Page 64 of The Fine Line
“Yes?” My head snaps up.
“Please hang around for a few minutes. We have a few things to discuss.”
My mouth parts slightly, and I realize who theweis when Bryan steps aside and I spot Linda behind him, her tight-lipped PR smile polished to perfection.
“Sure,” I manage. “No problem.”
It takes only a minute for the rest of the team to fileout. Then, without a word, Bryan and Linda motion for me to follow them into the hall.
We walk barely ten feet—though it feels like ten miles—before Bryan opens a door to another conference room and gestures me inside.
But I don’t get far before I realize the room isn’t empty.
My eyes land on Amy first, and my heart leaps into my throat. Because it’s never a good sign to get called into a surprise meeting with the head of HR.
Then I look to the side—and freeze.
“Dad?”
He sits a few feet from Amy, tapping his knuckles against the table. The look on his face—heavy with disappointment—is all too familiar. It’s the same one he used to wear when I got in trouble as a kid and he was searching for the right words to scold me. It slices me open from the inside out.
And then comes the final blow.
When I step further into the room, I see the last person seated at the table.
There it is.
The other shoe.
“Rhett.”
My voice is so low I’m not even sure it’s audible—but somehow, he hears it.
“Care—”
“Sutton, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll—for once in your life—not speak,” my dad cuts in, his jaw clenched.
“Dad, I?—”
“You too, kid,” he snaps, cutting me off.
I bite down on my lip, a rock settling in my stomach. My gaze drops to the floor as I try to collect my thoughts.
“She’s not a kid,” someone saysclearly.
It takes me a beat to realize it’s Rhett. I glance at him just in time to see my dad fix him with a cold, unreadable stare.
A throat clears.
I turn to see Bryan and Linda already seated, watching me expectantly.
“Can you please join us, Caroline?” Linda asks.
“Yes,” I nod quickly, taking the only available seat—unfortunately, right next to Rhett. I can feel his gaze on me, but I keep my eyes locked on Linda.
“So,” she begins, folding her hands, “no point tiptoeing around it. Our entire fanbase already knows the truth.”
Bryan clicks a remote, and a screen at the front of the room lights up.
