Go Away, Darling - Alexis Anne Page 0,44

much, Carmen. Your praise means everything to me.”

“So you’ll consider it?”

“Absolutely. What will the schedule look like?”

“I’ll warn you first. It’s intense. I have twenty-five interviews set up over the next four months, plus about a dozen locations to shoot. If things go as planned this will take up a better part of your next six months.”

I knew I should think about how I was going to be there for Linc and do this much traveling, but all my brain could process was that this was a chance of a lifetime. In the back of my mind I could hear a miniature version of myself chanting “hypocrite” over and over. I shushed her with the reminder this was a one-time project, not a lifestyle.

“Can you send me the agenda?”

“I’ll send you all the details and a contract to your agent. I’m really looking forward to getting to know you better, Olivia.”

I stared at the computer for a long time after the call ended. I was still sitting there when Carmen’s email pinged into my inbox with all the information I’d need to make a formal decision and start planning a very different life for the next few months. A quick scan of the agenda calmed my nerves. Yes, I’d be gone a lot, but it was all manageable. Summer was taking a break from touring to record her next album, so she’d be able to cover most of this.

Chris would probably happily help, too. The thought popped into my head and while I knew it was true it also reminded me of how I was asking him to prove he would be around all while I was about to spend time away.

And of course Beau would be available as well once football season was over, but picturing him trying to be happy here even for an occasional week made me cringe.

But then I thought about how alive I felt these last few weeks. I was off the shelf, the dust cleared away. I followed my creativity and my heart. I couldn’t put myself back into cold storage because I was afraid of a few complications.

Right?

This project was the opportunity of a lifetime. It was the kind of platform that could open doors for me I didn’t even know existed. But it would also take me away from Chris just when we finally had a chance to spend real time together.

I closed the agenda and paced around my office, trying to clear my mind of possibilities and doubts. And when I couldn’t think straight, I called my little sister.

I rounded the kitchen counter with a bowl of popcorn. “So what’s your sisterly advice?” I’d just finished pouring my heart out to Summer. All the sordid details of how I gave Chris the green light, a quick overview of the night, and our earlier phone call. Then I dropped the Carmen Ayres documentary news.

Summer grabbed a handful and began thoughtfully munching. “You’re falling for him. And from the sound of it, he’s already fallen for you. I don’t see what the problem is.”

I sighed because I made my concerns—and Chris’s—abundantly clear. “His lifestyle, my past, this little thing called my son…”

“Yes, I heard all that the first time. I still don’t see what the problem is. He’s not Beau. I love Beau, but you two were never going to grow old together. You were always friends first and foremost. He loves nightlife and parties. You...don’t. And now you’ve found someone just as happy with a quiet island as you. Someone who seems to really like Linc. I’m all for taking your time because you do have Linc to think about, but I don’t see how self torture is going to do anything but make you both miserable unnecessarily.”

The last thing I wanted was unnecessary misery. “I wish I had a crystal ball that could tell me everything works out in the end.”

“Olivia, everyone wants that. No one has one. We’re all taking leaps of faith. Do you think agreeing to that world tour was easy? It meant delaying my next album, but it also meant exposure I’ve never had before. It was a risk and I’m still not a hundred percent it was the right thing to do.”

She never once mentioned doubts about the tour. Summer was all confidence from the moment she announced her decision to the day she came home. “Well for what it’s worth I think it was the right thing for your career. I just...ever since I found