"Prove it."
She laughed, hesitated, then thought,What the hell, and threw the covers back and stepped from the bed.She sauntered toward him, giving her hips an exaggerated sway.His grin grew wide.His eyes roamed the length of her body, and she laughed."Eyes up here, mister."
He laughed, scooped her up into his arms, and kissed her lips.She enjoyed this far more than she ever thought she would.When was the last time she had someone in her life she looked forward to spending time with?Looked forward to feeling his arms around her?
He set her down, then reached for his underwear and began dressing.
She searched the floor for her discarded clothing and gathered it up.Dropping them in the laundry bag, she opened her drawers and pulled out clean clothes.Rushing into the bathroom, she turned on the shower and stepped in to clean up.The day was coming for them, whether they wanted it or not.She'd face it clean and ready.
After dressing, she left the bathroom to find Jami sitting at the table in front of the window, looking at his phone.
"Is everything okay?"
“Vivian has a press conference at ten.Our attorney’s ready.”
Carlene took a deep breath.“Of course she does.”
She stopped packing and sat on the bed.A few moments went by, and Jami's voice broke the silence."Why aren't you packing?"
"Maybe we should leave things as they are until we get this issue settled."
He turned and leaned forward, elbows on knees, and stared into her eyes."No matter what happens with the label, I want you with me.The worst-case scenario is, we have to let Summit publish our record, and we split the profits with them for the five years we've given them the rights to it.We can still go on.This was a one-record deal.We'll start making the next record, and it'll be bigger and better than this one.None of that changes the fact that I want you to move into my house."
"But I don't live here, Jami.I'll have to move on to another assignment when this one is settled, and I'm only on the maintenance retainer.I'll need to find new clients."
"You mean like Summit Sound?"
"No!"She took a deep breath.
"Carlene, do you own a house?"
Her brows furrowed."What does that have to do with it?"
"Do you?"
"No.I live in an apartment because I travel so much."
"So you don't have roots planted anywhere?"
"No."She shook her head."I don't see what that has to do with anything."
What about parents or siblings?”
She took a deep breath.“I’m an only child and my parents are gone.”
He sat back and shrugged."Can you see yourself living here?In my house.You can still travel if you need to, but you could have a home base here.I can convert one of the extra bedrooms into an office for you."
Her heart swelled that he'd offered that.Her breathing grew shallow at what it meant."Why would you do that?"
He reached forward and took her hands in his."Carlene, I haven't felt like this about anyone in such a long time.I mean years.And never to this degree.We have an opportunity to see whether we can live with each other and if we enjoy it.Sure, you may have to travel here and there, so do I.But when you're between clients, you can travel with me.I'm forty-nine years old, Carlene.”He kissed her fingers.“I love you.”His eyes looked into hers.She saw his truth when she stared back.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath.He squeezed her hands and stared into her eyes."I love you too, Jami.I'm forty-seven, and I've also been married and divorced.And it was an ugly divorce.I literally walked away with nothing.I've had to start over in building my self-confidence, my reputation, and my financial portfolio.It's scary to let this independence go."
"Why do you think you're letting your independence go?All you're doing is giving up an apartment.You can always get another apartment; they're everywhere.As to your furniture, we can remodel the upstairs of the barn into your office if you like, and all of your furniture can go up there.If this doesn't work out, you'll only have to hire someone to move your stuff somewhere else.You aren't giving up anything."
Her phone rang, and she closed her eyes.Couldn't they ever finish a conversation?He kissed her forehead and sat back, allowing her the space she needed to think.Her phone rang again, and she swiped it off the dresser."Carlene."
"Hey Carlene, it's Tony.Are you coming to watch Vivian's press conference here?"
