Page 127 of The Other Side of Green
I motioned to the other face down photograph. “Then they say they will ruin you. All those people who walked and marched on your behalf will see that you are the sort of person who sleeps with a teacher.”
“Teaching aide,” Lyra muttered under her breath, making me smile.
“And I guess who is to say that someone who might sleep with a teacher isn’t the kind of person who doesn’t do it to get ahead, get good grades, or even get into college.”
Lyra gasped, fingers lifting and clasping her mouth. “You know what, I wish I’d never gone to that audition that day.”
“Then we night never have seen one another again.”
“What’s been the point when all of this has happened?” She jumped up. “All it’s done is caused more heartbreak and humiliation than I’ve always suffered because of that damn violin. The only thing I ever wanted to be was normal. Just fucking normal. But no, Grams said I had a gift, that I needed to use it. What’s the point of having gifts when your own mother hates you? It doesn’t make people love you more, it makes them despise you.” She paused, dragging in a ragged breath. “You know what? I’m glad Grams is dead. This would destroy her; to know all of this has been fake. All she ever wanted was for me to get out of that town, and now I don’t know why I tried.”
“Lyra,” I tried to catch her hand. “Lyra, I don’t care about me. We’ve just got to protect you.”
“No, Jack! You came here four years ago because of what my brother did. You stayed here, not because of deals with the Collins family, but because you are talented, always have been talented. Now that future you created for yourself is going to end, all because of me. It doesn’t matter who they announced you had inappropriate relations with, either way, it’s going to be over for you.”
Evan held up his hand, looking at his cell which was playing music. A violin to be precise. “Just dial down the dramatics, you two. One of us has always had a plan.”
Lyra stepped toward him and stared down at the screen. “That’s CNN. Why are they playing me play the violin?”
Evan gave her a wide smile. “I told you, Lyra Lennox. You’re going to be a star, a champion for every single little girl out there who ever had a dream.”
“A star who sleeps with her lecturer?” Her gaze shifted, wide, for mine. “Who ruins his life?”
“Lyra!” I called out to her, but she turned and fled, slamming into the guest room.
“Sorry, Evan. I know you and Simon came up with that.”
“Jack, buddy, there will be a way to end this. It doesn’t matter about the club, what matters is bringing these bastards down.”
“No club?” I arched an eyebrow. “What will you do with yourself every day?”
He smirked at Rhian, who grinned widely back.
“You know I never needed the salary from the bar. I never used to busk because I was down and out, I busked because I love music.”
“I know.”
“And being at the bar meant I had my ear to the ground, could listen for trends, spot the odd bit of talent myself.”
‘For Simon.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot when I remembered the anger I’d turned on Evan with when he’d called Simon the first time he heard Lyra sing.
“Anyway, I think the next bar we will call, Evan’s Place, just to make it even. I don’t see why you get all the glory.”
“Next bar?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “But let’s deal with Lyra first.”
“And how exactly do you plan to do that? Even if she goes viral—and I’m not denying CNN is pretty damn big—it still won’t take away the rumors.”
He shrugged. “That’s for you two to work out. Jesus, Jack, I can’t do damn everything.”
“What have you done exactly?” I watched him closely.
“I do believe a certain talent scout heard Lyra sing tonight, and play the violin. I don’t think there has been anything like her before. A direct cross between classical, pop, and gospel.”
“And…?”
“Well, I do think she’ll probably get a record deal.” He winked. “And what the hell can the Collins family do about that, apart from cry into their champagne that they got it all so very wrong.”
