Sterling waved her hand. “Oh, you don’t need a manager. You’ll make more money without one.”

“You most definitely need one.” Bristol had to speak up. Even if Annie didn’t go with Top Shelf Records, she needed somebody who would fight for her. She turned to Annie. “If there’s one piece of advice I’m going to give you, it’s definitely get a manager if you want to go this route.”

Annie cocked her head and, as though picking up on Bristol’s hesitancy, leaned back, too. “All of this sounds really nice, but can we talk about it another time?”

“Yes. We literally just got done with a concert, and we’re unwinding,” Bristol said.

Sterling laughed and touched Bristol’s arm. “Lighten up, BeeBee. We’ve come so far since we were kids. We’re both successful and loving life, and I want Annie to have the same success you’ve had with us.” Sterling turned to Annie. “Bristol is still mad at me for breaking her heart when we were teenagers, which was a super long time ago.” She pouted her lips dramatically, and her entourage laughed. “Come on. Let’s have fun.” She waved her hand to the server who was on standby for Bristol’s table. “We’ll take a bottle of your finest champagne. We’re celebrating!”

Bristol clenched her jaw and stared at Sterling, who was busy avoiding eye contact with her. Sterling was slithering into different personas, trying to find the one who appealed to Annie most. The excited agent didn’t work, so she quickly slipped into party girl, best friend.

“Let’s just have fun tonight, and we can discuss business tomorrow. What’s your phone number, Annie? I’ll be sure to reach out when you’re on the way to Los Angeles. Maybe if you have some time, you can swing by the offices and take a tour of the place. That is, if Bristol gives you time off. I remember her being quite demanding.” Sterling winked coyly at Bristol.

“She’s great. I’ve had the best time the last several weeks,” Annie said. She handed Sterling her phone so she could input her information.

The move irritated Bristol as she watched her entire night start to unravel. Annie’s body language said she was excited about Sterling’s unwelcome pop-in. Bristol didn’t blame her. Being approached by a record executive was exciting. She was just worried that Annie didn’t seem to realize how much Sterling was trying to manipulate her.

“Great. I’ll text you later today since it’s already almost three.” Sterling took the bottle of champagne from the server to pour everyone at the table a glass. “Since we’re all here, let’s toast to a successful future and many more tours.”