She felt that weight on her shoulders as she stood up and leaned against the window, facing them all. "It's going to be great," she said, hoping she exuded confidence. "I know we have a ton of customers who want to help. And when we get the word out that one of the reasons for the calendar contest is to keep The Fix open and operating, we'll have even more support."
"I'm not sure about that," Tyree said. "You seriously want us to announce that we're in dire straits?"
She met his eyes. "Absolutely. Not that it's dire. But just the facts. The balloon note is due at the end of the year. And if the money isn't there, The Fix will go away. Austin's a town that loves its local institutions. We just need to give the people a reason to support us."
He leaned back, clearly not thrilled with the idea, but he looked from Reece to Brent in turn, and when they both nodded, he shifted his attention to Easton. "Well, counselor? You see a downside to this?"
"Honestly, no. There's a whole population of Austinites who'll want to help a place like The Fix stay open. Good food, awesome drinks, great service, and a music line-up that includes lots of local bands. Get the word out, and they'll come. And if they don't..." He trailed off with a shrug. "Well, that's something you need to know, too, right?"
Tyree didn't answer immediately, but he nodded slowly. Finally, he looked up at Jenna. "Fine. But we're sharing facts, not weaving sob stories."
"Exactly," she confirmed. "And keep in mind, the calendar contest is only one arm of the octopus. We've got new marketing ideas, other ways to monetize. A whole laundry list of marketing goodness. In fact, we're starting full-blown on Saturday at Eeyore's Birthday Party," she added, referencing the annual Austin event where The Fix was going to have a stall selling beer, drinks, and limited snacks. "I'll have flyers letting folks know that an expanded menu is in the works, and also advertising the contest. So expect sign-ups by next week."
She moved behind Tyree and put one hand on his shoulder. "In other words, we've got this." Her eyes met Reece's as she spoke. "You just have to have faith."
"And with the four of us leading the charge," Reece added, "there's no way we'll fail."
"Ted Henry might have something to say about that," Tyree said, referring to the man who'd made him the original loan. A man who Easton had learned just happened to be one of the major investors in Bodacious and its related bars and restaurants.
"Ted Henry's a two-faced bastard who'll end up getting exactly what's coming to him," Brent said. "I keep telling Faith that bad guys get their comeuppance. I'm not letting the prick make a liar out of me."
"I say we drink to that," Tyree said. "Reece, you want to do the honors?"
"Hell yes," he said, then went behind the bar and came back with a tray topped with five pints. They raised their glasses, and Tyree looked at each of them in turn. "To the best friends a guy could hope to have."
"Right back at you," Brent said. He glanced at his watch. "And since we open in about an hour, I think it's time we all get to work. So we can keep our promises to earn shit tons of money over the next seven months."
"Deal," Jenna said, just before Aly poked her head in and waved for attention.
"Sorry to interrupt, but there's a woman here who says she's supposed to meet with Jen. Her name's Maia?"
"Be right there," Jen said. Then to Tyree, she added, "See? I told you your regulars want to help."
"That girl's a sweetheart," Tyree said. "Been coming here since she was an undergrad."
"We met in grad school," Jenna told him a few minutes later, when the two of them walked out to meet the vibrant black woman who hurried over to greet them, the beads on the ends of her tiny braids flashing in the bar's dim morning lighting.
"I'd love to officially work with Jen on all of this," Maia told Tyree after she'd given him a hug in greeting. "But we're doing an event for the corporation that owns Bodacious." She grimaced. "Conflict. But I've got all sorts of contacts to share with Jen. And," she added, "I have some ideas about bringing in talent. And there's no conflict issue when I'm just shooting the shit with a friend."
"Don't you do anything to get in trouble," he said.
Maia pressed her hand against her chest and fluttered her eyes. "Me? Perish the thought. Now go away," she added, waving him off. "Go be productive and let us talk."
He chuckled but did as she ordered. "You're sure it's okay?" Jenna asked again, once he was out of earshot.
"Sweetie, I never do anything that would mess with my business. Especially not so soon after making partner. But helping a friend? Helping to keep my favorite bar's doors open? I mean, this is the place that helped me make partner in the first place. If my former boss weren't so busy with her touring schedule, then she'd still be a solo act, and I'd be an employee. But Tyree let her perform, and her career took off. And now here I am in all my marketing glory."
"Fair enough," Jenna said, laughing. And Maia did have a point. Her partner was Cam's sister, Kiki King, a singer/songwriter in Pink Chameleon, a Grammy award-winning band.
"Speaking of, PC's on tour right now, but I think they might be able to perform in October for the wrap-up of your calendar contest."
"That would be amazing," Jenna said. She and the guys had agreed that the twelve events would be held on alternating Wednesdays, with the competition for Mr. January taking place on the third Wednesday in May. Just two and a half short weeks away.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the schedule," she told Maia. "I figure we need to build excitement with each of the twelve contests. I don't want interest to lag, so we have to get more and more creative over the course of the twelve events."
"That would be my advice," Maia said, pushing her purple glasses higher on her nose. "You want to start with a bang, of course, but at the same time, you want excitement to build. Because falling enthusiasm will be a death blow to success."
"But no pressure," Jenna said, and they both laughed. Aly came over then to take their lunch orders, and the conversation shifted to nitty-gritty things like how exactly to build that magical excitement, which printers in town were reliable, which morning TV shows were always looking for content, and which local celebrities might be induced to enter the contest. Or, if not that, to promote either the contest or The Fix itself.