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Stanton clapped his hands in front of him like he was praying. “Holly,” he beamed, “who will close out the season, is such a firecracker. The way that girl handles the trolls that invade her online gaming community,” he shivered, “burns like ice. We can’t wait to show her ways to bring that fire into her everyday life.”
Jazzy cleared her throat. “Robbie is our show’s first transgender man and we’re so thrilled to be a part of his journey. He’s the most incrediblepoet and teacher and we’re determined to help him see himself the way his family and friends and students already do.”
“Then we have Mya.” Jazzy tapped her boots against the stage in excitement, gripping the arms of her chair like they were the only thing keeping her in her seat. “She’s out there trying to change the way that people understand food, fatness, and health. Her goal is to open a community center in her neighborhood that teaches people about nutrition through cooking and baking demonstrations. It’s something Stanton and I both believe strongly in, and we hope we can encourage Mya to see that she has the knowledge and resources to make it happen.”
Everly tried to use the feel of Bagel’s soft fur beneath her palms to soothe her beating heart. The dog tipped his head back to look at her, ears flopping everywhere, and licked her fingers. He must have felt her panic rising. She was the only guest left, and her story didn’t seem nearly as compelling as the rest of them.
As if to prove her right, Stanton took over. “Finally, there’s Everly, who will kick off our season. She’s a talented artist and one of the sweetest, funniest humans we’ve met. Like most of us, she’s trying to learn to love herself enough to let someone else love her. We really hope we can help her find the strength to tell her coworker how she feels.”
His words were as jarring as someone blasting a horn next to Everly’s ear. “What?” she yelped, shooting up straighter on the couch. Did Stanton seriously announce her feelings for James on television? Her boss had sent out multiple emails encouraging everyone to watch the premiere and support her. The entire office probably saw that.
Jamesprobably saw that.
Becca paused the show, her head turning toward Everly in slow motion. “What about your art? Your job? The Collective? Why are they so focused on him?”
“I don’t know.”
Everly wanted to slither to the floor. Through the floor, and the basement, and the foundation, through the topsoil and layers of dirt and whatever else rested between her and the Earth’s hot core. Something told her it did not generate nearly as much heat as her face right now.
At Sady’s office they’d talked about how important participating in the Cape Cod Collective would be to Everly, about her dream to design a tattoo. Why wasn’t any of that included? Had they seen the footage with her goofy heart-eyes at James and decided that was a better storyline? Or…
Her gaze shot toward Becca. “Did you tell them about James when you nominated me?”
“I told you it wasn’t me,” Becca insisted.
Clearly, she was going to keep up this charade until she was free of her NDA.
Before Everly was able to push at the issue any more, the front door swung open, and her brother swept into the room, still shedding his coat. Bagel bolted off the couch and trotted toward him.
Everly’s face must have still been red, because the moment he saw her, he stopped mid-step. “What’s going on?”
“They’re making me look like a fool onOn the Plus Side.”
Ellis glanced at the TV. “Shit, that was tonight? I wanted to watch it with you.”
“Too late.” Everly sank back into the couch. If she was lucky, it would swallow her whole, the way that bed did to Johnny Depp in that old Freddy Krueger movie.
Ellis folded his arms. “No way. We’re watching it again. How am I supposed to properly mock you if I don’t see every second?”
Everly did her best impression of Logan as she glared at her brother. “You missed nothing.”
“That’s not true!” Becca shook her head. “Ev’s footage was great.”
“It was a disaster.”
“Well, that settles it.” Ellis spun on his heel. “I’m making cookies and we’re watching again.”
Becca jumped up. “I’ll help.” Everly didn’t miss the way she grabbed her brother’s ass (gross) as they rushed for the kitchen.
With a sigh, she pressed Play. There were only five minutes left, but she needed to remember every little detail. She needed to talk to Sady.Thiscould not be her story arc.
There had to be more to her than that.
CHAPTER 10
At seven in the morning on a Monday, Monmouth Cove could have served as the set for a postapocalyptic film.
The empty sidewalks were wet with morning dew, grates drawn tight across the storefronts. A sleepy mist hung over everything like a witch’s curse, so that the only noise was the muffled breeze and the rumble of tires from the handful of cars passing through on their way to the highway.
