“Have you seen the video?”
“I’ve been waiting to watch it with Jax for his commentary.”
“I’ve seen it,” George said.
“You’re in for a treat.” Hobbes took his phone out of his pocket. A second later the smart TV came on. “Assuming you enjoy watching Jax make a fool of himself.”
“Hey, I make good money making a fool of myself.”
Sam gave him a look that saidnot as much as you would if you finished your PhD. Hobbes joined in. George and Alice seemed not to notice or care. Jax liked George more every moment.
“I feel like I should’ve made popcorn,” Hobbes said, “but that would take longer than watching the actual video, so….” He hit Play.
The video had less charm on the big screen, and the sound quality was noticeably worse when played on the built-in TV speakers.
“So, hold on,” Sam said before it really got started. “How’d you end up playing in this guy’s show anyway? I love you, little brother, but an orchestral quality pianist you are not.”
“Dumb luck,” Jax admitted cheerfully. “The first pick got food poisoning, and the backup was stuck in traffic.”
On the screen, Jax raised his eyes and grinned as Ari responded to his first deviation from the song with an improvised echo, then a longer, more involved challenge.
In his arms, Alice turned toward the screen.
“Oh, you like the music, huh?” Jax asked, bouncing her a little and holding her around her middle so she didn’t squirm onto the floor. Their place wasn’t exactly babyproofed. The corners of the coffee table were sharp. “Good taste.”
“You can’t resist, can you?” Sam said, shaking her head. “Someone says ‘I dare you to keep up’ and it’s like they’re talking directly to your… disco stick.”
George made a noise like he was dying. Hobbes looked at Sam, raised an eyebrow, and tilted his iced tea toward her as though in a toast. “I like you.”
In the video, Jax’s eyes flickered from the keys to Ari. It was innocent; he hadn’t had time for more than a glance, and he’dneededto look—had to see where Ari was taking the song, see if he could catch a cue—but it looked for all the world like he was batting his eyelashes.
Which, fair enough. He’d done that too, when Ari came to the bar. But Ari had left without saying goodbye while Jax was in the middle of a set, so it looked like he’d have to work a little harder.
Jax really did love a challenge, dammit.
“You should come out and see the show sometime,” he said when the video ended. Maybe she’d let up about his ABD if she could see he was happy doing what he was doing. But of course she’d need a babysitter, and it wasn’t like she lived in the area, and—
“We would love to,” George said.
“In fact,” Sam said, “we’ll be getting more chances in the future.”
“Oh?” Jax’s heart leaped in anticipation.
“As you know, we’ve both been working almost exclusively from home for the past year, and George’s office has officially announced that they won’t be reopening—”
Jax swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.
“—and I’ve been looking for a change….”
“Put the poor man out of his misery,” George suggested.
Jax shot him a grateful look.
“We’re moving to London.”
“What?” Jax whipped his head round to stare at her. “What? When? Why?”
Sam laughed. “I got a new job here in town. As soon as we can. Actually, that’s why we’re here this weekend—house hunting.”
