Brand strategy.He hated those words.
Around mid-morning, Carlene showed up.She had pulled her hair into a loose knot, and a soft gray sweater replaced her usual business jacket.She looked like she hadn’t slept long, but her eyes were clear.
“Morning,” she said.“Sorry, I know I should’ve stayed back, but I can’t sit in a hotel room when there’s still cleanup to do.”
Tony lifted a brow.“You ever gonna take your own advice about balance?”
“Not today,” she said, setting her laptop on the bar.“We’ve got a narrow window before the livestream.I want to make sure the analytics and metadata checks are clean.”
Jami handed her a fresh cup of coffee.“You’re unbelievable.”
She smiled slightly.“That’s not the first time someone’s said that.But I appreciate it just the same.”
He grinned, but it faded when her hand brushed his as she took the cup.The spark between them was subtle, but it hit all the same.She noticed it too; her eyes flicked up, caught his, then dropped again.
They spent the next few hours working through the livestream plan.Bret joined remotely to confirm servers and security protocols.The rehearsal clips loaded smoothly, and the sound mixing was clean.Everything was running too easily, which made Jami’s stomach tighten.
When Bret signed off, Carlene leaned back, rubbing her temples.“That’s all of it.Tomorrow should go without a hitch.”
Tony nodded.“Let’s hope so.The label’s been quieter than usual, which I don’t love.”
Carlene froze mid-sip of her coffee.“Quieter how?”
“They’re not asking for pre-approval on the livestream outline,” Tony said.“Usually they’d want to vet every second of it.”
“That’s odd,” she said slowly.“Maybe they trust us now.”
Jami shook his head.“Or maybe they’ve already got what they want.”
The room went still.
Tony frowned.“What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know yet,” Jami said.“Just… this whole thing.First, Reed & Carr get into our files.Then, just as Carlene figures out where the sabotage came from, the label’s been hands-off.All of this, two weeks before we go on tour.”
Carlene studied him.“You think they’re benefiting from this somehow?”
He met her eyes.“It’s crossed my mind.”
She was quiet for a long moment, her expression unreadable.“Let’s not jump ahead of ourselves.We’ll keep watching the feeds, keep things clean.If anything feels off, we’ll deal with it.”
He nodded but didn’t look away.She was calm, too calm, and he could tell she was thinking the same thing he was.
As the band packed up for the afternoon, he walked her to her car again.
“Try to rest,” he said.
“I’ll try,” she said, unlocking the door.
“I’m serious.You look like you’re running on fumes.”
Her lips curved faintly.“You worry too much.”
He shrugged.“Someone has to.”
She smiled at that, softer this time.“See you tomorrow.”
He couldn't stop himself.He leaned in and kissed her lips softly.
