Page 184 of Iced Up Love: Part Two
I don’t argue.
The meeting room is too warm. Too bright. Too… normal. There are two people already sitting there, laptops open, papers spread out, expressions polite but focused in that way that tells me this isn’t optional.
“Jackson,” one of them says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Good to see you.”
“Yeah.”
“First of all,” the other one adds, “we’re really glad to hear Lia is doing better.”
I nod. “She’s home.”
“That’s great,” she says. “We’re all really relieved.”
There’s a beat.
“We do need to talk about your return.”
Of course we do.
“You’ve been pretty absent the last couple of weeks,” she continues carefully. “Which we understand, given the circumstances, but we need to start re-establishing your presence.”
My jaw tightens slightly.
“I thought Michael was doing a lot of that.”
“He has been,” she says, “but he’s stepped back from being the primary face, and you’re our rookie. You’re… the future of the team. We need you to step into that role more consistently.”
I lean back slightly in the chair, tension settling deeper into my chest.
“I don’t really want to be the face right now.”
They exchange a quick glance.
“We understand that,” she says, “but part of the agreement with your new agent was that while you’d have more flexibility for personal matters, you’d remain active in your public presence.”
There it is.
The trade.
The cost.
“We’ve got media lined up,” the other adds. “Social reactivation, interviews, content. We need to show that you’re back, that the team is stable, that everything is moving forward.”
Everything is moving forward.
The words feel hollow.
“Do I have a choice?” I ask.
A small pause.
“Not really,” she says gently.
Of course not.
“Fine,” I say.
“We’ll start easing you back in,” she continues, already shifting into planning mode. “We’ll work with you on rebuilding your brand moving forward.”
