photos disappear from the Internet.”
She gritted her teeth, wondering if what she meant really wasn’t as obvious to him as it was to her. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to at least try and sound patient. “I meant about Bailey.”
“I’m not sure where you’re going with that.”
Emily felt the hand that wasn’t holding her head up clench into a tight fist in her lap. She closed her eyes for a moment. “Are you going to fire him?” she asked, opening her eyes again.
Jesse blinked, a blank look in his eyes. “Fire him?” he repeated. “Why would I do that? He’s our manager. So far, he’s been doing a fantastic job.”
“Yeah, a fantastic job of destroying my life,” she snapped. She was happy they were sitting down. If they’d been standing, she wasn’t sure if she would have been able to fight the urge to shake him.
He leaned back in his chair. “You don’t understand.”
“Then enlighten me.”
“Bailey is doing things for my career right now that no one has been able to do in the entire time the band has been together. Asking me to fire Bailey is asking me to turn my back on the best shot I’ve ever had at something I’ve wanted since I first picked up a guitar.”
“There are other managers.”
“Em.” He reached across the table and put a hand on her arm. “Do you think if we fired Bailey, it would make any of this go away? Nothing can fix that.”
“It doesn’t make it right,” she mumbled, pulling her arm away from his hand.
“No, it doesn’t. And I agree that there are lines you shouldn’t cross. But he had no way of predicting that photo or what it would blow up into.”
“Fine.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“Don’t hate me for this,” he said, trying to meet her eyes. She looked down.
“I don’t hate you,” she muttered. “I just want my life back.”
“Why are you letting anyone take it away from you? You’re better than that.”
He looked so patronizing and unconcerned, she had to wonder if they were having the same conversation. She stared at him.
“What is it you suggest I do, then, if you have all the answers?”
He held her stare. “You keep living, and you smile for the cameras. If you start hiding out, you’re just going to make them seek you out. So can I make a suggestion?”
“Can I stop you?” She dropped her gaze down to the table again.
“We have a showcase at the Troubadour next weekend. Come.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“If you show up, you’re showing that you have nothing to hide.”
“I said that I’ll think about it.” She pushed her chair back from the table, hoping he’d take that as his cue to leave.
He didn’t move from his chair. “It would mean a lot to me if you did. It could be a really big night for us, and I want you there to be part of it. You’re one of my best friends.”
“I’ll let you know later this week. Right now, though, I think you should go.”
She got up from the table and walked over to the door, waiting for him to follow her.
“You’re going to be okay?” Jesse rose to his feet.
“I’m going to have to be.”
“Thank you,” he said, kissing the top of her forehead before she could dodge him. “It’s your choice for next weekend, but I’m going to put you and Shel on the guest list in case you decide to come.”
And then he was gone. Emily closed the door behind him and slumped against it, shaking her head.
Chapter Eighteen
“I think this drink is on me,” Shelby yelled, following Emily to the bar at the back of the Troubadour.
Emily barely heard her as she slid onto a barstool. While Shelby leaned across the counter to shout their drink order at the harried-looking bartender, Emily turned to look at the stage.
She watched Jesse’s fingers fly over the strings of his cherry red Gibson Les Paul, his hair bobbing along with his head to the beat of the song he played. Below him, three young girls pressed themselves up against the stage, directly in his line of sight. They cheered in appreciation when Cole walked over to his side of the stage and almost stood on top of him while he sang. Jesse’s tanned face broke into a grin, and Emily couldn’t be sure if he was amused by Cole’s antics, the girls below him, or both.
She felt Shelby nudge her. “Stop staring at Jesse