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“Absolutely. Don’t worry though. It’s all good. I only want to foster your creativity, Corrin. I believe there’s a lot more to you than what SoulSource had been peddling to the public. I want to help you find that voice. We’ll talk more in person. This call is merely so you didn’t see the alerts and worry. You’re still signed. The album can take as long as needed. You focus on making the magic happen. We’ll handle the rest.”
I sag with relief, my head dropping to Austen’s shoulder. “Thank you. That’s … amazing. I look forward to seeing you Friday.”
The call cuts out, leaving the kitchen quiet. Tenn breaks the silence first. “I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of excited.”
“As you should be. Miguel’s a good guy. I know him through Patrick, and he’s definitely the guy you want making your business decisions,” Kelvin tells me.
Austen rubs my back. “How are you feeling? What can we do to help?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I feel… confused. It’s weird knowing the label is changing. They’ve been with me since the start. While I’m sure Miguel is a good guy, it’s still hard to face change.”
“True,” Smith tells me. “But sometimes, change can be really good. Stepping out of your comfort zone can bring amazing things your way. I have a feeling this is one of those times.”
“A toast to new adventures.” Zach raises his drink in the air. We all raise our glasses.
There’s a ton I don’t know yet, however, I ‘m already eager to take on a new challenge.
Friday arrives without much fanfare. The rest of Wednesday and all day on Thursday, I walked around with a cloud hanging over me. It wasn’t intentional. I just couldn’t shake the notion that shit was about to go off the road – but like, in a good way. It would be an adventure, that much I could tell.
Ok, clearly my mind is off balance if I’m reverting to weird analogies.
When a limo arrives at the rental house to pick us up, we all climb in. I received a text telling me to dress how I normally would instead of throwing on a suit for appearance's sake. That alone has made me feel a tiny bit better this morning.
It’s weird to be in a fancy car in street clothes. At least I’m not the only one though.
“You ready?” Austen squeezes my hand between his in the back of the car.
“Not really. But I have you with me, and Tennyson will be there. I have no doubt between the two of you, I’ll be good. If I need to have a meltdown, please just make sure I’m not near the cameras.”
Tenn chuckles. “No need for a breakdown. I’ve got a good vibe about this. You’re going to be in good hands.”
The topic changes to other things the rest of the way. Zach regales a story about his coworkers and a particularly inventive game of softball involving a slip-n-slide. I lose track of who is who along the way since there are several new to me people and the couples are confusing. Hell, there’s even a throuple, which features a brother who has a twin in another expanded friend group. I choose to smile and nod after he shares that fact because I need a murder board style diagram for this to make sense.
“We’re here,” Kelvin announces when we’ve pulled into a parking area. “It doesn’t look like much, but that’s because we’re in the private entry area. The front is likely covered in reporters.”
I nod, then climb out behind Austen. His hand wraps around mine right away, then he’s leading us toward the entrance. I hear the others behind us, though I’m only focusing on what lies ahead. I can’t get distracted. Too much is on the line for me today.
We’re whisked through security and then taken upstairs to a giant office. I notice people glancing our way from their workstations as we pass. None of them move to greet us or take photos. I take it as a good omen when the employees of the man who just bought my company understand privacy.
Not even the people at SoulSource could seem to grasp the concept.
“Right this way,” our driver tells us as he escorts us through the door. “Yo, Miguel! You owe me dinner with my boy. None of them recognized me!”
I look from the man I thought was our driver to face the more familiar face of Miguel Stryker. He chuckles and shakes his head at the stranger.
“Fine, Mateo. You win this time. Tell you what, I’ll reserve you a spot anywhere in town and put it on my tab. Deal?”
“Deal it is. I love free food and so does my boy.” He drops into a chair near the door. At my curious look, he motions to the couch and chairs. “Don’t mind me. I signed up for the fun of the bet. I’ll still drive you all back though. I won’t leave you stranded.”
“Please ignore my sometimes friend, Mateo. We like to play these games from time to time, hence the bet. It was all in good fun. Let’s have a seat. We’ve got about forty-five minutes until the press conference starts.”
The door opens and Aiden walks in. “Am I late? Please tell me I didn’t miss anything.”
“You didn’t miss anything. In fact, do you want to tell him the news?”
Aiden claps as he climbs onto Miguel’s lap. They move like this is completely normal for them. Granted, I’ve seen it, but the others haven’t.
We all grab seats. Smith, Zack, Kelvin, and Bailey pile onto the couch. Austen sits in a chair and pulls me down on top of him, the move a replica of Miguel’s a second ago. Tennyson laughs and takes the other empty chair across from the desk.
