Page 80 of Last Chorus

We turn to see our moms walking toward us, both of them beaming. I gently squeeze the back of Evangeline’s neck, bending to whisper, “If you get overwhelmed, hide in my bedroom.”

She nods subtly. The moment my touch leaves her neck, a practiced smile slides over her face, her eyes lighting up. She rushes forward to hug both women, then she and Sophie walk arm in arm down the hallway and vanish around the corner.

A pointed throat clearing brings my attention to my mom. Before she can voice the concern I see brewing in her eyes, I pull her into my side.

“I’m okay, Mom. I’ve honestly never been this happy.”

She makes a soft, sympathetic sound. “Or this sad.”

I grunt as the words land. “That too.” I give her a squeeze, then let her go. “Thanks for putting this together.”

She smiles. “Of course. We’re missing a lot of the crew, but that’s what you get with a bunch of twenty-somethings in the mix. All the old folks are here, though.”

Emma’s distinctive screech carries down the hall before tapering into a high-pitched giggle. A chorus ofadult laughter follows, including Evangeline’s. A knot inside me releases.

My mom adds with a grin, “And the star of the show. Come on, let’s go see everyone.”

My phone vibrates. Glad for the excuse to have a few seconds alone, I pull it from my pocket. “Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

With a squeeze of my arm and a soft smile, she walks away. I lift my phone to my ear as I turn and veer into what used to be the piano room.

“Shelley? What’s up?”

My publicist’s voice is sharp as ice and freezes me mid-step.

“I just got off the phone with one of my media contacts. You were right.”

I sag against a bookshelf. “Fuck. How much time do I have?”

“Monday morning.” She pauses. “Most major entertainment outlets.”

Frissons of anxiety skitter up my legs, wrapping spiked tendrils around my chest.

Two days.

Since that lunch in Los Angeles four months ago, I’ve known this was coming. Clay was never going to go down without a fight. His ego is too big, his pockets too deep, and he hates me almost as much as I hate him.

But I thought I’d have more warning. More time to prepare.

As panic roars in my ears, I realize he must have found out Evangeline was with me. There’s no way the leak came from the security guard who let her through the gate, so she must have picked up a tail somewhere in Seattle. Maybe when she landed or at her parents’ house. Hell, for all I know, there was a telephoto lens on the speedboat we saw when we were on the beach last week. I remember thinking it was strange when it slowed as it passed.

Chances are I’ll never know. This is Clay’s hometown. Between his shady contacts and his father’s, it was only a matter of time.

It doesn’t matter, anyway. He’s calling my bluff.

The reckoning is here.

“Wilder?” Shelley’s tone tells me it’s not the first time she’s said my name.

“I’m here. What’s the angle?”

“What you thought it would be.” For the first time since meeting Shelley eight years ago, I hear a tremble in her voice.

The first zings of anger heat my blood. “Is fact-checking not a thing anymore? Everyone’s willing to publish whatever stupid rumor will sell more ad space?”

She hesitates. “He went to the press himself. It’s aninterview. My source is trying to get her hands on it, but I’m not hopeful.”

I clench my teeth so hard pain blooms in my temples. “Fucking figures. He’s made a career off convincing people of lies.”

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