Page 80 of A Summer of Stars

Amir and I stopped. “What?”

Instead of answering, she shoved her phone forward, showing me—

“Oh, shit, I forgot,” I gaped.

“Forgot to tell us you had a public conversation with your ex-husband?” Amir gasped, twisting the phone in his direction, taking in the photos of me and Jeremiah on the practice court at Wimbledon.

Cecilia’s thumb raced across the screen. Amir leaned over her phone watching. “All of these articles are trying to figure out whether the two of you are together again or if you hate each other,” she read, her nose scrunched in concentration.

“It was the night before the final, I didn’t want to think about it any more than I already was.” I rubbed my temples. This could not have come at a worse time. Jeremiah was becoming a constant thorn in my side. It was a matter of time until it hit a vital organ.

“This is bad, like being-caught-in-woven-wedgesbad.” She kept reading. “They’re questioning if you’re taking advantage of Kieran—what the hell?”

“Shit, shit, shit.” I pressed my eyes closed. “Why now?”

“Please explain what happened!” Cecilia hurried me.

“Jeremiah cornered me. He was obviously dissatisfied with how our previous conversation had ended because he asked me to practice as if nothing had happened. Then he was explaining that he had paid his dues and that it was time to forgive him now. That he’s suffered enough, and it was my turn to step up.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What else haven’t you been telling us?”

I covered my mouth and mumbled. “ImayhavekissedKieran.”

They both leaned forward. “Huh?”

I picked up my head. “I may have kissed Kieran.”

“What?!” they shouted. A few tables turned to stare at us.

“When?” Amir probed (quietly).

“Why!” she demanded (less quietly).

“With tongue?” he questioned in a hushed tone.

I hushed, “No, Amir!” I shook my head and recalled the basic facts of the night. “It was at the Mansfield Mansion. Kieran said that there were a few guests watching us argue and I was about to blow our cover, and, well… you know what came after that,” I mumbled.

“No, no, no. You need to explain,” Amir urged.

“Yes, that,” Cecilia backed him up.

“I don’t want to think about it!”

“Oh, I get it.” He smirked, leaning back in his seat all smug.

“Don’t you dare try to use your Romance Radar on me. Shut it off, right now.”

“Regardless!” Cecilia cut us off. “You need to go out and fix this tonight. I’m calling Nari. She’ll make sure Kieran is wherever you are tonight and the two of you will be seen together so we can get this resolved.Thenyou will explain that kiss in full detail after.”

The chaos of trying to switch my and Kieran’s schedules around tonight cut our breakfast short. I spent the rest of the day practicing, trying to ignore the pictures of me and Jeremiah, before I rushed to shower and change into a minidress.

Cecilia told me that Kieran would be at my hotel room after an interview. I needed to be ready to “socialize and look in love.”

Looking in love was questionable. The idea actually made my stomach twist and ache with nausea.

The last time Kieran and I had spoken, it was in this room, where I had competed with Death for the title of Most Sickly. ThenI spilled my guts on personal stories and fell asleep, after which he proceeded to carry me to bed. With my luck, I probably had drool on my face!

A knock sounded, and I rushed to the door, flattening the linen of my short black dress.