Page 36

Jimmy’s disappointment is potent, making me feel like shit. It’s bad enough Harriet and Parker are mad at me. “I’m working on it, Jimmy, believe me. First, I have to find her.”

“She’s outside,” a curt voice says.

I turn to find Parker leaning against the bar, lips pursed.

“Go on, get it over with. Whatever you have to say, I probably deserve.” I fold my arms, waiting. She held herself back this morning, and I know I’m in for a whooping.

She sniffs. “See, I don’t think you do know what I’m going to say.”

“Something along the lines of ‘She’s too good for you. Leave and don’t come back’?”

Parker flicks me on the forehead.

“Ow.” I rub at the spot.

“You’re a fucking idiot if you believe any of that. Talia is too good for any of us, and yet she chose you.” Parker steps forward. “You need to fix this, and fast.”

“Are you forgetting that she told me—Ow!” She flicks me again.

“Enough with the excuses. She told me to leave. He left me no choice.” Parker jerks her hands forward like she wants to strangle me. “You’re both broken records, and I’m tired of it. I never believed in that soulmate shit, but ever since Harry found Warren and I’ve seen what heartbreak has done to Talia, I will not allow the two of you to give up. Quit whining about the fact she asked you to leave and work out why she did to begin with.” Parker takes a breath, regaining her composure after her lengthy spiel. “She’s outside on the deck.”

Her lavender ponytail whips me in the face as she turns to leave.

Jimmy snorts. “A real firecracker, that one.”

I’m already striding away, hustling through the back doors leading onto the deck. It’s a raised platform with outdoor seating and firepits. The distillery is built on a hill overlooking the vast corn and barley fields. The setting sun casts an orange glow, and out here alone, tipped in gold, is Talia.

Her shoulders tense when she hears me approaching.

I stop next to her, wrapping my fingers around the cool iron railing. My grip matches the fist around my heart as I take in her exhausted features.

“Have your fans grown tired of you?” Bitterness laces her words.

“I don’t think they ever get tired,” I grumble.

Her laugh is forced. “Isn’t that exactly what you wanted? Fans who throw themselves at you and bow at your feet.”

“No.” I don’t want that, and I certainly don’t want this. “Is that why you walked away? Because of my fans.”

“That and other reasons.” Her jaw tenses. I used to joke with her to relax or she’d crack a molar. I wisely keep my mouth shut.

“And those other reasons are?”

Her head snaps to the side. “You’re serious? You basically accused me of not wearing my ring so I could cheat on you. Do you know how insulting that is?”

“You insinuated the same thing with me,” I volley.

“Ugh.” She rolls her eyes. “I came out here to get away from you, not fight. You shouldn’t even be here. You’re supposed to be resting. Do you want to end up in the hospital again?”

“I want you to talk to me. To understand where we went wrong, but you can’t stand the sight of me for longer than a minute.”

“Because I fought and fought to keep us intact for months after you signed that contract.”

I push off the railing in frustration. “This again?”

“You want to talk? Let’s talk. You went behind my back and signed two years of your life away to Vance Records without discussing it with me. You then had the audacity to ask me to quit my job and travel with you on the tour, as if the career I’ve spent years building and thousands of dollars on meant nothing.”

“Money you don’t owe anymore, thanks to me.”