Page 106 of Anyone But the Superstar

Amanda’s small laugh is rife with bemused disbelief. ‘I’m not sure how she could be so forgiving, but I’m just so thankful that she is. Especially knowing who her family is. It’s a miracle she grew up like Camilla and still turned out so wonderful.’

We sit in silence while Jack puts his Tesla to the test against LA traffic.

Mother was right. As usual. I’m a dumbass.

‘These also came by courier this morning.’ Jack pulls a hefty file from his door side pocket, handing them to me before veering onto the interstate.

I flip through the folder of documents, stopping on a signed page. One of many signed pages if the number of yellow tabs is anything to go by.

Elizabeth Anne Moore. Even her signature is a scrawl of artistic lines.

‘Elizabeth signed an NDA?’

‘Everything’s been timestamped and notarized, all dates from this past week.’

My mind whirls as he optimistically sets his cruise control, as if LA traffic isn’t going to force him to repeatedly stop-and-go for the one hour it takes to go fifteen miles. ‘How?—’

‘I had our lawyers look it over,’ Jack continues. ‘We all agreed that no self-respecting lawyer would draw up, let alone allow their client to sign a document like this unless they were specifically asked to.’ His eyes cut to me. ‘Not only has Elizabeth agreed never to initiate contact, either in person or by phone or mail, she’s agreed to a substantial penalty if she ever breaches said agreement.’

More silence as I stare at the pages in my hands.

‘I don’t know if this means anything to you,’ Amanda says from the back, looking a little less haggard now that she’s unburdened herself. ‘But my girlfriend also knows Elizabeth.’ She holds up her hands. ‘Not well, but well enough that when I confessed to what I did and why, she wasn’t surprised by Elizabeth’s actions. Saying that out of all the people she met during her society upbringing, Elizabeth Moore always seemed the most genuine.’

Jack crosses two lanes of traffic before unclicking cruise control and squeezing in front of a beat-up taxi. ‘Something else came this morning.’

‘Jesus.’ I close the folder and squeeze my eyes shut, not sure I can handle something else. ‘What now?’

He points to the glove compartment.

Opening it, I find a letter withFelix Jones only, pleasescrawled on the envelope in the same handwriting as Elizabeth’s signature.

‘She said this would be her final communication with you now that she’s signed the non-disclosure agreement.’ For someone who was so against me having any sort of contact with any women, Jack doesn’t look pleased at that piece of news.

With hands less steady that I’d like, I unfold the letter.

Felix,

I wasn’t able to tell you this at the time because I was protecting someone. At least, that’s what I told myself. And while partially true, I can see now that I was mainly protecting myself.

As you insinuated the last time we spoke, the man who raised me is not my father. I was only made aware of this last year along with the public when Stanley Winston Moore was arrested. My biological father is a scientist named Dr Gerald Howard Lee, who has a daughter, a few years older than me—NASA astronaut Dr Jackie Darling Lee.

As of the time of this letter, I have not yet worked up the courage to meet them. Until that time, or perhaps even after, I would please ask that you not mention this to anyone, as I’m unsure if they would want our connection public.

That’s why I wanted to go to the astronaut dinner. Because I was too nervous and unsure to introduce myself properly. I guess it was karma that she happened not to be there that night.

I am so very sorry my insecurities jeopardized your career and your mother’s wellbeing. Please know that I’m working to fix that.

Your Anne.

I stare at the last line, wondering how two words can make such an impact.

Underneath the letter, a small sketch slips out. It’s Mike, lazing in the sun on his favorite spot in the condo.

Clearing my throat, I refold the letter, slipping it back into the envelope.

‘I haven’t read it.’ Jack answers before I can ask. ‘It’s the only thing she asked for in return for—’ he gestures at the paperwork in my lap ‘—all that.’ He heaves a long, heavy sigh. ‘So eventhough the manager in me really, really wanted to read it, I didn’t.’

I smile at my friend. ‘You’re a good guy, Jack.’