Page 128 of Until The Lights Go Out

“How are we going to explain all this?”

“We talk about it, the history of it all,” she said too quietly, looking at her hands.

“That feels too personal. The masses don’t need that; you don’t owe them that. You don’t owe them anything.”

“It’ll just be casual. A quick interview vlog thing like the first one we did together, we can talk about how important car safety is and advocate for drivers’ mental health!” Her lips twitched. “Please.” She grabbed my hand then, fingers threading through mine as her expression softened.

“Maisey baby, you know I’ll do whatever you ask of me. But this isn’t too much for you?”

“Do it scared,” she said, squaring her shoulders.

“Damn good advice,” I replied, remembering her telling me that monthly on top of our hill.

“I just need something to hold everyone over,” she admitted quietly. “So my bosses stop panicking and people stop speculating about why I disappeared yesterday. We face it head-on.”

“Fine,” I sighed dramatically.

“Okay, we can set up on the balcony over here. Let me figure out some questions so we can go over them before we start.”

An hour later, we were sitting on the balcony overlooking the harbor. The afternoon had melted into evening, painting the sky in streaks of lavender, peach, and molten gold. Boats drifted lazily through the water below while the city slowly flickered awake, windows glowing one by one as daylight surrendered to dusk. It felt rather peaceful.

Maisey had transformed in what could only be described as record time. Her hair fell around her shoulders in soft copper waves, catching every bit of the fading sunlight. She’d swapped into an oversized cream sweater that slipped off one shoulder every time she adjusted the camera, which she had balanced precariously on top of a stack of hardcover books stolen from the hotel room. She leaned back to study the frame before nodding to herself.

“You look good,” she said absentmindedly, adjusting the angle another fraction. I looked down at myself.

“I look like I haven’t slept.” Her eyes flicked toward me before a smile tugged at her lips.

“Exactly.”

I laughed.

“That’s the appeal.” She bumped her shoulder against mine as she settled beside me on the outdoor couch. The tiny red recording light blinked at us. I watched her slip into presenter mode. It fascinated me every single time. The nerves disappeared. Her posture straightened just slightly, warmth filling every word as she smiled into the lens.

“Hi, guys.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “So…slight scheduling disaster this weekend.”

I barked out a laugh. “That’s putting it lightly.”

She shot me a pointed look. “Behave.”

“I’ve been told that’s not really my thing.”

“No kidding.”

She smiled at the camera again.

“Since yesterday’s race, I know there have been a lot of questions. Some of them are about Theo mysteriously disappearing before lights out…” She glanced sideways at me.

“Still sounds dramatic when you say it.”

“It was dramatic.”

“…Fair.”

“And some of them are about me.” The smile softened. “So…I think it’s time we talk about it.” I watched her inhale slowly.

“As some of you may know, before I worked in broadcasting, I raced.” She glanced toward me with a tiny smile. “Theo and I actually competed against each other in Formula Two.”

“And by competed,” I cut in, “she means she routinely handed me my arse.”