Page 28 of The Music of Love

“Reassure me?” My voice is barely a squeak. God, I’m making a fool out of myself. “In what way?”

“Well,” Jenni says with a smile. She really does have a great smile. “This whole thing about Cal and me being together. It’s just not true.”

“It’s not?” Please don’t let her be lying to me. But what reason does she have to lie to me? Is she on Cal’s side for some reason? I guess he could have paid her off like he did the driver…but could he really? Jenni has to be just as rich as Cal is, so that wouldn’t make sense.

I guess they could be really old friends, and she could be doing him a solid and lying for him so I stick around and am his girl on the side or something…

But that doesn’t make any sense to me either.

No, I can’t figure out why she would lie for him about this.

“No, it’s not true, Reese.” Jenni smiles with a deep huff. “And it’s fucking with my life just as much. Cal’s not the only one with a relationship here, you know?”

Jenni pulls open the door and motions for us to come in. I hesitate a moment but follow Cal after he heads inside. Jenni leads us through an amazing foyer into a living room, from which I already hear the loud sounds of explosions and gunfire.

On the couch, there’s a good-looking guy lying back playing video games with a bag of chips by his side. Jenni glances at us and sort of smiles and frowns at the same time. “Meet Jacob, my high school sweetheart. Jacob? Say hello, babe.”

“Hey, babe,” Jacob replies with a grin.

Jenni sighs and pulls us from the room back into the foyer. “None of this bothers him,” she says. “He’s learned not to care a long time ago. But it bothersme. Makes me wonder what I’m going to do when I want to get married. Have kids. All that jazz.”

I’m starting to relax. My body is starting to cool down. The tension is starting to drain out of me.

“Okay, so what about the photo?” I blurt out. “There was clearly a photo of you two together–”

“Another show,” Cal interjects.

“I think it was one of mine?” Jenni suggests.

“Yeah, I believe so,” Cal agrees. “We were talking about doing a song together?”

Jenni snaps her fingers. “That’s right! We never ended up doing that. Why not?”

Cal shrugs. “Got too busy, I guess.”

“Yougot too busy, Mr. Superstar.”

They both start laughing, and I feel the urge to sit. Luckily, there’s an ottoman by the door where I plant my butt and lean back against the wall.

Cal comes over to me and kneels down beside me. “Are you all right, baby?” he asks, his voice sounding as sweet and caring as ever.

“This is just…this is all too insane, Cal.”

“I know, baby.” He nods. “But I promise you, it’s all the truth. Right, Jenni?”

Jenni nods but doesn’t say anything. In fact, she turns and disappears back into the living room, leaving the two of us alone together.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he says, running his hand up my leg. “It was Josh or Kathleen—or both of them—trying to get back at me for letting them go. But we’ll find a way to squash this nonsense. You, Jenni, and I together. Andyouknow thatyou’rethe only girl for me, okay? And that I love you, right?”

His words hit me right in the chest, embedding themselves there in a way that I know will last forever. “I guess I’m going to have to learn to deal with some of this if I’m going to be your manager, huh?”

Epilogue

Cal

Five Years Later…

I never knewwhat my life was missing until I found her.

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