Me: So tell him you’re there for something else. He doesn’t have to know you’re babysitting him
Caleb: He’s an addict, not an idiot. He’ll see right through it. But Dad keeps you away from the top-shelf talent. He doesn’t know you
Me: Meaning what? You want me to lie to him about who I am?
Caleb: That’s exactly what I want you to do. It’s the only way this will work. I don’t want him to think we as a label don’t have any faith in him, which is why I’ve set up a whole identity for you as their new social media consultant. You’ll be documenting Shaken Dirty’s journey from broken band to their first ever stadium tour, which kicks off at ACL in October. You’ll be with them at least until November. You can thank me later
Me: Thank you?!?! I can’t be away from the office until November
Caleb: Sure you can. I’ve got it handled
Me: Again, Dad will freak
Caleb: Let me handle Dad. This is the perfect shot for you to do what you’ve always wanted to do and to prove yourself to Dad. You need to take it. It’s a win-win
He was right; she knew he was right. If she walked away from this right now, she’d never get another chance. Not with the way Dad was riding Caleb to take more responsibility. And not with the way he was trying so hard to railroad her from marketing over to the accounting side of the business, as far from the artists as she could get.
But still, her mind was reeling. She had so much to do, so many things she was responsible for. Was she really supposed to just hang out in Austin for months on end? And if she actually agreed to do this, how the hell was she supposed to keep one of rock’s baddest boys on the straight and narrow? Wyatt was known as a lot of things—smart, charismatic, sexy as hell. But a rule follower? Definitely not in any description of him she’d ever read.
Not to mention that she couldn’t even tell him why she was there—the last thing they needed was for him or the other band members to think that the label didn’t trust him. They needed to keep the talent happy, not send them into a towering rage. She didn’t know if she could pull it off—she was a terrible liar. She couldn’t even tell a white lie without freaking out and looking totally guilty. And now she was supposed to lie to Wyatt for months? The guy was talented and brilliant and if his lyrics were anything to go by, really freaking observant. There was no way she could do this. It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t—
Her phone buzzed again, multiple times in quick succession. Caleb must have figured he’d given her enough time to freak out and was now ready to reel her back in. That was how their relationship worked—she was the one with the big ideas. He was the coolly pragmatic one who made sure all the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed.
She swiped back to her messages and sure enough, his first text treated the whole situation like it was a done deal.
Caleb: I’ve got the Monarch condo downtown all set up for you
Caleb: I had it stocked with food, and you can pick up the keys at the front desk
Caleb: There’s already a rental car in the parking spot
Caleb: Keys for the car should also be at the front desk. You’ve got the limo for the rest of the night, so have the driver hold on to your stuff while you’re at Antone’s
Me: Is there anything you didn’t think of?
Caleb: Nope :)
Caleb: You can do this, sis
Me: Are you sure? It’s Wyatt Jennings!!!!!!!
Wyatt Jennings. She’d had a million fantasies about him through the years, had spent more time than she cared to admit thinking about how his talented hands would feel sliding over her skin. And now she was supposed to babysit him? For months? It boggled the mind.
Caleb: I wouldn’t have arranged this if I wasn’t sure
Caleb: This is the chance for you to show Dad that you can totally handle the most badass of rockers. Don’t second-guess yourself. Just do it
Me: Really? You’re quoting Nike to me at a time like this???????
Caleb: I was going for supportive
Caleb: But seriously, don’t fuck up. You won’t get a chance this good again
And there went the excitement, sliding straight into terror. Her stomach started churning.
Me: I think I’d rather go back to Nike. Thanks for the vote of confidence. And the added pressure
Caleb: You live for pressure xx