Payson twisted around to face the unknown voice. Despite her casual dress, the late-thirty-something woman conveyed authority and initiative, the combination telling Payson's gut that she was looking at a PR agent. However, figuring out the pixie-cut woman's role only confused the blonde gymnast. Emily led a private life; why did she need a PR person?
"Why haven't you answered my voicemail?" the woman said to Emily, her tone direct, her eyes lasered in on only the other woman.
Her mouth dropped open, Emily stared at the woman for a long minute before blinking twice and replying, "Did you follow me on vacation? Just because I wasn't answering my voicemail?"
The other woman raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. We were going to be here anyway."
"We?"
"Damon obviously." The PR lady drew out her answer slowly, confusion replacing the condescension of her earlier reply.
"Damon's here?"
The woman sighed and Payson guessed that behind her dark sunglasses, an eyeroll was happening. "Ok, I get that you two don't really communicate much although for life of me I can't understand why not, but you're standing right in front of the venue where he's performing for the next three days. There's a sign just behind you with his name on it!"
Emily waved a hand towards the amphitheater. "Damon's performing there? But what about the pol-" She stopped in mid-question and turned to face Kaylie.
"Emily, I'm-"
"There's no polka group performing there, is there?" she interrupted Kaylie's attempt.
Kaylie just shook her head.
"You lied."
Kaylie opened her mouth and then shut it, the woman settling for a simple nod instead of a defense.
"Kaylie, I've been dealing with Damon for the past four years," Emily said, a sharp edge growing in her voice. "You didn't need to hide this from me."
Kaylie stayed silent, but Emily forged ahead, her attention returning to the woman who had intruded on their group. "So, since you got lucky and our paths crossed, what is so important?"
"Damon wants me to give you a backstage pass."
"A backstage pass?" Emily repeated as the woman started to dig in her black messenger bag. "Camila, why does he want me to have that?"
Camila pulled the laminated card on a lanyard out of her bag and then shoved her sunglasses up so she could look Emily directly in the eyes. "Because he hasn't been the same since that fight you two had a month ago. Because you refuse to discuss anything besides your son with him over the phone. Because he misses you and wants to see you!"
Emily's lips separated again as she stared at Damon's agent. The woman pressed her lips together as she stared back at Emily before speaking again. "My job is to make sure that the career side of Damon's life goes smoothly, and I don't appreciate having to run interference between the two of you. Here is the pass, please find the time to talk to him before you leave Florida!" She reached the item out and Emily took it, the motion robotic.
"If you do decide to actually use the pass, please shoot me a text. Knowing your coming will make the meeting easier." She gave Emily a curt nod and then headed towards the amphitheater.
The group stood there until Lauren suddenly asked, "If Damon's agent is here, does that mean he's probably here too? I mean, here in EPCOT right now?"
"If you're hoping to see a confrontation, Lauren, you're going to be very disappointed," Emily said, ice dripping from her voice.
Lauren widened her eyes. "Why would you think that, Emily? I thought you two got along ok since you share a kid."
Emily winced as Jordan and Luke looked shocked at the reveal.
"Really, Lo?" Kaylie said. "That's a secret."
Lauren scoffed. "It's not that big of a secret. Anyone who follows Damon Young would know."
"Not everyone does!" Kaylie hissed.
"I don't need you protecting me, Kaylie," Emily said. "Polka? I'm a grown woman with a child. You could have told me that Damon was performing here."
"Emily," Kaylie started and then stopped, the pleading look disappearing from her face. "You're right. I was trying to protect you and that wasn't necessary."
Emily paused and then gave Kaylie a sharp nod. "I don't agree with what you did but I understand that you were trying to help me."
"She probably still feels guilty for what she did to you and Damon years ago," Lauren put in.
Emily turned a cold stare on Lauren. "And how about you? Do you feel guilt for anything you put people through?"
"What do you mean?" Lauren's blue eyes were wide.
Emily scoffed. "I can give you plenty of examples from our time in the gym together but let's just stick to this trip. Right now before Camila approached the group, you were trying extra hard to make sure that I knew that Damon was performing here."
"Maybe I just wanted the two of you to have a chance to reconnect."
"If you honestly thought that we got along well as you claimed a moment ago, you would have figured I already knew Damon was here and would have just come out and said it," Emily replied, her voice bordering on a hiss. "Instead you were playing with me, drawing the conversation out until your big reveal that Damon is here in Disney World with us!"
"Emily, I wasn't-"
"Don't even try lying your way out of this!" Emily snapped.
"Hey, I think we need to calm down," Jake tried stepping in and both women threw murderous glares at him.
"Jake does have a good point that you need to calm down," Payson said.
Emily snorted. "Of course, robot Payson doesn't think emotions are important."
Payson blinked at the harsh words. "Em, I don't want you to say something you'll regret."
"You really think I'd regret any of the truths I have to say to Lauren?" Emily asked, her voice rising.
"No but"
"No," Emily said. "I'm not going to stick around here and listen to you try to keep the peace. I really thought you'd finally learned."
She turned and started to walk away but Payson jogged after her. "Emily, where are you going?"
Emily's eyes were shining, tears in the bottom of them. "I can't stay around all of you right now. You have no idea how hard it is to stay strong. I can't do it right now, not if you're going to defend Lauren or even Kaylie."
"I'm not defending her," Payson protested. "I just don't want her to provoke you into doing something you'd regret."
Emily sighed. "Well, it feels like you're defending her."
"What if I just came with you?" Payson offered. "Not the whole group."
"I don't know."
"What about me?" Jordan suddenly joined the conversation. Payson glanced around but the rest of them was still hanging back a distance. "What if I went with you?"
"I don't want to ruin your day," Emily said quickly. "You barely know me."
"I know that you're important to these girls and I'm sure it's not hard to believe that they were everything to me when I didn't have anyone else," Jordan replied. "It's not ruining my day if I get to help you out."
"I might want to just go back to the room," she warned.
"That's fine," Jordan shrugged. "I've heard the pool is pretty nice."
Emily cracked a small smile. "You sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Ok then."
"Ok," Jordan grinned widely and then focused on Payson. "Go tell the others to take their time going over to Japan so we can get a head start—just in case you decide to stick around the park for a bit, Em."
"Thank you," Payson said and gave Jordan a hug.
Speaking low enough that Emily wouldn't overhear, the African-American woman murmured back, "Don't worry. I've got her."
