“Fine,” I said. “You don’t have to tell me what he said. But Outlaw’s got a morality clause in your contract. They hired me sothey don’t have to drop you. Push them too far and they will. So we can get control of the story now… or they’ll make the decision for you.”
Somewhere down the aisle, a horse knocked its hoof against wood.
“You don’t need to say sorry if it would sound fake,” I added. “That’d be worse than staying silent.”
Something shifted in his face. He leaned the bale against the stall and looked at me.
“Let me see it,” he said.
I pulled my phone from my back pocket and opened my notes app. He took it and read it, hay dust floating in the early light around him.
"I take full responsibility for my actions that night," he read aloud. "This doesn’t sound like me."
"Then tell me what does and I’ll rewrite it."
He handed the phone back. "If I was any good with words, I wouldn’t be in this mess."
"Okay. Forget what I wrote. If someone asked you about that night, what would you say?"
"That I’d do it again."
Great. He was proud of it. That was going to be a problem.
"Maybe don’t lead with that," I said. "Why would you do it again?"
"Because nobody talks about my family like that."
We could work with that.
“What about this,” I said. “You could say you let your emotions get the best of you, but you’re focused on the season now. Keep it short. That gives your sponsor what they need.”
He looked at his hands for a long moment, jaw tight, then let out a slow breath.
"Fine,” he grumbled. “Where do we film it?"
I looked around the barn. Early light filtered through the slats. Behind Brock, a white horse had its head over the stall door, lipping at his shoulder. He reached back and rubbed its nose without looking.
"Right here," I said. "Just say it like you’re talking to someone."
"Well, come on then, before I change my mind."
I tapped my screen and opened the camera. "You should take your hat off."
He looked at me like I’d asked him to strip naked.
"It reads better," I explained. "People want to see your face."
He pulled the hat off slowly and held it at his side. The morning light hit his face, and he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world.
"Whenever you’re ready," I said, and hit record.
His eyes were startlingly blue. Good.That would read on camera.
"Last week, a video went around of me in a bar fight. I ain’t gonna make excuses for it. I let my emotions run hot, and I know that let a lot of people down. My focus now is on the season ahead."
One take. He nailed it the second he stopped fighting me.
"Happy?" he asked.
