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BLAKE TRUDGED TO HIS hotel room, but halfway through unlocking the door, he changed his mind. He walked to the stairwell and jogged down it, across the hotel lobby and out the front door, into the streets of ... what town were they in? Geez, it was so easy to lose track when they were in a new town every couple of days.
Omaha. They were in Omaha, Nebraska. They’d arrived yesterday and would do their first gig tonight.
He headed off down the sidewalk. Walking always helped him think and after the argument with Haley he really needed to blow off some steam. As he walked, he concentrated on reducing his irritation level. He was really worked up. Why did Haley continue to hold on to her need to best Lindsay? Her obsession was not healthy, of that he was sure. The woman had been detrimental to their lives, and they had evicted her. End of story. Lindsay was free to move on with her life, and they would do the same. So, why did Haley continue to poke the bear? He knew Lindsay had a vindictive personality. If Haley fought back, Lindsay would escalate. Two strong female personalities butting heads and battering horns. Soon, the fight would be more than either of them could handle.
Blake turned a corner and kept walking. He forced himself to think about the root of his annoyance. Haley’s complete dismissal of his instructions to her. He’d told her to drop her obsession with Lindsay, and she’d initially agreed. But she’d obviously lied because she was still pursuing it. She’d kicked off this whole Positivity Campaign, which on its surface, sounded like a good thing. But underneath, it was just a method to use the power of Frontier Fire fans to best Lindsay.
Blake slowed his pace to analyze his intentions. At its basest level, he was angry because he’d given Haley a direct order, and she’d disobeyed him.
When he looked at it like that, he didn’t like the way that sounded. Like he was a dictator and expected full obedience. This was Haley he was talking about here. His girlfriend. The woman he was falling in love with. Was he that kind of guy? Did he expect blind obedience from his life partner?
He shook his head. No, of course not. He didn’t want Haley to blindly take his orders and obey him. He wanted a full partner, someone with her own mind and talents. And Haley certainly did.
So why was he so upset about this?
Because of their professional relationship. Haley wasn’t just his girlfriend. They worked together too. In some ways, she was his boss. The manager of the band, the one who set up everything so they could perform. But in some ways, he was her boss. And in this particular case, his order to her about leaving Lindsay alone was to be obeyed. No questions asked. No arguments.
He returned to the hotel, feeling like he’d made a discovery. The fact that Haley worked for Ace in the Hole, and by extension, him, was causing conflict in their personal relationship. Now, how were they going to handle that problem?
Was it possible for a man and a woman in love to work together?
He headed for his room and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He took the elevator to the workout room and to work himself into a sweat on the treadmill and the weights.
A FEW DAYS PASSED, and with each interaction she had with Blake, the ice between them had started to thaw. They weren’t back to normal yet, but she hoped that they soon would be.
On their last free night before a string of three shows in Kansas City and St. Louis, Blake asked her out on a date. They dressed up and walked to a nice restaurant near their hotel. Haley was pleased, hoping it was Blake’s attempt at a reconciliation. She didn’t want this Lindsay thing causing a rift between them and she hoped he’d come to the same conclusion as her – that it wasn’t worth arguing about.
They walked a few blocks and came upon a brick one-story building. The three-dimensional metallic sign near the front door read, Lidia’s, Kansas City, Italy.
“Mmm, I love Italian,” she murmured.
He pointed a fond grin at her and led her to the door. Inside, an enormous open room was grouped into separate spaces by tall wooden dividers. The bar was the centerpiece of the entire place, positioned in the dead center. A huge rectangle of light quartz surrounded the busy bartenders working within and sported close to forty bar stools around the perimeter. Up above, dozens of black tube lights hung on metal strands suspended from the ceiling.
Blake gave his name to the maître de, who led them to their table. He helped Haley into her seat, then handed her a cloth napkin. Their small table gave them a close view of a large refrigerated cabinet of bottled wine nearby. Looking straight up, Haley exclaimed, “Look at these chandeliers. They remind me of big honeybee hives.”
Blake chuckled, and observed them. Lumps of colored glass with ceramic balls hanging down, all the golden hue of honey.
“This place is beautiful,” she said.
“Yeah, I took a chance on it, but I figured how could we go wrong with Italian?”
She beamed her appreciation at him. He’d wanted to plan a nice evening for them. Maybe all the craziness was behind them.
The menu was extensive, and Haley spent an inordinate amount of time studying it before dropping it to the table and ordering the pasta trio. He settled into a wordless quiet after ordering, his eyes flitting around the open room, taking in their surroundings. Haley scanned her brain for conversation topics, nothing that would bother Blake. Nothing about Lindsay, or the Positivity Campaign. Those risky topics were off the table. Best to keep it safe.
“So, have you heard from Brent? Is he excited about his trip?”
“Oh! Yeah, he is. Are the flight reservations all made?”
“Yep, all done. I emailed him and your Aunt Gloria with the details.”
“Perfect, thank you.”
“That day of the concert when he arrives, I’ll need to go pick him up. The flight doesn’t get in till late afternoon, so it’ll press you a little too close to concert warm up time.”
“Oh, I can’t pick him up at the airport?”
Haley shook her head. “No. The only flight I could get doesn’t arrive till close to five.” The disappointment evident on his face caused a little stab in her heart. “But don’t sweat it. I’ll get him and bring him straight to the venue. You can see him backstage before your show starts. He’ll get the whole star treatment.”
His expression relaxed and a spark of affection showed in his eyes. “Thanks, Haley.”
“Don’t mention it.” She knew how important it was to him to show his brother a good time, as well as letting him share in the whole magical tour experience.
Blake was quiet again. Maybe he was preoccupied. Haley reached over and put her hand on his. He looked up at her. “Everything okay?”
He nodded. Then he sighed. He met her gaze directly, and his blue eyes pierced into hers. “Haley, there’s something I need to tell you.”
She figured. Something was on his mind and it was good to get it out on the table. Talk about it, resolve it quickly and move on to a nice evening. That's what good couples did. Right?
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I want to explain exactly what I’m thinking but I’m sure I’ll mess something up so bear with me.”
His words made her catch her breath, but she gave him a nod of encouragement.
“First of all, I want you to know.” He cleared his throat. “I really like you, Haley. I don’t know if I've shared with you exactly how I feel about you.”
The cautious breath she’d been holding eased out. Anything that started this way couldn’t be bad.
“I feel like our personalities go well together. You’re beautiful, of course, but not just that." He struggled adorably for words to describe his feelings and her heart filled with love for him for trying. "You're fun and kind. You’re smart and accomplished. What I mean to say is, there are so many things that I love about you. I ... I think I’m falling in love with you, Haley.”
She grabbed his hand, squeezing it. “Oh my gosh. Blake! Me too! I’ve never felt this strongly for a guy before. You make me happy and fulfilled.”
She glanced around for the waiter. They should order champagne! Surely a toast of bubbly was warranted when a couple navigated their way through the dangerous waters of dating and realized that they were mutually in love.
But the waiter wasn’t around, so she rested her gaze back on Blake’s blank face. It took a moment for her to realize, something wasn't quite right. Why wasn’t he happy? Shouldn’t he be sporting a smile? Or, at the very least, not have that concerned frown on his face? “What’s the matter?”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I have more on my mind than just this news.”
“Okay.” She tried to tamp down the excitement level a notch or two, so he could continue.
“I’ve come to realize that by being in love with a woman you work with, it puts certain strains on the relationship.”
Blake paused, and Haley stared.
“I’ve told you several times that you should drop your counterattack on Lindsay, that it will go away on its own if we just ignore it. But you seem obsessed with fighting back with her. Despite what I’m telling you. And I have no idea how to deal with that.”
Haley kept her expression even, but her gaze darted around his face while she thought of a response. She wanted to stay calm. She wanted to bask in the fact that they were newly in love. But this turn of conversation made her want to get defensive. She kept her voice low, despite her desire to get loud. “Maybe I don’t know how to deal with you either. I’ve done nothing but help this band. I’ve instituted a ton of improvements that have all paid off. The website, the photos, the logo, the improved bookings. Heck, even getting you into the Battle of the Bands, which, let’s not forget, is why you’re sitting here today, fronting the most successful band in country music history.”
“No, I know. You’ve been awesome, Haley, it’s just ...”
“I’m not trying to toot my own horn. I’m not saying you all don’t deserve to be where you are. But all my judgement has been good. I don’t know why you don’t trust me on this one too.”
He sighed. “Something inside me is deeply against this.”
She sat and stared at him. “Do you feel a protectiveness towards Lindsay? I mean, you've known her a lot longer than you've known me."
"No," he said firmly. "It's not that at all. Lindsay was a negative force in our lives and it's good that she's gone. But by you engaging her and fighting with her, I feel that she can retaliate and give us more of a battle than we want. She's not stable, I think we all know that."
Haley listened, or at least she tried to, despite the anger pounding in her head. How dare he? How dare her boyfriend confess his love for her, and one second later, chastise her about job performance? Way to forever mar the memory of this special moment between the two of them. She took a moment to calm herself, then looked up into his eyes. "Or is it because you want to control me? You want me to give you complete obedience and not use the brain I have in my head.”
He looked down at the table and shook his head. “I sure hope it’s not that. I hope I don’t have that trait inside me.” He looked up at her.
Once she’d said it, she regretted putting it out there. Maybe that was her own hang up. Maybe her parents' lack of faith in her had prompted her to go crazy now that she'd actually found a line of work she was good at. She was a workaholic now, and she had developed into someone who couldn't take criticism without turning into a raging lunatic. Even successful businesspeople had to take advice and guidance without attacking their co-workers. Even if they disagreed with the criticism.
It's nothing personal. It's just business. That would become her new mantra when Blake, or anyone else who put up a bit of resistance to one of her work plans. Even if she disagreed.
Man, this "adulting" thing was hard!
She brought in a lungful of cleansing air. “I don’t think that either. You’re not a bully or a know-it-all. If you were, it would’ve materialized before now, and you’ve been nothing but kind and supportive of me.”
The waiter interrupted them with their entrees and placed them on the table. The pasta that had looked so delicious on the menu now sat, an unappealing lump on the plate. They picked up their forks.
“Look,” Haley said. “We’re a good team. I know it’s hard to work with someone you love, but I think we can do it. I’m sorry you’ve been stressed over me. That was definitely not my intent. My job is to remove all the stress from you, so you can perform. I should’ve been listening better.” She took a deep breath and pushed it out, along with her determination to get even with Lindsay. “I don’t know why you feel so strongly about this Lindsay thing, but I respect you enough to abide by your wishes.”
He looked up, his handsome face transforming into a hopeful expression. “Really? You’ll stop fighting with Lindsay? You’ll turn your focus away from those negative reviews? You’ll leave them alone?”
She nodded, the hint of a smile breaking forth. “Yes. Because you feel so strongly about it. Not because I agree with you, but because I love you, and I don’t want this to be a bone of contention in our relationship.”
His happy smile was a thing of beauty and suddenly all the tension between them was wiped away. “Thank you, Haley. Thank you. I owe you one.”
She held up a finger to make a point. “And not because I’m blindly obeying you, and not because you’re my boss. Got that?”
He chuckled. “Yes. I understand.”
“You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar, isn’t that the saying?”
He shrugged, still looking at her with his happy grin. “I have no idea. I’m just happy we’re past this. We are past this, right?”
She nodded. “It’s all about communication. We’ll be open and honest with each other and give each other the benefit of the doubt.”
“Sounds good to me.” He reached over their steaming plates to squeeze her hands.
"So, I propose a re-do. Do you mind?"
"What do you mean?" The crease in his forehead spoke to his confusion.
"My boyfriend just told me he was in love with me and then went on to reprimand me about a work thing. Not cool, dude."
She knew the moment he realized what he'd done because his eyes focused clearly and an amused grin appeared on his face. He took her hands and pulled them close to rest on his heartbeat. "Haley, I'm falling in love with you."
She beamed her love and pleasure at him. "Blake, I'm falling in love with you too."
Suddenly the pasta aroma in her nose made her stomach growl. Her appetite was back. She dug into the trio with gusto.
HALEY PLACED HER WEEKLY conference call with Robbie and Jake. The normalness in their voices brought her peace. In this corner of her professional world, things were going well.
"We played a really cool place last Friday," Robbie said. "It was in Charlotte and it was called Coyote Joe's. Man, that place rocked."
"Oh yes!" Haley exclaimed. "I remember that place when I was booking it. I was so excited about getting us in there."
"They have a huge dance floor, and a really nice sized stage. They packed the people in."
"I remember. They call themselves the premiere country nightclub of the area. I'm bummed I missed seeing you there."
"We weren't the headliners, but we had a nice hour-long opening gig. What do you think, Jake, how many people were there?"
Jake hummed while he thought. "Lordy, at least a couple thousand."
"Wow. And the gig went well?"
"Yep. Sam put it into hyper drive; he was in his element. Sang great, engaged the crowd."
"Okay, I need to call them for a repeat performance. Great job, guys."
They discussed other shows of the week. Places they'd like to go back to, places to avoid. As they talked, Haley updated her list.
"Anything else I could be doing for you guys? Anything you need?"
They paused. "Not really. Just looking forward to getting Blake back."
Haley smiled. "Yeah, getting close now. About six weeks left?" About to wrap up the call, Haley remembered something she wanted to mention. "Hey, before we hang up, let me run an idea by you. I've obtained a list of about twenty thousand email addresses of people who have come to Frontier Fire concerts since Blake joined. What would you think about me sending them an email with a link to the Ace in the Hole website? Just a friendly mention that you guys are Blake's band and you're keeping the wheels on while Blake's filling in for Josh Lakely?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. Couldn't hurt to spread awareness. Might get us bigger audiences too."
"Okay. I'll run it by Randall, Frontier Fire's manager, to make sure he doesn't object. But I see it as good business." She didn't mention the original reason she'd obtained the email addresses. The Positivity Campaign to combat Lindsay's negative internet attacks was over. Done. Successful. No need to continue it further. This was just marketing. Reaching out and finding new listeners for Ace in the Hole, which was her job. Any good band manager would do it.
"Oh, and one more thing. Any Lindsay sightings?"
"No."
"Okay, good. She's still posting negative reviews, but not at the rate she was before. Maybe she's getting bored."
"Jake, maybe you should just contact her and tell her to cut it out," Robbie said.
"I appreciate the offer, Robbie, but Blake and I have talked about this." Incessantly. "He feels strongly to just let it go. Leave her alone and let it run its course."
"Whatever," Robbie said. "Let us know if you change your mind."
She ended the call amidst their well wishes and thanks. Haley pulled up her newsletter program and drafted a simple, cheery newsletter explaining the connection between Frontier Fire and Ace in the Hole, added Ace's new logo and promo photo, and a link to their website. Once she was happy with it, she saved a draft, and sent a link to Randall with a note, "Are you okay with me sending this out to 20,000 Frontier Fire fans?"
Then she left to invite Blake to lunch.