Page 88 of Almost Perfect
Danita’s brows jumped on her forehead. “Youwerehiding out?”
“I was running away. Or, sure, hiding out. But not because I’d murdered my mother.”
“Then why?”
“The last few years have been very challenging. Obviously, my mother’s death affected me deeply. In the midst of things, I handled it the only way I knew how—by working. But my work suffered, not surprisingly. My last few albums haven’t been the quality I expect of myself, and I know fans have been disappointed. Paired with the rumors about me and Bri, and that I was at fault for my mother’s passing… I needed a break.”
The woman across from Calla nodded with understanding. “And why Utah? Why some sleepy little ski town where no one would know you? That might be what people find most suspicious.”
Calla laughed and gave a hint of a wry smile. That look sent a bolt of relief through me. I’d be yelling at the women to shut up and leave me alone by now, but Calla handled each little nudge like a pro.
“I was actually born there.”
“What? Really?”
Calla nodded. “I was. Until this trip, I hadn’t been back there since I left home after being discovered at a mall when I was fourteen. And when everything was crashing down, I felt like the only place I wanted to be was the one place I’d known as home.”
“That’s lovely.”
“I’m not sure about that, but it’s true. I wanted to see if I could find a way back to feeling like myself.”
“And could you? Have you found yourself again?”
The air around me stilled. This, or something like it, had been the question I’d been waiting for.
“I’m getting there. I don’t think that’s something that happens overnight. But it was the right choice to go. I’ve met wonderful friends there, and I’ve reconnected with parts of me I’d lost sight of.”
“That sounds wonderful. And what about this man? Have you found love again?” Danita nodded and in seconds, a picture of me in downtown Silverton appeared—looked like even without a quote, the guy outside the library had been able to sell a photo or two.
A sound of disbelief tripped out of me, and Warrick said, “Oh, boy. At least she didn’t use your name.”
Calla had warned me they had it, which I obviously already knew thanks to the reporter getting in my face days ago. She’d promised that she’d do whatever she could to keep Danita from using it, and it seemed she’d succeeded. My whole chest felt tight knowing she’d taken the time to try to protectmein the midst of fighting for herself.
“Have you found love again?”What a question, and the reason her answer mattered so much smacked me like a horse tail to the face.I love her.Ihadfound love. What I’d forbidden myself to feel or even truly search for, I’d found in Calla. Falling for her had been the most natural thing in the world despite the obvious reasons it didn’t make sense.
A ragged breath dragged out of me, like my heart had exerted itself just to get my brain the message.
They hadn’t filmed Calla’s response since they’d shown the shot of me on the screen, but when they flipped back to her, there was almost no expression on her face. Completely locked down into a barely there neutral smile.
“We’re good friends. I stayed near where his family lives, and they’ve been a great help to me.”
Warrick shifted on the couch next to me. “Guess that keeps it nice and vague.”
Of course she wouldn’t spill the truth about us here and now. She’d already told me that, too. It was the only thing wehadtalked about—what to expect when I saw the interview. And though she’d prepped me well, the realities of her life and what she’d been through were like sandpaper against my skin. Because we hadn’t talked about how shedidfeel. And now that I knew how I felt, it hollowed me out.
“Any guesses how Bri feels?”
Calla allowed a larger, warm smile. The petty part of me balked at the sight, though I understood she wasn’t about to broadcast who I was or what our relationship was to the world. I wouldn’t want that, and I’d been relieved when she’d explained it.
Though that begged a question I’d been asking since she’d left more than two days ago. Who was I to her, and what was our relationship now? Were we together? Could we even be? I loved this woman, and I ultimately had very little idea where this was going.
For a man who’d thought he knew where he was going and what he wanted, I’d torn every possible plant up in the garden I’d grown and they’d all been weeds. Lies I’d told myself, standards I’d claimed mattered, impossible ideas of an unreal, non-existent person to keep me from ever attaining the dream. Now, there was room for new plants, new growth. But my garden was here.
And would she come back to Silverton, really? After being back in LA and seeing everything there, what she’d been missing, would she want to return to our“sleepy mountain town”and live?
“Bri is great. As you know, the rumors about me cheating were false. The person who claims to have been with me is not someone I’ve ever been with in that way but had knowledge of my tattoos after overhearing a conversation. As for me and Bri, we split amicably, and I wish him the best. I know we’ll be friends a long time, just like we were before.”
Danita seemed appeased and pressed on to ask about future albums, tour plans, and a few more publicity items before they signed off.
