“Of course,” Errol said.
I muted the call, turned off the camera, and turned to Kaz.
“We can’t go on tour without her. We’ll be on the road for months. There’s no fucking way.”
Kaz was frowning. “We’ll figure it out before we sign anything. We need to talk to her first, one-on-one.”
“Did she know about this?” I couldn’t understand why she’d hide it from us if she knew.
“I don’t know. Let’s finish this call.”
We jumped back on, and I swore Molly looked paler than moments earlier.
“We can keep going,” Kaz said, his finger drumming against the underside of the table.
Even through the screen, I could sense her relief.
But I didn’t share it. Because there would be no deal if she wasn’t part of it.
26
MOLLY
The tabon my laptop collapsed as the video call ended. A part of me wished I could click a button and make myself disappear as well.
Ever since the release party, I knew where we were headed. Mason and Kaz were racing forward with no brakes, and there was no room for me on the motorbike. They would be on tour soon, traversing the world and making headlines, while I’d be….what? Back here in LA trying to keep our relationship going over video chat? As if that could work for any of us. While they had life-changing experiences left, right, and center, I’d be the boring girl they left back home.
We had no future. I knew that. But now that the day was here, and our end was getting spelled out in a contract, literally, I couldn’t help but mourn.
“They’re quite attached to you, aren’t they?” Trinity asked as she rose from her seat.
They love you, you know,the wild thing purred.
I should have never listened to you,I shot back. This is what I got for giving in to my selfish desires.
Heartbreak.
“We’ve become good friends,” I said, hoping my tone of voice didn’t betray how awful I felt.
Approval cut across her features. “That’s great. Close personal connections are what keeps talent with us. Most like our personal touch.” She moved to the door. “Walk with me.”
We left the conference room and walked past rows of desks until we reached Trinity’s office. She ushered me inside before taking a seat behind her desk.
“I had dinner with Colin last night. He gave me the partner position.”
Surprise shot through me. “That’s incredible. Congratulations.”
Her lips turned up at the corners. “Thank you. When he saw the success of ‘Mahogany’, he knew it was only a matter of time before I secured a great deal for the guys.”
“You must be thrilled. When are you moving to your new office?”
“Not for a while. Everything has to be finalized from a legal and HR perspective first, but I don’t want to waste any time when it comes to figuring out my plan. As a partner, I’ll have even higher targets, which brings me to the topic at hand. I’d like to offer you the position of my senior assistant.”
How many times have I imagined these words coming out of her mouth? This was what I’d been working toward for the past year. And yet, instead of fluttering excitement, a heavy weight appeared inside my stomach. “Are you serious?”
She looked at me intently. “I am. You’ve more than proven yourself since starting at Hyperion, and it’s about time you get rewarded for that. I told you my promotion would mean a step up for you as well. I intend to keep my word.”
“Thank you, Trinity. I’m honored. Really.”
