Her tears were gone. The love was gone. All that remained was the anger. “I’ll never forgive you for this. I destroyed my relationship with the most important person in my life for you, and you weren’t even worth it.”

He grimaced in unabashed pain.

“You know what the most ironic thing is? Everyone disapproved of us because you were supposedly too old for me. Funny how I ended up being the adult in this relationship.” She turned and left the room.

He followed her downstairs. “Kate. I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

“So was I.”

Kate spent two days alone in her townhouse, ignoring the constant ringing of her home and cell phones. She checked the caller ID to make sure her family wasn’t trying to reach her and discovered that most of the calls were from Reid. The rest were from Buddy.

She stayed in her pajamas and watched one episode after another of “Behind the Music” on VH-1 as bitterness roiled through her. She’d been so close to having everything she wanted, but it was all built on lies.

The doorbell rang late on the second day. Worried that Reid might’ve brought his campaign to her doorstep, she peeked out the window to find a young man in a courier’s uniform holding a large envelope. She went down the stairs to answer the door.

“Kate Harrington? Sign here.”

Kate signed for the envelope and took it back upstairs. Inside was a handwritten letter from Buddy on Long Road Records stationery, along with another smaller envelope.

Dear Kate,

Taylor and I are real sorry for what happened the other day. (If it makes you feel any better, she’s furious with me…) Anyway, we’ve come to think of you as our friend, so we hope you’ll forgive us for our role in all of this.

I know this won’t sound very friendly, but I’m going to do you the biggest favor anyone will ever do for you by threatening legal action if you don’t comply with the terms of our agreement. You’re a talented girl with a big future ahead of you, and you’d be a total fool to walk away from it. So I’m not going to let you. You have forty-eight hours to lick your wounds, and then I want you back in the studio rehearsing. Otherwise, you’ll be hearing from my attorneys.

Enclosed is your first paycheck. Pay your taxes (so you don’t end up like Willie Nelson), pay your rent, and get your life in order, because things are about to get crazy for you.

I know you’re hurting, darlin’, but in our business broken hearts lead to number-one records. Now, get your ass back to work.

Sincerely,

(Your Friend)

Buddy Longstreet

President & CEO

Long Road Records