Chapter 90

Juno, four weeks later

I exhaled as the taxi pulled up outside the studio where I was doing another interview. This was the third of the seven I'd been asked to do over about ten days. Well, of the seven who had confirmed my attendance. It wasn't a perfect situation to be walking into, but I had agreed to it.

Today I was being interviewed on a daytime TV show along with Kai. Neither of us was going to need to say a lot. I got the impression we were only really on the show to add some variety and color.

Our questions were brief and we didn't need to answer them in much detail. But it meant seeing Kai again.

Although Alma and Kai had both been so kind to me, I hadn't been able to bring myself to message or call either of them. They were Jack's friends and his band, and I didn't want to make it awkward for them by talking to them about anything that mattered to Jack.

Feeling my hands shake a little, I walked into the building and tried to focus on the task at hand. I had to get to the right studio first.

"Juno!" I heard a familiar voice call.

I looked to my left to see Kai, a smile on his face and his arms open toward me. Not sure what else to do, I walked over to him and let him hug me. Immediately I felt the emotions I'd tried to bury come to the surface. I wanted to ask him how everyone was. Whether Jack missed me as much as I missed him. Instead, I pulled back and tried to smile.

"You look great," I said.

"As do you. Although I've seen you happier, my dear. But come, let us get this interview out of the way, and then we should go get some dinner somewhere." Kai motioned for me to go with him, already heading toward a door on the side of the building.

Grateful that he knew where to go and still trying to process his request to spend more time with me after the interview, I followed him. It wasn't long before we were met by an assistant and shown into makeup together.

We didn't talk much during that, focusing on the interview and getting ready for it instead. I tried not to let my nerves show but it wasn't easy. The shake in my hands had grown worse and my stomach was so tense I thought I might be sick.

In a lot of ways, I felt worse than I had for the first interview. Then, I'd only had my nerves at the interview itself to contend with. Now, I was also worried about dinner with Kai and what I might be asked about the song and the story it was based on, considering everything that had happened between me and Jack.

Would I find myself crying live on US television? I truly hoped not, but I was already a lot less calm than I had expected to be.

Kai smiled at me as we came out of makeup, the warmth in his expression helping. And unlike some of the other interviews I'd done, we didn't have long to wait after that, and spent all the time before being on set getting mic'd up and tested. It gave me no time to feel awkward or focus on anything but following instructions.

Before I knew it, I was in front of the live audience and sitting on a sofa beside Kai.

The interviewer, a middle-aged woman who had been hosting her own show longer than I'd been writing, focused far more on Kai to begin with, joking with him about past interviews, and then she finally looked at me.

"And I understand you helped write the song," the woman asked. "But you're normally a novelist, is that correct?"

"Yes," I replied, pausing to give myself time to think of a way of elaborating. "The lyrics were inspired by characters of mine, so I helped where I could, explaining them and offering suggestions, but the band did the hard work. For me, it was really an honor and a delight."

"And the characters were originally inspired by the band as well?"

"Yes, one of them was inspired by Jack." I struggled to say his name, but I wasn't sure anyone else had picked up on it. However, the interviewer seemed happy and didn't pry any further.

By the time I walked offstage again, I was so relieved I felt light as a feather.

It didn't take long to hand back all the tech I was wired up to either, and immediately Kai was back by my side.

"Well, I think that went well. Dinner as a reward. My treat."

I grinned at the enthusiasm in his voice as he offered me his arm in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Is Alma around?" I asked, not sure I could imagine the two of them not being in the same place together.

"Sadly not. Why? Are you worried the glam rags will insinuate you and I are up to something if Alma isn't with us and we dine together?"

I lifted an eyebrow and looked sideways at Kai as he laughed.

"I'm not sure anyone could imagine you doing anything but going home to Alma," I replied, making Kai's grin grow even wider.

"Exactly, and she knows it, along with everyone else."

"I was worried she'd think I didn't want to be friends or something. I mean, I was worried about how all of you would feel about me." I couldn't look at Kai as I spoke, now out in the open again as he hailed a cab.

"Let's talk about it over dinner," he said as a car pulled up and he opened the door for us.

It felt ominous, but I wasn't entirely surprised he was reluctant to discuss it in the open. I'd broken Jack's heart, and I was well aware of it. I was the villain of this story.

In the end, I wouldn't have been surprised if they all hated me. Whatever happened, I knew I'd only ever feel one thing toward all of them—gratitude. They'd shown me their world and welcomed me in, and the royalties I'd already accrued from the song had surprised even me.

I'd already cleared the credit card with the first payment, and I had plenty more left over, making me feel cheeky for accepting Kai's invite to dinner at his expense. But I'd already decided I'd try to be sneaky and pay without him knowing if I got the chance.

Kai proved himself the perfect companion once more as we rode, asking me about my books and other topics to keep the conversation going until I felt more at ease with him again. It got us all the way to a stunning-looking Tex-Mex-style place, and once again I was on his arm as we went inside.

The waitstaff seemed to know he was coming. They immediately led us to a small table out of the way and handed us menus. Kai seemed to know what he wanted so I chose quickly and we ordered right away.

For a moment, we waited for the drinks to come, and Kai took a trip to the bathroom, but we were soon sitting with a clear window to not be interrupted and enough privacy to actually talk about important subjects.

Immediately, my palms felt sweaty, and I wanted to run away and hide. How could I have a conversation with him about the others?

"You know, he still feels for you, but he'd never hold a grudge. If you want to still spend time with us, Jack won't stop it. I wouldn't either. Alma and I both like you."

I exhaled at Kai's words, feeling some of the tension slip out of me. I had questions, but it made it easier for me to think of them and ask what was going on.

But what did I actually want to know? That was the big question.