Page 68 of Between the Lines

Blaise appreciated that answer. It felt honest. She hadn’t considered the possibility of talk shows, though. That was interesting. She’d done Carson along with a few other models years before.

“One last thing,” she said. “Money. I know nothing’s decided yet, but what kind of advance are we talking about if this moves forward?”

Karen smiled slightly. “That’s the question everyone wants answered.”

“I figured,” Blaise said.

“If we make an offer,” Karen said. “It would likely be a high five-figure advance, paid in standard installments. That could change depending on final scope and marketing plans, but that’s the range we’re discussing internally.”

Blaise kept her expression neutral, even as her pulse picked up. That was real money. Maybe not as much as she’d hoped for, but still enough to change her life in the way she needed.

“Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate the transparency.”

“You’re welcome,” Karey said. “And I appreciate that you’re asking the right questions. It tells me you’re thinking long-term.”

“It’s the only way I can think at the moment,” Blaise said.

Karey smiled. “Thank you for your time. We’ll be in touch soon.”

When the screen went dark, Blaise sat very still, thinking about the conversation. It was exciting, but none of it would happen unless she got the book finished.

She was pleased with how the call had gone. Pleased, too, that she hadn’t been too overwhelmed to ask the questions important to her. Whatever happened next, she knew she’d handled this part exactly the way she wanted to.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The house felt quiet and empty after Liliana and the kids pulled away.

Essie stood in the doorway for a moment longer than necessary, watching the empty stretch of street as if they might turn around.

Mattie’s voice still echoed in her ears, the feel of his little kiss still present on her cheek. Mira’s warm weight lingered in Essie’s arms even though she’d handed her back ten minutes ago. It had been a good visit. A full one. The kind that had left her tired in a satisfying way.

Amazing how much she missed them already. Just like she missed Frank. The idea of getting a pet returned, but she knew it wasn’t the sort of decision that should be made impulsively.

She closed the door, then turned and walked into the living room. She hesitated, feeling a bit lost. Maybe she’d have another cup of coffee. There was cleaning and laundry to do now that her family had left, but she wasn’t feeling all that motivated to jump into that just yet.

Instead, she took a seat on the couch and picked up her phone, turning it over in her hands before unlocking it. There was something she could do. Something she’d thought about doing last night as she lay in bed.

She unlocked the screen and tapped on an app, quickly locating the person she couldn’t stop thinking about.

Sophie’s TikTok account stared back at her, the profile photo familiar. Essie had watched plenty of the videos, but she hadn’t checked it since Sophie had disappeared. She hadn’t wanted to.

Sure enough, there was a new post. Uploaded late last night. Essie tapped it and held the phone a little farther away, bracing herself.

Sophie sat on what looked like the edge of a bed, her hair loose, face bare of makeup except for her lash extensions, which had to be a first. The lighting wasn’t flattering, which might have been on purpose.

Her voice wavered as she talked, circling the same thoughts again and again. It was all about how she didn’t know what to do next. About feeling stuck. About feeling like she was standing at the edge of something without any idea how to move forward.

Then she mentioned Ryan.

Essie’s breath caught, just slightly.

Sophie talked about the cheating. About finding out. About how stupid it made her feel. How angry she was. How she was the kind of tired that felt like it would never go away. She didn’t cry, exactly, but her voice tightened when she said she felt like everyone always left her. Like that was a pattern she couldn’t escape.

Essie watched the entire video, her stomach clenching as the seconds ticked by. When it ended, she just sat there, phone resting in her palm, her heart heavy. She prayed immediately that God would watch over Sophie and keep her from doing anything irreversible. That He would keep her safe.

Essie prayed for Cece, too, because she was having a procedure today. Essie could imagine how scared her friend might be.

When Essie opened her eyes, she thought about everything Sophie had said. And the way she’d said it. Then Essie thought about what Sophie hadn’t mentioned. She hadn’t said a word about the lawsuits. Or about the way Essie had tried to reach out to her. Tried to include her in their family time. How, at least for a brief span of time, Sophie had interacted with them almost normally.