Chapter Six – Blast from the past.
Idrank too much and stumbled home to climb into my pod. It shut the noise out but did nothing for the hangover I would have to battle through the next morning. I made a recovery drink and headed out the door, intending to go to the gym.
Just as I put the key in the ignition, Meka texted me.
Meka: Enjoy your day off and have a great trip! We’re rooting for you!
I looked at her message, and it took way too long for it to click. I was not supposed to be in the office.
Thank the heavens above!
I ran back into the house and jumped in my bed. Sleep was what I needed. Damn the task list I’d set up for the day. I could do it later.
I had to be on set the next morning for a live training session that would be broadcasted around the country and in some territories overseas.
It would sell merch and expand my brand.
Their promotion for the episode combined with our social media push had already gotten more new clients in the gym, reinforcing my dream of future expansions.
I stayed in bed until the reminder I’d set sounded. Since I’d packed my things days prior, I was able to hop up, brush the sleep from my breath, and head right out the door. Tayvion had agreed to use her powers to pop in on Sire and make sure she was good, so I had nothing to worry about there.
During the flight, I sipped a cool ginger ale while I wrote up an article I’d been contracted to write for a local magazine.
I reviewed two new contracts, checked our social media analytics, and approved ten new posts put together by our social media manager.
Then, I ordered a copy of To Conjure Love.
I’d surprise Tayvion and show up to the book club.
Fresh off my flight, I headed straight to the studio.
It was late, but it was important to me to make sure everything was good with the setup.
I'm glad I went there, because I found out they had the wrong mats.
They had thin, pathetic things you would get from a dollar store, nothing that would support people and cushion their hips and legs and feet when we worked through our moves.
After giving notes to the producer to have them replaced, I was free to go to the hotel and rest.
As soon as I got into the room, I showered and ate the complimentary meal that I had chosen ahead of time.
If I hadn't, I would have ended up ordering something completely unhealthy—in any other case, that would have been fine.
But I was already trying to get my mind right for the next day.
The last thing I needed was indigestion.
After I ate, I lay in my bed with my laptop, checking notifications. Once again, I saw on the calendar in the computer system that I had been scheduled with Likosa. I opened my phone, and the calendar invite was not there.
“We really need to see what's going on with this system. There is no way I shouldn't be getting the updates in real time,” I muttered.
I shot off a quick e-mail to Meka and Tim, asking them to work together to help clear up the issue. They would need to send a note to the service provider and make sure they had an update for us. We were paying way too much money to have simple issues like that not going through.
Girl, you are supposed to be resting right now. Big day tomorrow! It is time to shut off the brain and relax!
I opened the calendar again, staring at the name on my calendar. Two days after I returned home, I would be back in that space with Likosa, and I wasn't sure if I could handle it.
“I should really stop this now.” And that thought gave me instant chest pangs. “Let me book a therapy session.”
I sent an e-mail to my therapist and asked her for the soonest session she could fit me in for, closed the laptop, and went to bed.
Luckily, when I woke up the next morning, I felt perfectly fine.
I got dressed and headed out the door to meet my driver.
He showed up with the exact coffee I said I liked the day before.
It wasn’t until I saw it in his hand that I remembered him asking, and I was grateful, because by the time I made it to the studio, those people snatched me up so fast, I was grabbing for the wig I wasn’t wearing.
And as much as I hated being rushed to do anything, they got no complaints out of me. In fact, this was the first time I felt grateful to be pushed around at lightning speed, because it gave me no time to spend overthinking things back at home.
The rush of assistants, makeup artists, and coordinators had me firmly planted in the moment.
This was a big deal. I was on a national segment, one they would broadcast on multiple shows and refer to for at least six months.
That was how this went. And if I did a good job, it would open the door to a new era in my business, one where I was confident and successful and had international clients because, honey, that was my next goal.
“Ms. Carter? We’re ready for you.” The man, who sported a relaxed gray hoodie and a headset, peeked into my dressing room. “Are you good to go?”
“Yes, of course.” I nodded.
“Just so you know, we made a few changes to the setup you saw yesterday. It’s not much, just a different shooting angle.
I noticed with the original positioning, the sun would have been right in your face, and you would have been squinting through most of the segment.
” He winked at me. “That beautiful face deserves better! Other than that, everything is to your specifications.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you.” I smiled as I followed his quick pace.
“Oh, and thank you for letting us know about the mats ahead of time. We wouldn’t have wanted anyone to hurt themselves,” he spoke as I followed him down the hall and out the side of the studios to the open area where my segment would be recorded. “Talk about a legal nightmare, am I right?”
“Wouldn’t want that.” I nodded politely and kept my thoughts to myself about how his first concern wouldn’t have been the person but the paperwork.
We rounded the corner and was met with rising cheers. A crowd of fifty women, all wearing shades of blue, clapped their hands and called out to me.
“Wow, I guess it worked,” I gasped. “They actually did it.”
“What’s that?”
“Our social media manager put out a call for everyone to wear blue. It’s my favorite color.”
“Oh, I love that! I was wondering what that was.” He snapped his fingers.
“We thought about having them all wear the logo of the show, but once we saw the coordination, I told them to keep it! I’ll send a note to the host to make sure to mention it.
It will help showcase how strong your community is and make people want to jump in and join. ”
“Yeah, they’re wonderful. Thanks.” He echoed the same sentiments as my social media manager, and I made a mental note to send her a gift for it. It was a brilliant idea.
As I took my place in front of the crowd and allowed the tech to get me set up with a mic, all I could do was smile at the women in front of me.
I could already feel their energy—nervous, chaotic, just the kind I liked to be around.
It meant I would have a special impact on them.
Before we started, I imagined that blanket of energy and pressed it out from me to cover the crowd.
This time, I used a low, calming energy, one that wouldn't stir up any but would still allow them to get into the workout. I didn’t want anyone to be overly worried about the surrounding cameras.
Ten minutes later, after an introduction I was glad I couldn’t hear, they gave me the signal to begin.
As soon as the little red light lit on the camera in front of me, I went into total trainer mode as I walked the women through the move sets I wanted them to do.
At first, I feared it might be too difficult to lead the class of so many on such a large stage, but it was actually a lot easier than I imagined.
The women all took to my style quickly, which made sense, since so many of them had followed me on social media.
I had to hide the proud-mother look on my face when I worked through the crowd.
I was met with perfect forms, and even when they weren’t perfect, they were still so confident.
Only a few of the women needed an extra energetic push from me.
I wanted every session to be like that: women who were full of confidence in their bodies, no matter the size.
The workout lasted a quick fifteen minutes, but I tried to give them plenty of tools they could take and use in their everyday lives. I wanted the women who took part and those who would eventually watch the segment to have a quick routine that could change their lives if they did it consistently.
It was about seven minutes into the segment that I recognized a familiar energy but couldn’t spot the source.
And it was about seven minutes before the end of it when I realized where it came from.
Right in the center of the group was a woman I’d known intimately many years prior.
Jenna, a college flame that burned out in one of the most dramatic displays I’d ever been a part of.
I blamed it on both of us still being too young for the heaviness of our relationship, and Jenna wanted things to move a lot faster than I did.
Two months into our relationship, Jenna was already talking about marriage, but I could only think about making it to graduation.
When I refused to discuss a big, elaborate future with her, it all went downhill.
They become accessories…Maybe Tayvion was right about that.
Like the professional I was, I kept the shock from my face, acting as if I didn’t know her at all.
Nope, I didn’t recognize the woman who used to sit on my face!
I didn’t mean for it to be cruel, but I couldn’t allow anything to disrupt my goal.
She stared at me with longing eyes every time I got near her, and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.