Page 52 of Recklessly, Wildly Yours

With one last kiss, I open her door and make sure she’s settled in safely before saying goodbye. I then watch her drive away, wondering what the fuck we’re getting ourselves into here. Maddie lives an entirely different life to mine. In Nashville. And she’s in the middle of a shitstorm that will demand all her attention. But hell if I can even begin to bring myself around to not pursuing her. I’ve never wanted something more than this. I want to see what Maddie and I could have.

18

Madeline

The trip home, which should have taken around three hours, ended up taking almost five, thanks to a tractor-trailer wreck we encountered near Elizabethtown. I should have just flown, but I wasn’t in the mood for that.

I spent most of the time working. I decided on the new PR team I’ll hire and had a call with them. Leigh and I narrowed down my choices for a new manager and she arranged a meeting for tomorrow with the guy I’m interested in working with. We also discussed the fact I need to find a new lawyer because terminating my contract with Darren is likely to be hell and I need legal advice on this as soon as possible. I looked through the properties Leigh has found as possible new homes for me, not really loving any of them. And...I dedicated a great deal of time to thinking about Ethan.

I hated leaving him like I did this morning. It felt too fast and furious for me, and I think he felt the same. I could not have loved it more when he told me he hates one-night stands and that he wasn’t happy about me leaving. I’ve no idea where we’ll go from here, or how, but I’m enjoying this bit of happiness in amongst all the turmoil.

Leigh’s waiting for me at the hotel where I’ll be staying until I figure out my living situation. She gets straight down to business when I walk into my suite.

“Judy’s on her way over.” My new publicist. “She’ll spend the afternoon working with you on a plan for damage control, social media strategy and management, media relations, and campaign planning. She’ll drive to and from the record label meeting with us so we can maximize the afternoon.” She consults her phone before continuing. “I’ve got the name of five lawyers for you to consider. If we can choose one now, I’ll push for an appointment late this afternoon or tonight.”

I collapse onto the sofa, needing a minute to catch my breath.

Leigh gives me two seconds only. “Tucker has hit back, Maddie. We don’t have time to waste on this.”

“What was his response?”

“He said you’re lying about everything and that he’s devastated you’ve done this to him after he loved you so well.”

I stare at her with disbelief. “You’re joking, right?”

Her lips press together as she shakes her head. “No.”

“I fucking hate that asshole.” I put my fingers to my temple as a headache makes threats I really don’t want it to follow through on.

“You and me both, but sitting here ranting about him won’t fix the situation.” Leigh is nothing if not efficient and businesslike. I’ve always valued those traits in her, but today, I could do with a little less of being managed. I’m tired after not much sleep last night, and it’s affecting my ability to process everything as fast as she would like me to.

“Okay, give me a minute to freshen up and then we can go over the list of lawyers.”

She approves of this, and I leave her to go into the bathroom, where I shut the door and slide down it to sit on the tiled floor. The coolness of the tiles is what I’m searching for, along with the quiet hum of the bathroom.

I close my eyes and do some box breathing to help calm my overloaded system. While I do this, I try to shut off my thoughts, focusing on the sound of the ventilation system in the bathroom. The continuous whir always helps me in times like this but today I’m unable to rely on it. There’s too much noise in my head. Too much uncertainty to be able to switch it all off.

“Shit,” I whisper as I open my eyes and exhale a breath. Leigh’s right: sitting around ranting about my problems isn’t going to fix them. I started this when I ran out on Tucker, and now I have to finish it.

I push up off the ground and splash cold water on my face while staring at myself in the mirror. I look tired and stressed, and I refuse to let my record label see me like this, so I get to work fixing my face and finding something to wear that screams I’ve got this under control.

Fifteen minutes later, I emerge from the bedroom ready to tackle the rest of this day. I find my new publicist sitting with Leigh on the sofa, deep in conversation. They stop talking when they hear me. Judy smiles and stands. Leigh narrows her eyes at me like she’s trying to decide my state of my mind.

“Hi.” I extend a hand to Judy. “Thanks for making time on such short notice.”

Judy’s grip is firm, and she exudes an air of confidence and control, which I find highly reassuring. “I’m glad to meet you, Madeline. I’ve been a fan for a while and that statement you made last night reminded me why.”

I did not expect that, and it stuns me into silence for a moment before I find my voice again. “Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.”

She smiles knowingly. “I imagine it’s been a rough few days.”

“You could say that. All my own doing, though.”

Her brows furrow. “That’s inaccurate. You may have chosen to end a very public relationship, but you didn’t choose the social media nonsense that’s occurred. If I could get my clients to believe one thing, it’d be that while they chose their line of work, they didn’t agree to the bullshit that goes with it.”

I’ve never thought of it like that, and I appreciate her saying that, too.

She indicates to the table in the corner of the suite. “Let’s start by getting to know each other a little and then I’ll take you through my ideas for managing this crisis and redirecting your brand. And let me just say before we begin that the response you’ve had to your post last night shows that we’re starting from a solid foundation.” She pauses and eyes me like she wants to ensure I’m listening. “Tucker might be out there calling you a liar, but your get-loud hashtag is trending on all platforms. You’ve struck a chord, and I don’t think your fans are going anywhere.”

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