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“Indeed I am.”
“And already finding yourself embroiled in scandal.” Jimmy says it with relish, and I remind myself he’s only doing this because this is what people want.
“Yeah, didn’t mean for that to happen.” I shake my head, rubbing my fingers along my jaw. Hating how uncomfortable I feel.
But I need to do this. I need to say it. Spill it all.
“We hear about fake relationships all the time in Hollywood. But no one ever cops to them, you know? This is a first.” Jimmy watches me, his eyes sparkling, and he gives me a little nod of encouragement. “The relationship started out fake between you two, right? Did it eventually turn into something real?”
“It started out fake.” I sit up straighter and clear my throat. This is do-or-die time. “I can’t lie about it. Those documents that were leaked? They are one hundred percent real, and we were victimized by that Irresistible employee leaking everything. But yes, Scarlett and I signed a contract, and we were involved in a fake relationship for publicity purposes through my record label.”
“The publicity surrounding you two after the kiss photo was completely wild. Like, everyone was talking about it. Your comeback. How you two made such a great couple. She’s got such a huge audience on social media, and people still love you from your Five Car Pileup days. It was a big deal. People were rooting for you two, so to find out it wasn’t real is just...” Jimmy shakes his head. “Man, it was a little disappointing.”
The audience groans its agreement.
“I let everyone down. I know I did. Including Scarlett. But believe me when I say my feelings for her the last couple of weeks, before everything came out?” My gaze goes to the camera, and I say, “They were authentic.”
The crowd claps, and my face flushes. I’m not looking for approval, but hearing their applause makes me feel a lot better.
I hope Gloria Lancaster comes through and gets her to watch this live. It’ll mean so much more.
“What are you saying, Tate?” Jimmy asks.
“I’m saying that I’m in love with Scarlett.” I turn toward him to see the smile on his face. He’s eating this up. “I know people might think I’m just saying this to save face, but I’m being real right now. I love her. The new album is all about her. Every single song. Every word I wrote.”
“I hear you wrote all the lyrics,” Jimmy adds.
I nod. “I did. Every song is from my heart. For Scarlett.”
“Including your latest number one hit, ‘Red.’ Congratulations on that, by the way. Pretty cool to go from a former rebel in a boy band to having the number one single on theBillboardcharts.”
“It feels amazing,” I agree. “I still can’t believe I’ve been given this second chance.”
“All thanks to performing at Scarlett’s birthday party. How did you get that gig again?” Jimmy asks.
I tell the story, and then we go to commercial break. As soon as the cameras are off, Jimmy’s leaning over his desk, his gaze on me. “You’re doing great. Keep it up.”
“Thank you.” A makeup artist darts out, dabbing at my forehead with one of those puff things. I’m sweating thanks to what I’m saying and the hot lights.
“You’re really in love with her?”
I nod. “Hope she watches. This is the first time I’ve told her.”
Jimmy’s mouth drops open. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Bad move?”
“We’ll see,” he says with a broad smile, just as the cameras turn back on.
We talk about the album some more. He asks a few questions about my troubled past, but they’re more like gentle lobs than heavy slams on top of my head. I express my gratitude to the fans for loving the song and say I hope they’ll enjoy the album. I offer up hints about an upcoming tour.
And then it’s almost time for me to perform.
“You were going to sing ‘Red,’ but you came to me with a special request, right?” Jimmy’s brows shoot up.
Nerves eat at me again. This is where it gets tricky. I never ran the idea by Simon or Roger. “Yeah. I was hoping I could sing my new song for your audience tonight.”
Lots of cheering and yelling in response to that statement.
