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“That’s not true. You’re very photogenic.”
“With my friends and Georgie. But when there’s lots of people staring at me, I tend to get weirdly stiff and awkward on camera.”
“Oh, for the love of—”
“You’ve got this,” Georgie interjects. “I’ll stand next to the camera the whole time, so you can look into my eyes while singing.”
“Thank you. That’s a great idea.”
“Here’s the bottom line,” Reed says. “I’m not going to let you fail. Because when you fail, I fail. And I don’t fail.”
My heart skips a beat. Damn, he’s good. And, wow, Reed is really going all in on my little song! When Reed signed me, I didn’t think he’d do anything but record the song and post about it on River Records’ social media channels. “Thank you for everything, Reed,” I say, my voice cracking with emotion. “I can’t believe you’re doing all this.”
“Aw, don’t cry. Please. This is business.” But his tone sounds anything but businesslike.
I sniffle. “I’m not crying. I’m totally emotionless right now.”
Georgina laughs. “Oh, Ally.”
“Has Fish already booked your accommodations in New York?” Reed asks.
“Yes. He’s taken care of everything. After New York, he’s coming to Boston with me for a whole week!”
“Sounds fun. I’ll have Owen reimburse Fish for the New York portion of your trip, now that you’re coming for official business.”
“Oooh. It sounds so exciting when you say it like that. Official business. I’ll tell Fish.”
“Great. I have to go now. Busy day. See you in New York.”
“Bye! See you soon.”
“Don’t hang up yet, Ally!” Georgie calls out. “I have something huge to tell you!”
I lean my butt against my kitchen counter. “About what?”
“Fish. Reed and I went to Dax and Violet’s place for dinner last night. And during dinner, Dax said Fish has been racing out of the studio every day, rather than hanging out afterward, like he always used to do, because he’s always so excited to get home to video chat with you.”
“Aw. He’s so sweet.”
“Dax said every time Fish races out the door to talk to you, he says, ‘Gotta dip, dudes. I’ve got another hot date with my hot girlfriend.’”
“He does not say that!”
“That’s what Dax said!”
“Fish has never called me his girlfriend!”
“But wait, there’s more! When I said I was so happy for you and Fish, because you’re perfect together, Violet chimed in and said, and I quote, ‘I’ve never seen Fish head over heels in love before.’ Violet said, ‘It’s so wonderful to see Fish in love like this, especially with someone as sweet as Ally.’”
I clutch my heart. “Violet used the words ‘head over heels in love?’”
“She did. And Dax was sitting right there and didn’t correct her, so it must be true!”
I fan myself. “I wonder if Fish actually used those words himself, or if Violet was deducing that Fish is in love.”
“I don’t know. All I know is it seemed like a fact to both Dax and Violet that Fish is in love with you.”
My heart feels like it’s exploding in my chest. “Holy hell, Georgie. If Fish doesn’t say ‘I love you’ when we see each other in New York, I’m going to say it first. I can’t stand it anymore.”
“I’m sure he’s waiting to say it in person, the same as you. Oh, honey, by the way. I don’t know if Reed mentioned this to you, but, apparently, Reed and all the artists playing at the charity concert are going to be busy that whole day with sound check and promo, so do you want to hang out with Violet, Jackson, and me that day, before we head over to the arena around six?”
“That sounds great.”
“I’ll pick you up from the airport that morning. Send me your flight info.”
“I’ll have to change my flight to the morning. I was supposed to arrive in the late afternoon.”
“Yeah, definitely change it. Oh, I’ve got to run. I just got an important text from my boss. I can’t wait to see you next week!”
“I can’t wait!” As I hang up with Georgie, my phone buzzes with an incoming call. And when I look down, it’s my boss at the café.
“Oh, crap,” I say, suddenly remembering I was supposed to be at work fifteen minutes ago. I press the button to answer my boss’ call. “Patti, I’m so sorry!”
“Are you okay?” my boss says. “You’re never late.”
“I’m fine. I’m still at my apartment. Just as I was getting ready for work, I got a call from the head of my record label with some fantastic news. I’ll change my clothes now and—”
“No, no. We’re fine. Kendall hasn’t even left yet. What was the fantastic news?”
I tell Patti everything. Not just about the music video, but the interviews Reed arranged in New York, as well. I tell her about how Reed said, “When you fail, I fail. And I don’t fail.” I gush about what a whirlwind this entire process has been. How Reed is unexpectedly using the full muscle of his renowned label to make my song a worldwide hit. And when I’m done talking, Patti congratulates me and expresses joy for me. But she also says something that shocks me.
