She moaned faintly, but he heard it.
He pulled back and swallowed the lump in his throat.He'd kissed many women in his forty-plus years, and except for his very first kiss at the age of fourteen, he'd never been worried about the outcome.Something in his chest made him worry that Carlene would run off at the first sign of something serious.
Her brown eyes looked into his for a long time.Her lips curved up into a beautiful smile."See ya."
He grinned."See ya."
He stood in place as he watched her drive off, the taillights vanishing down the narrow driveway toward town.
The barn felt too quiet once she was gone.He went back inside, picked up his guitar again, and strummed a few chords.The melody that came out wasn’t the one he’d been working on.It was slower, heavier, threaded through with something that felt too close to longing.
He played until the light faded from the windows, his thoughts circling the same point again and again.
Something about this story didn’t fit.
And whoever was pulling the strings wasn’t finished yet.
ChapterTwenty
Carlene woke to sunlight cutting across the hotel room, a warm stripe on the sheets that reminded her she’d fallen asleep in her clothes again.Her laptop still sat open on the nightstand, the faint hum of its fan mixing with the sound of gulls outside.
For a moment, she just lay there, eyes closed, replaying the kiss from the night before.It had been soft and quick, but her heart still fluttered at the memory.The warmth in Jami’s eyes afterward had felt like something she hadn’t let herself want in a long time.
Then reality caught up.The day was too important to get lost in feelings.
She sat up, reached for her phone, and scanned her notifications.Three messages from Tony.One from Vivian.Another from Bret.And one from Jami.
She opened Jami’s first.
Jami:
Morning, General.Hope you slept.Big day.
A smile tugged at her lips.Carlene:
I slept enough.You ready for the livestream?
Jami:
Ready to show them who we are.See you at the Barn.
That simple exchange steadied her.She showered, dressed, and pulled her hair back into a tidy ponytail.The woman in the mirror looked capable again, though the shadows under her eyes refused to fade completely.
By the time she reached the barn, the crew was already setting up lights and cameras.The energy buzzed through the air like static.
“Morning,” Tony called.“We’re running sound checks.”
Carlene nodded and opened her laptop at the table near the mixing station.“Everything looks good?”
“Better than good,” he said.“Even the label’s happy for once.”
That made her pause.“Vivian?”
Tony nodded.“She said she’s flying in tomorrow.Wants to congratulate everyone in person.”
Carlene frowned.“Since when does she make personal appearances for small campaigns?”
Tony shrugged.“Since today, apparently.”
