CHAPTER FOURTEEN
VERONICA

I let the door to the hotel room slam behind me. The sound startles JT, causing him to jump in his seat at the dining table where he’s set up his temporary workstation so he can monitor the Amaryllis fandom. The goal has always been to lift the positive image of the band as a whole and support the community in the process by updating our website with posts, and excerpts from my articles, to hit the trends in their conversations. He peeks over the top of the laptop screen, looking for the intruder who just disturbed his creative genius.

“It’s just me,” I say, waving my hand in the air as I make my way to the suite’s bedroom.

“Did you see the news?” he asks. I don’t want to drain the excitement out of him, so I don’t respond. I just let myself fall, face first onto the bed, landing with a loud thwack against the overstuffed bedding. “What’s wrong with you?” he asks.

I shake my head as I sprawl across the white down comforter covering the bed. “How could I have let things get so far out of control?” I let out a defeated sigh.

“What’s out of control?” he asks with his voice raising at least one octave. “Everything is going exactly like we need it to. They were nominated and that’s partially because of the positive image you’re helping them feed to the media.”

“Amaryllis gave me the exclusive pass for the awards ceremony,” I sigh.

“Yes!” he jumps up and down behind me. I refuse to turn around, but I can hear his feet thumping against the carpeted floor. The excitable sounds stop, and silence says more than words ever could. “Oh…” he sighs. “Help me out here. What’s the downside?”

I grunt keeping my face buried, so no one can see how bloodshot my eyes are, or the dark circles underneath them, or the tear-stained streaks in my makeup.

Alyssa comes out of the kitchen with an iced coffee and sits on the bed. “Here.”

“Thanks,” I say, lifting my arm just enough to take the glass she’s offering me. It’s cold and it makes everything inside of me turn to ice—for a second. “I screwed up,” I admit, slurping a drink through the straw.

“What happened?” JT asks, making the entire mattress bounce as he flops down at the foot of the bed. “Did he find out you’re his portrait girl?”

I shake my head. “I should have told him. If I had, it might have turned out different.”

Their faces morph with sadness as they both let out heavy sighs. “If he didn’t find out, then it’s not over yet,” JT says with a hint of hopeful energy in his voice. “There’s still more story to tell, and that’s what you do best.”

“It’s over,” I say, taking another large gulp of the iced coffee. “Jenkins showed up.”

Alyssa sits up straight with a disgusted look on her face. “What did he do?”

“There was a misunderstanding during the audition and Travis left. I went to find him, so I could explain; but Jenkins stopped me before I could find Travis.”

“So, you could still go to Travis and talk to him,” Alyssa says with her hands outstretched at her sides.

“I could,” I say with a sigh. “If Travis hadn’t found me first.”

“And when he found you, you were talking to the enemy,” JT guesses.

“Bingo.” I nod. “And if that wasn’t bad enough, Jenkins forced a kiss on me at the exact moment Travis showed up.”

“Gross!” Alyssa gags.

“That’s assault,” JT screeches.

Alyssa nods her agreement and gives me a one-armed hug, pulling me in so I can rest my head on her shoulder. “Are you going to press charges?”

I nod. “I called Devon.”

JT’s staring at me with a blank expression on his face. I can’t see Alyssa’s face, but I would bet her expression mirrors JT’s right now.

“He’s the head of Amaryllis Security,” I explain. “I told him Jenkins was lurking around and that he needed to be hauled off.”

“So, they got him?” Alyssa asks.

I shake my head and take another drink of the iced coffee she made for me. “Jenkins bolted before Devon’s team could get there, so he had to get the local P.D. involved. Once they catch up to him, then he’ll let me know so I can identify him in a line-up and move forward with the charges.”

“He had no right to put his hands on you—”

“Or his mouth,” Alyssa adds.

They’re both right, but that’s not what I’m worried about. “Justice is already being served to Jenkins.” There must be a way to explain myself to Travis. “Even if it doesn’t change anything between us, I need Travis to know he wasn’t wrong for trusting me.”

“If we can get you back into the same room as him, do you think he’d listen?”

I shrug. “I don’t even know.” He didn’t seem to want to hear anything I had to say tonight. “He stormed off before even giving me a chance, so I don’t know if I would listen.” He might listen to his family though…

“Men,” Alyssa sighs.

“I know that look,” JT says, narrowing his eyes at me. “You have a plan brewing, don’t you?”

“I think I might,” I admit.

“What are you thinking?” Alyssa asks, tucking her legs underneath her.

“I’m not sure, but I know this is probably my last chance. It has to be perfect.”

“Your last chance to make a name for yourself in this business?” she asks.

JT shakes his head. “She’s not worried about that, right now. Are you?”

“No,” I sigh. “It’s my last chance to tell Travis Miller how I feel about him.”

“He’ll calm down,” he says, trying to reassure me.

Alyssa nods her agreement. “He just needs time to process whatever it was he thought he saw or heard. Eventually, he’ll realize that it doesn’t match up and he’ll come to you for the answers.”

Maybe. Or maybe he could use some coaxing. “I’m not sure Travis is that stable.” Just saying. “But maybe I can help wake him up a little,” I say, scrolling through the contacts on my phone. I tap on my mom’s profile image and wait for her to pick up. Luckily, she answers after only a few rings. “Hi, mama.”

“Oh, sweetheart. Hello! How are you doing?”

“I’m… I’m okay,” I stammer, not wanting to worry her. “I need your help with something though.”

“Anything.”

“Do you remember that yellow dress I wore for Aunt Viv’s wedding in Vegas?”

“Yes,” she says.

“Can you send it to me?” I ask, letting out a long sigh. “I’ll Venmo you the money for shipping.”

“Sure, sweetheart. Is everything okay?”

I hate lying to her, so I don’t. “I had a misunderstanding with a…” He’s so much more than a subject. I can’t use that word to describe him. “I had a misunderstanding with someone I care a lot about and I think the only way I can make things right is to explain myself, but I have to go to a very formal event to be able to see him again. That’s why I need the dress.”

“Any man who isn’t falling all over himself for you is a damn fool,” she says. “But sometimes love makes it hard to listen to the people we care about. Misunderstandings happen.”

“It’s my fault.”

“Then you’ll know how to fix it. Trust your heart. Victor is just about to head into town to pick up some supplies. I’ll have him send the dress to you when he does.”

“Thank you so much, mama.” I breathe a sigh of relief. “I’ll text you the address to send it to.”

“Are you sure you’re, okay?”

“I’m fine, or I will be once I set things right.”

“Okay,” she says. “I love you,” she reminds me.

“I love you too, mama. Talk to you soon.” I tap to end the phone call and look up to find my two best friends in the entire world staring at me with wide eyes. “You’re still going to the award’s ceremony in Los Angeles?” Alyssa asks, her eyes growing wider with each word she says.

I nod. “They gave me the pass. I don’t think any of them are the type to revoke it now.”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t do that.” JT rubs his hands together and lets out a squeal. “We’ve got two weeks to get you ready.”

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, but is the website ready?”

“Ready and able, sweet cheeks.”

“Okay, I’m going to post the first full piece tonight. Help me monitor socials for it and let’s make this thing blow up. If the series gets enough traction on social media, he won’t have a choice. He’ll have to see it and he’ll have to listen.”

“How do you know that?” Alyssa asks.

I give her a sly smile. “Jenkins isn’t the only one who knows how to make a story go viral.”

“But how are you going to make sure he sees it?”

“Because his sister-in-law monitors their social media, including hashtags.”

“And if you’re hitting the mark then your story will be getting shares and conversation within the fandom, putting it front and center for them all to see.”

I nod, with my confidence returning in full force. This is where I thrive. He can try to hide, but he’s going to hear the truth whether he wants to or not. I owe him that much.

“What are you going to write?” JT asks.

“I’m going to show myself to the world, including Travis, and hope to the universe that he’s paying attention.”

“Oh,” JT squeaks. “Don’t tell me, you’re a believer now.”

“I think I might be.” I shrug and can feel the blood rushing to my face. “I never thought I’d say it, but… Master Wang might’ve been right.”

JT and Alyssa’s hands clap in a high-five over the top of my head as I flip open the screen to my laptop.

Please, hear me.