Jon stood to go. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up and reminding Will of a much younger version of his brother. “That night with Madison... when Hannah... It wasn’t the first time, was it?”
Will hadn’t been expecting that. He shook his head, not trusting his words.
“Did you two ever...?”
“Yes.”
Jon cursed, but there was no anger behind it, only dawning recognition.
“It was so early on, Jon—before she was ever your fiancée.”
Jon looked at his brother, his expression crestfallen. “She’s not my fiancée anymore.”
Will ran a hand through his hair before clasping both his hands in front of him. “Does she know that?”
Jon shrugged. “She will in another hour or so.”
Could the whole saga really be over? Will closed his eyes. “I’m sorry about you and Madison.”
The words rang true, and relief washed through him. Whatever he decided about where the Thorne family and all that came with its name fit into his new life, Madison would not be a part of it.
Jon hesitated, his hand on the door and his body already making to leave. The heavy set of his shoulders told Will he couldn’t stay much longer without breaking down, and Jon wouldn’t do that in public. He’d hadn’t when their mother died, and he wouldn’t do it then over a woman, no matter how much his love for her might have cost him. “For what it’s worth, little brother, I’m sorry as well.”
Chapter 54Hannah
Hannah added a third box to the stack in front of her. If she never moved again, it would be too soon. Hannah and Binx were heading out in a few days. The inaugural issue of Deafening Silence Boston was off to design for finishing touches. The next issue would feature some of the interviews she and Camila had done this last month and a few Camila would do herself in the coming days. After that, the Boston edition would be led by another editor—they were sending someone out from the LA team to run it full-time. Any loose ends Hannah could tie up perfectly well from New York. She hadn’t officially given her notice, but turning down the promotion had laid down cards that only led to the end of her time at Deafening. Hannah knew it. Riley knew it. Not that Hannah couldn’t stay. She could—Riley had been clear. But Deafening had been a haven, and it was time to see what she could do outside of its walls.
She plopped down on the couch, unsettling Binx, who glared at her before slinking off to his food bowl. The sight of his crate put him in a mood, but she knew he’d forgive her by dinnertime. Binx was a fickle lover.
An unknown number flashed on her phone screen. She answered in case it was someone calling about an interview. She and Camila had put out a lot of feelers in the last month.
“This is Hannah,” she said.
“Hi, Hannah. This is Jackson Mendez, editor in chief of Talented.”
Hannah clutched the phone tightly to her ear. Why was Jackson Mendez calling her? She tried to keep her breathing steady. Talented was the real deal. If you wanted to work in entertainment journalism, there was no better option—not that they trended toward the artists she was used to interviewing.
“Hello, Mr. Mendez,” she said, doing her best to sound normal.
“Jackson, please.” He cleared his throat. “A little birdie told me that you’re looking to make a move.”
Riley had said she’d put out feelers, but Hannah hadn’t thought that included Jackson Mendez. “I am.”
“Then I’d like to meet you,” he said. “We’ve been talking about expanding our audience, and that means interviewing more than pop artists. Atlas Genius, Dreamers, the Wombats—we want them all on our covers. We need someone who understands those bands, who relates to their fans, and who can build our audience. After talking to Leonard Nulty last week and following your career for some time, I think that person is you.”
Hannah covered the mouthpiece on her phone and silently screamed, her arms and legs kicking out wildly. This was real life. This was her life.
“That sounds amazing,” she said, her voice edgy and jilted. “Those artists deserve to be on your cover.”
“That’s what I like to hear. I’m very excited to see what you did with Leonard’s interview. You made quite the impression on him.”
“If only he hadn’t been saying goodbye,” Hannah said with a laugh.
“When he makes his comeback—oh come on, you know he will—I think you’ll have first dibs.”
The fangirl in her held onto the idea that Jackson Mendez, who knew things, thought there’d be a Nulty resurgence. If Jackson Mendez said it, it was likely to happen. He might write about the A-list, but he most definitely knew the whole spectrum—maybe Leonard most of all.
“You’re still in Boston, right? How about lunch tomorrow?” he asked. “I could use a trip to Boston. It’s been far too long since I’ve seen Alicia. I am her godfather, you know.”
That was another thing Hannah hadn’t known about Leonard Nulty. His music told so much, but not everything—not nearly everything. Perhaps that was the point.
“Lunch would be great,” she said, her hands shaking.
“Perfect. My assistant will be in touch with you.”
After a few more pleasantries, they hung up. Hannah threw her phone on the couch and looked around the tiny apartment. It was possibly the biggest moment of her life, and she was in Boston, alone. She didn’t even know who to call. Will? Her mom? Kate? In that order? She spun around, her arms out, before sinking back down onto the couch with a squeal.
Deciding to leave Deafening Silence had felt like the end of a love affair that had nowhere to go but forever. She hadn’t even fully processed it or considered where she would go from there. But the universe had plans for her. It knew her dreams better than she did. Talented had been the dream. It had been one of the many internship rejections that had led her to Europe, away from Will, and to New York with Kate. It had led her to Riley. And Riley had led her back.
Chapter 55Hannah
The brownstone smelled of paper. It always had, but Hannah had gone nose blind to it long ago. The scent hit her then, throwing her back in time to her early days huddled with Riley, typing and deleting and typing the same article again until it was Riley-worthy, a standard that became more stringent the more Hannah honed her craft. The bustle of every day at the magazine went on around her. Interns scrambling, editors arguing over article placements, Riley in the middle of it all—the conductor of the Deafening Silence orchestra. All that was left to do was sign some invoices, code some expenses, and dwindle the remaining hours she had left as a member of the Deafening Silence New York staff. She would always be family. She sat down at her desk where, almost five months ago, white carnations had appeared on her birthday. Nothing had been the same after that. Will had been the butterfly that set off the tsunami.
She dropped their framed wedding photo into the box on her desk. It was already spilling over. One of the interns had started packing her things for her. Desks were a hot commodity at their office. Emily wanted Hannah’s desk, and Henry—who had officially become a staff writer—wanted Emily’s desk, which was Hannah’s first desk. Essentially, they were kicking her out.
She’d accumulated a lot of crap in five years. There was an entire box of every issue she’d ever been featured in, which, for New York, was all of them. It was quite the collection, and she hadn’t even needed it for a writing sample. She added the photo of Binx as a kitten—sprawled out on the couch with his tummy exposed, his paws in the air—to the box. He’d been none too happy to be dropped off at Kate’s, which was as unfamiliar to him as Boston, but at least he was out of his carrier. A box of cat toys would be in his future as penance.
Hannah wiggled her mouse until her computer came to life. Her inbox was eerily empty except for one new email that had come through since she’d checked at Kate’s. She squinted at the sender’s name—why was Leonard Nulty emailing her?
A little something from the home studio. You and Will deserve a Wilderness song as your wedding song. Have your second first dance to this. (If I find this on Spotify, I know your boss(es)!)
Hannah pulled her headphones on and clicked on the link. The familiar opening of her wedding song started, on piano, not guitar. And then Leonard Nulty’s voice, scratchy and imperfect, broke through. He’d covered their song. She blinked back tears. He’d gifted them the one thing they didn’t think they would ever have.
“What are you doing here?” Riley’s voice cut through the music pouring out of Hannah’s headphones but just barely.
Hannah pulled them down around her neck. “Remembering.”
“Me too.” Riley sat on the edge of the desk. “Are you staying long?”
Hannah shook her head. She hadn’t even planned on coming here today. But after stashing Binx at Kate’s, she found herself walking toward the subway. Everything about the trip there was nostalgic, from the ebb of the subway to the college students loitering in the park. She would miss that life. Talented was in midtown with a view of Radio City Music Hall. At least the MoMa and the tree at Christmas would be close by. Lunch breaks would never be boring. Not that they had been in the Village.
“Will’s actually meeting me”—she glanced down at her phone— “now. I’ll come back tomorrow to finish packing.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Riley said, adding a cat-shaped sticky-note holder to the box.
