The thing about knowing something is that it doesn’t stop the ugly twist in my gut at the thought of her being with someone else.
I pick up my own phone. Set it face-down on the tray table. Pick it up again.
Headphones back in, I open the video.
Her face fills the screen, lit up and completely in her element. This is the version of her that belongs to everyone else.
But I know the one that’s just mine.
I hit play once more.
THIRTY-EIGHT
I’ve been backin Chicago for eight hours. I haven’t unpacked. I’ve barely slept. So, to say I wasn’t prepared for my first crisis management meeting is an understatement.
“Let’s address the elephant in the room.” Spencer, Cash’s publicist, slides a tablet across the table toward me.
I already know what’s on it.
I saw all the gossip on the plane home. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I mean, I knew public scrutiny would come with this career, but when I thought about protecting my relationship from the media, I thought of Miles and me.NotCash Walker.
The idea is absurd. He’s more like a brother than myactualbrother, and that’s saying something.
When we landed, I had seventeen missed calls from Kendra, six from my mom, and a voicemail from Miles. I didn’t want to ruin the still-intact high from my first big performance, so I only listened to his.
Still, my happy bubble didn’t survive baggage claim. Paparazzi greeted me where Miles should’ve been. He wasn’t “allowed” to pick me up. The only thing that got me through the trip home was the thought of leaping into Miles’s arms at the airport, but even that couldn’t go as planned.
Instead, Kendra collected me. She didn’t have many details, only that Cash’s people wanted a meeting. And that the rumors had grown beyond a minor first-taste-of-fame nuisance into a full-blown situation.
So now we’re here, in a fancy PR firm’s conference room in downtown Chicago, surrounded by people in sharp suits and even sharper expressions.
Miles’s hand is on my leg, while Cash’s publicist explains why the rumor that I’m dating my duet partner is “actually a fantastic opportunity.”
Miles’s hand flexes on my thigh, and he stares at the glass wall behind Spencer’s head. Thank God he was able to come. I don’t think I’d make it through this without him.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive.For the Recordis trending. Streams have doubled since the CMAs. Cash, you’ve gotten more sponsorship offers than”—Spencer tips his head toward Cash’s manager—“well, more than Paula can field.”
“And Summer, you winning over the infamously single Cash Walker?” He says it like I’ve won an award. “It’s the kind of PR your debut needs.”
Kendra sits on my other side; her brows are furrowed, but she’s nodding along.
Paula doesn’t even try to hide her excitement. “The public loves the idea of you two together. Country music’s golden boy and the breakout star. It’s romantic. It’smarketable.”
Cash sits at the head of the table, ankles crossed, boots propped up, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. He’s probably been through something like this a thousand times before; he’s used to people managing his image. In the month I’ve known him, it’s become clear his team keeps him on a short leash.
I’m just glad Cash seems to agree with me about how ridiculous this all is. Maybe we haven’talllost our minds.
Spencer spins his chair toward Cash. “It’ll help with those other rumors I’ve been fielding, too.”
Cash’s jaw clenches. “Have you forgotten—I’d lovefor the truth to come out.” He holds Spencer’s gaze long enough that the room goes uncomfortably quiet.
People make a lot of assumptions about Cash, and I know a few are flat-out wrong.Okay, maybe he can be a brat.But he’s always got good intentions. The version of him the public sees isn’t the whole picture—I’m not sure they’d recognize the real one if they met him.
The more private a person is, the louder the gossip gets. I don’t understand why it matters. Like Boone says, it’s about the music. But the industry doesn’t care what I think.
Spencer looks away first, but Paula’s eyes narrow at Cash. “Need I remind you of our agreement?”
Cash’s boots thump onto the ground, and he leans forward, forearms on the table. “And what exactly are you suggesting now?” His voice is tight.
