Page 8 of Until the End (The Lost Letters #3)

Ginny

I bite my lip. “These are your people, you coward. Just call them.”

I wish the voice in my head didn’t sound like the Weasel, but I think the kick in the pants is necessary.

It’s hard to believe I loved someone who treated me as horribly as Wesley did.

I guess that’s how manipulators win, though.

They know exactly what to say to break you down, and they’re patient about it, too.

Picking my phone up from the kitchen counter, I press my assistant’s name, the rings echoing loudly through the speaker.

“Thank god you finally called,” Chelsea says dramatically. I can picture her brown hair, braided into pigtails like usual, and her brown eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’ve been trying to give you space like you asked, but I’m dying over here.”

My body softens with a laugh. “I know. I’m sorry I pushed you away; I just needed time to come to terms with everything.”

“I don’t blame you! The lying sack of shit tricked us all.” Her words are a balm to my nerves. It’s nice to have someone on my side who isn’t in my family. “Look, I’ve been doing my best to handle things, but Tanya and I could use your input on our strategy if you’re up for it.”

“That’s why I’m calling. It’s way past time to have Tanya work her social media magic. I’m ready to come out in front of this.”

“We’re really glad to hear that.” Tanya’s voice comes through the phone. My social media manager is a gorgeous Black woman who doesn’t hold back on her opinion. Tanya and Chelsea are the only two people on my team I trust. I hired both of them myself. Cecelia never had any input.

“Yeah, we’re sort of on our way to you now.”

I cough out a laugh. “You’re in North Carolina?”

“We just left the city limits of Greensboro.”

“Oh my god. Okay, I’ll let Daren know to expect you.”

“Sorry we didn’t call first. We’d planned on surprising you with ice cream to get a read on where you were emotionally. If you were up for it, we’d talk business, and if not, we just wanted to be there for you.”

“You have no idea how much I appreciate that. Thank you. I’ll have snacks ready when you get here.”

We say our goodbyes, and I set my phone on the counter.

In all the mess of Wesley’s—and to some degree, Cecelia’s—betrayal, I forgot that I have people who care about me.

Things got too overwhelming with the wedding plans.

Chelsea and Tanya ran around like lunatics to keep up with Cecelia and the wedding planner.

It made them inaccessible to me, which was fine, but I forgot who was on my side.

After informing Daren that Chelsea and Tanya were on their way, I put together plates of snacks to give us something to do while we plot. I have no doubt they both have ideas on how to best handle this situation.

I get a text as I put a tray of crackers and cheese in the fridge.

Carson

Does this hard hat make me look hot?

Along with the text is an image of him with his white hard hat askew and sweat pouring down his face.

On anyone else, it would be disgusting; on Carson, it’s sexier than anything I’ve ever seen.

His white cutoff T-shirt is stuck to his chest, highlighting every muscle.

I had no idea his body had become so cut.

I’ve always found him attractive, but…damn. He’s turned into one hell of a hottie.

I shake my head at those thoughts. All they’ll do is send me down a path of delusion. Carson and I have only ever been best friends. There was one moment before I left for Nashville when I thought maybe he had feelings for me, but it passed just as quickly as it came.

Me

Yes, you look quite sweaty. Are you okay? In need of medical assistance?

I’m not sure if it’s healthy to be sweating that much.

Carson

*annoyed emoji* You were supposed to give me compliments.

Oh, so sorry.

Yes, that hard hat is quite something. Makes your head look normally proportioned.

gif of dramatic gasp You’re mean. I’m going to go cry in my lunch now.

Aww. Poor baby. Don’t you have some woman hanging on your arm who will compliment you ?

I regret the message as soon as I send it. Carson and I don’t talk about our dating lives with each other. It’s one of the only things we don’t discuss. I also have no desire to know if he’s dating anyone right now. It’ll make me feel even worse about forcing him to stay in a hotel with me.

He responds before I can take the text back.

Carson

Nah, I’m not interested in dating anyone here. Too much work.

I roll my eyes. Of course, he’d say that. Carson has never been interested in dating. Even in high school, he’d rebuff any girl who tried to turn his head. I have no doubt he’s dated since I left home, but I haven’t had to see him do it. I’m not sure I could. Time for a subject change.

My assistant and social media manager surprised me with a visit. They’ll be here any minute.

Is that good or bad?

Good. I’m ready to get back out there. Plus, I trust them more than anyone else on my team.

I’m happy you have people you can trust. Want me to bring dinner over later?

Yes! That would be perfect.

You got it. Have a good day, Goose.

You too, Duck. *Heart emoji*

“Miss Ginny, Chelsea and Tanya are on their way up the driveway.” There’s a hint of amusement in Daren’s voice through the intercom. I walk to the window to see why and bust out laughing at the scene.

Tanya is hanging out the side of the car window with streamers blowing in the wind as the song “Earl Had to Die” by the Chicks blares through the car’s speakers.

I open my front door and step onto the front stairs to greet them.

My driveway is long enough that I don’t have to worry about the paps getting long-range pictures of me.

There’s also a fence surrounding the entire property that keeps anyone from sneaking in—it’s one of the many reasons I bought the place.

Chelsea parks in my circular driveway instead of on the side of the house by the garage.

The song cuts off abruptly, leaving me grinning at the two women as they climb out of the car.

They both give me massive hugs that fill my cup enough to know I’ll get through this planning session without losing my shit.

“You girls can head inside. I’ll take your bags to the guest rooms,” Daren says as he walks across the driveway to the car.

He’s been my head of security for the past four years.

A year before that, he was my bodyguard.

Then, as I started to gain more fame, we had to expand my security into a full-time team of people.

He’s still my head bodyguard, but we have a rotation of guys when security has to be twenty-four seven.

Sometimes, it’s hard to reconcile my life now to what I thought it would be when I dreamed of becoming a singer.

It’s everything and nothing like I imagined.

I love my fans, and singing the songs I wrote gives my heart life, but the celebrity status and everything that goes with it isn’t always easy to manage.

I obviously struggled with it so much that I trusted people who didn’t have my best interests at heart.

Arm in arm, I lead Chelsea and Tanya into my living room. We plop onto the couch, sitting in silence for a moment while we soak up each other’s company.

“Are you ready to tell us what happened?” Chelsea asks softly. Tanya gives my arm a squeeze for comfort, more than pressure.

I sigh. “You both already know Wesley cheated. What I haven’t told you is Cecelia’s been working behind the scenes to line her pockets.”

“That bitch!” Tanya’s vehemence on my behalf gives me the courage to tell them the rest.

I start by confessing about the manipulation and abuse I’d been dealing with over the past year.

Having to tell my employees that I was under the thumb of an abuser isn’t easy, but I manage to get the words out.

After telling Carson and our friends, it’s easier to accept the reality and share it with others.

“God, Ginny, I’m so sorry you were dealing with that all alone,” Chelsea says gently.

“You know, Wesley flirted with me constantly a few months after you first got together. I rebuffed him every time, of course. I never said anything because he stopped after a while. I figured it was because the two of you were getting more serious. Now, I’m betting he knew I wasn’t going to give in to him, so he moved on to easier prey.

The bastard. I should’ve said something. Maybe I could’ve stopped the madness.”

“I appreciate that, Chels, but I don’t think I would’ve listened. By then, Cecelia had been whispering in my ear.”

Tanya turns her body toward me. “Explain her involvement in all this.”

“After getting several texts from her that I should apologize and smooth things over with Wesley, I started doing some digging. Turns out, she’s Wesley’s godmother and reached out to sign me as a way to help Wesley get a foot in the door.

His reputation on the B-list movies he’s been in has made him less than desirable to work with, so she thought hooking us up together would fast-track him to stardom.

I also found out she was getting major kickbacks for the promotional gigs she’d been forcing me to do. ”

“Everything makes so much more sense now,” Chelsea says, slapping her palm on the couch. “I had no idea why you were doing so many commercials when you hadn’t done them before.”

“Cecelia told me I should do them as a way to expand my portfolio in case I ever wanted to get out of music. Looking back, I hate how big of an idiot I was, but I trusted her.” She was also smart enough to only offer products I truly liked.

She knew I’d never be part of anything I didn’t believe in.

“Have you fired her?” Chelsea gives me a no-nonsense look as if she’ll be disappointed if I haven’t.

“Yeah, Carson helped me with that conversation.” God, that was the worst. Cecelia was pissed that I dared to fire her. She didn’t believe there was anything wrong with her choices. It was the proof I needed to know I was doing the right thing.

“Has Muse Records given you any trouble?” Tanya asks.

I shake my head. “Not yet. I’ve got some time to work on the album.”

“No thanks to Cecelia. I was on those emails. You’re the one who negotiated that timeframe. She was going to let you sign it to have a record ready to go in only six months.”

She’s right. I had to fight for the extra time because Cecelia wasn’t doing it.

That was one thing I wasn’t scared to do battle over.

I haven’t felt like writing a song in almost six months.

The tour drained me, and then the wedding just topped off the exhaustion.

I’m glad I had the wherewithal to give myself some wiggle room.

“At least you’ve got plenty of material to write a kickass breakup album.” Chelsea winks at me. Her teasing makes me laugh. She’s always great at cheering me up when things get too heavy.

“I do love writing breakup songs. I’ve been itching to play in my studio since I got here.” It’s felt too daunting to go down there with everything else going on.

“So do it. Go play around for a bit while Chelsea and I get settled in our rooms. Then we’ll get ready to go to war.”

I nod in agreement. My brain is already getting excited about playing with my recording equipment. If I take the pressure of a full album off myself, I just might be able to get back into a writing rhythm.