I extended my hand and he gripped it tightly, surprising me as I said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too. You’re kind of a big deal, you know, young lady,” he said teasingly, and I blushed. “Madison says you’d like to come on board, and I wanted to be the first to welcome you to our agency. You’re in good hands with Miss Myers.”

“Thank you so much. I’m really excited to have her on my team.”

After his personal welcome, Gerald Taylor excused himself, leaving me alone with Madison.

Catching her eye, I smiled and said, “Guess I’d better go fire Jayson.”

She grinned back at me. “And then I can e-mail you the contracts to sign. This is going to be awesome, Paige.”

“I seriously feel a thousand pounds lighter already. Oh, I wanted to ask you something.”

“As your new agent, or as a friend?” she asked before sitting back down at her oversized desk.

“Agent,” I answered.

“Shoot.”

“I was thinking about writing an open letter to my fans about what really happened and posting it exclusively on my website. People will still have questions, and the media will most likely still want interviews with me, but I wanted to tell my story in a way that I could control it.”

Madison nodded. “I think that’s a great idea, honestly. I love it. Send me the final draft before you post it?”

“Absolutely. Oh, and one more thing.” I paused as she lifted her eyebrows at me, signaling for me to continue. “I want to fire Corryn as well. She’s my manager, and I believe she has my best interests at heart about as much as Jayson does. Do you think I’d be okay with only an agent for now?”

I could practically see the wheels turning in Madison’s head as she mulled it over. A moment passed before she said carefully, “That’s entirely up to you. But if you’re looking to head in a new direction for a while, I don’t see what your manager would handle that I couldn’t. I mean, in the grand scheme of things it’s a manager’s job to look out for you and plan your future, your roles, where you’re headed, and what you want to do going forward. But those are all things that I’m interested in as well when it comes to my clients.” Gazing at me with hope in her eyes, she said, “I’d like to think that until I’m proved wrong, I could sort of bridge that gap and play both roles.”

Comfort immediately filled me, and I smiled. “I think it’s worth a shot. Thank you, Madison. For everything. Give Walker a kiss for me,” I said with a wink as I stood up to leave.

I chuckled under my breath, happy that things were finally falling into place, and proud of myself for being the one to make them happen.

“Will do. And, Paige?” she called after me.

I paused at the doorway and turned to face her.

“One day I want to hear all about this broken-down town and this guy, okay?”

I gave her another smile, trying to hide the sadness that filled me at the realization that my time with Tatum now only existed in memories.

“Okay.” Unable to resist glancing down at my phone again, I noticed that he still hadn’t called or texted.

That was fine. I’d be fine.

I had to be.

• • •

Back in the solitude of my too-quiet apartment, I picked up my phone and dialed Jayson’s number.

“Paige, why were you at Warren Taylor’s?” he yelled instead of answering with a normal greeting. “What the hell is going on?”

“I’m about to tell you,” I said evenly, forcing myself to stay strong.

He groaned. “What is it?”

“You’re fired.”

“Excuse me?” he shrieked.

“I’m pretty sure you heard me,” I said firmly, my inner confidence growing and building upon itself. “My lawyer has sent you an e-mail asking to terminate our business relationship effective immediately.”

He breathed harshly into the phone line, and knowing what was coming, I pulled it from my ear.

“I made you what you are, Paige! Good luck getting any work in this town again! You think that Madison, my assistant,” he added snidely, “can do anything for you? What a fucking joke! You’re both a pair of idiots. Idiots who will be out of work by the time next pilot season rolls around,” he screamed before hanging up.

Instead of feeling nervous or worried with his threats, I instantly felt relieved. My shoulders lightened as the load I subconsciously carried lessened.

Dialing Corryn while I was still brimming with confidence, I listened as the phone beeped each time it rang, signaling that she was on the other line. When her voice mail clicked on, I left a message.

“Hi, Corryn, this is Paige. As of today, I will no longer be requiring your services. You should have an e-mail detailing our termination clause in your in-box from my lawyer. Thank you for your time and help over the years. I wish you the best.” And with that, I ended the call and danced in my living room, freedom filling me from the inside out.

After my five-second dance party, I pulled open my laptop to read over the draft of my open letter one last time before sending it to Madison for review. I attached it to a quick e-mail telling her that I was officially on the market for a new agent, and asking if she knew anyone who wanted to represent me.

I giggled, amazed at my ability to be and feel silly with all the chaos that constantly hounded me. In a way I felt like a new person, with my new short hairstyle that I chose for myself, and my professional chains cut free.

Dear Fans, [Madison, I hate calling them fans—it seems too snobby and rude. How else can I address them that makes them feel more appreciated?]

There has been a lot of speculation about where I’ve been the past few weeks. Since returning to town, I’ve been bombarded with accusations and unkind words, brutal reminders of the reality of this business that I otherwise normally love. I’ll admit that part of me wanted to say nothing and hope it would all go away on its own. But the rest of me really wanted to set the record straight.

You have no idea how hard it is to read such utter lies about yourself printed everywhere for everyone to read. Worse than the made-up stories is the fact that people believe them…a lot of people. And that’s why I’m here, writing this letter to you now. I needed to talk to you the way friends do, and I wanted to be the one to do it—not a publicist or an agent or manager, but me.

It’s not an exciting story, to be honest. The truth is that I needed to get away in the wake of everything that was going on around me. I’m human, just like you, and sometimes I want to escape from my problems and disappear for a while. And frankly, that’s exactly what I tried to do (in the form of leaving town, that is, not in the form of rehab, drug overdose, alcohol binges, or any other of the made-up excuses). I realize that being a twenty-one-year-old actress is nothing to complain about, and believe me when I tell you that I’m not complaining. But please understand that choosing this life means that I miss out on so many of the amazing things that you all get to do and experience every single day.

I know, I know—you’re probably rolling your eyes and calling me crazy right now because you’re supposed to be the ones envying my life, not the other way around. But to be honest, sometimes I crave normalcy with every fiber of my being. A normalcy that I never seem to get. A normalcy that I’ve decided to fight for because this is my life and I want to be the one in charge of it. :)

In the midst of the destruction of my relationship with Colin, I did exactly what I said above. I escaped. My heart landed in a tiny town I’d never heard of before, but I’ll never forget. Part of me is still there, and I think it always will be. Because in this tiny town in the South, I got to be Paige Lockwood, normal twenty-one-year-old girl, instead of Paige Lockwood, Hollywood actress.

I spent my nights drinking sweet tea and watching the sun set with an adorable black Lab at my side. I now own the most beautiful pair of authentic cowgirl boots I’ve ever seen (thank you, Emily). I got to experience my very first bonfire field party with giant trucks, hay bales, and some really good-natured people. Have you ever swam in a swimming hole complete with the obligatory rope swing before? Well, I never had, not before a few weeks ago. Heck, I didn’t even know that kind of thing really existed outside of the movies. And I loved every minute that I was away because for the first time in a long time, I was just like everyone else. I felt normal.