The day has turned hot, but Finn is cool on the porch of a Greek Revival mansion in Brentwood, waiting with Poe for Rey. Poe, as always, looks unruffled in a grey summer weight suit.
"What time is she supposed to get here?" he asks Finn.
"They're supposed to come straight here from her meeting with Korr. She's still got a couple of minutes, and Robyn's driving so they'll be on time." Finn looks around, at the flower beds, the porch swing, and back to Poe. "You didn't have to come."
"She seemed a little overwhelmed yesterday after she signed everything, so I figured I'd lend some extra support."
The door opens and a pleasant looking man in his fifties looks out. "Are you the 11:30?"
"Sort of," Poe says.
"I could have sworn Maz said it was a single girl, not a couple."
"Oh, no," Finn says. "We're not, um. A couple."
The man raises an eyebrow and shrugs. "Well, if you're the 12:30 you're going to have to wait, unless this girl of Maz's doesn't show."
"We're not renters, either," Poe steps in. "We're business associates of your 11:30."
"Oh of course, should have known, with it being Maz's client. They always come with an entourage. Well, come on in." He leads them into a lofty foyer, filled with potted palms and papered in a tropical print, through a pastel Victorian sitting room and into a modern kitchen overlooking a pool. "I'm Mun. That's Jashco." He points toward the pool, where a younger man is floating on an air mattress, then to a cottage just beyond the pool. "And that's the guest house."
"Nice," Finn says.
"It's cozy. She's not a partier is she?"
"Not that we know of."
"Shame. You boys want some lemonade?"
"Sure," Finn says. Poe nods his head.
The doorbell rings as Mun sets the filled glasses on the counter, complete with sugar rims and a lemon garnish. "Help yourselves, boys. The glasses are in the cabinet by the fridge. I don't know why we scheduled these on Condie's day off."
A few seconds later, Mun returns with a wide eyed Rey.
"How'd it go with Korr?" Poe asks, kissing her cheek.
"Fine. Fine. I think it's going to work out."
"Did Robyn drop you off?" Finn asks.
"I thought she was right behind me."
"Well!" Mun says. "Let's move this party to the guest house." They follow him out and around the pool.
"Rey, that's Jashco. Jashco this is Finn, Poe, and Rey. Rey's the potential renter."
The younger man waves. "Cool name."
"You, too!"
Mun ushers them into the guest house. The door opens onto one large, bright room, furnished with whicker, rattan, and an overstuffed sofa and chairs in Laura Ashley prints.
"Kitchen and living room. We haven't updated the furniture since 93 but it's all in good shape. Redid the sink and put in new appliances last year." He points to his right. "Bedroom through that door, with its own bath. Half bath to the left. You can use the pool whenever but you also have your own personal little patio out back there. It's not much, but you're pretty small."
"How much is it again?"
"We basically owe Maz our souls so for you it's $1500 a month, six-month lease. First and last up front. You can have a small pet but talk to us first. You can move in right away since we're so close to the first of the month."
Rey's smile drops and she goes pale. Finn steps to her side. Her hands are shaking.
"Mun will you excuse us for a moment?"
"Of course. Look around, have a chat. I'll be by the pool."
Rey sinks into the sofa. "Okay on a certain level I know that I can afford this and that it's an amazing deal but can you talk me through it?"
Finn sits beside her and Poe goes to get her a glass of water. "Did you and Korr start a budget at all?"
"Yes and this is well within that. I just need a minute."
She sips the water and breathes. Poe lifts the hair from the back of her neck and fans it with his hands. Finn looks up at Poe, then past him, to the little back porch.
"Hey Rey," he says.
"Yes?"
"Let's go check out the patio."
"Okay."
A set of French doors leads out to the little patio. It's a small area, paved with warm red brick, about twenty feet by ten feet, bound by the house on one side and a tall hedge on the other, with a small redwood door in it. There's a white wrought iron table and two chairs, as well as a newer pair of Adirondack lounge chairs with a glass top table in between.
"Close your eyes." Finn instructs. Rey closes her eyes and breathes. "What do you hear?"
"Nothing much. Just a few birds. Traffic way in the distance."
"There's likely an alley on the other side of that door in the hedge, and another hedge or fence and an enormous yard. It's quiet here. You can sit out here and play your guitar and write. You can eat out here, read, nap, whatever you want. No one will bother you, and you'll never bother anyone. You're not going to find anything close to this for the price Mun is asking. And it'll end up being more expensive in the long run to stay in New Mexico and fly back and forth while you're working on your album."
Rey opens her eyes and smiles at him, eyes brimming. "You're right. And it smells like jasmine out here. But before I say yes I'm going to go check out the bedroom." She kisses Finn on the cheek and goes back inside.
"You saved the day, man," Poe says. "I was close to panicking along with her."
"She doesn't think she deserves nice things, so she needed to see it as something useful."
"I'm stoked you're on our team now. It's getting harder finding people that look at the artists as people instead of commodities."
"Well, it's not official that I'm on the team until Ms. Organa's back in town."
"Just a formality. It'll be fine, I swear." He puts his hand on Finn's shoulder. "Hey—"
"Oh my God, I totally forgot something!" Rey says, popping back onto the patio. "The bedroom's fine by the way. Looks like a rose garden threw up in it but it's fine. Anyway, I ran into Kylo Ren at Korr's office and he asked me out? On a date?"
"Kylo Ren? From the Knights of Ren?" Finn says. She may as well have said that a pterodactyl had risen from the tar pits and asked her out.
Rey looks back and forth between the two of them, brow furrowed. "Oh, I guess I haven't told either of you. I met him after one of his shows last year and then I ran into him again at that party on Friday night. So then I was having a little tiny bit of a freak out at Korr's office and literally ran into him, and he said some strange but almost helpful things to me and then asked me to dinner. Isn't that wild?"
Poe squints at Rey. "Wild."
"Did you accept?" Finn asks. He's got a bad feeling about this.
"God, no," she says.
"Why not?" They all turn to see Robyn standing in the doorway behind Rey.
"Because I'm not interested in dating anyone, really, especially not someone like that. I don't really think he likes me anyway. I think he felt sorry for me."
"Robyn," Finn says as she joins them on the patio. "You know Kylo Ren at least as well as I do, which admittedly isn't well, but we both know what he's like. Why would you want Rey to go out with him?"
She sits down on one of the lounge chairs and takes out a cigarette. "Is this okay, Rey?"
"Sure, whatever."
Robyn lights the cigarette and takes a long drag. "You're the one with the marketing degree from Wharton, Finn. So why don't you tell me why?"
"I don't know. She gets photographed leaving Mr. Chow with him and some of his fan girls play Sherlock Holmes and find out she's a newly signed artist, so they call her a star fucker and she never gets taken seriously?"
Robyn leans back and smiles. "Not exactly. Yes, they'll find out who she is, probably faster than the paps. And some of them will call her a slut. But they'll also buy a shit ton of her music and click on her website and talk about her all day on the LiveDaily boards, because they think all of that will somehow lead to the secret code of why he likes her. And that'll just motivate the ones who don't care-or at least know not to let their jealousy show-to defend her. So then they'll buy her album and visit her website and watch her interviews. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Even outside his fan base it's smart. He hasn't been seen with a girl in years. Rey goes out on a couple of dates with him and people will flip, I guarantee." She turns to Rey "And look, it won't take him long to do or say something stupid, so you'll have a valid excuse to dump him. Then you can deny you were ever an item. I don't know, say he was a friend showing you around the city. You never even have to hold his hand."
Finn stares at Robyn, lolling on the lounge chair, cooly smoking her cigarette while masterminding a publicity stunt. She's worked with him for three years and he's never seen this level of ruthlessness.
"Not that I ever want to lose you Robyn, but why didn't you go into publicity?"
She shrugs. "I still might. That's one thing Rey still hasn't hired."
"The label will handle her publicity for now," Poe breaks in. "Come on, Robyn. Do we really want her starting out being known for who she dated?"
"She's talented, so in the long run it's a blip. But it catches people's attention. And with the budget you have for this album it's going to depend on grass roots stuff. Besides Kylo Ren is an asshole but he's not a womanizer, so she won't be one in a long line. Her rep will be fine."
"Do I get a say in this?" Rey asks. She moves from her spot by the door and sits in the chair next to Robyn, legs tucked under her.
"Of course, Rey. I'm just saying it's not the worst thing you could do."
Finn starts to speak but Mun appears in the doorway.
"So! Have we made a decision on the house yet or is there someone else that needs to weigh in? Masseusse? Personal psychic reader? Colonic therapist?"
"I'll take it." Rey says. "When can I sign the lease?"
"As soon as you can cut us a check, darling."
"Great. Oh! I have a really old, ugly car that I'm not giving up anytime soon. Is that a problem?"
Mun waves his hand and laughs. "Han Solo once crashed here for six months. Nothing could be uglier than that old T-bird. We've got space in the garage, though, if the neighbors complain."
Rey rises and goes to shake Mun's hand. "I guess I'll call my business manager then."
"Actually, Rey, just have Korr call Mun," Robyn says.
"Oh?"
"That's what you hired her for."
"Oh! Okay, then. Now, um, Finn, do you mind sticking with Poe? I'd like to talk to Robyn privately."
Finn looks over at Poe, who nods.
"Sure. Why not."
"Thanks." She kisses both men on the cheek and the women leave, followed by Munn. Finn watches them go and sighs.
"Feeling lost without her?" Poe says.
"She's my right hand. Speaking of, how's Bebe?"
"Great. And they've never gotten flowers at the office before, so thank you."
"I'd send them every week for a year if I could. Bebe saved my ass. And Rey's. Thank you."
The brilliance of the smile Poe gives in return is a little much for Finn in this small, beautiful place, so he clears his throat and turns for the door, and heads to the front door of the little cottage. "Um, yeah. So I should get back home. Rey's set. She's going back at the end of the week to get her stuff. I don't have an office yet so I should work from home. Probably find a show to go to tonight."
"Where are you living now?"
"Still in the Valley."
"Aw man, you're killing me. I have to get on the 405 at lunch hour? Come back to headquarters. We'll get you a desk."
"The 10's not going to be much better you know"
"I know, that's why we're taking Santa Monica."
"You're out of your mind."
"Trust me," Poe says. Finn watches as he walks back to the main house, skirting the pool and waving to a still-floating Jashco.
"Well, I guess it's worked out so far." He closes the guest house door and follows.