Page 24 of For One Night Only

“Don’t worry. We made a deal, and I won’t go back on it. I’ll do whatever you need as long as I’m off the hook after the concert,” he mutters, running a hand through his damp waves.

My face warms. “That’s not…I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“You don’t have to make sure I’m okay anymore, Valerie.”

My jaw tenses. There isn’t exactly venom in those words, but it’s enough of a stark reminder that this isn’t some happy reunion. “Right.”

“There’s a reason I left this life behind. It wasn’t so bad being onstage, but…I forgot how much I hated feeling like a commodity after. I’ll do the show, but you don’t have to pretend in private that you care how I feel.”

Maybe there is some venom after all. The coldness in his voice reminds me of that night we fought in Vegas, and something about it shocks me back to reality. We were having fun onstage tonight, but that doesn’t mean anything. It was just for the crowd.

Still, he’s here, and I’ll take what I can get.

“Okay,” I say, nodding sharply. “I’ll let it be.”

“Thank you,” he says. It’s the least I can do for putting him through this. Suddenly, I realize that while Caleb mightlooklike he did six years ago with a little makeup and styling, he’s a complete stranger to me now. So I just let the silence grow between us until it’s unbearable.

“Are you ready to sneak out?” I ask.

“Yeah,” Caleb says. “Should we call a car or something?”

“That could take ages. Let’s just make a run for it.”

“Deal,” he agrees. When we slip through the exit, there isn’t the crowd of fans I was dreading under the starlit sky—but there is one reporter waiting for us in the loading zone. It’s not Mary Kate Hampton—she must still be inside with the rest of the band—but Ryan Tate fromGossip Daily, someone I know all too well from years of bad press.

My stomach drops. How the hell did this jerk get here so fast?Gossip Dailyis a lot more inflammatory thanBuzzword, and they’ve been giving me a hard time since the first Glitter Bats album dropped. Ryan loves to paint me in a bad light, and he even wroteone of the worst articles about me and Roxanne. He’s made plenty of money off me. His eyes light up when he sees us.

I ball my fists so tight my freshly painted nails dig into my palms.

“Valerie, Caleb, how does it feel to be back onstage together?” Ryan asks with a swagger. He’s white and super tanned in a weathered way from too many sun beds, and his brown hair has that frat boy swoop. He’s wearing a too-tight, deep V-neck tee, and the Ralph Lauren Polo is wafting so strongly I want to cough.

But “no comment” won’t be good enough to get him to leave, and it won’t drum up the good buzz I so desperately need. I force my shoulders back and smile sweetly at him.

“It’s nice to sing together again,” I say. “Now please excuse us, we need to get going.”

He turns to Caleb, whose jaw is set with determination. “I want to hear what Caleb thinks. It’s good to see you, man. It’s been a while.”

Despite what just happened in the stockroom, Caleb flips a switch. Charisma shines off of him in waves, and he looks like a completely different person from the guy I watched fight off a panic attack moments ago. He turns a megawatt smile on Ryan. “It’s good to see you too. Honestly, it’s great to be working with the Glitter Bats again. We’re excited to give the fans a concert to remember. It’s been too long since I’ve gotten to work with Valerie, and sharing the stage with her again is an honor and a privilege. She’s as beautiful and talented as ever.”

My heart flutters, and I try to remind myself he’s just acting. Like he said. I force my own calm and put on my best media face.

Ryan smirks. “Any truth to the rumors that the two of you have been carrying on in secret for years, despite Valerie’s parade of partners?”

I open my mouth to shoot the rumor down, but then an ideasparks: it might be better to spin this. Maybe a connection to Caleb—or even the slightest hint of one—could be enough to shine up my reputation. And hey, he just agreed to do whatever I need.

I need a miracle, and this might be it.

Before I can stop myself, I open my stupid mouth. “Oh, Ryan, our personal life is just that—personal,” I say coyly. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

The moment I say it, I want to pull the words back, worried I’ve gone too far. But when I turn to Caleb, he winks.

“Neither do I.” He turns to Ryan with a smirk. “If you think for a moment that Valerie Quinn would cheat on a partner, you’re clearly just reaching for headlines. But Valerie is right—what we dooffstageis our business.”

He says that last part with such innuendo it makes a shiver run down my spine.

“Come on, we’re old friends here. Can’t you give me anything?” Ryan asks, like Caleb is his frat bro or something.

Caleb shakes his head. “Sorry,bro. Any interview requests about the concert can be fielded by Ortega Management.”

---