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1
Emma Hart (Emily Hartford)
Cheers echoed in Emma’s ears even though she’d long since left the venue. A wave of exhaustion crashed over her, but then why wouldn’t it? Tonight had been the fifth show in half as many weeks, and every show only added to the burn-out she couldn’t seem to overcome.
She wandered down the long, wide hallway at the small airport they’d found in an obscure part of New York. There were hopper flights leaving for bigger cities and private planes like hers at this particular airport, which meant she didn’t have to worry about being mobbed by her fans.
Even if she’d been scheduled to leave from the larger international airport, she’d done a decent job at covering her identity. Her brunette hair was pulled up into her hat, and her oversized sunglasses covered most of her face.
Emma’s steps slowed as she caught sight of a familiar plane—her private plane. She drew closer to the large windows andwatched the crew prepare it for her flight. What would happen if she simply didn’t board? Would they even notice? Maybe the crew would take off with the assumption that she was in the lavatory. That brought a smirk to her lips, even though she knew it would never happen. Rachel would never allow it. She was the one person on Emma’s team that was too good for her job.
A sigh burst from Emma’s lips. Normally she’d be excited for her flight home. She would settle down with a book, compose some more music that her lyricist would put words to, and she’d get some much-needed rest.
That wasn’t going to happen this time. Her manager had already told Emma that she was trying to get a few things moved in her schedule so her book launch and her upcoming tour schedule wouldn’t clash.
Tracing her fingers against the glass, Emma once again considered turning around and leaving the way she’d come. She could call a cab and go hide away in some hotel for a few weeks.
Except Rachel would probably have her head. And as of right now, Emma didn’t have any reason to run. Nothing was officially scheduled for the next three months. She was just borrowing trouble. There was no need to worry herself over what might happen when she returned home to LA.
As if thinking about her manager was enough to summon her, Emma’s phone rang, and Rachel’s face populated the screen. Emma groaned and then steeled herself to answer. “Rachel,” she said with more energy than she’d had in weeks. “What’s up?”
“Emma! Glad I caught you before your flight. I have excellent news. You’re not going to believe it, but the recording studio is willing to move you up in the schedule.”
Emma’s heart sank. This was what she’d been expecting, and she wasn’t thrilled in the slightest.
“Isn’t that wonderful?” Rachel continued. “This never happens. But of course, they’re willing to do anything for their favorite country music star.”
“Great,” Emma murmured.
“That’s not even the best of it. I spoke to your publisher. They want to bring up the release date. Instead of an end-of-the-summer timeline, they want to do it in two weeks.”
“In two weeks!” Emma stammered. “Isn’t that too soon? Don’t they have to plan for marketing? I haven’t heard anything about the book in my socials or on the radio. Are they even ready?”
“You let them worry about that. They already gave you the advance?—”
“Yeah, but that advance requires me to be at a couple signings.”
“And you get to pick which ones. It’s going to be fine. Don’t you worry your talented little head about your schedule. I’ll make sure to update your calendar with everything.”
That wasn’t what Emma was worried about. Already she couldn’t stand thinking about being in the public eye for the next three months until her next tour began. But to realize that she wasn’t going to have any time to herself at all, she was quickly finding it hard to breathe. Thankfully, Rachel had taken an earlier flight back from New York before the show last night. She’d wanted to make sure everything was ready for Emma’s arrival—food, staff, etcetera. If she were here, she’d notice Emma was spiraling, and she’d do or say something to make Emma feel like she was overreacting.
But she wasn’t overreacting. Not for the first time, she felt like she was losing a grasp on her own life. She wasn’t able to make her own decisions when it came to what cities she stayed in, what her tour dates would be, or who she surrounded herself with.
Emma turned and pressed her back against the cool glass behind her as Rachel continued talking about how wonderful the publishers were to give her plenty of time to meet the author-signing requirements for her memoir. Shutting her eyes, Emma noted how her fingertips had gone numb. She wouldn’t have been surprised if she dropped her phone. Maybe if it broke, she wouldn’t be able to be tracked by anyone. She could disappear until she was ready to be seen in public again.
Her eyes flew open. That wasn’t a half-bad idea. What would they do if she suddenly went missing? She was far too famous for anyone to sue her. If anything, she’d have to give back her advance or pay a penalty fee for losing her spot at the recording studio—both options sounded pretty good right about now.
She stared at her phone, then turned her head and glanced at the airplane outside. She wasn’t going to get on that plane, and she already knew it. Better yet, she wasn’t going to tell a single living soul where she was headed. In fact, she didn’t even know where she was going, but it wasn’t back to LA.
Emma hung up the phone and grabbed her carry-on luggage. She hurried to the nearest ticket counter and placed her credit card on the table with a slap. “I need your next flight out of here.”
The ticket woman jumped and stared at Emma with surprise. “I’m sorry?”
“The next flight. It can be to anywhere. I don’t even care if it’s to the middle of nowhere in Tornado Alley. I just need to get out of here in the next thirty minutes.”
“I’m not sure…”
“The cost is no issue. I simply need to go.” She squirmed, not sure if she was going to get flagged by security for her request, then decided she didn’t care. Emma was going to do something for herself for the first time in a long while. She pulled out her driver’s license and pushed it across the counter.“I was scheduled to leave on a different flight, but my plans have changed. Please tell me you can get me something.”
