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Mena paused. Caroline glared. She might be cheer squad, but she was still the boss. “We’ve met before,” Mena said.
“Before that day you fell into the boardroom?”
“Fifteen years before.”
Caroline closed her eyes. “This is everything.”
Mena needed to talk. All her calls to Vera had gone unanswered. “He was on the top of my drummers-to-sleep-with list.”
Caroline squealed and they both looked at the baby, who made another sleepy gurgling sound but didn’t open her eyes.
“I love it. I love it. So you—wait. You slept with drummers. You had a list.” Caroline said, elated.
“I was very different back then. I was goth and I used a different name. Philly.”
“Oh Philomena Grady, I am in awe of fifteen years ago you. Were you an actual groupie?”
Mena nodded. “I was confident he wouldn’t place me.”
“But he suspected. He asked if you’d met before.”
“He did,” Mena broke eye contact and looked at the top of her swept clean desk. “I lied.” She forced herself to focus on Caroline again. “I’ve changed a lot and I figured he would be different too. That success would’ve changed him, spoiled him. I didn’t want my whole sordid groupie past tumbling out and negatively influencing my career.”
“Sordid?” Caroline looked simply delighted. “Are you ashamed of your groupie past?”
“I didn’t think Swire and Yallop would appreciate my early career choices. It’s not like I volunteered for Meals on Wheels.”
“Hmm, but you got over that and you told him who you were.”
Mena shook her head. She wasn’t ashamed of her past, not even now. She was ashamed about lying to Grip. “I didn’t tell him. I should have. He caught me in my lie. He worked it out for himself.”
“Knew he was sharp. He just got bad advice from other sharks and he’s too nice a guy. He’s perfect for you.”
Mena blinked at that, feeling a sting under her eyelids. “I fucked it up.”
Caroline’s hands flew up. “Nooo!”
They both looked at Amelia. She blew a bubble.
“Fifteen years ago, I was obsessed with Grip and I had skills getting what I wanted. I never expected to ever see him again or to want him so badly. I never expected him to want me as I am now.”
Caroline kicked off her other shoe. “This is so romantic.”
“It’s really not.” The despair that twisted in Mena’s stomach tasted sour in her mouth.
“You have a secret history, instant chemistry, and it’s forbidden and so delicious. Oh, the struggle until you give in to it.”
Yes, all of that, yes. Another excuse she’d found to lie.
“Details.” Caroline was enjoying this a bit too much.
“I tried to stop it at one time except—” Mena hung her head.
“He’s a sex god.”
“Yes, he is, and he hasn’t changed. He’s the same unassuming amazing musician and beautiful person I was obsessed with. I’m still obsessed with him, but I was lying to him and he figured it out and I thought I had it under control but I wrecked everything.”
“Oh my God, this is the greatest thing. How?” Caroline was definitely enjoying herself too much.
