Page 17 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

“You didn’t pay attention to the details. So, you need balance?”

“And I need to redefine myself. Because…” She hated to say it. It made her look weak. Stupid. Two years ago, she wasTime’sPerson of the Year. She had more number-one songs than any other pop or country artist in the world.

And yet, she was so sheltered she’d lived her life in a bubble.

Which had popped.

Leaving her exposed, lonely, and very, very afraid.

When she didn’t immediately respond, he said, “I can’t solve your problems if I don’t know what they are.”

There was such authority in that voice. Such confidence. It made her want to tell him everything. “Because the people I loved most in the world betrayed me.”

ChapterFour

In the perfectstillness of the dark room, the heavy weight of emotions she’d been carrying lifted. Because she’d only talked about the situation to her manager and her dad.

And she needed to talk about it.

“Well, then.” His deep voice cracked the stillness. “My advice is to take the time you need to heal.”

“Really? I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“And then, you get back out there and kick some ass. Because at the end of the day, the ones who fucked you over are just bad people. And there’s not a damn thing you can do about that. But theywillget what’s coming to them. That’s guaranteed.”

“I know, I know. The best revenge is living a great life.” She’d heard that one plenty of times.

“Yeah, I don’t give a damn about revenge. The only thing that matters is me. What I’m doing, how I’m feeling. And I’m not about to stew in bitterness or negativity. When you get screwed over, of course, you’re going to be hurt for a while. That’s good. It’s fair. But after a few days, you’ve got to get out there and self-correct. Get yourself on the right track and ignore the people who screwed you over. Wipe them out of your mind. They don’t exist. Because—bottom line—you’re the only person responsible for the quality of your life.”

“You know, for a stranger who broke into my cabin in the woods, you give excellent advice. You’re right. It’s up to me to find my happiness.”Yes.

Screw Landon and Cissy. Screw her mom. Screw the press.

She needed to take all of it out of the picture. It had nothing to do with her new direction. “Okay, now it’s my turn. What do you hate about your job?”

“Nothing. I love my job.”

“Wait a minute. That’s not a second thing we have in common, is it? Did we just become best friends?”

He chuckled. “Well, before we start braiding each other’s hair, I have to qualify my answer. I loveaspectsof my job, but I hate the lack of authority over my decisions.”

She wished it wasn’t so dark. She needed to see him, read his expressions. “I mean, that’s probably true for everyone, right? It sounds like you need to go out on your own. Work for yourself.”

“I think you’re right. Because if I go back to work for someone else, then I’m not following my own advice.I’mresponsible for the quality of my life. And what am I doing if I’m not serving my clients in an authentic way? If I’m only using them for my commission?”

Okay, so he wasn’t a therapist. Someone who makes commissions—so, a salesman? A rush of affection made her pat his arm. “I think we just helped each other.”

“Yeah, Hellcat, I think we did.” He turned onto his side, his big body making the mattress shift. “Now that we’re best friends, you can explain why your sweats have figs on them.”

“Figs? That’s not…” She thought about the design. “They’re not figs. Besides, I thought you can’t see anything.” She had no idea what he was talking about.

“Can’t miss those bright purple figs.”

She’d arrived at the cabin with the contents of one carry-on bag and a tote stuffed with pens, notebooks, a sweater, and a pair of ballet flats. She’d had to order a lot of things, and she hadn’t paid much attention.

“They’re either that or pussies with seeds.”

“Pussies?” Lorelei was in the music industry, so she was used to raunchy language and behavior, but she’d never used that word in her life. And this man seemed so…cultured, polished. “Do you mean kitty cats or?—”

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