Quiet | Kaylor

V

"I like this song!" Josie beamed, swinging her legs in the car seat in the back. 

Taylor laughed, glancing back at her in the rear view mirror.  "Me too!  It's by a woman named Carly Simon.  Karlie was named after her, actually!"

"Mmm," Josie hummed uninterestedly.  The two were on their way to the city to the label where Taylor had some meetings to attend.  Meanwhile, Karlie had flown out for a photoshoot yesterday morning and wouldn't be coming home until dinner.  Modeling had become a lesser part of her career--she simply could keep up with the same busy travelling schedule of her twenties--but she didn't hesitate to take on a project if it didn't involve being away for long periods of time. 

Taylor pulled into her designated parking spot (painted with a snake wearing a crown and a rainbow, because of course it was) and helped Josie out of her car seat.  As they walked into the building, Josie grabbed tentatively grabbed Taylor's hand. 

"Hey, Jaden!" Taylor called to the publicist as they walked in.  They fell into step behind him on the way to the conference room.  They were the last ones to arrive, Taylor taking her spot at the head of the table.  She handed Josie her phone to play games on.  Jaden dramatically pulled out his laptop, rolled up his sleeves, and tied his dreadlocks into a ponytail.  Normally he was a cheerful, funny guy; this is how they knew he meant business.

"Okay, so we all know why we're here.  The baguette incident.  Or "Baguette-gate," as I like to call it."

"Oh, please," Taylor groaned, dropping her head in her hands, "It's not a fu-" she suddenly remembered the five year old sitting next to her, "...a big enough deal to be called Baguette-gate."

"Okay, Miss Kissgate, tell that to Patricia.  She's threatening to sue."

Despite the name, Baguette-gate was no laughing matter.  Metamorphosis, one of 13 Records' most successful bands, was being threatened with a lawsuit.  Lincoln, the bass guitarist had a little too much to drink at one of their last concerts, and when a French fan threw a baguette on stage, he took a bite and flung it back into the crowd, hitting an unsuspecting mom in the face.  Needless to say, she was not pleased.

Discussing their plan for a response became tedious and boring.  Twenty minutes in, Taylor found herself absentmindedly doodling flowers and stars.  When she looked over at Josie, she wasn't doing much better.  Noticing her fidgeting, Taylor stood up.  "Let's all take five."

Begrudgingly, Jaden agreed, and the rest of the people looked happy to have a break.  Meetings seemed impossibly longer during the summer months, or at least they did to Taylor, who liked to revel in as much warm weather as was possible in New York.

Just as she and Josie were leaving the room, they ran into Chelsea.  "Josie!  Hey girl!" she exclaimed, happily.  "Long time no see!  Do you want a hug?" Josie shook her head shyly.  "Okay, how about a high-five?"  Josie smiled and stuck her hand out.

"Hey, Chels, what are you doing here?" Taylor asked.  Out of all of the people she'd signed, Chelsea was secretly her favorite.  They'd crossed paths at a particularly rough spot in Chelsea's life, and both Taylor and Karlie felt particularly protective over her. 

Chelsea shrugged, "Oh, there's painters at my apartment right now, and I didn't really have anywhere else to go."

"Do you have somewhere to go tonight?  You shouldn't be breathing in paint fumes."  Chelsea rolled her eyes, but secretly appreciated Taylor's worry.

"Yeah, I'm staying at a friends," Chelsea said.  "Alice's," she clarified to ease any worry.

"Okay.  Don't hesitate to call if you need anything, though."  Taylor's concern could come across as overbearing, but she could never fully erase the image from her mind of Chelsea turning up on her doorstep sometime around midnight with a black eye and a busted lip...