Page 43 of Mic Drop (Passionate Beats #3)

Jenna

Suzette Pounds, Divorce Attorney

Still haven’t been able to serve Bennett.

I read Suzette’s text again. Where can he be? According to her, he hasn’t been seen at Secluded Rest—or anywhere in Aroostook or the Hamptons—for the past week.

My phone pings again. I glance at the screen, where a Google alert notifies me that all of UC is in Europe, preparing for the next part of their tour. There’s a photo of the entire band in front of a sign saying Nice, France. At least now I know where he is.

As if the man of the hour knew I was thinking about him, Bennett’s name comes up on my messages.

ROCK STAR

Turn on the television .

That man won’t quit! Why won’t he just accept service of the damn papers and leave me alone?

Numb, I walk into the clinic’s break room—the only spot with a television—and turn it on.

Francis and Logan greet me once more. Interviewing Lissa again.

Joy . Why is Bennett telling me to watch them?

And what’s on the table between them? Some sort of box?

Francis passes Lissa some pieces of paper. “Is this your handwriting, Ms. Baker?”

The woman of the hour tosses her long blonde hair over her shoulder, takes the papers, and glances at them, her fake eyelashes batting. “Where did you get these?” She flips through the little notes.

What’s going on? I have no one to ask, yet my confusion permeates the room.

Francis replies, “So you did send these?” When Lissa remains silent, the screen cuts to a graphic of the papers, so the viewers can see what Lissa’s seeing.

My head flies backward. These are some steamy love notes.

The one on the screen clearly shows the name Curtiss as the person with whom she was corresponding.

Bennett’s ex-best friend.

My heart beats faster.

The cameras return to the studio, where Lissa’s shoulder raises. “Curtiss and I dated after high school. After I was with Bennett. I can’t believe Curtiss kept these, but then again, he always was sort of a loser.”

Lissa’s foot taps an uneven beat. I lean forward as Logan picks up the box. He continues, “In those notes, you paint a pretty explicit picture of what you two were up to. We didn’t put up the most graphic ones, out of deference to our viewers.”

My pulse increases. Despite our impending divorce, Bennett doesn’t deserve this.

Logan continues, “The note Francis is now holding explicitly states you’re pregnant.

And we have proof.” He opens the box’s lid, to reveal a positive pregnancy test. On the inside of the lid, it says, “Curtiss and Lissa, and a date.” The year after Bennett left to join UC.

My hand flies over my stomach. To no one, I whisper, “He did it. He got the proof.”

On-screen, Lissa jumps to her feet. “This is ridiculous. That’s not my pregnancy test!”

Logan points to her name engraved on the inside of the box. “How do you explain this?”

“It’s a lie!”

Lissa opens her mouth to spew more, when a balding, yet attractive guy walks onto the stage. “Hi, Lissa. Wow. You’re even bonier than I remember.” He sits next to her on a chair that magically appeared.

Curtiss ?

“You’re bald and fat, Curtiss,” she snarks.

He rubs the top of his shiny head. “Be that as it may, at least I’m not a liar.”

Lissa gasps. Francis jumps into the void.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to Curtiss Fanone, Lissa’s one-time boyfriend.

Apparently, also, the father of the baby she lost. Not the rock star Bennett Hardy.

” Francis holds up a DNA test confirming the test was from Lissa and Curtiss. “We tested it.”

“No!” Lissa leaps to her feet. “That’s not true.”

Gotta hand it to Lissa. She’s not going down easy.

Curtiss looks up at her, something approaching pity in his eyes.

“It is true. My mother—sentimental soul that she is—preserved the pregnancy test you brought to the house when you found out you were pregnant. After you miscarried, due to, I believe, taking diet pills because you didn’t want to get ‘fat,’ she never gave us this keepsake.

You not only lost your baby, Lissa, you lost her first grandchild. ”

Lissa lowers herself to the chair.

When she doesn’t reply, Francis states, “I think you owe Bennett Hardy an apology.”

Wild-eyed, Lissa looks around the studio as if expecting Bennett to walk onto the stage. He doesn’t .

Curtiss chuckles. “He’s not here. Why would he be? He’s the lead singer of Untamed Coaster, flying well above your petty drama.”

Cornered, with nowhere to run, Lissa lashes out. “None of my fans would believe I was with you. Not after being with him .”

Curtiss looks between the two hosts. Logan says, “In addition to your notes, Curtiss also provided us with some photos of you two from back in the day. Take a look.”

Sure enough, pictures of them appear. They show Lissa as a late teenager with slightly different features than she has now and a younger, more fit Curtiss, many with him holding a tennis racket. They made a striking couple.

Logan doesn’t wait for her to respond, simply barrels forward. “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve recently gotten to know a Thaine Jasper online. We’ve seen several interactions between you two on social media.” Screenshots of their comments are posted.

Oh my God. My hand flies in front of my face. Are they going to link her to Michelle too?

“So? Is meeting people online now a crime too?” Lissa hisses.

“Only when you conspire with them,” Francis alleges. “Newspaper reports out in the Hamptons have surfaced that you and Michelle Kent communicated online using this fake avatar to slander Bennett’s wife. Do you deny this?”

Go Thaine! My mind barely keeps up with this fire hose of news.

“What? Who?” Lissa shrieks.

Court comes into the break room. “There you are. The construction manager for your next clinic wants to meet with you at the building. Can I tell him you’ll be there in an hour?”

I shush my bestie and point to the screen. On it, Logan says, “We’ve done some digging and have obtained your DMs.”

“No way!” Lissa sputters. “That’s illegal!”

Court doesn’t say a word, simply sinks into a chair next to me.

Francis is in the middle of saying, “...not when they’re willingly turned over by one of the parties.

Ms. Kent shared them with us.” The host turns into the camera.

“And we turned them over to the proper authorities. Seems like you two attacked Jenna Westfield Hardy’s business as a way to run her out of Bennett’s life.

We spoke with Ms. Kent, and she said it was all your idea to call Mrs. Hardy’s physical therapy clinics a front for a prostitution ring. ”

They got them! Although Michelle’s trying to pin it all on Lissa. Whatever. They can duke it out between themselves. On-screen, Lissa’s head looks as if it wants to explode.

“It was her idea! I didn’t care about that mousy thing on his arm.” She motions toward her body and throws her head backward. “Not when he could have this!”

Logan doesn’t hesitate. “So you confirm that you and Ms. Kent were behind the prostitution ring allegation?”

“I only wanted to get Bennett’s attention. Michelle’s aim was to run that worthless Jenna out of town. You would’ve thought having Darren was enough for her, but no. After he died, Jenna moved on to Bennett. My Bennett.”

The cameras cut to the talking heads, while my heart races uncontrollably.

Francis looks at Logan, wearing the same stupefied expression as Court.

“Well, you heard it here first, folks. Ms. Baker wasn’t pregnant with Bennett Hardy’s baby.

Plus, she and Ms. Kent conspired against Mrs. Hardy’s business in order to ruin her professional life and gain Mr. Hardy’s attention. ”

“It’s over.” Court stands. “It’s all over.”

My breath hitches. “I can’t believe it. How did Curtiss orchestrate this?”

“Girlie, if you believe he was behind this takedown, I got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.” She turns off the television and sits next to me. “It had Bennett written all over it.”

“Bennett.” My husband’s name falls from my lips, then my head shakes from side to side. “No. No way. Hayden, maybe.”

Court levels me with a hard stare. “Even though I missed the beginning of the interview, I can tell Bennett’s fingerprints were all over this takedown.”

Could he actually have orchestrated this? I simply cannot process everything right now. Why did Court come in here in the first place? Renovations. I fall back into the comfort of work. “When do I have to meet the construction manager at the building?”

It takes my manager a second to process the topic change. “One hour.”

“Fine.”

“Jenna, what can I do for you? Now that both Michelle and Lissa were exposed on national TV, and the clinics are cleared, you still look miserable.”

Because my husband is in France, yet he cleared my name. His too . Maybe I was collateral “un”damage? My head hurts. “Ma just died.” I snap. “I think I’m entitled.”

My bestie sighs. “Are you still getting flowers with song lyrics from Bennett?”

What is she getting at? “Yes. Although now he’s switched things up and is including lines from The Godfather .” A small smile plays around my lips, as I remember his snarky comment about today’s line coming from Part 2, “the second best movie ever made.”

“Do you still want to divorce him?”

I don’t answer, simply show her the text from Suzette.

“Good.” She returns my phone to me. “He’s good for you, Jenna.

I’ve never seen a man look at a woman with such love brimming from his entire being.

He made Lissa look like a fool on national television and probably got her sent behind bars in the process.

If I ever find a man who acts like him, I’m never letting go. ”

“You can have Bennett.”