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“Great. Let me know as soon as possible.”
And with that he hangs up.
I don’t call the mayor. There’s no point. Besides, I don’t want Georgina going to Clearview any more than she does.
But I have another idea.
I call my sister.
“Hey Ames.” She answers on the first ring.
“Hey Mads.”
“I’ve been meaning to call you,” she says, her voice is a little breathless, like she’s walking fast. “How are you?”
“Not great,” I admit. “But that’s not why I’m calling you.”
“Okay. But you will talk to me about it at some point, right?”
The same way that you talk to me about your relationship with Luke?
“Not over the phone,” I answer. Then—because no matter how much older I get, I’m still twelve when talking to my sister—I fish for information. “I saw Luke at the game on Sunday.”
“Is that what you called me for?” she snaps.
“No.” I’m not surprised she didn’t fall for my bait. If she hasn’t told me about Luke until now, she won’t do it unless I confront her with it. But not now. “I told you that Georgina is coming for the Spring Festival, right?”
“You said it was a possibility. That’s great!”
“Well, Mayor Anderson wants me to convince her to stay in Dogwood during her visit. The mayor is willing to pay for her hotel room for two nights. But her stuffy manager thinks small-town is synonymous with shitty. I don’t know how she feels about it, but I thought that if I could talk to her directly, she might be more receptive.”
“I would imagine so, since her entire public persona is based on her being a small-town girl.”
“So… do you know anyone that might know how to put me in contact with her?”
I know it’s a long shot, but Madison knows a lot of musicians and people who work in the music industry. It’s not inconceivable that her and Georgina know one person in common.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
“I have to go,” she says. “I’m almost late for rehearsal. I’ll talk to you when I have news. And I’ll see you next week.”
She hangs up as unceremoniously as the agent.
As I put my phone down, it rings.
It’s Blake.
My heart thumps faster.
“Hey,” I answer, trying to keep my voice steady. “What’s up?”
“There’s something I’d like to talk to you about. Business. Do you mind if I stop by this evening? Say around six?”
Business?
“I have Chase…”
