she heard laughter and high-spirited conversation. She crept inside to see Trinket and Gladys by the backstage lockers talking about music.

  “I’m surprised you know so much about Brahms,” Gladys chirped.

  “Or that you’re such a huge fan of Louis the Child. Does Nyah know?” Trinket asked.

  “No.” Gladys hung her head. “I wish she had trusted me like she trusts you.”

  Nyah thought she’d already cried her tears at her parents’ home, but apparently, she had more to shed. This is what she’d always wanted but she had been too afraid to meld her two worlds. That Gladys and Trinket chatted like buddies confirmed Nyah’s suspicions that they’d make fast friends.

  Her sniffles got their attention and they quieted their discussion.

  “I do trust you, Gladys.” Nyah went in for the hug. Even if Gladys rejected her, Nyah didn’t care. She missed her friend. “It’s why I asked you to come today and it means so much to me that you’re here.”

  “It wasn’t easy,” Gladys said, hugging her back, to Nyah’s relief. “I’m still really mad at you. To find out that way...that hurt, Nyah.”

  “I know and I’m really sorry. I was scared and didn’t want to be judged for doing what I love.”

  “And that’s exactly what I did, isn’t it?” Gladys asked rhetorically. “Believe me, I’ve had some time to think about it, and, well, I am... I’m a classical snob. I did judge you when I found out, but you’re my friend and I’m trying to understand.”

  “That’s all I can ask.”

  “This is beautiful,” Trinket interrupted, clapping her heavily braceleted hands.

  “Come here, you.” Nyah pulled Trinket into a hug.

  “Okay, okay,” Trinket said and pulled away. “We heeded the call, girl. We’re here for you. So we’re going to need you to reveal.”

  “Yeah. What’s the emergency you sent in the group text?” Gladys asked.

  With all the practice she’d had recently, she told Trinket and Gladys another story, this one about her and Tommy and Sunburst.

  “He’s trash,” Trinket said when Nyah explained how Tommy had betrayed her.

  “Is there more to the story?” Gladys asked.

  “Lots more,” Nyah said and looked at Trinket.

  “G’head,” Trinket said, playing with the curling edge of one of the stickers plastering the lockers, and Nyah continued the rest of the tale, up until the moment when she’d sent the emergency text.

  “Wow,” Gladys said.

  “He’s not so bad, after all.” Trinket tapped her chin as if still considering it.

  “Which leads me to you, Trinket.”

  “Me? How does all this lead to me?”

  “I’ve always told you that you’re the best DJ I know so...” Nyah waited for Trinket to fill in the blanks.

  Trinket turned gray, shook her head and backed up into the lockers. Her reaction was better than Nyah expected.

  “I think you should take my place at Sunburst.” Nyah ripped the bandage all the way off.

  “I can’t do it,” was Trinket’s spacy statement.

  “Yes, you can,” Nyah encouraged.

  “What am I missing?” Gladys asked.

  “Trinket suffers from stage fright.” Nyah clued her friend in. “But we’ve been working on it. She has done house parties and played in the park.”

  “She also played Rebel when you were in Florida.” Oscar appeared backstage. “Just thought I’d check in in case shit went south.”

  “What?” Nyah yelped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I told her you’d be pissed,” Oscar chimed in and Trinket gave him the stink eye.

  “I’m not pissed. I’m just sorry I missed your inaugural performance, especially as your coach. I bet you were fucking great.” Nyah hugged her again.

  “She was fucking awesome.” Oscar doused his girl with all the pride.

  “I wanted to tell you, but you were going through it and I didn’t wanted bug you...” Trinket trailed off.

  “Somebody had better gotten that shit on video,” Nyah said.

  “Facts. It’s up on the Tube,” Oscar said.

  “So, what do you think, T? If you play Sunburst, I’ll be there with you the whole time.”

  “It’s just such a popular fest. The people who’ve played there... I don’t know.” Trinket paced so fast Nyah was getting dizzy watching her.

  Oscar stopped her and held her by the shoulders. “It’s time you show ’em your stuff, babe. You got this. We all got your back.”

  Trinket didn’t speak for a long time until she finally broke her silence. “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course.” Nyah chewed her lip. “But you only have until noon tomorrow to make your decision.”

  “Noon?” Everyone, even Gladys yelled.

  “Well, really I have to know before that so that I can let my contact know by noon.” Nyah cheesed, in hopes it would relax her audience.

  “Way to put on the pressure, Nyah. At least we had a few days when CeCe sprung the impromptu auditions on us,” Gladys said.

  “It’s not ideal but I think we can rise to this occasion,” Nyah said.

  “We?” Trinket groaned.

  “I know.” Nyah remembered how she’d felt when Tommy asked her to play Oh Ship and Sunburst. She knew Trinket’s fear and the doubts that floated through her mind. She went to Trinket’s side. “Listen. No matter what you decide, I love you, sis. This is a great opportunity, so fuck all the pressure and what we all think. You decide for you.”

  “Queen?” Oscar said.

  “I’ve been there and I would be a shitty coach if I said otherwise. If you say yes, this train is going to jet out of the station and you with it. You decided to play Rebel on your own. I’m a bit salty that I missed it but so proud of you. As for this? You make the call and let me know. Okay?” Nyah asked.

  Trinket nodded.

  “Either way I’m inviting you both to Sunburst for my father’s ceremony,” she said to Trinket and Gladys. “You too, Oz. I know you have the club but it’d be great if you were there.”

  “I need a drink,” Trinket said.

  “We all do,” Gladys said.

  They made their way to the bar, but Nyah held Trinket behind. “Before you make your decision, I wanted to tell you something.”

  Nyah leaned into her ear and whispered the only secret she had left.

  When she looked at Trinket’s face, Nyah knew she’d made the right choice for herself and for Trinket with the admission.

  “Okay?” Nyah asked.

  Trinket squeezed her hand. “Okay.”

  * * *

  Later that night as Nyah readied for her performance at the concert hall she got a text.

  Trinket: I’m in

  Nyah squealed in excitement and did a little dance in her living room. More than anything she was happy for this opportunity for Trinket. She wasted no time reaching out to Herman to tell him about his new booking.

  “What’s her name?”

  “Layla Jones, goes by Trinket.” Nyah waited for Herman to speak and thought maybe their connection got warped. “Herman?”

  “You’re fucking with me, right?”

  “Not at all.” Herman’s response fluttered her intrigue. “Why do you think I’m fucking with you?”

  “Her name has been buzzing around the festival circuit after one of her hous
e party sets went up on YouTube. It wasn’t viral but over about a month she’s gotten over a million likes.”

  “What?” Nyah’d had no idea. Did Trinket or anyone in their circuit know? “Tommy can get her.” She tightened up her card game. “Well, Tommy has her on his client list,” Nyah said. “So your people have to accept him back into the fold if you want her.”

  Herman tried to play the “Let me talk to a couple people” game but his excitement transcended his words, and he caved.

  “You got a deal,” Herman said. “By the way. I hope there are no hard feelings with Tommy. He asked me to put you in tentatively until he got your final say on playing Sunburst, but I pressured him for an answer. I figured you’d get my basket and get excited to play my fest.”

  Herman’s admission hit her tender heart. “Thanks, Herman.” Tommy should have never agreed to put her on the lineup at all but she was glad that he hadn’t completely disregarded her wishes.

  “No problem,” Herman said.

  They ended the call and Nyah immediately set the next phase of her plan in motion.

  Chapter Thirty

  What the fuck is happening? Tommy got a call that he needed to complete the paperwork for his client Trinket to play at Sunburst Festival. He tried to call Herman but for the first time in the history of their friendship, he couldn’t get through.

  “Yaz?”

  “Yes?” Yaz poked her head into his office in everyday fashion.

  “Can you see if you can call around and find Herman? I’m being asked to submit a rider and other paperwork for a Layla Jones but she’s not my client.” Tommy started another text to Herman. He had stopped in LA to repack and was heading to Florida to find Nyah.

  “Yes, she is,” Yaz answered.

  Tommy slowly put the phone down. “Come again?”

  “Layla ‘Trinket’ Jones is your client,” Yaz confirmed. Tommy had been so deep in his own world that it took him a minute to retrieve Oscar’s girlfriend’s real name.

  “What?” he asked, his brain striving for clarity.

  Yaz cleared her throat but gave him her chin. “Queen Roe and I worked with Herman to get Trinket squared away to play in place of her at Sunburst.”

  “What?” Apparently, he only had one word accessible in his vocabulary at the moment. Tommy shot to his feet at the sound of Nyah’s name.

  “Yeah. It’s not official, until you sign...right...here.” Yaz placed a document in front of him. “Trinket already signed. I set up a little meet and greet for you both to talk. It’s on your calendar. You probably won’t be able to go over everything before Sunburst but I thought a little ‘welcome to the team’ would be nice.”

  “So you’ve spoken to her?”

  “To who? Trinket?”

  “No, Queen Roe?”

  “Yes.”

  “How is she?” he asked before he could stop himself. “I mean, how’s she doing in Florida?”

  “She’s not in Florida. She’s in New York.”

  Tommy paced behind his desk. “Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure,” Yaz said. “I mean... Like us, she’s probably getting ready to head here for Sunburst Summer Festival.”

  He didn’t know what to say. “I... I haven’t even seen her play.”

  “Who? Queen Roe?” Yaz looked confused.

  “No, Trinket.”

  “I know. I’m just kidding. You look like you need a good laugh.” Yaz chuckled then abruptly turned serious. “And shame on you for not signing her sooner. She’s a perfect client for you. I should know. Have you seen her performance at Rebel?”

  “She performed at Rebel? But she has stage fright.” Tommy thought back to his discussions with Nyah. He’d promised to see Trinket play but he’d never gotten around to it. He did, however, know that part of why it had been hard to see her play was because Trinket was petrified of the stage. He quietly celebrated Trinket’s milestone.

  “Well, I have and she’s really good. She’s also got quite the buzz going on. Herman and team were really happy to get her.”

  Tommy palmed his spinning head. For all his expertise as an agent, what Nyah and Yaz had pulled off was nothing short of genius. “It seems the student is schooling her teacher.”

  “We’ve got one of our artists at Sunburst.” Yaz cheered. “You should really call Queen Roe and thank her. It was her idea,” Yaz said.

  Tommy wanted to do more than just thank Nyah. He needed her, and if she’d helped him at all then maybe there was a slim chance that he hadn’t completely ruined any chance of having her in his life.

  “Yeah.” He nodded vacantly. Then he shook himself back to LA. “Okay, Yaz. Tell me everything.”

  * * *

  The California sun showed up for the Sunburst Summer Festival and Nyah had one job: with the help of Oscar and Gladys, keep tabs on Trinket and calm her down in the event she turned into a runner.

  “We’ll be right here, babe,” Oscar said, holding Trinket’s hand.

  “This is your stage, sis. Tear up those tracks.” Nyah tried not to hover in case all Trinket needed was space to puke or faint.

  “You got this, Trinket,” Glady patted her arm.

  Nyah’s nerves for Trinket were worse than if she were going on the Sunburst stage herself. She was in the middle of another pep talk when she saw Yaz and Tommy.

  Nyah’s stomach flipped when she saw him walking toward them, looking sharper than a razor. Damn, can’t he just look bad sometimes?

  Yaz greeted her. “Hey, Nyah. It’s good to see you... well, as yourself.”

  Nyah smiled. “Yeah, it’s a little weird in this setting, but good.” Nyah then introduced everyone Yaz didn’t know.

  Tommy inched closer to her. “Hi,” he said and she’d never seen him make such a tentative move.

  “Hi.” Her response might have been brief but her heart raced a mile a minute.

  “We were checking to make sure everything is all set up for Trinket. She’s on in thirty,” Yaz announced.

  Trinket rubbed her stomach and groaned when she heard the words. Her jerky movements were concerning. “I don’t know if I’m going to make it up there.”

  “How are you, Trinket? You ready to light this place up?” Tommy asked as he approached her.

  “Being this nervous is completely normal,” Yaz said.

  “What can I get you that will help? Maybe a little ginger ale? Gatorade? A puke pail? You name it and it’s yours, just tell me. Nothing’s off limits.” Tommy sought backup from Yaz, who nodded in agreement.

  “All those things. I don’t think I have anything left inside but don’t quote me on that. Maybe a ginger ale?” Trinket’s face was as gray as the day Nyah had proposed she play Sunburst.

  “I’m on it,” Yaz said and left to assist Tommy in making Trinket comfortable.

  “It’s going to be okay. They’re going to love you. You see all these people backstage? They’re here to make sure you have a flawless show.” He pointed to the attendants and techs. “Most of all, your friends are here. So you give a great show and we will celebrate like crazy later.”

  Nyah loved the way Tommy doted on Trinket, a festival newbie in need of a professional hand. Nyah’s nervous adjacent energy made her stomach do summersaults, too.

  “He’s good,” Gladys said and nudged her. “Have you two spoken yet?”

  Nyah shook her head.

  “Well, you’re both here now.” Gladys grinned.

  Oscar took over comfort duties with Trinket and Yaz returned with a ginger ale.

  Tommy came over and though Trinket borderlined on being in crisis, Nyah couldn’t help but appreciate this man who, in the end, risked something so important to him for her. “How are you doing?” he asked her.

  “I’ve been okay,” Nyah said.

  “I heard you were in Florida for a bi
t,” he said.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I guess I needed a little time away.”

  “I tried to find you but you’ve been kind of a moving target these past few weeks.” Tommy peered down at his shoes for a brief moment. “Why didn’t you return my texts or emails?”

  “I think I just needed some time. Then things got really crazy and busy with the philharmonic ending for the season, and accepting the London position and getting organized for that. Then this thing with Trinket,” she babbled. “But I thought about you, Tommy.”

  “Can we talk somewhere? I promise I won’t take you too far from Trinket,” he said. “Will you come with me?”

  “Yeah. Okay.” She followed him, as did the eyes of their friends and colleagues.

  They found a less loud spot.

  “You really saved my ass,” he said. “Why?”

  “I told you that I would perform. Why did you pull me out?” she asked him.

  “Because it wasn’t right. I’d rather ruin my career than lose you, Nyah.” The intensity in his words shot to the center of her soul. “I’m sorry I did that to you, angel, and I need you to know that you’re the most important thing to me.”

  “I thought you just wanted to check another goal box and it brought up so many bad memories of when Carlo handled my career badly. I didn’t know if you wanted this.” She studied the emotion in those gorgeous brown eyes.

  He enveloped her hands in his. “Of course I want this. Nyah, I love you. You occupy my thoughts from the time I rise to the moment sleep finally takes me. I want you more than breath. I know how much I hurt you, but please tell me you’ll give this a second chance.”

  She hooked her arms around his neck. “You know there’s nothing I want more, Tommy.” She joined her mouth with his and she gladly greeted his seeking tongue.

  “I missed you, baby,” he mumbled against her lips and she felt the urgency in his kiss. “I missed you,” he repeated and she opened he mouth, her body and soul to him.

  “Oh, Tommy.” She pressed her body against his and made out with him as if it was their first time alone and touching. His hand went to her ass and pressed her even closer, which she hadn’t thought was possible.