Page 80 of Singing For His Kiss

Elizabeth tried to reply, but the sound that came from her mouth didn’t form into anything meaningful.

“You simply need to talk to him. He’s a shell. I mean, he works hard enough. The hotels are coming along beautifully. In fact, we open our first next month. But he’s just—faded. And it’s all because of you.”

“Me? I would have thought he’d forgotten me by now.” At least that’s what her plan had been.

Anastasia gracefully shrugged with one shoulder. “He hasn’t. I’m only telling you because I just can’t stand to see his sad face every day. I need him rejuvenated. And that’s something only you can do, I think.”

“I’m not the person he needs.”

“Really? That’s strange. He’s been doing his hardest to find you since you vanished into thin air all those months ago.”

Elizabeth’s heart missed a beat. “He…he’s been looking for me?”

“Yes. You’ve been awfully hard to track down. But I want his mind back on my project. So, I said I’d help him. Imagine what I thought when my private detective showed me your posters smacked on the front of the casino. Would you care to talk to him if I tell him where you are?”

Elizabeth started to shake her head a little, mind spinning. James miserable. Private detective. Anastasia helping.

“I don’t think he’d want to talk to me.” Or maybe he would like to have a little chat, but she’d bet it probably wouldn’t be a conversation she wanted to have. Her last words—you’ll thank me that I left—echoed in her mind.

She shook her head more firmly. “No. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

Anastasia cocked her head, considering her. “Maybe you’re not the person who should be making that decision. Discussion finished. Now on to business.”

Anastasia opened her matching clutch and handed Elizabeth a personal business card. “I need a star like you for my hotel. Can’t have you working for the competition, can I? Think about it. I’d love for you to join my team.”

Elizabeth blinked at the card in her hand. The design and paper even looked expensive. There were only two lines. Anastasia’s name and private mobile number. She looked up at Anastasia again. For the first time, she saw past the makeup, hair and clothes. There was a softness in her eyes she’d never noticed before.

“Why would you do this for me?” Elizabeth whispered.

Anastasia snapped her clutch closed and straightened from the piano. “Because I’m a softie. Don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret. And James has a child. I can’t stand to see her so sad too. Do you realize I’d never seen the child smile until James’ birthday? She is cute in a kind of lost-puppy way, I suppose. But I can’t be bogged down like that. I like to be footloose and fancy-free. Besides, I’m on to greener fields.” She pointed to the card. “Make sure you ring me.”

Anastasia stated to walk away.

“Wait!”

Anastasia swiveled to face her, an elegant brow arching.

“Thank you, Anastasia.”

“Everyone’s a romantic at heart. Just don’t tell anyone.” A hint of a sad smile curled Anastasia’s lip before the crowd parted, then swallowed her up.

Elizabeth’s mind spun, questions she’d dared not ask, answers she didn’t want to seek, possibilities she dared not hope for crashed and looped in her mind.

She leaned into the microphone. “I’m just going on a short break. Be back soon, folks.”

The crowd became louder as groups turned inwards and connected with conversations they weren’t having while she played. She made her way into a little staff’s quarter, where she could sit and have a quiet drink of water.

How was she going to go back on when her insides were jumping, charged with adrenaline? She had to regain her composure; otherwise, she’d never make it to the end of the next set. Anastasia had dropped the biggest bomb she could possibly could have.

James is miserable.

The opposite of how she thought he’d be. Maybe she should have let him in that hospital room. Tell her what he thought of her. Tell her everything she deserved. But then, why would he be miserable?

Maybe she could call him. Maybe he was miserable because of what she’d done to Madeline. If he was angry at her, and he probably was, well then that was nothing less than she deserved. Maybe it was time to confront him and let him get things off his chest. Heal.

She could take that abuse. Hell, she created it. Then, why would Anastasia take time out of her busy schedule to tell her he’d actively been looking for her?

There was no wonder he hadn’t found her. She’d done her best to be as anonymous as she possibly could. She kept to herself. Even used a stage name for the show. The poster showed nothing more than the back of her playing the piano.

And what did she mean she wasn’t the one to make the decision? She sunk her head into her hands. Too many questions. Not enough answers. Why was this affecting her so much? She had a lifetime of building up a wall around her heart that had steered her well in the past.

Why hadn’t she been able to build the same wall when it came to James? And why did she even care so much now anyway?

“Elizabeth. Time.”

She looked up as the security guard stuck his head into the staff quarters. She nodded in thanks, rising from the table.

One thing for sure, she had to reel her mind back to her job and not obsess about James. It wasn’t like he’d be out there waiting for her, so she had plenty of time to rein in her nerves and start building that wall. If she didn’t, she really didn’t know how she would survive.

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