The sun shone down and Emily lifted up her face to feel the rays on her skin. “Yeah, that’s what she thought. I’ve been using that as an excuse, though, I think. For years. I think I have to take responsibility for what I’ve done.”

“Oh, Em.” Priya’s voice was full of sympathy. “I wish I were there to give you a hug right now.”

“Me too,” Emily said.

“Listen,” Priya told her, “you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. Things are starting to come clear. I have faith in you. You’ll figure it all out. You’ll find a way to be happy.”

“Thank you,” Emily answered. “That means a lot. No matter what, I’ll see you soon.”

Emily sat in her room and worked on her song, pulling up a piano keyboard app on her phone to figure out the accompaniment until Rob knocked on her door.

“Hungry?” he asked. “It’s way past lunchtime.”

Emily nodded, and the two of them headed down to the beachside restaurant. They recaptured a bit of the fun they’d had the day before, laughing and smiling together, but it felt like an echo of yesterday.

“You still want to play tonight?” he asked as they were finishing up.

“If you’ll still have me,” she said.

He laughed. “Queenie,” he said. “When will you realize that I’ll always still have you?”

He stood up and reached out his hand for her. She took it and the two of them walked back to the villa to get ready for the show.

59

Emily watched again from the wings. Rob was still objectively fantastic, but there was something missing from this show, like he’d been slightly wrung out. If you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t expect anything else, but since she did, she could see it. Diana did, too.

“What happened?” she asked Emily. “Is he still pissed about what I said this morning?”

Emily pretended not to hear her. Rob hadn’t shared his conversation with Diana, and she hadn’t asked. She wondered if it had anything to do with her.

When it was time for the last song, Rob introduced her, this time calling her Emily Gold, saying she was a friend from a long time ago who inspired him, leaving out the line about her being the one that got away, playing that aspect of things way down. She walked on stage to a round of applause and waved, and then she heard someone shout, “Em!”

It was a voice she’d know anywhere. Ezra. He was here. She shaded her eyes and tried to look out into the audience, but she couldn’t find him.