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“You know money wasn’t the reason, so stop pretending it was. No one is going to know about Copper Creek if I have anything to say about it.”
Her manager’s fake smile said more than her words ever could. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand Emma’s choices; it was that she refused to try to understand them. All she wanted was to see the dollar signs.
Turning toward the mirror, Emma adjusted her hair, tucking a stray strand behind her ear. “Is there anything else?”
Rachel flipped through the documents in her hands, then shook her head. “That’s it.” She brought the clipboard to her chest and stared hard at Emma’s reflection. “I do want to know one thing, though. After this last concert, when can we start planning for the next tour? There is so much buzz about your new album, and people are already demanding more appearances.”
Emma shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I’d like to take some time to write some more music without my schedule breathing down my neck.”
Her manager sighed. It wasn’t the answer she’d wanted, but it would be the answer Emma gave her every single time she asked. If Rachel didn’t like what was going on, she could go find a new job.
Rachel slipped out the door, and Emma pushed away from the counter, preparing herself to go through the crowds of people who were backstage when the door opened again. It shut in a flurry and Jessica spun around. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to get back here?” she demanded.
Emma laughed as she swept her little sister into a big hug. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. But sheesh, what’s a girl gotta do to get backstage and see her sister?” She held up the backstage pass. “I think you need to have a new one of these designed. This time make one just for me and have it say something like ‘Sister to the Star’ or some other nonsense. I literally had to show the bouncer guy a picture of you and me together in order for him to let me through.”
Laughing again, Emma shook her head. “You didn’t.”
“I did! The guy didn’t believe me when I said that we were related. He insisted on proof.” Jessica pulled Emma toward the small loveseat to the side and tugged her into a seated position. “Okay, so you have to catch me up on everything. We never really got to catch up after you spilled all the beans about Caleb. Has he called you? Have you called him? Any news?”
Emma frowned and looked away. “Unfortunately, no.”
“Toeverything? Come on, Em. There has to be something. I know there has to—especially now that you announced you’d be going back to Colorado Springs. He has to know you picked that place because of him, right?
Emma shook her head. “I don’t even know if he’s been keeping tabs on me. He didn’t know who I was to begin with. Why would he be inclined to pay attention now?”
“Because he fell in love with you! That’s why. He fell for you and you fell for him. There has to be a happy ending in this mess somehow.”
Emma had thought that very thing for the longest time. She’d wished and prayed that Caleb would reach out and ask to see her. If he had, she would have flown right back to Colorado just to get a coffee with him. But that wasn’t going to happen. She’d been the one to break his heart, and she was going to be the one to carry the burden.
Jessica nudged her, forcing her to meet her sister’s eyes. “Maybe you should just send him some tickets. I bet that would get his attention. He couldn’t ignore you then.”
“Oh, yes, he could. I don’t think it would matter if I delivered the tickets via a flying pig. He would probably tear them up the second he got them.”
It was Jessica’s turn to be completely disappointed. “Geez. I didn’t think it was that bad. I thought that there was still a little hope.”
“Me, too,” Emma said.
“But what if you’re wrong?”
“What do you mean, if I’m wrong? Caleb hasn’t reached out. If he wanted anything to do with me, he would have by now. And honestly, I don’t blame him.”
Jessica took Emma’s hands in her own. “What if he shows? Wouldn’t you want to know? Wouldn’t you want to make some grand gesture like call him up on stage and have him be there when you sing him his song?”
Emma bit down on her lower lip to prevent herself from crying. Nothing would make her happier than knowing he’d decided to come to her show and hear the song she’d finished with his words. She still had the crumpled paper with all the lyrics he’d scrawled on it. In fact, she’d framed it and hung it in her apartment. “I would love it if he came,” she rasped, “but eventually we all have to accept that no one is free from the consequences of their decisions.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jessica asked. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes, I did. Everything I did can be rationalized, for sure. Everything can be explained away as a mental break or trying to protect myself, but that doesn’t change the fact that I lied to him for weeks on end for my own selfish reasons.”
Her sister went quiet. They’d had this conversation several times before. No matter how many times Emma tried to convince her sister of the truth, Jessica wouldn’t accept it. Perhaps it was because they were sisters. Or maybe it was because Jessica wanted so badly to believe in happily ever afters. Either way, a fairytale ending simply wasn’t in the cards for Emma. She’d come to accept it, and she was just waiting for her sister to do so as well.
Emma took a deep breath and forced a smile. “I’m glad you came, though. What was your favorite song?”
“You should call the box office at the venue.”
“Jessica.” Emma groaned. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
