Page 95 of To Believe In You
And Matt was supposed to walk up as if he had a right to infringe on what she’d built for herself and her children?
She got behind the wheel of her new, reliable SUV, and the vehicle advanced down the drive. It would take a lot more than a pothole to derail that family.
“Matt?”
He shook his head. She’d succeeded without him. She’d succeededbecauseshe was without him. If they’d stayed together, he couldn’t imagine all he would’ve put her through. Tim had spared her years of torment.
“Another time.” He made the vow only because he knew he couldn’t back out. Not after coming all this way, bringing Krissy along. “She’s got the kids with her.”
* * *
Still blinkingsleep from her eyes, Lina checked her phone first thing Saturday morning. Notifications crammed her screen. What in the world …?
She’d watched a few episodes of a baking show last night, then had attempted to recreate one of the recipes featured in the competition. The misadventure had left her tired and frustrated. She hadn’t even turned on her bedroom lights as she’d found her way to bed, but she had checked her phone. Bad habit.
Or not, since sometimes her vigilance meant she discovered posts that could prove problematic for Awestruck before they had the chance to go viral.
Pictures of the guys at dinner Thursday had prompted a low-level buzz as fans guessed whether Matt would replace Philip, but even as of last night, that conversation had been limited to comments on the photos. Lina had let it be. Despite the rift between her and Matt, as a team member, she’d be among the first to know when the band made an official decision.
So what had caused this tsunami of activity?
She pulled her other arm from under the covers to steady the phone as she tapped on the first notification.
A post on one of Awestruck’s fan pages opened, some fan asking about Matt’s return to Awestruck.
Matt’s return to Awestruck? She squinted and scrolled to the next post and then the next. What had fed rumors compelling enough to prompt all of this?
She tapped back into her notifications, looking for the alerts she’d set years ago to notify her of online mentions of Awestruck.
One article after another shared news of an Awestruck press release.
Matt had officially rejoined? How could he have dared to question her honesty while sitting on a secret like this?
Someone on the Awestruck team must’ve gotten trigger-happy, sending out the announcement before notifying staff who would need to respond as comments came flooding in.
She came to a quote from Gannon and swiped a hand across her forehead, pushing her curls away from her face so she could read more clearly.
“We didn’t want to lose Philip, but how can you fault a guy for wanting to focus on his family? In his absence, there’s no better way to serve our fans than to bring back someone who knows Awestruck and has the talent to keep us moving in the right direction. Matt’s done the hard work to become the best version of himself, and we’re excited to start a new chapter with him.”
The best version of himself.
Was Matt the best he’d ever been?
Sobriety counted for something. For a lot.
And as left-out as she felt at learning the news this way, he’d trusted her with his whereabouts this weekend, which didn’t seem to be in any of the articles.
She groaned.
His personal life wasn’t any of her business, but as long as they both worked for Awestruck, she’d get to curate posts about him. Today, that would mean replying to the deluge of fans interested in his return to the band.
She tossed her phone, and it plunked onto the comforter at the foot of the bed. She dragged herself to her feet and plodded to the bathroom. Bottles, cosmetics, and brushes cluttered the vanity.
She’d have to straighten up today. After brushing her teeth, she started with the easiest task by slipping the ring she’d worn yesterday from the dish by the sink. With the tip of her index finger hooked through the gold, she padded back into her bedroom.
The jewelry box she’d inherited from Grandma waited on her dresser.
Open.
