“Wait,” I said, my eyes bulging. “You’reKing’s new client?”
She lifted her nose as if the idea disgusted her. “Not anymore. That man is a complete dick.”
“Okay…” I scratched my head. “Definitely not following.”
“It’s kind of a long story,” she responded, but I had a feeling Violet came here for the sole purpose of telling said story, so I lifted a brow and waited.
“Immortal Nightsis on its last season, and I needed a break from the whole acting thing,” she explained. “I’m interested in launchinga music career, so earlier this summer I asked Alec for his help. We spent a weekend putzing around in his dad’s studio, and after King listened to the track we laid down, he offered to sign me. At first, I was hesitant because I’ve heard some not-so-good rumors about King. But he agreed to let Alec produce the album, so I decided to give Mongo a shot. Then, about two weeks ago, King suddenly changed his mind. Told Alec he wasn’t responsible enough to work on the project.”
My head jerked back. Two weeks ago was when Alec skipped his dad’s barbecue. I knew bailing on the party had created tension between the two, but I never considered what Alec had lost because of it.
This was all my fault. I never should have allowed him to drive me to San Francisco.
“Total bull, right?” Violet said as she took in my expression. “If you ask me, King was looking for an excuse to run the show, but not working with Alec was a deal breaker for me. He’s actually excited about my music. King just sees me as a giant payday.”
“So what happened?”
“Well, I hadn’t signed the contract yet and my agent was in contact with a different producer, so I backed out. Which totally sucked, because Alec and I had already done a bunch of brainstorming.”
A terrible thought took root at the back of my mind. “Alec begged you to reconsider, didn’t he?” I asked.
“Yup. He was in Seattle so we couldn’t talk in person, but he convinced me to wait until we could sit down together before making any major decisions.”
My stomach twisted. The conversation I’d overheard at Rose’swasn’t Alec fighting for his relationship, it was him fighting for what he loved most: music. I swallowed and tried not to be sick.
“I refuse to work with King, and Alec is sick of the way his father treats him, so we came up with a kickass solution. Alec created his own record label.” She smiled like a proud mom. “Once all the legal stuff is sorted out, I’ll be the first artist he signs.”
“He really went against his dad like that?”
She nodded. “Yeah, he’s risking a lot for me—his relationship with his father, his career. But that’s the kind of a person he is.” Violet paused for the briefest of moments and leaned in toward the table. “Listen, Felicity. I don’t know what happened between you two, because Alec hasn’t been forthcoming. But I do know that he misses you.”
For a long time I said nothing.
Asha had been right. Right about Alec not dating Violet. And about me pushing him away so I wouldn’t get hurt. About everything, really. The realization of what I’d thrown away knifed through me with sharp, blinding pain.
“I miss him too,” I admitted.
Violet’s eyes sparkled with excitement, like my response was the best thing she’d ever heard. “So call him. Trust me. He wants to hear from you.”
Yeah, right.Thinking about what I’d said to him made me cringe. There would be no coming back from that. Alec probably hated me.
“I know you’re only trying to help,” I told her, “but I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I said some pretty awful stuff, and I just… I don’t think things will ever feel the same between us.”
“All right,” Violet said, holding up both hands. “It’s not my business to push.” She lifted her purse onto the table and rummaged through it. “Before I go, I have something for you. Alec mentioned returning this, but I don’t think he ever planned to.”
Her purse was huge, almost as big as my messenger bag, and whatever she was searching for was buried. Frustrated, Violet turned it over and dumped out the contents. A wallet, more tubes of lipstick than I could count, and her phone clattered to the table, along with my travel copy ofTo Kill a Mockingbird.
“Ah, here it is,” she said, sliding the book over to me.
But I wasn’t listening. Because together with all her stuff, there was a scattering of origami hearts.
“Where did you get those?” I asked, scooping one up. On closer inspection, I realized it was made out of a music sheet.
“Oh, Alec makes them,” she said with a dismissive wave. As if they meant nothing. “He watched a YouTube video on it when we were in the studio last week, and he’s been obsessed with them ever since. You can keep one if you like. I’ve got a million of them.” Violet repacked her purse before pushing her sunglasses back into place and sliding out of the booth. “Well, I should get going. I have a radio interview tomorrow to prepare for, and I haven’t looked at the questions yet. It was nice meeting you, Felicity.”
Too stunned to respond, I could only stare down at the heart in my hand. The last time I sat at this booth, Alec had found one of Rose’s foldings, and it had been a gut-wrenching experience. But this? The light tingling working its way through my limbs? It was an altogether different feeling. Like finding my sister’s letters,the paper heart I was holding sparked a flicker of hope inside me. What if there was a chance Alec would forgive me after all?
A sudden sense of urgency ripped through me. I needed to make things right.
