“Very economical.”
Richard did not smile.
“The interview caused a forty-three percent increase in searches for your name.”
Brent leaned forward.
“Searches for the album rose nineteen percent.”
“Then congratulations. The crisis is converting.”
“This is not a joke.”
“No. The joke involved a turtle. This is a meeting.”
Rachel covered a cough.
Richard tapped the headline.
“You confirmed emotional involvement with an unidentified woman, admitted wrongdoing, and declined to define the relationship.”
“Yes.”
“That created ambiguity.”
“The situation was already ambiguous.”
“And your answer intensified it.”
“So would a lie.”
“No one is asking you to lie.”
Sophie shifted in her chair.
I looked at her.
She looked toward Richard.
That was enough.
“What are you asking me to say?”
Richard slid a page across the table.
The first paragraph thanked fans for their concern.
The second described Ellie as a private friend who had helped me during a short vacation.
The third redirected attention toward the tour.
I read it once.
“No.”
“It does not deny a relationship.”
“It calls her my friend.”
