It was a sweet offer, but I shook my head.“The light there is all wrong.Your living room is much better.”
I didn’t want to be alone, but it had been two days, and nothing had happened.I was feeling much better, and I couldn’t put off working for any longer.
“Don’t you have those fancy light things so you can make good light happen anywhere?”he asked, clearly as reluctant to leave as I was for him to go.
I couldn’t just start accompanying him to work every day, though, however tempting it might be.I had my own life and responsibilities, and I’d eventually get in the way of him doing his job.
Besides, I wanted him to like having me around, and if I was too clingy, I might overwhelm him.
“Yes, but it’s much better if the ambient lighting is nice.Makeup and artificial lighting can only do so much.I want to look as good as I can because the gossip about what happened is starting to get out of control, and I need to calm everyone.”
He sighed, his mouth twisting unhappily.“Promise you’ll call me if you need me?”
I smiled.“I will.”
“Thank you.And if you change your mind and want to come to the medical center, you’re welcome to walk down, or I can pick you up if I’m not with a patient.I’m sure Grace or Kennedy wouldn’t mind giving you a ride either.”
“I know.”
I didn’t mention that there was no way I was walking there on my own.Physically, I could probably do it, although it would hurt, but I liked having walls around me.It made me feel safer.Out in the open, danger might come from any direction.
I had no idea if the person who’d done this to me was still in Destiny Falls, and I didn’t want to make myself any more vulnerable than necessary.
“Lock the doors,” he said.
“The back door is already locked, and I’ll lock the front one behind you when you leave,” I assured him.
“I’ll wait until I hear it.”He slung his bag over his shoulder and strode to the exit.“I’ll be home for lunch.”
I padded after him and waited while he put on his shoes and stepped through the door, then I turned the lock and tested the handle just to make sure it had worked.Next, I walked a circuit of the house, checking to make sure the windows were sealed and—to my shame—opening any cupboards large enough for a person to hide in just in case someone had secreted themself away.
No, I didn’t logically think anyone would hide in the linen cupboard, but the fearful little voice in the back of my head needed to be certain.
Once I was sure I was alone, I set up my new phone on a stand in the living room and connected it to a small Bluetooth microphone so my audience could hear me more clearly.
I went to the bathroom and applied a thick layer of makeup to hide the worst of the bruising.It was easier to cover now because the bruises were beginning to turn yellow.
As they disappeared bit by bit, I began to feel more like myself.
The bruises served as a reminder of what had happened to me, and I was only too happy to paint over them.When I finished, the outlines of some of the bruises were still visible if you looked closely, especially on my cheekbones, but overall, it wasn’t too bad.
I poured myself a glass of water and sat in front of my phone, fussing with the settings until everything was just as I wanted it.Then, I tried to hit the button to go live… and stopped.I tried again, but my hand shook, and I missed the button.
Drawing in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused on the way the sofa felt under me and the firmness of the floor beneath my feet.
You’re okay,I told myself.
It shouldn’t surprise me that this was difficult.I’d been shut away in either Max’s house or the medical center for three days now, only seeing and speaking with close friends.Of course facing others would be challenging.
But I could do this.My career might depend upon it.If I took too long to start creating content again, my followers would forget about me.
My stomach twisted.Ugh, that kind of pressure didn’t help.
Don’t think about them.Pretend you’re just talking to Summer.
I could do that.In the early days, it had been how I’d stayed sane.Confronting the reality of how many people were listening to my every word was too intimidating, so everything I did was just for Summer.
Summoning a smile, I pushed the button and looked into the camera.“Hi, everyone.I know it’s been a while since I posted anything.Hopefully you’ll forgive me because everything has been crazy.”
