“God, you two are so cute together. Look at him, JT. Remember when you got that worked up about Jameo saying I wasn’t good at card games.”
“That was on the flight here,” JT says. “So, yes, I still remember it, and now I’m annoyed with him again. Thanks a lot, Lila.”
She winks at me. “He’s more fun when he’s a little riled up. But anyway, I know Kelsey is a great boss, but I’m not sure if that’s a healthy trait of a leader or not.”
Bryn’s phone pings as a car pulls up to the curb, apparently their ride to the airport. I say goodbye, surprised when JT suggests I join him and Jameo for a round of golf when we’re all back in Wild Bluffs.
It’s a strange feeling, having plans with someone in Wild Bluffs who isn’t over the age of fifty. I chuckle to myself, a small, genuine smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Somehow, Kelsey’s already changing the rhythm of my life back home, and we haven’t even gotten there yet.
Chapter twenty-nine
Kelsey
“Igrabbedyourkeyfrom Gail,” Carter says, sliding a pale-pink plastic keycard out of the small black envelope before handing it to me.
I raise my eyebrow. “Mykeycard?”
“Well, technically ours. Gail was pretty upset about how much all these rooms are costing, so I may have offered to bunk with you. Told her you’re scared of riding in elevators alone, and she never suspected a thing.”
“I’m sure one three-hundred-dollar room is really making a dent in the expenses of an international tour with hundreds of people on its payroll.”
“My thought exactly! We’ll likely be getting a thank-you card from Jaxonany day now.”
“I don’t think Jaxon or his team will be sending me a thank-you anytime soon,” I say, my guilt returning to the forefront of my mind and bringing with it a deep throbbing in my lower belly.
Just as I was deplaning in New Zealand, the green grass and blue ocean visible out the plane windows, the news cycle in the US started pumping out stories about the concert. They started as can be expected—blurred pictures of a naked man and jokes about Action Jaxon—but it has quickly taken a turn to the blame game. In the most recent story, I’m the one being blamed.
After all the negative publicity my firm received when I backed out of the funding deal in London, I thought I’d be immune to having my name unfairly run through the mud. Apparently not.
“You know it’s not your fault, Kels,” Carter says as we both step into the elevator.
A hand catches the elevator door before it can close, and Jaxon’s assistant Annie steps on. “Good morning, you two. Jaxon would like to see you in his suite immediately.”
“Sure,” we both reply, and I scan my key and hit the button for floor 21, knowing from the advance plan what floor Jaxon is on. He’s normally on the top floor, but in this particular hotel, the top floor houses a rooftop bar, so none of their suites are located there.
I check my phone during the awkward silence of the ride, seeing yet another headline about the security breach. I quickly click into it, realizing this one has something none of the others did: information about the looping video and loss of camera connection before the streaker. I’m not sure why the American public finds this interesting,but there are already over 1,000 comments at the bottom. The first guy, Bob69_OhYeah, is calling for Jaxon to fire KH Security.
Fricken Bob.
As we step into Jaxon’s suite, the tension in the air is palpable. His PR and legal team representatives are scattered around, some standing, others sitting, all looking grim. The room feels too small, crowded with their collective energy. There’s an unspoken weight hanging over the meeting, the kind that feels like it’s closing in on me. I try not to let my nerves show, but I can feel my pulse quicken.
Jaxon stands near the window, his back to us, staring out at the water or maybe the historic-looking building bathed in browns and golds just off to one side. He doesn’t turn when we enter.
His assistant Andre closes the door behind us with a soft click, and the room falls silent save for the faint hum of the city below.
“Please, take a seat,” Jaxon says, finally turning around to face us. His expression is unreadable, the usual glint in his eyes replaced by something colder, sharper.
I hesitate before sitting down, feeling the weight of the gaze from every person in the room. I try to remind myself that I’m just here to listen, but the sting of the public’s scrutiny makes it hard to focus on anything else. I want to defend myself, to shout that I did nothing wrong, that I’m being sabotaged, but my team still can’t figure it out—and maybe that alone means I don’t deserve this contract. The headlines, the comments, the calls for my firing—all of it floods my mind, pushing everything else out.
Carter sits beside me, his presence a quiet anchor. He doesn’t say anything, but his hand rests subtly on the back of my chair, a smallbut significant gesture of support. I draw strength from it, but it’s not enough to calm the racing thoughts in my head.
Jaxon clears his throat, his eyes hard as they meet mine. “Kelsey, I’ve read the reports. The breach. The malfunctioning security footage. It’s a mess. And somehow, the mess is coming with the type of publicity I typically try very hard to avoid.”
I nod. Jaxon has never been the type of celebrity to believe all publicity is good publicity. He is very particular about what gets shared about him in the media, and he keeps a very tight grip on what the world knows about him. Even though the articles aren’t focusing on him, I’m sure he hates not having control of the narrative.
Well, that makes two of us, buddy.
“Jaxon,” one of his legal team members, a sharp-faced woman with dark hair pulled back in a tight bun, speaks up. “The media is already running wild with this. There’s insider information that’s been leaked—people are pointing fingers at Kelsey’s team. If we don’t act quickly, this will spiral.”
