Page 100 of On the Power Play

With all the excitement, Delia had completely forgotten about her second studio session. Thankfully, Mary had come into her room and reminded her. By the time she’d thrown on a better outfit—and reluctantly, a bra—Jack had already left.

She hadn’t texted him on the way to the studio, figuring she’d already taken him away from work and the Blizzard enough for twenty-four hours.

But as her hands trembled getting out of the car, she regretted it. She had to face real people. Cameras.

She ignored the shouted questions from the paparazzi as she pushed through the entrance to the studio behind Mary, then tried to keep a smile on her face as she sat down next to Ethan Hayes. They were supposed to record vocals, and while Delia had run through things over the past week, all of it had evaporated like dew.

Ethan dragged a stool over and gave a small wave. "You ready for this?"

Delia nodded with as much conviction as she could muster, but she could tell by the look on Ethan's face it was lackluster.

He studied her. "It's been a shit day."

Delia blew out a breath. He knew. Of course he knew. The whole world knew, and?—

"Your boyfriend’s a menace," Ethan said, and Delia frowned. He chuckled. "It's a compliment. Means he has balls of steel."

"I can't comment on that, but if you're talking about his post, yeah. He's badass." Delia's chest warmed just thinking about Jack’s face on the screen. The words that had come out of his mouth.

She glanced down at her tablet, scrolling through the lyrics they'd written down the last time they'd met. "You know . . . Ethan, do you mind if I change a few things?"

When Ethan gave her the go ahead, Delia started scribbling. She worked at the lyrics until they felt right. She wasn't the same person she'd been when she initially wrote the song, and there was something cathartic about giving that fact space. Speaking from a new heart. One that had both been broken and opened up.

It was probably the fastest recording session she'd ever done. After a few re-records and adjustments with the backing track, she and Mary left the studio at two o'clock. Alvin accompanied them to the grocery store, and the timing was perfect. The only people there were old ladies who had no idea who she was or moms with kids who gave her a second glance, but were too busy trying to keep little hands from throwing Shreddies in the grocery cart to stop her in the aisle. She did take a picture with a couple as they waited for their groceries to be rung up.

They didn't mention the video. She wouldn't have expected them to, but it put her off kilter to stand in front of people who may have seen her fake-naked.

Had her mother gotten her voicemail yet? What was she going to think about all this?

Delia breathed.

She imagined Jack’s arms around her.

She envisioned herself a year in the future, not even giving that video a second thought.

They drove home and faced the cameras waiting on the sidewalk, and after Alvin brought in the groceries, Mary followed Delia into the sunlit kitchen. It still smelled like the bacon Jack had cooked that morning, and her heart stuttered.

Delia unpacked, leaving out the ingredients she needed for dinner and putting the rest in the fridge while Mary tackled the pantry items. For a moment, all she heard was the rustle of paper bags, the clink of jars being set on shelves, and the soft thud of produce being placed in drawers in the fridge.

"So. Jack." Mary folded the paper bag in front of her. "His truck was here last night."

Delia's cheeks warmed. "Yeah. We were at media training when I got the call from Tony. He didn't want to leave me alone." Mary raised an eyebrow, but Delia didn't let her respond. "Which begs the question, where were you last night?"

Mary's eyes flitted to the living room. Delia frowned. Alvin was the only one in there sitting on the loveseat near the fireplace and typing something on his phone. "I went out for dinner."

"At seven thirty?" Delia hadn't fallen asleep until at least eight, and she hadn't heard the door open.

"There might've been some dancing."

Delia narrowed her eyes. "Have you been swiping right without telling me?"

Mary snorted. "No. Just out with friends."

“And then Alvin drove you home?”

Mary turned and pulled a glass from the cabinet. Delia got the hint. She didn't want to talk about it, and Delia didn’t have the energy to dig, so she put a pin in it.

"Want to help me dice veggies?" she asked.

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