Page 91 of Cadence
“Can I just ask whyyouwere up at three a.m., Maddox?” Eli teases, throwing his arm across the back of the booth to grin at him. “Where were you coming from?”
“The AC in my room broke, and no one from reception was answering,” he says. “Had to go down to complain.”
“Oh shit,” Eli winces, shifting uncomfortably.
“It’s fine, they gave me a fan.”
“No, it’s not that…” Eli says, grimacing at his phone. “Thea’s calling.”
I glance at Maddox, his brown eyes already on me. Pushing up from my spot, I leave the notebook on the table and go to join the others as Eli now stands in front of the large TV, casting the call onto the screen. Thea’s face appears a second later, her long dark hair tied into a bun on the top of her head, her red-rimmed glasses flashing in the sunlight streaming through her office window.
“Well, it’s about time,” she says, tapping a pen on her desk. “I was starting to forget what you all looked like.”
“Sorry, boss,” Beau says, rubbing a hand down his face. “It’s been nonstop.”
“Too busy to call your favorite manager just to check in?” she teases before her tone shifts. “Okay, I don’t have long, so a couple of things.” She sits straighter, the pen tapping abruptly stopping. “First, let me just say how incredibly proud I am of you all. The press has been solid since the start, Reign’s team is saying great things, and you’re gaining traction, which is always a win in my book. Plus, no one’s been murdered.” Her gaze flicks between Maddox and me. “Yet.”
Eli grins, eyeing Maddox as he comes over, wiggling his eyebrows. “You know us, one big, happy family.”
I smother a grimace at Eli’s word choice.
“Good to hear,” Thea says, smiling.
“Has there been any mention of Europe yet?” Beau asks.
“Not yet, but like I said, I’m only hearing good things.” She scans the room through the screen, pointing her finger toward us. “So don’t get sloppy. Keep doing what you’re doing. No drama, okay? Show him why you’re the right pick.”
“You got it, boss.” Eli glances back, a megawatt smile spreading across his face as he holds up a hand.
Maddox leans in, sitting on the sofa next to Beau, hands clasped between his knees. Beau watches him, a flicker of a glance, not enough to say anything, but enough to notice.
“Next,” Thea says, tapping her pen once against the desk, “Paige, you’re getting a lot of buzz. People are talking, and I want to capitalize on that. So, I’ve set up a radio interview next week, the day after the Vegas show.”
My stomach drops. Radio interview. Questions about me…being put on the spot…
“Live interview,” she adds, like it helps. “But I’ll vet the questions beforehand, so don’t worry. Keeping your family name and you separate has been surprisingly…easy.”
I nod, my tense shoulders loosening.
Thea’s eyes move across the screen. “Maddox, you’ll go with her. We want a united front.”
He nods wordlessly, and Thea relaxes, but even through the camera, she looks sort of…uncomfortable.
“Which brings me to the last thing.” She hesitates, sitting back in her chair, something in her voice changing as she says, “I’ll be coming out to SoFi.”
“That’s great,” Beau says, sounding a little confused. “Isn’t it?”
“I hope so, but…”
My stomach coils, and I don’t even know why yet. Maybe it’s the way Beau shifts in his seat, or the trepidation on Thea’s face, but suddenly, everything feels more fragile than it did five minutes ago.
She takes off her glasses and folds them carefully, her green eyes laser-focused on the camera when she looks back up.
“There’s been interest. A rep’s asking questions about the band. I almost didn’t say anything, since it could all disappear tomorrow. But I need you to know he’s watching. Everything.”
“Who is it?” Maddox asks, like he’s not sure he’ll like the answer.
She shakes her head. “I’m not going to say. Not yet, anyway. I don’t want to jinx it, and I don’t want you distracted. Just keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll let you know when the time’s right.”
