Chapter 21
21
Emily
E mma couldn’t have been more wrong. She knew that now. Even her sister could see where Emma had gone wrong. There would be no salvaging her relationship with Caleb. While she’d had hopes that he would understand her situation and forgive her for her secrets, it was clear his judgment of who she was would be too hard to overcome.
So, she’d kept quiet.
Their date didn’t have to be ruined.
This didn’t mean she wasn’t going to tell him. She intended on doing just that, but first she had to figure out a few things. On second thought, maybe telling him didn’t have to happen either. What if she broke up with him and called it a day? If she was really lucky, he’d never make the connection.
Emma stared at her phone—her real phone—the one that Rachel would have most assuredly tracked if it had remained connected.
She didn’t know if she wanted to turn it on right now and put the SIM card back in, knowing full well that there would be loads of voice messages from not only her manager but from friends and family, too. Her mother might have called and begged her to return her messages.
The guilt that currently plagued her was wrapping tighter and tighter around her neck like the noose it was. The consequences she’d thought wouldn’t matter were knocking at her door, ready to be let in so they could suffocate her.
Perhaps Caleb was right about that. She’d come here without thinking about the consequences of her actions. She’d figured a short trip wouldn’t hurt anyone. Geez, she hadn’t even stayed long enough that she could have predicted the chaos that had followed. How had she managed to become so delusional?
Emma thought she’d been smarter than this. She’d thought she’d considered all the outcomes, and yet now as she stood staring at the device, she knew she’d miscalculated everything. She couldn’t even expect anyone to have pity on her. After what she’d done, she wouldn’t blame anyone for hating her.
Caleb was only the tip of the iceberg. She had to worry about what Sophia might think. She had to face everyone back home.
And what about her fans.
Of course, Rachel would spin this in a positive light, as if it had all been planned to end like this from the start. Hadn’t Caleb’s little sister thought as much? It could easily be brushed off as some big PR stunt. And Emma would get away with a slap on the wrist. That was probably why Rachel had avoided getting the police involved. It was all starting to make sense.
But everyone behind the curtain would know. She’d be looked at differently unless Rachel had an explanation for her disappearance. Right about now, Rachel was Emma’s only hope.
Emma eyed the phone like it was a viper, ready to strike. The poison would enter her bloodstream, and she’d end up writhing on the floor as it took root in her system. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, her eye caught on the book she’d been reading. She was nearly done with it. What else could she do when she couldn’t sleep? Reading was the only escape from her racing thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, she snatched the phone and held down on the power button. There was no time like the present. She just had to make the call and pray that Rachel was in a good mood.
As soon as the phone turned on, she pushed the SIM card into its slot. It took only seconds for it to start beeping and buzzing. Notifications burst through the speakers. Chirps, bell trills, and other sounds from various social media apps. Rachel was definitely going to hold this against her for the foreseeable future.
What was it she’d told Caleb the other night? She didn’t do this for the fame. She was a singer because she loved it.
Emma pressed the screen where one of the missed call notifications from Rachel popped up, and it immediately rang through.
“Emma? Thank heavens. What on earth has gotten into you? Where have you been? What were you thinking? I swear that if I didn’t believe your sister knew you were alive and well, I would have sent out the National Guard looking for you. We couldn’t find any information on what happened to you after you flew to Detroit. Are you still there? Please tell me?—”
“You don’t have to trace the call, Rachel. I’m ready to come home. But there’s one condition.”
For the first time in Emma’s memory, Rachel seemed to be speechless.
“I don’t want you sending anyone to my location. You’re going to meet me in Denver. I don’t want any attention drawn to the town I’m staying in. Do you understand?”
“But—”
“No buts. If you can’t guarantee it, then I’m throwing my phone away right now and finding my own way back. But if you agree to my terms, then you can turn this into whatever PR stunt you want. We can do a special concert in Denver and make it bigger than we’ve made anything else. We can announce a new single, too.” That was if Caleb was okay with her using the lyrics he’d written. But she’d deal with that later. Right now, Emma just wanted to get Rachel to swear she’d follow every direction Emma gave her. “Do we have a deal?”
“Emma, sweetheart?—”
“Do we have a deal?” she demanded again.
“Of course, but?—”
“I will fill you in on everything, but I have a few things I have to figure out before I can do that. I have to say some goodbyes, and I have to find a way back to the city.”
Rachel clicked her tongue. “You know we can send a car?—”
“No attention, remember? I don’t want a single soul in this town to know who I am.”
“No one recognized you?”
“Not so far.” Emma raked a hand through her wavy brown hair. It had been a miracle that Sophia hadn’t figured it out. That would likely change as soon as Caleb learned the truth—a possibility that made Emma feel sick to her stomach. “Just make sure that my cards are working and won’t be declined. I’ll get a bus or rent a car or something. And you make sure that there’s a private jet waiting at the Denver airport.”
Her manager went quiet. It wasn’t like her to be so calm. Then again, it was likely only a matter of time before she blew up and really made Emma feel guilty for all of this.
“Well?”
“Well, what, Emma? What do you want me to say?”
“I know you’re mad.”
“Oh, that doesn’t begin to cover it. You don’t even know the strings I had to pull in order to make this work out for us. I had to call in several favors. We had to move your schedule around and pay some extensive fees?—”
“You’ll get a raise. Will that fix things?”
“I—well—I suppose that would put a nice dent in things.”
“Fine. I’ll speak with my financial advisor and we’ll work something out. Is there anything else? Do you think you can handle it from here on out?”
“Are you going to shut off your phone again?”
“Not if you don’t track me here,” Emma warned.
“I already have your location, sweetie. But I’ll keep my word. We’ll meet you in Denver in, let’s say, twenty-four hours?”
“Make it forty-eight. I don’t know how long it will take to wrap up everything I have going on.”
“What could you possibly have going on?”
Emma pinched the bridge of her nose. “It doesn’t really matter, now does it? You got what you wanted out of all of this. I might possibly be even more famous. You’ve had your fifteen minutes in the spotlight. We will be able to schedule another show. What do you have to complain about now?”
“I suppose there’s nothing left. See? I’ve trained you well.”
As much as Emma cared for Rachel and respected her, there were moments like this one where she couldn’t help but realize the biggest reasons she’d made her escape. Well, that escape was behind her now. There was a very important meeting that needed to take place, and she didn’t know if she was going to be strong enough for it.
Emma hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. At least her phone call with Rachel hadn’t been as bad as she’d imagined. Rachel almost sounded like she knew it was coming. She’d planned on tracking Emma down even if she hadn’t wanted to be tracked.
Was Emma so predictable? She didn’t want to think about that—right now, she had to think about what she would tell Caleb. There were two options before her. She could tell him exactly who she was, or she could let him find out on his own. Either way, she needed to break things off with him because she was leaving.
Her hands shook and her legs had long since gone numb. She wasn’t sure if she could handle him yelling at her or telling her she was just as bad as he’d thought she was. She didn’t want to see the pain in his eyes. Those were some of the consequences he’d insisted she was going to free herself from.
In this situation, maybe he was right. She didn’t have the strength to suffer those consequences, and she might use her fame and fortune to be free from everything. It would be so much easier to tell him they couldn’t work because she was returning to LA and the distance simply wasn’t something she could overcome. To see his disappointment regarding that outcome seemed at least a bit more manageable, even if it did make the sickness growing in her gut turn more sour by the second.
The ride to Caleb’s home went by in a blur. She’d gotten the address from Sophia and borrowed her car, insisting that she didn’t want to put her out. In reality, she didn’t want Sophia to witness the end to what could quite possibly be her first true love.
Emma hated the irony that she’d fallen for someone while pretending she wasn’t who she was to the general public. Bad decisions brought on even worse outcomes. Now she’d sacrifice what she cared about and all because she’d been selfish.
She strode up the steps to the house and froze on the welcome mat. The home was modest for having housed such a large family. Emma couldn’t believe that it used to be as worn down as Caleb had mentioned. She let her gaze sweep over the building, imagining a young Caleb and his siblings playing out in the yard or working with the animals they had on the property. She could almost hear their childlike laughter.
It wasn’t any wonder that she’d been drawn to this small town. If she had a family, this would be the first place she’d want to settle down. Too bad she’d gone and messed up any possibility of that.
She heaved a sigh. The clock was ticking. She only had so much time to say her goodbyes, and this one was going to be the hardest one of all. Lifting her hand, she poised it to knock. Before she could connect with the wood, it swung inward. A young woman stared at her with wide, bright blue eyes. The recognition in her gaze was unmistakable.
Emma bit back a curse. She had been so focused on telling Caleb that she had completely forgotten to grab her glasses and her hat. It would do her no good to duck her head and hide her face. There was no rewinding time. Charlie had seen her, and all she had to do was let out a squeal to get anyone’s attention.
Emma held up both hands in an attempt to prevent her from doing just that, but she did so a little too late.
“Emma Hart! At my door! I can’t believe it!”
Movement behind her caught Emma’s attention and she glanced up to see Caleb standing a few yards away. His confusion was short-lived as the realization hit him hard. His face reddened, and he scowled as he moved toward her with hurried steps.
“Caleb, I?—”
And just like that, he pushed past her and strode down the porch steps faster than she’d ever seen him move.