Page 2 of My Favorite Mistake

She glanced warily at the closed door and then sat. “Thank you.”

AJ sat in his chair and leaned back as he stretched his arms above his head and casually laced his fingers behind his neck. “How’s your day going?”

She perched rigidly on the edge of the chair and clamped her hands together in her lap. “Just fine, AJ. How’s yours?” Small talk was tedious, but it was excruciating when she had a feeling it was the precursor to bad news.

“Oh, just dandy.” He swiveled from side to side. “We’ve got a small situation.”

“A small situation,” she repeated. Her palms grew clammy against each other. “What kind of situation?”

He unlaced his fingers and pitched forward. “Now, don’t panic, Liza. I can see you’re starting to freak a bit, so just hear me out for a second.”

“I’m not panicking.” Her trembling fingertips told a different story, and apparently her face did too.

“You’re white as a sheet. You only do that when you’re panicking.”

“But Idon’tpanic.” She rubbed her palms on her fitted skirt to dry them. “Whatever is going on, I can handle it. So go ahead.”

“Blue Finch is getting acquired by UMG.”

There was a buzzing in her ears, and she swallowed. “That’s great for them.”

“Great for them,” he agreed, resting his elbows on the desk. “Not great for us. Obviously, UMG has their own marketing team, and they’ll be taking over. And that obviously translates directly to us and you.”

She nodded despite the cold flush over her face.

I’m competent, skilled, well-educated, one of the best in my industry, and I’ve got six years of solid work history and many successes.

Confidence and focus on the goal. It worked every time. It would work this time. And she would be fine.

“And unfortunately, my options for you are kind of non-existent.” He tapped his index finger on his closed laptop. “All of our current clients are already assigned to a brand manager. It wouldn’t be fair to shift people around to give you a spot. And I wouldn’t insult your experience by moving you to a position that’s below your pay grade and capabilities. But I do have a lead for you.”

Liza’s mouth was so dry that she couldn’t speak even if she wasn’t completely speechless.

Temporary setbacks happen. I’ll figure something out. I have a million goals and a million back-up plans.

Which were…? She suddenly couldn’t think of any of them. Her heart pounded, similar to her rock-bottom moment from ten years ago. Thethump-thump-thumpagainst her sternum was a pointed reminder that she wouldn’t be in that state again because that moment was a result of her putting her destiny in someone else’s hands. She’d long since ensured that she was the only one in control of her fate. She would consider whatever lead AJ had to offer and see how it fit into her own plan, and the plan would succeed. It would have to. And ever since she took control of her life and focused, it always did.

She swallowed. “I appreciate that.”

He knocked on the laptop. “So here’s what I’ve got. I think it would be great for you, but it may not be up your alley.”

“Shoot.”

“Phunky Meaux Feaux. You know ‘em?”

She squinted at the Austin landscape sprawling in the window behind AJ’s head. “They’re from Louisiana, but Joe Thompson manages them. Did they move out here?”

“Yeah. About two years ago.”

Cool relief spread across her chest. Though heading up marketing for a single band was a bit of a step down from an entire record label, even an independent one. Nevertheless, it was something she could work with. Unemployment wasn’t. “Okay. Has Joe reached out to you, or did you give him a heads up that I might be in touch with him?”

“He reached out to me. The label Phunky Meaux Feaux started out with about thirteen years ago is looking for a brand manager and digital marketing person, and they asked him for guidance. Apparently, these folks are still operating like it’s 1995 and don’t have anything in the way of digital marketing. Not on social media. No semblance of streaming formats. They need an overhaul. It would be starting from scratch, but because of that, it’s an opportunity to go long and far with them.”

“Starting from scratch?” Liza raised her eyebrows. “Do they have capital?”

“They do. Their artists do pretty well from performances and merchandise and local brick-and-mortar record stores. Apparently, they’ve also got some trust fund baby…a guy named Riley…who really believes in them and fills the gaps as needed. They’ve been around for twenty-five years and aren’t in dire straits financially. They just realized they’re long overdue to adapt to the new landscape of the industry.”

She settled back in her chair as she sighed quietly with relief. “Well. All of that sounds good to me.”

---