“As ready as I can be.You?”
Her lips pressed together.“I'm ready.I've thought of nothing else for most of the morning.Once this is over, I'll feel better.You need to be the strong, sensitive lead singer, Jami.Show the press you're vulnerable —and that this is the last thing you expected to be attached to your name.Throw me under the bus if you need to.I know the truth, and I'll deal with it.”
His gut twisted.No fucking way he'd throw her under the bus.This wasn't her doing.It was being done to her at the expense of Hart & The Hurricanes.
The reporter entered the room, all smiles and posh-looking.Too slick for his taste, and she was slightly flirty.It raised the hairs at the back of his neck that she was openly flirting with him while she was working.Just the opposite of Carlene, who was always professional.It was he who kissed her first, changing the dynamic of their relationship.It was him.
They sat side by side on one of the worn leather sofas with the interviewer across from them.The first few questions were simple.How were they doing?Thank you for the interview.Then the shift came.
“Carlene,” the interviewer said, “your statement this morning was very direct.You accepted responsibility for the confusion, even though the evidence points to outside interference.Why take that on yourself?”
Carlene’s voice was even.“Because accountability matters.My job is to protect the integrity of this band.We don’t point fingers until we have proof, and we focus on the work, not the noise.”
The interviewer nodded, then turned to him.“Jami, has this experience changed how you see the business side of music?”
He took a slow breath.“It reminded me how easy it is for people to twist the truth.Music should be about connection.When the business drowns that out, everyone loses.We’re here to play, to create something real.The rest doesn’t matter.And for the record, I've always been mindful of the business side of the music.”
Carlene’s eyes flicked toward him, the briefest glance, but it hit him hard.She believed in the same truth, and somehow it tied them together more tightly than anything either of them said aloud.
"Carlene.You've blamed your former company, Reed & Carr.Do you have the evidence?"
Carlene leaned slightly forward, and he felt her arm brush his, but he refrained from looking at her.The reporter’s eyes dropped to where their arms touched, and his gut twisted.She was looking for something to twist everything.He'd seen it before, that ugly little jealousy bug that hit women who had no claim over him, but wanted to.Her flirtatious behavior this morning triggered the warning signals in his brain.
Carlene's voice was calm, and she smiled slightly when she replied."I do.And we continue to gather more every hour."
The reporter's lips thinned.She turned her puppy-dog eyes toward him and smiled."Jami, does it worry you that you've attached yourself to a PR firm that seems to have brought drama to Hart & The Hurricanes?From all I've read about you, no drama has been a long-standing tradition with you."
His jaw tightened, and he knew she saw it too.She sat back slightly, and her expression changed to someone waiting to be scolded.
"I'm not at all sorry I hired Carlene's company.She's doing a stand-up job, and we're continually impressed with her.The fact that her former company is sabotaging her work speaks volumes for how good she is."
The reporter's head jerked slightly, but recovered with a terse."Oh, of course.Thank you again for allowing me to set the record straight."
The interview ended, and the crew began packing up.The barn quieted again.
“You handled that well,” she said softly.“But perhaps a bit too defensive of me."
He waited until the crew began carrying the equipment outside.“You did all the heavy lifting.”
“That’s my job.”
He smiled.“You keep saying that like it makes this any easier.”
Her eyes lifted to his.“It has to be easy for you, you're the client.”
The crew and reporter drove down the long driveway to the road below.Jami closed the barn door, closing them inside.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.“You didn’t deserve to take that hit, Carlene.”
“I can handle it.”
“I know you can.But that doesn’t make it right.”
Her breath caught, and she looked away, busying herself with her laptop.“Let’s focus on the win.The label’s happy.That’s what matters.”
He wanted to argue, to tell her what actually mattered, but Tony’s voice broke the silence from the doorway.“You two were great.The label’s already pushing the clip.It’s performing well.”
Carlene straightened, her professional tone snapping back in place.“Good.That’s what we needed.”
