Did Laura realize Mia used drugs to level her moods? Was that why her mother wasn’t worried about her? She thought Mia was medicated?
“For depression…or…?” My heart hammered in my chest. She should have told me or David at one of the appointments. Maybe she needed to be on the meds.
A husky chuckle reverberated across my chest, warming my heart. “Self-medicating. Recreational. Nothing doctor prescribed.”
I wasn’t sure her revelation was more comforting.Jesus.Laura dropped the ball on a lot of shit with Mia.
Against my chest, she said, “I’ll be okay.” She rose on her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her lips against the hollow. “Thank you for caring.”
I spanned her back with my hand, and I drew her a little closer, our bodies slotting together. The caring came easy, which was starting to be scary. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to let her go when she was ready to leave, and the baby wasn’t even here yet, not even visible on herbody. How would I feel once she’d given birth, once we’d spent more time together? A baby was a bond, a profound one.
“I’ll always care,” I whispered in her ear and squeezed her tight.
Laura sipped her coffee and placed it back in the saucer on the table. We decided on this coffee chain because it was close to the stadium. I thought everything was overpriced and the food was not particularly good, but Laura liked the familiarity. Wherever she went, at least this place never changed.
“Mia’s been going on about how much she liked Little Falls when we were in the area for the benefit. She wants to go there and work with Grady on her album. What do you know about him?”
“He’s dating my sister, and while I don’t know much about the music business, he seems to have written a lot of really popular songs.” I stirred more cream into my coffee. “He’s a good guy. Mia wouldn’t have any worries with him.”
“I don’t doubt his talent. I just—I wanted to make sure she’ll be safe going there.” She fiddled with the arm of her coffee cup. “Of course, she’ll still need a bodyguard. There’re a lot of crazed fans out there. We’re almost constantly in touch with law enforcement about one thing or another.”
“People threaten her?” Political figures or controversial performers, sure. But Mia was America’s sweetheart.
“Men, mostly. Delusional in one way or another. Some want to marry her, some want to have sex with her…some want to kill her.” She shook her head. “It’s the scary part of fame.”
“She’s got protection all the time, right?” A cold sweat broke out across my back. I don’t know why the darker side of her fame hadn’t sunk in yet. The last few weeks, I’d had a front row seat to how invested people were in her.
“Yeah. We take every threat very seriously. She’s—we’ve had a few instances of people taking advantage of her, of people not treating her well. I was surprised she let you on the tour. But she seems to like you.” She watched me over the rim of her cup for a beat. “I’ve seen the banter between the two of you.”
“I have two sisters.” I was unwilling to give her more than that. “Lots of practice.” Lengthy explanations made people look guilty. Not that I had a reason to feel guilty. Nothing had happened between us since I joined the tour.
“Maybe that’s it,” Laura said. “Fourteen years is quite a gap. Her father is only a few years older than you.”
Ah, so her observations were what I’d thought. She was warning me off.Too late, Laura. I sipped my coffee. “So, what’s your feeling on Little Falls? I grew up there. So, of course, I think it’s a nice town.”
“I don’t know. She wants six months.” She eyed me. “Are you going back to Little Falls after the tour?”
“Sadly, no.” I shook my head. “I have a job with a theater company. It was why it took me a while to get back to you about this job. I had to check some dates and juggle a couple commitments.” I took another, longer drink. The lie came easily. I’d expected this question at some point with Mia pushing to work with Grady.
“Don’t you think six months is too long? Mia loves touring and singing. I don’t want her career to run cold.”
“Like I said, I don’t know too much about the music business. Kesha took off five years or something, didn’t she? And Shania Twain was gone for years. Beyoncé spent nine months going around the world, right? Taylor Swift largely disappeared for a year. When there’s an appetite for what you’re producing, the length of time between products doesn’t seem to matter as much. It’s not like she won’t be working. She’ll be building an album.”
Laura tapped her cup with her fingernail. “He says he doesn’t know much about music, but comes up with a nice list of names and dates.” She chuckled. “I’d say my daughter has gotten to you.”
A slow smile spread across my face. I’d give her this one. She caught me. “She can be very persuasive when she wants something. She was running a few of her arguments past me. I paid attention.” Or we were brainstorming together one night about other singers who went on hiatus and come back just as strong or stronger. Mia knew her mother’s priorities.
“She’s worked hard to get to this level, sacrificed a lot. I don’t want to see her lose it.”
“She seems tired. I’d be worried about burnout,” I said.
“Has she said something to you about that? Taryn and Rebecca used the same argument on me.”
“Hasn’t said a word. It’s written all over her every night as soon as the last song finishes. I don’t have a stake in this beyond the tour. But she seems worn out.” The lies were coming fast, and I drank my coffee to keep from meeting her gaze. She wouldn’t see anything on my face. I could sell this line of thought because I actually believed it. But if Lauradug too deep, she might see my anger and annoyance at some of the choices she’d made when it came to Mia. A parent should protect their child above all else.
“She could just as easily work with Grady in L.A. or New York. I don’t understand why she’s pushing for the middle of nowhere.”
“She’s been doing this scene since she was fourteen. Maybe she wants some normalcy.” I shrugged and drained my cup.
