Page 55 of All I Want for Christmas
“On her way,” Max replied, and continued strumming softly, the feel and rhythm of his fingers on the guitar strings almost meditative.
“Okay. Well, I just saw Cruz heading upstairs lookingallbusiness,” Bobbi said, tapping her fingers against the doorjamb.
“We’re all set,” Max said, wishing they could do this without Cruz.
Bobbi nodded and went to leave, then turned back. “Well done again on the whole ‘lovers in Opryland’ thing,” she said. “You two really sold it.”
Moments after Bobbi left, Max’s phone pinged again. The text was from an unfamiliar number, and simply said:
FYI, your “girlfriend” isn’t who she pretends to be...
“What the...?” The message also contained a link, within which Max could see both Sadie’s and Cruz’s names. He washesitant to click it. This was his personal phone, and only so many people had the number. But it was strange that whoever sent the text, and link, hadn’t identified themselves.
Who is this?Max typed back. He felt compelled to click the link, but had the sense he wasn’t going to like what he saw once he did.
No answer arrived, no ghost dots showing there would be one. Max paused a moment longer, then opened the link. His eyes scanned the article, widening when he got to the photo buried in its middle. A photo—a bit grainy, a bit dark—of Sadie and Cruz looking awfully snuggly on a couch. Their heads were so close together Max had to zoom in to make sure they weren’t actually kissing. He felt a hit of relief to see they weren’t, though with barely an inch between their bodies, it was possible that they had just been or were about to. Either way, it was clearly an intimate moment.
He reread the article, his anger cresting.
HotStarGossip.com
BREAKING #SAXIE NEWS: Is There Trouble in Paradise? Sadie Hunter, We Know WhatYouDid Last Summer...
Moments ago, an anonymous source leaked this verified photo of Nashville royalty Max Brody’s girlfriend, Sadie Hunter, and top Nashville producer Cruz McNeil getting hot and heavy at Stagecoach last summer. The two were leading separate lives at the time, with Brody holed up at his songwriting retreat in Canada and Hunter on tour asTasha Munroe’s opening act. But we still believed they were the happy couple we’d seen winStarmakermonths earlier. Or were they?? Not long after,a rumorbegan to swirl that maybe the whole thing was faked... Could it be true? #Saxie, a sham?
Combined with photos taken this morning of Max and an upset-looking Sadie with an unidentified woman some sources say is Sadie’s mother, Lynn Hunter, it seems that something most definitely is amiss. Are those tears in Sadie’s eyes? Does she really look like a woman who is brunching with the love of her life?
Now take a look at McNeil and Hunter cozying up on that couch and try to tell us we’re not seeing what we think we are. When HotStarGossip reached out to Cruz McNeil for a comment, here’s what the lawsuit-embroiled restaurant owner and mega producer had to say: “Sadie had confided in me about a death in the family—she was heartbroken, obviously—and I was comforting her.”
We’ll keep doing our best to reach our #Saxie stars, or their reps, for a statement! Hang on to your hearts, there’s surely more to come...
His jaw tensed as he stared at the photo, wanting to disbelieve what he was seeing. But pictures didn’t lie, right? Then the texts on Sadie’s phone from Cruz popped into his mind, and he couldn’t ignore it any longer: the twohadbeen collaborating all along—against Max. He’d been manipulated, and he’d let it happen. He thought about Sadie’s apology at the hotel... Had it been merely a tactic? Well, if it was, he had fallen for it: hook, line, and sinker. He felt sick to his stomach, thinking about what a fool he’d been.
As the anger, hurt, and embarrassment bloomed in his gut, Max knew he had to get out of there. Right now.
He had just packed up his guitar when he heard: “Max? What are you doing?”
Sadie stood in the doorway, bundled in layers, a confused look on her face.
“You’re late,” Max said.
“Yeah, sorry.” Sadie looked at the clock on the wall—it was 8:41 a.m. “I had breakfast with my mom and traffic was... It doesn’t matter. I’m here now. And Cruz is stuck in a meeting apparently. But you look like you’re going somewhere?”
“Well, I am not staying here.” He barked out a short, mirthless laugh. She looked even more confused now. Max pulled out his phone, open to the article with the photo of Sadie and Cruz. He held it out, watched as the color drained from her face as she quickly read through the caption on the photo.
Sadie shook her head. “Where did you get this?”
“Does it matter?”
But Sadie seemed not to hear him. “Amalia texted, telling me to call her right away. I was with my mom and didn’t think...”
“Looks to me like you and Cruz got pretty darn cozy at Stagecoach,” Max said. “You know, even with the creepy age difference you two don’t look half bad together. No, really,” he added, “I think this is a good look for you, Sadie. At least for your career. I mean,Cruz McNeil.” Max whistled softly. “So glad he could be there for you in your time of need.”
They stared at one another.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sadie replied. “Nothing happened.”
Max laughed then. “Ha! Oh, you keep telling yourself that, princess. But this picture tells a different story. According to some updates to this article, sources are now saying you two are an ‘item.’ ”
