Well, that was a hell of a question. I wasn’t safe in the slightest. However, it was extremely unlikely that Mr. Evans-Pierre was going to do anything to me. I did love a technicality. “He’s not going to hurt me,” I said, my voice small. She put a hand on my arm.
“I’m here if there’s anything I can do for you, okay?”
I pushed out a breath, taking a second to make sure I didn’t cry. “I’m good,” I said in a thin, teary laugh. “I mean, hell, I’ve got talent like Stephen Shale in my pocket. Kid’s gonna hit the big leagues.”
She smiled cautiously. “I see we’re compartmentalizing and using humor to avoid the subject.”
“Okay, I said I was safe, but clearly I was not safe from you. Shiyun sends their best in terms of cutting analysis.”
“Just saying, I’ve been worried about you.” She put a hand on my arm, and I softened into it. The fact that she was so compassionate, so kind, sogood,while I was lying to her face, just burned me alive.
“Well, that goes both ways, you know?” I said. “You’re dealing with a lot. But… maybe we’ve got something in common.”
“Aside from classical Greek myth, because I’ve been rereading the Odyssey lately.”
Oh, god. I blushed so hard I was sure she could see it even in the low lights of the hallway. “Oh, uh. Enjoying it?”
“Tell me what else we have in common?” she laughed, that small smile playing on her lips.
She had way too much fun teasing me. “You know, just… we’re… both trying to build something we shouldn’t. Right? I know I’m flying by the seat of my pants figuring this whole thingout. And you always look so… cool and effortless, but I bet you feel the same way.”
Her smile strained a little, looking down at the floor. “Is it obvious?”
“Not in the slightest. I think it’s just because I know what to look for.”
“I really shouldn’t be here, doing this. I feel like… like I’m going to turn a corner to find someone I know, someone connected to Shiyun, and Linyue is going to have my head on a platter. It’s silly to be this scared of my parents at my big age.”
“I’m glad you are,” I said. “Glad you’re here, doing this, I mean. You’re obviously a great model, and you obviously do great with Shiyun, but… I like seeing your ambition. Seeing how you just… light up when you’re pursuing what you want.”
She gave me a loaded smile, something gleaming in her eyes, before playfully, teasingly, she said, “Are you flirting with me?”
“No—no, no. I’m not.” I scratched my head. “Not knowingly. Not intentionally.”
She laughed, standing up taller. “Thank you,” she said. “Then I suppose we’ll both just do our best. And I’ll be there for you. I appreciate you doing the same for me.”
“Oh, uh… yeah.” I mean, I’d die for her if she so much as thought it, but yeah, I’d do the same for her. “Here’s to chasing our dreams.”
“I’ll drink to that,” she said. “Not tonight, though. I’m too booked tonight to go out for drinks. Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” That word had never confused me before, but in the context of Helena Warrick asking me out for drinks, any day would be confusing. She had to know by now I had a crush on her. Was she planning on making a move on me even thinking I was married? I should have said no. Estelle andKingmaker would both kill me if I said yes. “I can do tomorrow, yeah.”
“Great. It’s on me, then,” she said, with a wink that hit me in my core. “To say thanks for taking me on board, Miss Boss.”
That just made it sound more like a date. “I’m mad at you, you know. I can’t give you an embarrassing nickname if you keep being perfect in every way.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m not,” she laughed. “Just look a little closer and you’ll see. Now, are we getting that tech or not?”
Jesus, I’d forgotten we were even in a studio. Poor Stephen was probably wondering if we’d gotten lost in the halls. “Psh… sure. I’ll be watching like a hawk. Waiting for that first embarrassing thing you do. It’s going to live forever in infamy.”
“I can’t wait,” she said with another wink, starting on ahead of me. Unsteadily, I followed along, even though my heart felt like it would explode.
Chapter 13
Helena
Cassandra had good instincts. Or—I wondered if I should have been calling her Julie. Her maiden name made sense, but I wondered if Julie was an alias, a middle name, or if she just wanted out of being Cassandra Evans-Pierre so badly that she wanted to drop the whole name and move on. I was desperately curious what the husband was like, and I’d almost looked them up at one point, but I think I was worried about what I’d find.
Instead, I got to see who she was firsthand, and she was clever with people. It quickly became clear working with Stephen Shale in a different studio wasn’t just about getting a record done for him, but was another form of networking opportunity—she laid on the charm with the producer who squeezed into the booth with the two of us to work with Stephen, and we chatted while Stephen was doing take after take in the room. Talked extensively about this event we were working on, and she deferred to me to let me handle asking him about his work, the studio, about the industry though his eyes, a push-and-pull that had him feeling like an old friend by the timewe finished the record, Stephen Shale shooting us a thumbs-up from inside.
