Page 44 of The Roads We Follow

“Hattie and Peter were married for ten years and have two kids together—as you know by now. Aiden and Annabelle. He had an affair with a woman half his age who was also Farrow Music’s top-producing popstar at the time.”

“I think I remember reading something about that. What was that—a year ago?” As much as I try to avoid the clickbait news articles that pop up in my morning news feed, Luella’s name has always held more intrigue than other celebrity gossip.

“Almost eighteen months ago now. Adele discovered their affair at the office and it was ... horrible. For everyone involved.” Raegan shudders at whatever memory she’s reliving. “There’s been so much drama since then, but ultimately, when Adele fired Peter, Francesca broke her contract and pulled her entire catalogue from the label. Peter was the head of the legal department, and Adele claims he altered Francesca’s contract right before the news of the affair leaked so that her legal consequences for exiting the label’s contract prematurely would be minimal. Honestly, I don’t know all the details, but I do know that after Peter filed for wrongful termination, we didn’t see Adele for months. She basically lived at the office, andHattie was...” Raegan shakes her head, and this time she glances down at her feet. “I stayed with her for a while, helped with the kids, cooked meals, checked homework and made school lunches, and was her emotional support during the divorce and custody trial. Not to mention the go-between for her and Adele, as well.”

I scan the tension lines in her face. “That all sounds very difficult.”

“It was.”

“And you think he might also be the one behind this?”

She tips her head back to rest against the concrete structure, and I snap my eyes away from the smooth skin of her neck to the mini-mart windows behind her where I can clearly see Luella and her two daughters walking the snack aisles inside. “For Hattie’s sake, I really, really don’t want it to be him. But he checks all the boxes. He knows so much about our family history—he married into it. There were dates and details and retellings of events in those early sample chapters my editor friend sent over that only Mama’s closest circle would know.” I watch as she tugs on her bottom lip and slowly meets my eyes. “That’s why I thought maybe your mom could have been...”

“I get it.” I reach out and squeeze her shoulder before she can apologize. “I would have thought the same thing if the situation were reversed. The circumstantial evidence was pretty condemning.”

“I’m wondering if Peter might have been siphoning information from the employee Adele just let go for confidentiality issues. The woman worked with Peter directly for years, but I couldn’t find anything more than her name and past position. I was hoping to find something concrete to confirm my theory, but Adele’s emails on the subject were pretty cryptic.”

“Do you think he was paying this woman for information he could use in the book?”

“Possibly. I don’t know. The synopsis I read promised an outline of the poor business decisions Farrow Music Productions made from the beginning, and how the label was founded on fraud.” She grips her head with both hands. “He would so do something like that.”

From the corner of my eye, I glimpse my other three passengers lining up at the register inside the building and know this conversation will need to wrap up in a matter of minutes.

“Why not tell your family about this?” I ask. “I’m sure Adele would—”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I can’t do that. Not yet. Hattie is in too fragile a place with her kids gone right now—they’re literallywithPeter for goodness’ sake. And Adele is so stressed about Mama’s appearance at this festival going perfectly that something like this could completely derail everything she’s been working toward at the label.” She lowers her voice. “Chip, my editor friend, warned me that even if I could find out who the author behind this is, they’re still in contract with the publisher. If it’s Peter, then I have no chance of negotiating with him.”

“The way you did with me.”

She holds my gaze. “Nothing in me wanted it to be you, Micah.”

Her admission causes the space between us to shrink, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve taken a step toward her or if she’s taken one closer to me. Either way, I’m close enough to smell the berry scent of her shampoo and see the luminous shimmer of whatever pixie dust she brushed atop her cheekbones this morning. I like it. I like her.

I stuff my hands into the pockets of my shorts to keep from touching her without invitation. “Would it help to talk through the other suspects you’ve considered?”

Her face drops. “I wrote out a list of every long-term staff member we’ve had at the house, along with Mama’s closest friends, but none of them make much sense. They’ve either signed Adele’s ironclad nondisclosure agreement or wouldn’t know the specific details I read in those early sample chapters.”

“What about Tav?” I regret the question as soon as it’s out.

“Tav is not the author.”

I school my expression to keep it in check. “Why not? You told me he’s been a friend of yours for a long time. I’m guessing he would have been given similar access to your family as Hattie’s ex.”

“Cheater Peter and Tav are not the same. And please don’t try totherapist meinto telling you why.”

“Therapist you?” I laugh.

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t, actually. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m still unemployed.”

“Ha, right. I’m pretty sure the once-a-therapist-always-a-therapist slogan applies to you.” She narrows her eyes. “You know, at first I couldn’t figure out why I kept sharing so much with a person I just met, but I know now. And I know about your tricks.” She crosses her arms over her chest and doubles down. “Tav is not a suspect. Sure, I might have questioned that a few months ago, but his motivations are different now.”

“In what way?”

She hikes her eyebrow in an I’m-on-to-you way.

“Listen.” I hold up my palms. “I’m just trying to make sure no rock is left unturned here. If you tell me you’re confident he’s not the one behind this, then I’ll support his removal from your proverbial suspect list.”

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