Chapter 18

Melissa spent the next day laying low in her hotel room. It was nice to enjoy some free time despite the paparazzi camping out on the street. It felt like an extension of their time out in Middletown.

Melissa’s agent, manager, and publicist, did everything trying to reach her, but she didn’t want anything to do with them right now ... or ever. She’ll talk to them when she was ready and on her own terms.

Lindsey and Mel decided that an open letter to her fans on her website and social media was the perfect thing to do to reach them directly and tell them about what really happened. They spent half the day writing and rewriting it so it would be perfect. It was going to be a personal message from Mel to her fans, in her own words.

“It feels good to take control of my life, to be in charge of my image,” Mel said typing away at the laptop on her lap.

For an answer, Lindsey just smiled. She missed Spencer. She missed the person she’d been when they’d been together. She missed the way he made her feel on the inside.

“Have you heard from him?” Mel asked her sister, raising her eyes from the screen.

Lindsey sucked in a breath. At least she was thoughtful enough not to mention his name.

“No,” Lindsey turned away from Mel and blinked away the tears that threatened to overwhelm her again. Things between the two of them had been under some kind of truce since they left Middletown, but Lindsey knew there was a conversation coming about the elephant in the room and she dreaded it.

“We need to focus on looking for a new team. People who have your best interests at heart,” Lindsey finally said to her sister.”

“I’ll deal with my heart later,” she thought. She had become really good at procrastinating her personal life.

Melissa nodded. “I agree. I think the letter and the announcement of my new team should come together. If the letter comes first, they’ll try to book me on every show to talk about it. They’ll probably ambush me to meet Brandon again on the air. Anything to garner extra attention,” Melissa said, unable to hide her sarcasm. “I realized they’re not the best people to have in my corner,” with a sigh, she added, “I honestly don’t know if they ever were. Brandon recommended them to me when I started my acting career. That alone should have been a red flag.”

Lindsey’s phone vibrated, and she glanced down to see Hilda Bohan’s name flashing on the caller ID.

“I need to take this. It’s Hilda Bohan. She is said to one of the best agents in the business.”

“You trust her?” Mel asked her sister.

Lindsey nodded. “I do, actually. She’s Cassandra’s agent.”

“That’s good enough for me. Hire her to represent me. I want to talk with her about the letter. Tell her to call me when everything is settled.” She smiled at Lindsey and added, “Guess I’d better go tell Carl and Al they’re fired.”

She picked up her phone and dialed Carl Carson’s number.

“Mel, why weren’t you taking my calls? Are you crazy?” he yelled instead of answering with a normal greeting. “What the hell is going on?”

“I’m about to tell you as soon as you stop yelling at me,” Melissa said evenly, forcing herself to stay strong.

He groaned. “What is it?”

“You’re fired.” She enjoyed saying that so much.

“Excuse me?” he shrieked.

“I’m pretty sure you heard me,” Melissa said firmly, her inner confidence growing and building upon itself. “My lawyer has sent you an e-mail asking to terminate our business relationship effective immediately.”

He breathed harshly into the phone line, and knowing what was coming, she pulled it from her ear.

“I made you what you are, Mel! Good luck getting any work in this city again! You’re an idiot. An idiot who will be out of work,” he screamed before hanging up.

Instead of feeling nervous or worried about his threats, Melissa instantly felt relieved. Her shoulders lightened as the load she subconsciously carried lessened.

Dialing Al Jenkins while she was still brimming with confidence, she listened as the phone beeped each time it rang, signaling that he was on the other line. When his voice mail clicked on, she left a message.

“Hi, Al, this is Mel. As of today, I will no longer be requiring your services. You should have an e-mail detailing our termination clause in your in-box from my lawyer. Thank

you for your time and help over the years. I wish you the best.” And with that, she ended the call and danced in the room, freedom filling her from the inside out.