Page 75 of Indescribable Love
“I…I don’t know what to say. I mean…I can see the potential in this, but working with Simon…”
“There’s a history there, and I get it. The whole situation Max created sucked, but we’re all adults and we’re all professionals. I believe the two of you can come to an agreement and work together. At the end of the day, don’t you want to see Simon have the film he originally wanted?”
“Of course!”
“You’re the only one who’s going to make that happen. I think Simon learned his lesson—that he needs to speak up and let the professionals do their jobs—but that’s not going to happen overnight. He needs people around him looking out for him still. I’d much rather him put his focus on the new music instead of worrying about what’s going to be put on film. As it is, we lost studio time for the new album because of all this bullshit.”
“Yeah, um…”
“You can do this, and you can do this well. Don’t let the past keep you from an amazing future.”
That made her laugh softly. “You’re mighty confident, Mick.”
“Yes, I am, and I make no apologies for it. This is going to be good for you, Jules. You and Simon. And again, I’m talking professionally. I’m not going to get involved in what happens between the two of you romantically. That’s none of my damn business. But whether you fall back in love or decide to be friends, I think the two of you work well together and you can get this project done. And since I brought it up, I don’t have a problem with the two of you getting back together romantically. I get that you’d be working for me and I don’t want to set a precedent where it’s okay for publicists to get involved with their clients, so I’m just gonna say that the two of you are grandfathered in and no one else. So what do you say?”
“I say…what does Simon think of all this? He’s the one who told me to leave, I’m sure he’ll have something to say about me just showing back up.”
“He doesn’t know anything about this, but I’m not worried about it and you shouldn’t be either. Simon needs to be focused on the tour and getting into the studio to get this new music down. If you don’t want to deal with him directly, you know Nikki can help you. The ball’s in your court.”
It sounded so easy…
“The tour starts up in Buffalo tomorrow. I’ll handle all your travel expenses—flights, hotels, all of it—to get you there and Nikki will take care of getting you with everyone for this next leg of the tour.”
“Um…”
“I’m emailing you a contract right now with a signing bonus. Read it and let me know what you think. In the meantime, my assistant Lynn is going to book you a flight to Buffalo for tomorrow morning. Will that work?”
“Mick, I mean…I have to look at the contract, and…”
“Jules, I think we both know you’re more decisive than this. You know what you want to do. Don’t second-guess yourself.”
Dammit, he was right.
“Fine. Make the arrangements and have your assistant send everything over. How long will I be needed on the tour?”
“One month. The new film company is smaller, so they’re not as polished as Max was. But a month should be enough time to get everything going. Nikki will email you the tour schedule and will make sure someone picks you up at the airport tomorrow. We good?”
“I hope so…”
He chuckled. “This is gonna be great!. I know it. Good luck and thanks!”
When she hung up, she realized she no longer felt nervous, but excited. She could go back to the tour with her head held high and she knew she’d be welcomed back by Nikki and most of the crew. And to hell with Simon Bennett for being a coward and not calling to apologize. Still, she’d go in there and oversee this project and promote the hell out of it, better than any publicist in the business.
Feeling energized, she jumped to her feet and strode into her bedroom and began to pack.
“Buffalo, here I come!”
The flight turned out to be a private jet.
The car picking her up at the airport in Buffalo was a limo.
And the hotel was of the boutique variety in downtown Buffalo. After dropping her luggage off, the car had taken her over to the KeyBank Center where Simon was currently preparing to do his sound check.
Nikki greeted her with open arms. “I’m so freaking glad you’re here! I thought you were never going to speak to me again!”
Juliette felt terrible about that. “Please don’t hate me for being distant. The whole situation was just devastating, and I couldn’t deal with it. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. From the moment I came to work for Simon, you’ve been a friend to me. I’m really sorry.”
“We’re good, Jules. I’m still shocked at how it all went down, but I hope Max gets what’s coming to him. I mean, of all the people in the entertainment industry to go after, why Simon?”