Chapter 48
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Cat
Worst. Engagement party. Ever.
Not that I’ve been to any others. Still, Mandy couldn’t act shocked long enough for Brett “Bretty-bear” McCloy to push her new carbon monstrosity up past her first knuckle. I tear my eyes away from the new couple, who is holding hands and smiling beatifically at the press of people clamoring to congratulate them. Am I jealous? Is that what’s going on here? Because they’re engaged to be happily married after only dating for eight weeks and meanwhile, I’m technically still single? I should be happy for them. Any normal, well-adjusted person would be.
Too bad I’m neither.
I clap along for the sake of appearances while edging my way toward the front door and using one hand to summon an Uber. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve done right by Rosalie, staying the requisite thirty minutes before bouncing. Anyway, she has her husband.
It takes me a few minutes of ducking and weaving to complete my Irish goodbye, but eventually, I slip outside. Checking my phone, I curse under my breath. The Uber is still ten minutes away and looks to be heading away from me. Circling around to the side of the teahouse, I find a rusted wire chair and pop a squat.
As soon as the chilly metal touches the backs of my thighs, a door slams shut. Someone—a man—issues a greeting so boisterous I flinch. Peering around the corner to the front of the building, I see blond hair, boulder shoulders, and legs like tree trunks.
Brett.
I retract my head before he can see me.
“Great news,” he booms into his phone. “The kid … I mean, I came up with an idea.”
“I’m listening,” a male voice replies. Brett is apparently the type of person who makes calls on speakerphone.
“You want us to rip the romance out of Compass Hollow and call Andi’s reputation into question. That’s understandable, given how IAX—”
IAX? Frowning, I tip forward so that I’m balancing on two of my chair’s four legs.
“Careful, Brett,” the voice on the other end cautions. “I make this request solely for the good of the game. There is nothing personal about it.”
“Right.” Brett swallows so hard, I can picture his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Here’s the plan. Tomorrow, I meet with Andz and the entire Heartrender team. At that meeting, I rip apart her writing, specifically the romances. Then, that afternoon, we issue an official statement announcing the creative decision that Compass Hollow will ship without romanceable NPCs due to ‘lack of interest from the narrative team.’ We let the public run wild with speculation about Andi’s competence. The game gets free buzz, you get what you want, and I”—here, Brett pauses—“get my promotion?”
Promotion? My chair almost slips out from under me. Biting back a hiss, I settle its four legs firmly on the ground.
“Indeed,” the voice says in a low, honeyed inflection. By now, I’m certain it’s Jan Brett is talking to. “Pull this off for me, Brett, and I’ll see to it that you get your promotion.”
“Great,” Brett shouts, golden retriever happy. “I have your approval to go ahead, then?”
“You do,” Jan says. “Good work. Oh, and Brett? Look into the identity of that cosplayer at IAX. Consider this request a personal one.”
“Will do.”
Brett hangs up. Too afraid to breathe, I wait for him to leave and return to his own engagement party. What if Brett uncovers my identity? The hors d’oeuvres I ate earlier are reanimating in my stomach at the idea of all my hard work disappearing into the ether and me being blacklisted from the industry. This gig with Heartrender was supposed to be my big break; if my name doesn’t make it into the main credits, I may as well have done nothing these past few months. More than that, though, I don’t want Andi to be caught unawares come Monday. What Brett and Jan are planning to do to her will devastate her. She’ll be thrust into the spotlight she so hates for something that’s not even her fault.
Finally, Brett clears his throat and bangs back inside. A second later, a black SUV rumbles onto the gravel drive. I do a quick perimeter check before darting into the back seat. Once I’m safely out of view, I pull out my phone to change the destination of my ride.
I need to see Andi.