Page 69 of The Ex Factor

‘I’ll have to leave the tour,’ Molly said. She looked up at Ashley. Her eyes were very wide and bright, the way they got when she was excited about something. ‘Simon will be pissed.’

‘Simon knows why you’re doing this. He can’t complain that it worked.’ Ashley said.

‘Yeah?’ Molly asked.

‘Yeah,’ Ashley said sincerely.

‘Well, I’ll stay till Thursday morning,’ Molly said nervously.

‘Good,’ Ashley replied.

Suddenly, it didn’t feel stilted anymore. It just felt like they were two people sitting in a very bright room, talking.

Five Years Ago

The Zoom window filled almost her entire laptop screen. On it sat Simon, her new manager as of a week ago. The label said she needed someone to handle contracts, to ensure legality, and that he was someone they dealt with often. He would take her.

‘Ashley, this is phenomenal news,’ he told her.

Ashley forced herself to smile back. ‘Okay...’

‘The momentum is too good to stop.’ He spread his hands as if unveiling a prize. ‘Australia and Japan’s single plays have exploded. We’re extending the tour by another four months to those regions.’

Ashley blinked. ‘Four?’

‘We’ve already drafted the contracts.’

Already. This wasn’t a question.

Simon kept talking—markets, exposure, international press—but the words dissolved into meaningless static.

She nodded automatically. ‘That’s... incredible.’

‘I knew you’d be thrilled.’ He grinned. ‘And when it’s done, we need to talk about getting you an album deal. When you’ve paid your supporting act dues, that’s what the label is thinking.’

Fuck. An album deal. There it was. All Ashley had ever dreamed of since she’d first picked up a guitar. She felt real excitement at last.

‘I’ve listened to all the tracks, and I think there are a few that could work.’

That shook Ashley. ‘A few? I’ve got dozens. I’ve been writing since I was fourteen.’

‘Yes, and they’re great. But we need to choose the more… commercial tracks. And there are some others that I think can work, with a bit of a rejig, a bit more energy. You’ll see. The tone is nearly there.’

Ashley nodded and smiled as though she’d been complimented instead of ripped to shreds.

Simon signed off. Silence swallowed the hotel room.

Ashley sat motionless on the edge of the bed, the laptop still warm on her knees. The room suddenly felt far too small. The air-conditioning hummed. Somewhere beyond the window, traffic drifted through the city below. Ashley wasn’t even sure what city it was.

Four more months.

She grabbed her phone before she could think herself out of it and hit Molly’s contact.

Molly’s face appeared a second later. Her hair was tied back messily. She looked tired.

Ashley didn’t wait. ‘They’re extending it.’

Molly frowned. ‘What?’