Crescendo

by Laurie Larsen

  Next, she’d set up a band account with a major newsletter provider that met all the legal requirements for spam mail and opt-ins. Then, she’d sent it, breath held, and fingers crossed.

  Every day now, she scanned the websites for results. And they were monumental. Legions of Frontier Fire fans had responded to her call to action and left positive reviews everywhere they could find. In addition to the Frontier Fire website and the venue websites being flooded with positive reviews, they also appeared on websites that sold Frontier Fire music, both in physical and digital form.

  Haley’s heart took flight, seeing the results she’d hoped for, but way bigger than she’d expected. Unable to contain her excitement, she jumped up in her hotel room and did a burst of jumping jacks. An ecstatic whoop of excitement escaped her mouth.

  A knock came at her door and she flung to face it. She walked to the door. She struggled to make her voice sound calm despite the adrenaline pumping through her. “Yes?”

  “Was that you?” Blake’s amused voice was filtered through the heavy door. Haley pulled it open and grabbed him. Squeezing his arms, she gave him a hearty hug.

  “Yes! Success! Come look.” She ran over to her laptop and pulled up the Frontier Fire website. She pointed at the legions of comments. He approached cautiously, gazing at her like he was afraid of what he’d see. “Look! Read some of these. People love Frontier Fire! People love you, Blake. Your reviews are awesome!”

  He bent at the waist, squinting in concentration as he scanned the website. “Hmmm,” he murmured and read another one.

  “All good stuff,” Haley verified. She took the mouse and paged through the list. “See? Every single one.”

  He shook his head, shaking off what he’d seen. “Okay,” he said dubiously. “Why? Why are thousands of fans leaving positive reviews this week?” He turned to look at her.

  “Because of my Positivity Campaign!” She beamed at him.

  Her exuberance did nothing to remove his frown. “What’s that?”

  “I know I mentioned it to you. Maybe you forgot with all you have going on.” His frown deepened, and then Haley wondered if she had, indeed, mentioned it to him at all. “It’s something Randall and I have been working on together,” she said, stretching the truth a little bit. She needed him to be happy about it, because, darn it, she was so happy about it.

  She took his hand and led him away from the laptop. She sat on the bed and he sat beside her. “Remember when Lindsay left all those nasty reviews on the internet about Ace in the Hole?”

  “Um. Well, someone did. We don’t know that Lindsay was behind all those.”

  Haley paused. Oh gosh, he was so far behind. “Okay, granted. I have theories, but I can’t prove it was all Lindsay. But anyway, some of the reviews started infiltrating the Frontier Fire site too.”

  Blake’s eyebrows went up nearly into his hairline. “Bad reviews? Did they mention me?”

  Haley blinked, remembering Randall’s instruction not to unsettle Blake with news of bad reviews. She needed to re-track here. “Let me start over. You know how the internet is a breeding ground of negativity?”

  Blake shrugged, and he looked confused.

  “Think about it. Anyone with an internet connection and an electronic device can leave a review on a product and hide behind the curtain of anonymity to say horrible things that they’d never say to someone’s face.”

  “O-o-o-kay,” Blake said.

  “So Randall and I ... well, I, mostly, and Randall okayed it, came up with a Frontier Fire Positivity Campaign. I created a campaign and sent out a newsletter to a whole bunch of Frontier Fire fans and encouraged them to spread the love.”

  “How do they do that?” Blake’s voice was quiet.

  “If they truly liked the concert they recently attended, they could go on the internet and leave a positive review. That’s all.”

  Blake stared at her. His creased forehead and his darting eyes told her that his brain was whirring. “You solicited for positive reviews? That’s not ethical, is it?”

  Haley’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean? It’s not unethical. What’s wrong with spreading positivity? It’s making the internet a happier place.” How could he possibly have a problem with this concept?

  “But reviews are supposed to be uncoerced. Someone who liked something enough to leave a review. Asking for a positive review ... I don’t know, there’s just something sketchy about it. Especially when it’s about me.”

  Haley scanned her brain and couldn’t understand his resistance.

  “This is back to the Lindsay thing, right?” His gaze was piercing her, and she looked up. “Lindsay left a few negative comments and now you’re using an army of Frontier Fire fans to fight her. That’s not right, Haley.”

  She tried to think of a response but couldn’t. Was he right? Even though the Positivity Campaign was, on its own, a constructive thing, was she doing it for the wrong reasons? Spreading positivity with no ulterior motive was a good thing. Spreading positivity to get the better of an enemy. Was that so wrong?

  Blake went on, “I feel uncomfortable with this. You’re putting me in a position that you’re leading this big campaign that without you ... and without me ... Frontier Fire wouldn’t be doing. Or have the need to do. It just seems ... forced. I don’t know.” He cleared his throat. “Frontier Fire fans will either like me, or they won’t. Don’t force them to say they like me. It’s ... I don’t know ... embarrassing.”

  Haley put her hands over her eyes and rubbed them down her cheeks. She needed to be a mature professional about his reaction. Just because she thought it was a great idea, and just because she was so happy about the vast positive results, didn’t mean that he had to agree with her.

  But darn it, he was putting a major damper on her parade!

  She shrugged. “I disagree with you.”

  He studied her face. “And I disagree with you.” He paused, then leaned in closer to her, his voice urgent. “Let it go. Let this whole Lindsay thing go. It’s not healthy, Haley.”

  “But the Positivity Campaign ...”

  “Is done now, right? You did it. You got a ton of positive reviews. Good for you. Now, it’s over.”

  But she had more plans. What if she could use the power of Frontier Fire fans to support Ace in the Hole? Chances are, if they liked Blake as front man, they’d be interested in seeing Ace if they were at a venue close by. What could possibly be wrong with using their contacts to increase Ace’s popularity and audience? This was the way to do it. She had all these Frontier Fire fans in the palm of her hand. What was wrong with that?

  But she knew enough to keep that to herself. Blake would blatantly disagree with her, and she didn’t want to cause an argument. It was just another of those band manager-behind-the-scenes things that the talent didn’t need to know about. The musicians didn’t need to see how the sausage was made, but they sure would enjoy the wonderful taste of the finished sausage.

  She gave him a sweet smile. “Let’s agree to disagree, shall we?”

  But his face hardened. “What do you mean? What do you plan to do next?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about.”

  He shook his head. “No secrets between us, Haley. I feel strongly about this Lindsay thing. It’ll blow over. Don’t enrage her. We’re above that.”

  Haley scoffed. “I’m not scared of her.” She reached up to run a finger over Blake’s tense features, but he pushed her finger away.

  “I want you to drop it.”

  “I know you do. You’ve made that very clear. But I disagree.”

  Blake stared at her, then the light went out of his eyes. His frown creases eased as he got to his feet. “I need some time to think about this, Haley. I’ll catch you later.” He strode to the door.

  Haley got to her feet and raced after him. “Blake ... don’t ...” she said as he left through the doorway.

  He lifted a hand and disappeared into the hallway.

  Chapter S
eventeen

  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.”

&nb
sp; 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.”