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“You guys should get away somewhere while you have the time off. Get Beck to go with you. I’m sure he’d watch the baby. Or Jax and Haley.” I think of her semiretired rock-star dad and coder-genius stepmom, their own kids about six and two.
“An A-list nanny,” Annie muses, her smile teasing and intrigued at once. “That’s a good idea. Maybe I can talk Dad into it. He’s been working on bringing Wicked back from the dead.” The label he and Tyler bought as an investment last year wasn’t only a business deal—it was personal. “He’d never say he’s ready for a break, but when I talked to Haley the other night, she told me she caught him scribbling on organizational charts and muttering about restructuring. Of course, he’s chewed his nails down to the nubs too.”
I laugh, picturing the former biggest rock star in the world trying to do Harrison-like things. “Jax Jamieson’s always going to crush the music part. Sounds like he needs help with the ‘running the company’ part.”
“He does, though he won’t admit it. And he doesn’t trust anyone left over from the old management.”
“He should call Harrison. Harrison might not have experience running a label, but he knows how to grow a company. And he definitely knows how to deal with the unexpected.”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll tell Dad and Tyler. They might take him up on that. Anyway… What are you doing for this huge, career-capping show?”
I glance at my computer, anticipation surging through me. “I’m working on a few things.”
I sound casual, but I’ve had ideas for this set for years. A file on my computer. Things I swap out with new tracks from time to time. Thanks to that, preparing should be simple, but it’s not.
I picture the open-air venue packed from wall to wall. The thrill of imagining it for years doesn’t match the reality now that it’s so close. I’m nervous, and it’s not only about Mischa. It’s about me.
I’ve worked toward this my entire life, and I want to do it justice.
“Go all out. Don’t save anything for next time. I knew which show on Broadway would be my last before having this baby, and I’m grateful. Because if I hadn’t…” She shakes her head.
“Take no prisoners,” I murmur. “You’re a really good friend. You and Beck both.”
Her eyes widen. “Wow. Rae Madani going emo. There must be an apocalypse I don’t know about.”
I force a shrug. “Just the usual. Guys. Gigs. Grudges.”
* * *
HARRISON
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
Leni looks up from a lounge chair locked into its most upright position on the patio. She’s wearing a pink robe that hides her bandages and holding a copy of Little Women. “It’s been days. I’m supposed to sit around and get fat on Natalia’s baking? My keeper let me out.”
I picture the nurse in my hallway who gave me a frustrated look on my way out here.
“You need to heal.”
“Fresh air. Look it up. I even grabbed some classic literature. I wanted something lowbrow but couldn’t find anything in your office.” She waves the book. “This Laurie dude has it going on. Loaded, big family house, bunch of girls who worship him… Speaking of healing,” she goes on as I stop in front of the chair, “you cleared the air with your brother yet over the way you acted?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “We have more important things to deal with.”
“Urgent, maybe. That’s not the same thing.”
I shove my hands in the pockets of my trousers. I haven’t been wearing a jacket. The feeling of constriction in my chest is enough without the added weight of another layer of clothing.
Sebastian and I don’t need a heart-to-heart. The few moments this summer when he’s opened up were surprising.
Still, I feel shitty about what went down the night I returned from London. Probably because Raegan planted this seed of an idea that I should’ve been here for him and I wasn’t. And my damn brain weighs everything she says.
“Tell me about these urgent things.” Leni’s voice drags me back.
“They’re above your pay grade. You’re here to relax.”
“Because some asshole stabbed me.”
I shift onto the next chair. “We took Eva’s evidence to law enforcement. They didn’t want to disclose anything or budge on their own plans, but when they heard the detail we had from Eva, they realized this was a rare chance to capture him in a major deal.”
