The Lying Season (Seasons #1) - K.A. Linde Page 0,16

tomorrow. And I didn’t want you to be blindsided.”

“Like I am now?” I hissed.

“Yes,” he muttered.

There was regret in his eyes. I felt no sympathy for him.

“Great.”

“Lark…”

“Okay.” I stood from the table, pushing the empty burger basket away from me. “Got it, Sam.”

Before he could respond, I wrenched my purse out of the booth and walked out of the restaurant. I didn’t need to say another word. He didn’t need to say anything else either.

I was shaking with anger by the time I made it out onto the New York City streets. I turned northward and just started walking. I knew I’d have to hail a cab before long. I could never walk the entire way to my apartment. But I was so furious right now that there was nothing else I could do but ferociously walk and walk some more.

Then the anger turned to sadness. My body felt weighed down and heavy. Like I might fall apart at any moment.

And I vowed that I was never, ever going to let anyone make me feel like that again. Not ever again.

Part II

Play By The Rules

7

Lark

The fundraising banquet was the biggest event we’d put together on the campaign thus far. It was a test of how smoothly our team could work as a unit. And how much money we could bring in from huge donors in one evening.

I had every intention of breaking every record we’d set for ourselves.

I’d spent all morning helping the advance team prep for the event. Finally, Demi had sent me to eat something and get ready. Apparently, I was a tad bit…intense today.

No surprise there.

Not after what had happened the night before.

Or what I knew I would have to deal with today.

I even dug through the boxes of clothes and shoes that my mother had left for me. I picked out a stylish little black dress, fitted jacket, and muted black snakeskin pumps. A part of me had wanted to rebel against all the purchases, but I needed armor for today. And designer clothing was as close as it got.

With a deep breath, I strode back through the banquet hall and into the back room where I’d left Demi an hour earlier.

“Oh thank god you’re finally back,” Demi cried.

“I wasn’t gone that long.”

Demi shrugged. “No, and you needed the break. But damn, I missed you.”

I peeled off my jacket and hung it up before turning to face Demi. “I missed you too. What’s up?”

Demi waved her hand. “Girl, look at you!”

“What?”

“That dress! Aspen, come look at this dress!”

I rolled my eyes as Aspen came into the back room.

She whistled. “Looking hot, boss.”

“This isn’t that different than normal,” I assured them.

“Yeah, sure,” Demi said.

I shook my head at them. “What’s the emergency?”

Demi tossed me a headset. “We’re an hour from start time. The interns aren’t answering. We’re down three ushers. I just heard that Mr. and Mrs. Chambliss thought that the two tables they’d ordered were for ten people each and not eight tonight. So now, I have to find space for four extra attendees and figure out how to politely ask for ten thousand more dollars,” she said with an eye roll. “Mayor Kensington will be here in fifteen, and everything needs to be done before then.”

“You work on the seating chart,” I told Demi and then turned to Aspen. “Can you figure out the usher situation?”

“On it!” Aspen said.

She turned to leave just as Robert from the field team, Beth from tech with her social media girl and the photographer, and finally, Sam stepped through the door and into the back room. My eyes snagged on Sam for a second before wrenching away.

I continued speaking as if he weren’t there, “We’ll send Leslie over to the tables at the end to warm up the Chamblisses, and then I’ll have Shawn do the big sell before they leave. He’s the best at it.”

“Perfect,” Demi said.

I slid on the headset and grabbed a clipboard. “I’ve got the interns. Let me know if there’s anything else.”

“Oh!” Demi cried. “Also, the musicians aren’t in position and haven’t practiced in the space at all.”

I froze, grinding my teeth together. Right. The orchestra.

“I can take care of the musicians,” Sam said from where he’d just set up his computer.

My gaze slid to his, my eyes narrowing. He looked guileless. As if he were just trying to help me out. But I didn’t need his help. I was the deputy campaign manager for the mayor of New York. I could handle anything