You'd Be Mine(19)

Trina smirks. “If you must know, your photo shoot went live this morning. Social media has lit up with speculation. Whether you two play it up or not, the world is convinced your chemistry is what this tour is about. Now.” She raises a long-nailed finger. “I’m not saying you need to play up the fake relationship or anything so classless. Clay is right. You both have gobs of talent, and that’s enough. I’m just saying, maybe don’t deny it. Leave the mystery. The inevitable speculation can only be good for you.”

“But … it was just a photo shoot. It was all staged. They get that, right? I mean, we haven’t even been seen together.” I’m unsettled. Seriously uncomfortable. Clay is trouble. He’s too smooth and drinks too much. I can hear my gran’s voice in the back of my mind—Cocky cowboy strutting in and taking my little girl away—can feel the comparison to my mom. Cora Rosewood was a megastar. She held the world rapt with her vocals, but my father held her rapt with his charm, at least in the beginning. Too good-looking and far too connected. On their own, they were sparklers in the hands of children on the Fourth of July. Together, they were a house on fire.

Trina gives me a patient look. “Until tonight.”

“That wasn’t … I was just excited. Those girls…” I feel like crying. The buzz I felt earlier is now pooling around my feet in a puddle of terrible dread. I’ve spent years honing my craft, preparing to do this and do it right—better than they had. One show in, and I’m tabloid fodder.

“Trina, knock it off,” Clay bites out.

“I’m not my mom.” My breath catches, and I feel like my vision is tunneling. “This was a mistake. I’m not like her.” I’m rambling, and I try to slink away from Trina’s wide-eyed assessment. It’s embarrassing how quickly I’m unraveling.

“Annie! What happened? Annie. Look at me.” Kacey’s face swims into view. She takes my cheeks in her warm hands and drags my eyes up to focus on hers. I blink and start to calm down. She leads me in a few calming breaths while speaking in soothing tones. “Annie. It’s okay. It’s all okay. You aren’t like her. I promise. No one thinks that. At all. It was a misunderstanding.”

“I know,” I say, feeling stupid. I wave my hands in front of my face in a sorry attempt to cool my burning skin. “I overreacted.”

I hear Jason somewhere behind her, his voice raised. Suddenly he’s there next to Kacey, a candy bar and water bottle in either hand. I take the water and sip, shakily.

“I’m fine,” I insist. “Just humiliated.”

His lips spread a big goofy grin. “Every rock star has a meltdown at some point. Best to get it out of the way early on.”

“Shoulda had that shot,” Kacey teases before her face falls serious. “You aren’t Cora, you know, but the comparisons are inevitable. This won’t be the first time fans show up, and it’s not the only time people will make assumptions about you. This business is built on assumptions. You can’t let that prevent you from taking what’s yours.”

“You were great out there tonight,” Jason says.

My lips curl. “I had good backup.”

“And you’ll keep having us. Don’t forget that. This isn’t just you, even if you are the star of the show.”

Jason stands, holding a hand out, and I take it.

Kacey shoots a glare at Trina, who still looks gobsmacked, before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me back to the bus.

“I feel like I should apologize or explain or something.” I slump onto a bench seat, dropping my head onto my arms.

“To who? Barely anyone even saw anything.”

I raise my head. “Except Clay and Trina.”

“And Fitz, but that’s okay,” Kacey says. “They needed to see it. Everyone needed to get on the same page. To everyone else, Cora and Robbie were a sad song, but to you, they were real life. In the meantime, you killed it tonight and proved to the world—and your headliner, by the way—that you deserve to be on this tour. You’re the real deal in your own goddamn right. So drink your water, and then grab your guitar and write your feelings. Jason and I can handle the rest.”

There’s a knock on the door of the bus, and Jason and Kacey exchange looks. Jason grabs my hand and tugs me up to his wiry chest. “Come on, girl. I’ll get you all settled in.” I smack his shoulder playfully.

“Don’t you try those eyes on me. You know they’re wasted.”

He flashes a blinding white grin. “Oh, I know. Your taste in men has evolved in the last few years. You prefer crooners over drummers, I hear.”

With anyone else, I would sink into dismay all over again, but with Jason, I can laugh.

“Holy mother, it’s gonna be a summer, isn’t it?”





7



Clay


After the Meltdown, Fitz went to help console his new fiddle-playing friend, and that left me in my bus. Alone. Well, not totally alone. I have my guitar.

I could go out and find some company, but watching Annie collapse in a trembling heap of tears and grief sort of killed any urges I might have had.

Not that I blame her. I think we all learned a valuable lesson tonight. Annie Mathers is not just some eager beaver starlet. No, sir. She’s messed up.