He nods. “Yeah. Would it be a big enough deal that you’d have to move?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “Not for this first contract, but we are looking at this as a land-and-expand opportunity, so at some point, it might make sense for us. But…” I trail off, picking at theedge of my plate. “It’d be hard. All my friends are here, so I’d be starting over with no one.”
Jaxon tilts his head slightly, and I wish I could take back those last few words. “You’d have me.”
Maybe. I do now, but how much longer will that be true?
We both agreed this is temporary. A pause from our real lives to get what we want.
I try to laugh it off. “You don’t count.”
“Wow. Rude.”
“I just mean…you have houses in, like, twenty cities and regularly go on tours. How many days are you actually in Nashville in any given year?”
He tilts his head to the side as if doing some math. “This year, almost all of them. In a normal year? Maybe a third? Half?”
“See? My point exactly. It’s not even enough for it to truly be considered your primary residence by the powers that be.”
“My life is pretty transitory.”
Neither of us says anything else on the subject, and my head spins around the idea of me working in Nashville and what it could mean. I’ve been so worried about screwing up the proposal that I haven’t thought through what it would mean for the company—for me or Becca—if we do manage to land this client and grow it into the major contract we envision.
No matter what, one of us will be in Nashville on a regular basis. Likely me, based on the type of client W&R would be.
Which means this doesn’t have to have an end date. Even if Jaxon isn’t staying around.
“So,” Jaxon says, breaking the silence. “I have a new plan for coaching today.”
“Does it include a full lobotomy? Because I think that’s the only thing that’s truly going to help,” I joke.
I mean, it’s mostly a joke.
I don’t think a lobotomy is the answer.
But I’m also beginning to think there might not be an answer.
I mean, if Jaxon Steele, in his steam shower from space, can’t get me there, I don’t know if it’s possible.
I’ve also had to face the unfortunate realization that the couple of minor self-induced “orgasms” I’ve experienced before might not even count. The shower redefined the high—even if I couldn’t jump over the new cliff.
So, somehow this experiment has made me lose orgasms. I’ve come negative times now.
“Nah,” Jax says. “I like that brain of yours too much to consider cutting it in half.”
A ball of warmth sparks to life inside of me, despite the fact that he’s joking. “But I did learn a new brain science fun fact for us to try.”
I do love fun facts. “Oh really? What did you learn?”
“Music with lyrics activates more sympathetic nervous system responses than music without lyrics, which induces a calming state.”
“Are you telling me I need to calm down, Jaxon Reid?” I ask, shoving his shoulder.
“I would never saythat,” Jaxon says on a laugh. “It’s just an easy change that might help us. If nothing else, it doesn’t hurt to try.”
“I really appreciate all the research you’re doing into this, Jax. I know you thought this was going to be a lot more fun than it is when you signed up.”
He grabs my hip, spinning me toward him. “Are you kidding me, Iz? This is more fun than I ever thought it would be. And you? You are worth any amount of effort.”
