“Okay. Thank you, Ms. Gentry.”
“You’re welcome. Enjoy the moment. We’ll see you Tuesday.”
The call ended.
I stared at the screen as if it might burst into confetti.
Holy shit.
I actually got it.
I dropped the phone in my lap, my doughnuts long forgotten. A wide smile stretched across my face. For just a second, everything else faded away—the blood, the club, the creep in black.
Maybe this was it.
Maybe this was how it all changed for me.
Maybe I could cut back on nights at the club, or evenquit. I sat up, clutching my coffee cup, and imagined myself walking out of The Sacrifice forever.
And just like that, the giddy warmth in my chest vanished.
Could I actually leave? Would they let me?
What if they didn’twantme to leave?
What if they did worse than want me to stay? What if they—
My phone buzzed again.
Thank God—it was Jae.
I answered quickly. “Hey.”
“Hey, girl pop. You up and at it?”
“Only because I smelled coffee. It’s so divine,” I said with a soft laugh. “And thank you for the doughnuts. You got all my favorites.”
“You sound awfully chipper. I’m shocked you’re still not under the covers after last night. I figured you’d be curled in a ball, pretending the world doesn’t exist.”
“I know—I probably sound crazy right now. But I just got some really big news. Like…reallygoodnews.”
“Oh?”
“I got the understudy part forCity Song. I’m going to be Ruby Vance.”
Jae screamed so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
“Girl, shut the hell up! Are you serious? That’s amazing!”
I laughed, pure joy bubbling up. “I know. I still can’t believe it.”
“Wehaveto go out tonight,” he said. “You don’t have to work, right? First Saturday night off in forever. We’re celebrating. Dinner. Drinks. Maybe a club. Come on.”
“Dinner sounds amazing,” I said, then hesitated. “I don’t know about a club though.”
“Fine. A nice dinner and then one of those cute little bars where no one’s screaming over the music. Come on, live a little.”
I laughed again. “Okay, okay. Dinner and a bar. I really can’t believe I got the role.”
