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Christ.Maybe I needed a second shot.
Evan clapped me on the back. “We’re halfway there. I wouldn’t be surprised if you two end up winning, but of course, you didn’t hear that from me. I’m the impartial host.”
I crossed my arms. “Yeah.”
“Whoa, that was supposed to be a compliment. Why do you sound pissed about it?”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Sorry. It is a good thing. Some online trolls are saying she’s only made it this far because of me.”
Evan shrugged. “Having you as her partner certainly hasn’t hurt.”
“It bothers her.”
“What does?” Evan asked, distracted as he adjusted his tie in the mirror.
“That our success might be because of me.” Lord knew she was talented, but I couldn’t discount that my fame was helping us along in the competition. I had fans from my solo career, and Misdirection fans could be obsessive. There was no way she could win the whole thing solely because of me, but it was plausible that she’d made it so far for that reason. Not that I thought that was the case.
“Who cares if it is?”
“She cares.”
Evan snorted. “She needs to get over that shit. She’s halfway to a recording contract. She wouldn’t have gotten this far this quickly if not for the show and being paired with you.”
Evan was right, and I knew it. I’d said nearly the same thing to Ali, which was probably why his words irritated me now. Maybe he and I had become as jaded as everyone else in this business. Ali’s convictions were admirable, and we were both chastising her for them.
I sighed. Sometimes no-talent shitty people got rich while others with actual talent got nowhere. That was the world we lived in. I cared about Ali, so it couldn’t have been wrong that I wanted her to find success through whatever means possible.
Soon, it was time to meet her backstage to take our places for the reveal show. When I saw her, I stopped in my tracks. The black dress she wore was like a second skin. Smiling, she stepped forward to meet me, and as she moved, a slit that went nearly to her hip revealed itself, giving me a glimpse of her lean leg. Her hair had been straightened and pulled up at the sides to reveal sparkling earrings. And her eyes…damn.They were smokey, the lashes incredibly long.
She stopped, and her smile faltered. “Is it too much?”
I swallowed. “No. You’re gorgeous.” Though I was wearing a suit, I suddenly felt underdressed. She looked like she belonged on the red carpet, while I’d worn my attire to my great uncle’s funeral.
She smiled shyly. “I told the costume department to have at it,” she confided. “I figured I might as well.”
“Good choice.” I held my arm out. “Allow me.”
She wrapped her arm around mine. “I still can’t believe we’re already at the midway point.”
“That means you’re that much closer to winning this thing,” I told her.
“Maybe,” she mused. “I’m just glad Georgia is still here. It wouldn’t be the same without her.”
I’d only had limited interaction with Georgia, but I felt like I knew her because of how much Ali talked about her. I hesitated. “You know that only one of you can win, right?”
She laughed. “I know, but we’re both conveniently ignoring that fact.”
I leaned close. “You’ve got her beat.” She had everyone beat, as far as I was concerned. I might have been biased, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t right.
“Hey!” she protested. “That’s my SBBFF you’re talking about!”
I furrowed my brow. “SBBFF?”
″Sing BattleBFF.”
“Oh, gotcha.” We walked around the corner and almost ran smack into said SBBFF chatting with a man and looking quite cozy while doing it. It took me a moment to recognize him as Brandon Penny, Walter Penny’s grandson.
Georgia stepped away from him and blushed. “We’re just waiting for Walter. He should be along in a minute.”
