I huffed out a sigh and scrubbed my face.“Apparently.”
“I told Judith you were sleeping off a headache and you’d be in a little later.You still good to come to work?”
This was weird, having him call me from my office.Not that I was complaining since he’d provided my excuse.“I’m good.Be there as soon as I can.Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I hung up and went to hand Adam back his phone, but he was already gone.I fumbled my way through getting ready for work.Definitely wasn’t cut out for long nights and early mornings, but yesterday was worth it—both the afternoon and the inspiration that hit last night.
Adam was working at the kitchen table, like every work day morning last week.
I slid him his phone.“How goes it?”
“Not great, but I’m working on a plan.”
I hid my eyeroll.He was always working on a plan.Until he found a better plan.“So the manufacturing and design idea is gone?”I asked.
“No.”He looked at me with a frown.“That’s the plan.Just because the workshop is gone doesn’t mean I’ve given up.”
“Oh.Okay.”That was new for him.I grabbed the coffee pot, did some basic math, and set it back down.“Is this fresh?”
“Depends on what you mean byfresh.Danny made it a few hours ago.”
Which explained why the pot was cold.Fuck.I’d grab something on the way to the office.
Traffic was light this late in the morning, something to be grateful for, and I was more awake by the time I reached the building where AcesPlayed was located.
The moment I stepped through the front door, Ivan—our office manager and Judith’s assistant—stopped me.“Boss wants to see you.”
A lot of people didn’t like that phrase, but it had never meant bad news for me.Walking in two hours late might change that statistic.“When?”
“She said as soon as you got in.She’s not in a meeting right now, want me to tell her you’re on your way?”
“Sure.”Why the fuck not.I bypassed the music room and headed to the far corner of the floor where Judith’s office was.She had the only view in the place, and it wasn’t a great one, but she’d earned it.
She looked up when I knocked on the doorframe, and motioned for me to come in.“Close the door.”
I let it swing shut behind me and took a seat across from her.With another drag of too-hot coffee, I was ready for conversation.“What’s up?”
“How’s the headache?”
The… Oh, right.“Better, thanks.”I held up my coffee cup.“Caffeine makes the world go round.”
“That’s a truth.So, Friday night, the Christmas party.”
“It was awesome?”I had no idea from her tone where this was going.
She nodded.“Also a truth.Reese and Danny… Tell me why you’ve never collaborated with them.”
“I have?”
“For work.For us.A friend’s son watches these videos with people singing to video game music.Can we do that?With them?”
Not where I expected this to go at all.It didn’t change my answer, though.Or rather, Reese’s answer.“No.”
“Why not?”Judith frowned.“You’ve got that recording of them here, singing to your song.Danny’s lyrics.You always tell mecontract issues.Phillip told me the same.What kind of contract?”
“The shitty kind.”I didn’t need to mince words with Judith.