Teri had promised the Cats that she would hang up the garment bags from Jersey Girl and look through them. She wanted to ignore her promise and move on with the important things, but finally figured, ‘What could it hurt?’ And truthfully, she could look at the women in their eyes and nod.

Teri looked at the bags she had brought and hung up in the closet. There were two sets of garment bags, the ones that Phil had packed in the box truck and the new ones. Barbara had sent up complete outfits for them when they added two shows, Sunday and Monday. They were in a theater in Greenwich Village. She hummed as she peeked inside all the new bags. She was hoping that they would contain street clothes. She didn’t have clean underwear to go the extra days. Teri knew that she sweated through her stage outfits each night, and they were too fancy to wear around, especially when they were wrinkly and had sweat stains on them. And honestly, she had to admit that they smelled.

Teri realized that her nose had changed. Maybe a while back, Terry always smelled sweaty. Of course, it would be impossible to ignore now. She tried hard to make herself presentable all the time. She ignored the words she would have used back when her mental state was different as a guy.

They’d been expecting to return to Allentown before they did more shows, and Teri hadn’t thought about clean underwear and regular clothes. As she opened the bags, she was looking for tee shirts, yoga pants, or capris. She needed clean panties and bras, too. She quickly searched for the new stuff and found a whole garment bag full of everyday clothes. Hanging in one big bag were small bags containing shoes, underwear, tops, and pants. They had even thrown in shorts.

She was elated. The colors were great, nothing flashy or attention-seeking. Teri liked to walk around in public without drawing any attention to herself. As she unpacked, she was pleased to find comfortable clothes she’d wear daily. With that in mind, she decided to get a shower.

Just as she was undressing, Jenn brought two garment bags from Jersey Girl. She grinted. “This is great. Barbara sent up two bags just for me. I’ve got outfits for the daytime and a few dressy things, too!”

Teri smiled and stopped undressing. “Underwear? Shoes?”

Jenn grinned and held up several small bags. “Yep! And everything is pretty with beautiful colors. I’m excited.”

Teri wrapped her in her arms. “I’m glad you’ll be with me for a few days instead of disappearing like you do when we’re home.”

“You know I’m not running away from you. But you really do spend most of your time withdrawn in your head. You’re thinking about songs that you’re writing or arrangements for the band. And when you are tuned into me, it’s great. It’s just that I want a life, too. I don’t want to wait around all day until you notice me and then come alive.”

“What do you do when you’re alone?”

“I read, I study for my college boards and the extra tests I can take to skip undergrad classes, I like to exercise, and I like to just have some time for myself.”

“You can do all of that in the band house. We have our own bedroom, and the whole third floor is ours. It’s yours, too.”

“I know. But I’m afraid I will get on your nerves or become just a fixture or a plant in your room that you occasionally remember to water. I still want to be special. I like it when you surprise me and do special things to show me how much you love me.”

Teri looked at her and felt the tears already forming in her eyes. One thing she did hate about all that estrogen was that it made her weepy. “I don’t want you to feel unnoticed. I loved you too dearly to have you feel any pain at all. You’re important to me. You’re not a houseplant. You are oxygen. I breathe you and need you and can’t live without you. Believe me, please.”

Jenn kissed her hard. She ran her hands along Teri’s back and down her spine. “Okay. I understand and really need to hear that occasionally. And I need a shower. I’ve been outside all afternoon in the sun and feel sticky. Will you get a shower with me and wash my back?”

Teri didn’t need another invitation and quickly finished undressing. Their shower was amazing, with a rainfall head from the ceiling and a conventional head on the wall with a wand attachment. Teri liked that each had its own controls. Sometimes, rainfall heads got soap in her eyes while washing her hair, but they were fun to stand under and feel the water engulf her.

Jenn kept stroking her with a soft washcloth as they played around in the water. Teri kept grabbing her and squeezing her arms because Jenn was making her flustered and feeling dizzy with excitement. Finally, Teri found herself on her knees, pleasing Jenn in an all-out battle of orgasms.

They mutually agreed that it was a tie. Drying off with big fluffy Egyptian cotton towels, Jenn smiled. “Can I style your hair?”

Teri looked at her strangely. “For now, or for the show tonight?”

“Both. I want to braid your hair and extensions on your head. I want to try some cool things to see how it looks.”

Teri shrugged. She’d never braided her hair on her own but remembered that GLOW had done some fancy things to her hair. She hated it because it looked like she was dressed so girly, like she was going to a wedding. And she had no interest in trying it independently because it always seemed like a lot of work. But after talking this afternoon, she knew she needed to spend more time with her girlfriend. “Sure. And I can watch you and learn how to do it, too.”

Jenn offered, “If we braid your hair when it’s still damp, we can use some spray to lock it into place. And if you don’t like it, taking it out will create interesting waves and curls.”

Teri shrugged. “Let me get some clothes on first. I want my butt covered before I sit on hotel furniture.”

Jenn smiled. “Smart enough.”

Teri pulled out a matching set of clean panties and a bra. These days, she filled out more than an A cup but felt incomplete when she wore a B. So, she put on the A and laughed when she saw how much cleavage she had. The guys would describe it as bootylicious.

She sat down in front of a dressing table mirror after throwing on a top and yoga pants. She watched what Jenn was doing. She narrated her plan as she started pulling her hair in different directions.

Teri watched. It looked like Jenn was forming pigtails, but then she wrapped them around her head and finished in a low bun on the back of her neck.

Teri studied herself in the mirror. She looked very elegant and understated but still wedding-like. But she hated to admit how sexy she looked. “It’s great, only prettier like Princess Leia from Star Wars. But it really is very girly, almost too fancy for me.”

Jenn laughed. “Open your mind, girl, and step away from doing the same old thing all the time. In your own eyes, that old look is growing stale even in your eyes. A hairstyle is supposed to make you feel special. Focusing on your long neck and elegant profile is easy when your hair is off your face. You really are beautiful.”

Teri knew she was becoming anxious listening to Jenn talk like that. She liked being a wallflower and just disappearing in the background. In her mind, she never wanted to take attention away from the band. Those women worked so hard; this deal meant so much to them. She didn’t want to steal the lights shining on them. She shook her head. “That’s hard for me to accept. I hear what you’re talking about, but I don’t want to be sexy like the Wildcats are. I like to be standing in the shadows.”

“Oh, baby. Let it go and enjoy your beauty.”

Teri stared. She sighed, and rather than fight Jenn’s and all the time she’d spent working on her hair, Teri turned and kissed her. “You’re right. You’ve given me a completely new look. I just hope I don’t stand on anybody’s toes. I don’t want to steal anything from the women who worked hard to make this possible. It’s their time to shine.”

Jenn kissed her neck and ran her hands along her chest. “Good. Now, let’s find you something pretty to wear.”

Teri freaked over what Jenn wanted her to wear. It was a tailored jumpsuit that she’d wear on stage. Dark and way too tight, showing off her boobs and cleavage and wrapping around her thin waist and girlish hips and butt. And even with high tops on, the tight pants accented her legs.

And Jenn wanted her to step out into public dressed that way.

Teri sighed and looked it over. “I don’t know. That’s awfully eye-catching. I’m not looking to get anyone’s attention. It’s kinda scary to look too girlish. That’s not me.”

Jenn laughed. “I love the fact that you’re girly. I love that you are beautiful. It makes me feel good that you want to be with me. And you need to take a deep breath and just accept it.”

Teri shook her head. “I’m not sure I can do that. It’s kind of frightening.”

Jenn hugged her tightly. “Honey, I don’t want to crush your male ego, but you never came off as macho. It was just not you. I would hate to see you try to be someone you aren’t and feel like a failure. You’re not a guy dressing up like a girl. C’mon, you know that you were never a guy, right?”

Teri shook her head and couldn’t help but glance in the mirror as she held up the jumpsuit before her. It was beautiful, but…. “You know, in my mind, I was a guy. Maybe I imagined myself that way, but I’m having trouble imagining myself as a girl. I can do it, but I just want to disappear alone.”

Jenn smacked her hard on the bicep. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re a broken record, and you’re selfishly playing that song. How about me? How long do I have to put up with your negative attitude?”

“Huh?” Teri was shocked at the way she was talking.

“Stop the needy behavior around me. I may like my space because sometimes you use up all the oxygen, complaining repeatedly. You make it sound like it’s a death sentence.”

“But….”

“C’mon, lover. Face it. You never had enough testosterone in your system to get an erection, let alone grow big muscles. And that’s not who I love. I have no complaints about you pleasing me. I honestly am not jealous of anyone else’s boyfriend. I don’t look at guys and wonder what it would be like.”

Teri was confused. “What does ‘what it would be like’ mean?”

Jenn blushed. “Well, you know. I don’t want some muscle-bound guy thinking he can impress me by fucking me to death. I don’t want that. I want you. I have always loved you and everything you are. Our lovemaking sends me to the moon and back.”

Teri listened and hoped everything would last forever. She decided to make a concerted effort to make sure she paid attention to Jenn every day and did something meaningful to show how much she meant to her. She considered her the most important thing in her life and knew that without Jenn, she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the flow.

“Okay. I hear you and love you. I am going to try to be just that. Just remember to kick me in the butt when I forget.”

Jenn laughed and hugged her.

After getting dressed, they wanted to go for a walk in the Village. As they walked out into their shared great room, all the rest of the Wildcats were waiting. Richard smiled, “Well, everyone’s here. Let’s walk to dinner, and then we can walk around and return to the hotel. We will still have time to change and sound check before you play.”

As Teri walked out of their doorway, Zoe immediately grabbed her arm. “Okay, so I love the hair and the outfit. I am so glad that you respect and listen to Jenn. You look good.”

Teri wanted to roll her eyes but instead smiled and said, “Thank you.”

After they ate dinner, they went out for a walk. Naturally, they all talked about playing at the festival that day.

Gina nodded. “I like Teri’s idea to make the next festival a total shoot-the-moon show.”

Tiffany turned and smiled. “We don’t play many daytime shows. The only ones I can remember are the rooftop shows we did in Allentown.”

Lisa nodded, “But don’t forget the Saturday afternoon hour that we did in New Orleans.”

Zoe clapped. “Right. We played every song we liked. It was our tribute to New Orleans and the South. That was fun. We were real show-offs.”

Teri agreed. ‘It still feels strange to get all set up and play an hour in the afternoon.”

Lisa laughed. “But would it have felt stranger to play an entire show as the featured act at one of these festivals? That would all be at night.”

Teri stopped and thought for a minute. She turned to Richard. “Are we going to be the featured act at any of these festivals?”

Richard laughed. “Yes, you will. By the time you are tired of playing festivals, there are two at the beginning of August where you’ll be the top bill. Festivals usually have two names to promote and sell tickets. One plays on Friday night, and the other on Saturday night. You’re the headliner for Friday night. You can do a whole show since you’re last to go on.”

Phil laughed. “And eventually, as your fame spreads, they’ll offer you the Saturday nights, too. Give it a month. They’ll be playing three Wildcat hits on the radio.”

Lisa ticked them off. “Right! Run, Run, Gone,” “Summer Song,” and “Show Me Some Love.”

Richard smiled. “Right. If they are all on the Billboard Top Twenty-Five most downloaded songs, then we have truly arrived, and Warner’s will shower you with lots of attention.”

Zoe agreed. “When we get there, we need to sustain the attention by releasing more songs as singles. The real test is to see if we’re still popular enough to sell our Christmas album.”

Teri looked curiously. “Do we have Christmas songs?”

Zoe smiled at Teri and grabbed her hand. “We have to write a few, hoping they’ll become classics, and rearrange a few standards to add in there, too.”

Teri shook her head. “We’d still be short another ten songs.”

Zoe laughed. “How about our vampire song we wrote for Eaten? We could call it a bloody, red Christmas.”

Teri looked like she’d been hit between the eyes. “A Vampire song? You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that dark side of you. Are you a secret Goth girl? That sounds awfully black.”

Gina grinned. “Drops of red blood in the pure white snow could be the cover.”

“I thought you would use your old truck for the album cover.” Jenn was as surprised as Teri to hear about a Christmas album.

“That could work as a Christmas cover if it snowed. It’s all ready to go. We parked the old van back against the barn. Mike told me where to park it so he could shoot it in perfect natural light. Of course, he’ll use three lights to take out the shadows.”

Gina looked amazed. “How do you know about that stuff?”

Tiffany grinned. “Hmm. How do you think I’ve learned? I ask questions about what he does all the time. After all, this is not my first boyfriend.”

Teri smiled. “He’s been really good to you.”

Tiffany laughed. “I think I’m growing up and figuring it out. Mike is amazing and the best thing that’s come my way. I want to keep him. So I am trying to get to know him and what he does.”

Teri immediately thought about Jenn and realized that she needed to start taking an interest in what Jenn was doing daily while she was a musician. The hardest part was reminding herself that not everyone thought music was the greatest thing ever.”

They ate at a seafood house that boasted fresh lobsters and shrimp from New England. Teri was having fun eating a lobster roll and a big green salad. “I’m impressed that all this good food is available in this huge city. I looked at the prices and didn’t think they were too crazy.”

Phil leaned over and smiled. “It's a well-kept secret. Restaurants around here must stay competitive, or they lose their customers.”

Walking to the theater, they saw Wildcats in big letters on the marquee. Under that, it said All Week.

“Uh, Richard. All week?”

Richard was grinning. “Yeah. They sold out so quickly that Gimli and Bill agreed to change it a little. You don’t mind, do you?”

Lisa shook her head. “I want to be involved with some of those discussions, too. No, we enjoy playing, but we are not wind-up dolls.”

Richard nodded and spread out his hands in apology. “You are one hundred percent right. They tape the Tonight Show at five o’cock. Would you have time to fit it in, too?”

They were all laughing at the thought of another appearance on the Tonight Show. Lisa shrugged and shook her head. “Sure. But you and I need to sit down and discuss where we’ll be for the rest of the month tomorrow. No talks without including us.”

The rest of the Cats were patting Lisa on the back and laughing.

“Atta girl, General. You tell ‘em.”

Teri was surprised that the stage was big and the lighting was great. As she plugged and played, she realized that the acoustics were also first-rate.

Zoe came over to fill her in. “This theater has been here since they showed silent movies and Vaudeville. They’ve had a lot of time to fine-tune it.” She pointed overhead. All those murals and fancy stuff are original. The Historical Society likes it being used as a theater now. You cannot often find great places like this that seat three thousand people.”

Teri continued to strum and heard Alan talking into her earpiece.

“Can you all hear me?”

Five Wildcats were all saying yes.

“I’m all the way in the back and am watching you on monitors. But finish tuning up and start playing. I’ll be adjusting your levels as you go.”

After a short sound check, they all gathered at the center of the stage to discuss their song list.

“Two sixty-minute sets and a thirty-minute encore.”

They were all nodding. Zoe also reminded them that they needed to play their whole record and emphasize the three singles. “We’ll have time for Fur Face and the attack of the blondes. Barbara already made seven outfits for us, so we can wear them each night without worrying they’d get dirty.”

Gina laughed. “I was so tired of Febreze spray and sweat last year.”

“We’re union now after our movie stint in the Carolinas with Chances. Union regulations require us to have clean clothes every time we play. Barbara knows it, and they deliver everything we need to our hotel. And since Richard signed us up for the whole week, Jersey Girl is hustling to keep up.”

Tiffany shook her head. “I don’t get it. It sounds like we’re playing catch-up, taking a full week here, and running to a festival. I mean, what gives? I thought this was all being organized.”

Richard smiled. “Tiff, you are not far off at all. Right now, it is catch as catch can because we’re booking the big stuff first and filling in the little stuff like here. They saw how the ticket sales went and asked if we wanted to stay another week. You’ll have Tuesday night off and play Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Tuesday night at five, you're back on the Tonight Show. I hate to remind you that it’s really great money. They’ll collect about two million dollars at the gate to see you; for New York, that’s a bargain. We’ll get half of that.”

Tiffany looked shocked. “A million bucks for a week’s work. Jeez.”

“That’s not all yours. You’ve got a payroll, expenses, and everything. Remember, Phil and I are paid members of this traveling circus. After this, you’ll pick up our chef, his food truck, and our on-the-road laundry and wardrobe service. Since you’re only a couple hours from Barbara and Jersey Girl, they are getting a feel for what to do.”

Tiff looked curious. “What do we get?”

Richard shrugged. “We still have to figure it all out. But you should make a hundred thousand weekly, give or take.”

The Wildcats stood there quietly. Lisa was the first to speak. “So a ten-week tour and we each see a million dollars?”

Richard smiled. “Well, once we’re on the road, your money increases because our costs stabilize. If we were to run this tour to Thanksgiving and stop because we wouldn’t want to cause undue stress on Zoe and her baby, you’d see a lot more. And that’s what we’re looking at.”

Teri reminded them, “We have a big commitment over Labor Day weekend in California. We’re supposed to be running her big fundraiser.”

Gina raised her hand. “Have we heard from them?”

Lisa smiled. “Richard is handling it right now.”

They all turned and looked at Richard. “Right. Well, they have the Hollywood Bowl and a big TV network. They’ve started getting the word out, and I was told that they have one whole day filled with groups and individuals who want to participate.” He turned to Teri. “Have you got sheet music for these acts yet?”

Teri nodded. “Yep. If they didn’t send sheet music, I am transcribing it for the Cats to read. We play the backup band, and we entertain between acts. We’re like the Roots do for Fallon and the Tonight Show. We won’t need much rehearsal.”

Tiffany nodded. “Will I be able to wear cute headphones while we’re playing the house band?”

That night, they went on at nine. Lisa said they’d be wrapped up by midnight, so it wasn’t a big deal.

As they stood backstage, Tiffany whispered, “Uh-huh. We’re getting a hundred thousand for this week, and it was a big deal to earn twenty-five at the Rendezvous.”

“Hey, that was Tasha’s first paycheck! And that was the most money I’d ever made.” Teri could only grin.

“Now we are in the biz.”

Gina started them off by pounding on her drums, and they all came out holding their hands over their heads and clapping. When they appeared, everyone came to their feet and started cheering, yelling, and clapping along with them.

As Zoe lit into Run, Run, Gone with her blazing guitar solo, they all looked at each other and grinned. Teri started giggling. She leaned into Lisa and smiled. “You know, I’d do this for free.”