Phase 2: Story Moments.
Short interview clips that tie the lyric to something real.What makes the lights matter?What matters when the lights go out?
Phase 3: Controlled Rumor.
A visible plus-one when the time is right.Not famous.Not loud.Someone who reads as warmth.Hand in hand.Shared laughter.A single image that says he is choosing something steady.
Her pen paused on that last line.She stared at the words until they ghosted.Warmth.Steady.
Livia slid in on the opposite sofa, a bottle of water in one hand and a tidy calm in her eyes.“You look like the world’s neatest tornado.”
“Occupational hazard,” Carlene said.“If I do not color-code it, it doesn't exist.”
“I respect that.”Livia took a sip and leaned forward, elbows on her knees.“Start with what you need from us.”
“Phase 1 is simple.”Carlene flipped the tablet and showed her a schedule grid.“Radio at KBS this week.Quick on-air acoustic clip and a short chat.Then Mae’s, unannounced.We buy a tray of muffins and let staff snap a few photos.One sunset acoustic on the bluff if the weather cooperates.No publicity alerts.We let the town do what towns do.”
Livia considered it.“Real first.Good.That fits him.”
“Phase 2 rolls out short video clips next week.”Carlene opened a folder.“No hard sell.Just Jami answering soft questions.Not about fame.About the first guitar he loved.The first song that felt like home.What he means when he sings that line.”
“Less is more,” Livia said.“He under-explains when he's nervous.”
“I noticed.”Carlene tried not to think about last night in the barn, the way he had asked her what she believed in, and then walked away like it cost him something to say it.“I will prep prompts he can answer in one sentence.”
Tony walked in, reading an email on his phone, then looked up and tipped his chin at both of them.“Label call moved to one-thirty.Sound tech confirmed for rehearsal at two.Axel is pretending he's not anxious about new drum mics.”
“Axel is never anxious,” Livia said, amused.
“He is when the new mics cost what they cost.”Tony looked at Carlene’s layout.“You ready to show them?”
“In a minute,” she said.“One more piece.”
He waited.Tony had the quiet patience of a man who lived in logistics.She appreciated that more than she had expected to.
She adjusted the Phase 3 header.The words would not land cleanly.Her job was to build a visible romance that fans could follow without it feeling fake.It would be easier if she didn't mind who stood beside him in the photos.
“Talk to me,” Tony said gently.
“Phase 3 is a visible partner.”She kept her tone neutral.“If we do it, we do it with respect.No blind items, no planted ‘mystery woman’ stories.One clear image, then we let it breathe.”
Tony’s mouth flattened.“You're not wrong.But if we push that too fast, we'll have a circus.And it's my job to line up our performances.I don't want venues thinking we come with baggage and drama.”
“Which is why we don't push it fast.”Carlene capped her pen and set it down.“Phases 1 and 2 buy us trust.They also buy me time to see if Phase 3 is even necessary.If the song lands the way I think it will, the story may not need a face.”
Livia smiled.“Spoken like someone who heard the chorus and believed it.”
Carlene kept her expression mild.“Spoken like someone who likes results.”
The side door opened, and Axel and Maddyn came in mid-argument about snare tension.Sean followed, carrying two iced teas from Mae’s.He handed one to Maddyn and sat on the arm of her sofa.
“Are we in trouble yet?”he asked, eyes bright.
“Not if you like muffins and local radio,” Livia said.
Sean grinned.“I like both.”
Jami stepped in last.Clean T-shirt.Hair pushed back by careless fingers.He took in the cluster around the coffee table and then looked at Carlene as if he were bracing for whatever came next.
