replied.
I laughed. Juliet was neat, slight, and a pretty that drew appreciative eyes as we went. Even better she had a sense of humor.
“Get ready for a long day,” I said. “After the meeting, I’m cooking dinner for the sisters. You’re welcome to join us.”
“That’s very kind of you, Miss Moon. I’m sure the girls will take you up on your offer too.”
“Oh, you’re cooking?” Sofia cried, picking up our conversation. “What are you making me?”
“Beef stir-fry with a crunchy salad and spring rolls. Miss Ortega is doing the prep, so all I have to do is walk in and start cooking. This house mother thing is growing on me.”
“Me too. Hudson and I will be your first customers. Skip going out for dinner and head straight for the dessert.”
“You two are seriously making up for the dry spell.”
She laughed, warming my heart. “You have no idea. I’m doing things with this man that has his grumpy ass smiling for the rest of the day, and I’m the same. See you tonight.”
“See ya.”
I hung up and turned back to Juliet. “First stop, Social Psychology.”
“After you.”
My guards were my trailing shadows throughout the morning. I collected looks from my professors as they scanned the room for invisible threats and then fanned out around me, staring hard at anyone who looked my way.
I wasn’t about to fight their presence. The person who ran me off the road was still out there, along with Leighton Lewis. I had too many enemies doing a good job of hiding from me. The day they reappeared, I wouldn’t be caught defenseless.
On my way to the car, I stopped off at the sushi place and grabbed two packaged rolls and two iced teas. Jaxson’s favorite on-the-go lunch. I was done with being disconnected from him. He was making the effort to put us first and I’d do the same.
Walking out with my prize, I dialed Jaxson on the way to the car. “Hey, baby. Still free for lunch?”
JAXSON
“Of course. Love you.”
I ended the call with Val and shifted to Serena, smiling wide. “Where do you get your inspiration?”
She sat up straight. “A song can come to me from anywhere. A line on the radio or—”
“Stop,” I said, dropping the smile. “Important but little-known tip: mimic the interviewer.”
“What does that mean?”
“If they smile, you smile. If they laugh, you laugh. Don’t force it or be obvious, but it’s human nature to respond to people who respond to you. Everything you were about to say, if you said it while returning my smile, I’d naturally like you more. You want to vibe with the hosts. That’s what makes them go on to give sound bites about how sweet and charismatic you are.”
“Right. Okay.” Serena scribbled on her borrowed notepad, adding to her notes.
I never questioned that she was serious about taking Beyond Berlin to the top. Still it was a nice change of pace to work with her, not against her.
“Did I do that yesterday?” she asked.
“You were good yesterday. You took the time to give real, honest answers, you made Steve laugh a few times, and you shared the floor with the guys. All of you killed it. Did you think you didn’t?”
“I said ‘um’ like fifty times. I was taking my time to answer because I didn’t know what to say. We didn’t have any time to prepare. Can’t have that happen again.”
At least her insistence we practice now makes more sense.
“It didn’t come off like you were nervous. Share the tips with the guys, but don’t get in your head about them. Just remember why you’re doing this and it’ll come across.”
She paused, glancing up. “Are we done?”
“Yep.” I crossed to the door and held it open for her. “I have to finish these demos and then I’ve got a lunch date.”
“But we should do a full mock interview,” she protested.
“Don’t make me say tomorrow again. Go, Serena. You have to look over the final album covers anyway.”
“You have to be there too.”
“I live down in the art department. I’ve seen them and the covers kill. You can’t go wrong whichever one you pick.” I swept my arm out the door. “See you tomorrow.”
Huffing, Serena marched out with my notepad.
“That’s gratitude for ya,” I mumbled.
Reclaiming my seat, I worked through the tracks, sorting them into the reject pile and the pile I’d pass on to Bianca. I was on my last one when a knock broke into the melody.
“Come in.”
The door swung open, revealing Levi Van