She grinned. “You should use it for your new musical.”
I shrugged, not hating that idea at all. Nighttime on the water. “Actually, I might just do that. Now that I’m going to have some time on my hands, I might actually finish it.”
She swiveled to face me, her face twisting with confusion. “You mean because I’m leaving the show? Did I distract you that much?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “That’s not what I meant at all.” I cringed. “That came out all wrong. Actually.” I tightened my hold on her. “I have some good news for you.”
“You do?”
Nodding, I brushed aside a strand of hair that kept sticking to her skin. “I talked to Dirk and worked things out. You get to stay on as Grace.”
“Wait. What?” Her eyes bulged, and she squealed. “Really?”
When I nodded, she jumped into my arms, planting a kiss directly on my lips. “This changes everything,” she said through her laughter. “I was so scared and mad.” She was shaking with emotion, her insides practically bursting with happiness. “What about Claudette?”
I waved a hand in the air. “As of tomorrow, she’ll be gone for good. I made sure that was part of the deal.”
“What deal?”
My heart hammered away in my chest as my words halted in my throat. This was it… the moment I’d been dreading. “Kai, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Her expression transformed almost instantly, like she knew what I was going to say before the words even formed in my mind. I didn’t know how to tell her I’d just promised to give up seven years of hard work in exchange for Kai to stay on as Grace.
“Why do I hate the sound of what you haven’t even said yet?”
I sighed. “Because you know me so well.”
“I do.” Her eyes searched mine. “You made a deal with the devil.” Kai’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “You did, didn’t you?”
I slammed my eyelids together and nodded.
“So what were the terms? Exactly how much did you and Dirk decide I was worth?”
I swallowed hard, knowing I couldn’t win in this scenario. “You’re worth everything, Kai. That’s why I’m handing over Angst and Grace to Dirk. So you can stay.”
“No.” Her face turned ashen, depicting her horror.
I lifted my hands in surrender. “Dirk can have it. I just want you.”
Her mouth fell open, and emotion pooled in her eyes. “But this is your musical, Sebastian. You’ve worked so hard to hold onto it.”
“And it was great while it lasted.”
She straightened, her face contorting with pain. “You really expect me to stay here and work for Dirk? I don’t want any of this without you.”
I sighed. “I’m going to stay in LA. We’ll see each other every week. You deserve that role more than anyone.”
She crossed her arms across her chest. “It’s a done deal? You already signed it away?”
Shaking my head, I let out another heavy breath. I didn’t want to admit that the thought of signing those papers was killing me, but it was, a little bit. Not because I didn’t want to let go of it—I was more than ready for that—but to leave it in Dirk’s hands, of all people.
My stomach churned in its acid. “Tomorrow. We have a meeting with our lawyers in the morning.”
“Where? Can I come?”
I had to think her question over for a second, but in the end, only one answer made sense. “Since your contract is part of the arrangement, I suppose you should be there. We’re meeting in the theater at nine.”
She nodded, her bottom lip quivering even while her entire demeanor seemed to grow stronger, like she was preparing for battle. “I’ll be there. Don’t sign anything without me.”
Then she backed away, turned, and left without a word.
Chapter 43
Kai
My eyes burned from lack of sleep. My body ached from nonstop movement. My brain hurt from having spent the past nine hours strategizing a way out of the mess Dirk and Sebastian had created. But even while feeling like I’d been hit by a bus, I was sure of one thing: Sebastian Chase was not going to sign over Angst and Grace to Dirk, no matter how badly he wanted to save me.
Angry muffled voices greeted my ears as I pushed my way through the backstage door—voices that became louder and clearer the farther I walked down the hall. Jimmy, Dirk, and Sebastian were there, but I couldn’t make out if anyone else was. The ship had docked in LA hours before, so anyone could have joined them.
I passed the row of dressing rooms and nodded at my fellow cast members, who were lingering in the hall. From their wide eyes, focused toward the stage, I assumed they’d been listening in on the latest Sebastian and Dirk feud.
Focusing on the mission at hand, I entered the crossover section at the back of the stage and took a quick glance at my phone. Nine o’clock. Right on the dot. I peeked between the slit in the curtains. Two men in dark-gray suits were sitting together like fans at a ping-pong match as they watched the angry grown men. Jimmy sat opposite them, while Dirk and Sebastian sat at the heads of the table. Spit was practically flying between them.
“No,” Dirk barked. “We already went over the details last night. Our lawyers aren’t here to mediate. All you need to do is sign the damn papers, shake my hand, and walk right on out that door, not stopping until you’re off this ship.”
“We could,” Sebastian started through gritted teeth, about to completely lose his cool. “Or maybe there’s another solution we haven’t thought of.”
The sound of metal scraping violently across the floor set my hair on end. “Absolutely not!” Dirk exploded.
I burst through the curtain, afraid the men would get too heated and ruin the meeting before it had even started. “Aren’t you two tired of fighting by now?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Dirk spat out.
I shivered. If I’d ever had an inkling of a thought that I could carry on in Angst and Grace with Dirk at the helm, it vanished at that instant. And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“I invited her,” Sebastian snapped back, his eyes darkening.
Dirk’s eyes narrowed on him, and he leaned so far across the table that he almost cleared the edge of the other side. “And who gave you the right to make that decision?”
Sebastian shrugged. “It’s Kai’s right. Not yours, not mine. She has every right to be here, considering it’s her role we’re discussing like it’s a bargaining chip.”
Dirk’s head swiveled to face me with a sneer. “It’s not enough you’ll get to stay on as Grace, is it? You need to fight your boyfriend’s battles too?”
Sebastian threw his head back in frustration and then shook it. “Jesus, Dirk. Aren’t you tired of being angry? Of talking in circles? Of disagreeing all the damn time?”
“Look, you little punk.” Dirk’s face was bright, bright red. “We had an agreement. So don’t accuse me of talking in circles. This is business.”