It had been three days since the party, and Annie and Bristol couldn’t find time to be alone. With the tour ending, Bristol’s every waking moment was spent giving interviews, meeting charities, even shooting a commercial. Annie couldn’t get close to her no matter how hard she tried. She didn’t want to seem desperate or, worse, not interested.
Sterling was blowing up her phone, trying to sign her. Dani, her lawyer, sent her two names of entertainment managers that she still had to call. She had gotten an email from Americana Records asking to sit down with her. Americana was a lot smaller than Top Shelf or Four Twelve, but they repped Seth Wylie and Prairie Girls, folk musicians Annie adored. Seth Wylie—with his dreamy curls and poetic lyrics—had inspired her to start writing music as a teenager. Her guitar case still had an “I Heart SW” sticker. She couldn’t believe she was on Americana’s radar.
Annie was busy, and she was only the opening act. She couldn’t imagine how many directions Bristol was getting pulled in. Tonight, they were back onstage together. There were four more concerts left, and even though she was sad that this magical time was coming to an end, she was eager to see what the future held for her.
She smiled when she saw Peyton’s face on her phone. “Hey, baby girl. What are you doing?”
“Talking to you. Where are you?”
“I’m in Portland, Oregon. Do you know where that is?” Peyton shrugged one tiny shoulder in the frame of the phone. “It’s all the way by the ocean. Very far from Colorado.”
“When are you coming home? I start school next week. Like kindergarten, not preschool,” Peyton said.
“I can’t believe what a big girl you’ve become. And I love your new glasses.” Annie was worried that Peyton would fight having to wear glasses, but Sarah said she liked the attention she was getting from them.
“Look at the ladybugs.” Peyton couldn’t figure out how to show Annie the sides of her frame, but Annie pretended she saw them.
“Those are so much fun. What are you looking forward to the most when you go to school?”
She rolled her eyes at Annie. Rolled her eyes! When did she grow up?
“I’ve been going to school.”
“Yeah, but that was preschool. Kindergarten is the start of big-kid school. Do you have a new backpack yet?”
Peyton’s eyes lit up. “I do. It’s red and has ladybugs on it. Want to see it?”
“Of course. Having the right backpack is important. Have you met your teacher yet?”
Peyton nodded. “I like Miss Emily. She knows your music.”
“You talked about me to your teacher?”
“Uh-huh. She went to your concert here and said she’s been to Charley’s.”
There was a slight scuffle, a few giggles, and Sarah’s face showed up on the screen.
“I can’t believe Peyton called you. Are you busy right now?”
Annie looked around the stadium. They were still working on the stage. “No. I’m free for the first time in forever. Peyton picked the best time to call me. What are you up to?”
“School next week. Most of her preschool friends are in her kindergarten class,” Sarah said.
Annie watched as Peyton crawled on Sarah’s lap to be a part of the conversation. “Peyton said her teacher likes my music. Is she cute?”
“Really? You’re dating you-know-who, and you’re asking about Peyton’s teacher? What has being on the road done to you?” Sarah asked.
Annie laughed. “Trust me, I’m not dating anyone. I was just making conversation with my sweet little niece.”
“When are you coming home?” Peyton asked.
Her question tugged at Annie’s heart. “Soon. I’ll miss your first day of school, but I’ll be home next week. Does Raven miss me?”
Peyton shrugged. “I think so.”
Sarah kissed the top of Peyton’s head and slid her off her lap. “Why don’t you put your bag away and grab a snack?” Sarah waited until Peyton was out of the room before she turned her attention back to the phone. “What is going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean with Bristol.”
Annie sighed. “We’re so busy we can’t even find time alone. She gets zero time to herself.”
“That’s dumb. She’s the star. Why can’t she just say ‘Hey, I want a break. I’m going to go hang out with Annie. Don’t interrupt me.’ I mean, she gets a say in her daily activities, right?”
Annie didn’t know how to answer that question. Maybe she didn’t, and Top Shelf and Lizzy were pushing her to the limits. Maybe Bristol didn’t know how to say no. “I don’t know really. Lizzy pushes her, and sometimes I think she puts too much on Bristol.”
“That’s sad. Isn’t there a rule about trusting your manager with your life? They have to do what’s best for you, not what’s best for them. It’s like an investor. If you do well, they do well.”
“That’s the idea, I think. I should probably call the two Dani suggested.”
“Since you’re sitting there doing nothing, why don’t you call them? Dani gave you two contacts, right?”
“I really didn’t want to deal with this until the tour was over and I had some time to reflect and relax.”
“Okay, so call them and make appointments next week or the week after and tell everyone to settle the fuck down. I know you’re hot right now, but this is a huge decision. It might even be a good idea to have Dani’s team review any contract,” Sarah said.
Annie rubbed her face as her anxiety grew. “Why is this so hard? Why can’t I make a decision?”
“You should think about that. What’s holding you back? You know what it’s like on the road. People are starting to recognize you. Your EP is getting tons of downloads on iTunes. Maybe doing what you’re doing is working for you. Just don’t let anyone pressure you, okay?”
Annie nodded. “I know. Thank you for looking out for me. I owe you big.”
“Now get to work so we can see your adorable face in person. We miss you.”
Annie felt the tears well and blinked them back. “I miss you all, too. I’ll see you soon. I promise.” She disconnected the call and decided Sarah was right. It was time to start making decisions. She called the first company on Dani’s list. The representative seemed friendly enough, almost too laid back, and she scheduled a sit-down two days after the tour ended. She didn’t like the vibe of the second call, so said she would be in touch but knew she wouldn’t call them back. She called the local Chevrolet dealer in Denver and asked to speak to the manager of new cars. Twenty minutes well spent. She had time for one more call.
“Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in months!”
Annie laughed at Charley’s exaggerated statement. “I called you last week. And we texted three nights ago.”
“I know. I just miss you. Open-mic night isn’t the same without you. When are you done?” she asked. “And why is there so much banging in the background? Where are you?”
“Portland. The crew is setting up the stage. I can’t even begin to tell you how much goes into planning a tour. Things I never thought of just to get in front of people.”
“Did you get a manager yet?”
“No, but before you yell at me, just know that I have a sit-down with Mountain Entertainment in Denver. I called both recommendations and felt the most comfortable with this one.”
“Shit. I wish I knew the first thing about managing,” Charley said.
“You don’t want this job,” Annie said. She saw how hard Lizzy worked. Fifteen percent of whatever Bristol made was a chunk of change, but Lizzy had to pay her own staff, too.
“How’s Bristol?”
Annie couldn’t stop the smile from slipping into place. “She’s wonderful but overextended. I don’t know how she’s keeping her shit together.” She didn’t want too many people to know about her and Bristol, so she kept their make-out sessions to herself. Her sister knowing was enough. Privacy was so important to Bristol that Annie felt guilty with her sister knowing as much as she did.
“Well, keep livestreaming your concerts. I’m showing them in the coffee shop. That way, when you return, people will still remember who you are,” Charley said.
“I will. And the last concert is going to be amazing. I’ll send you the lineup.”
“Will you be able to livestream the whole thing?” Charley asked.
“I don’t think so, but I’ll sneak clips on Instagram. As will tens of thousands of other fans. Okay, go do your thing, and I’ll see you soon. Want me to bring back some Portland coffee beans? Isn’t that what they’re famous for?”
“Bring yourself back. That’s what Denver’s famous for.”
“You’re the best, Charley.”
“I know.”
Getting ahold of Bristol was impossible, and her text messages were short but apologetic. When Annie took the stage that night, Bristol showed up, like clockwork, and sang as though nothing was different between them. She flirted a bit more with Bristol, and the crowd ate it up. Bristol waved and left the stage for Annie to finish. Thirty seconds later when Annie exited the stage, Bristol was nowhere to be seen. People stopped her to tell her it was a great performance, and by the time she got to the dressing rooms, security was standing guard outside Bristol’s. With determination, Annie walked up but was stopped short by Bruce.
“I’m sorry, Miss Foster, but I can’t allow you to interrupt right now. You’ll have to see her after the concert.”
“Really? Did she say that?”
“That came from her manager,” he said.
“Oh, okay. I understand. Can you tell her I stopped by?” Annie kept a smile on her face as though oblivious to the obvious shutdown.
“Sure thing, Miss Foster. I’ll pass along the information. Good singing up there.”
“Thanks, Bruce. See you later.”
Annie felt defeated. She knew Bristol was super busy, but she could’ve at least answered her texts with a little more than just sorry, can’t talk or I’ll see you onstage. For the first time this whole tour, Annie decided to skip Bristol’s concert. She wasn’t feeling it, and there was a pretty good chance that Bristol wouldn’t even miss her. She grabbed her purse, her pass to get back into the arena, and ordered a Lyft to take her to a popular restaurant.
“Hi. I’m Amber. Welcome to Detention. What can I get you to drink?” Judging by the incredibly large smile on the waitress’s face and how she couldn’t stop fidgeting, Annie figured she knew who Annie was.
“I’ll take an IPA and a cheeseburger, well done, with fries. Oh, and a side of mayonnaise.”
“Coming right up, Ms. Foster.”
Annie sat back in the booth and pulled up a game on her phone. She knew she was being childish by walking away tonight, but she needed to take a step back. Too many things were happening at once. Plus, she resented how Lizzy treated her. She didn’t know why her assistants put up with her crap. Annie wasn’t about to start in this business with people walking all over her and bossing her around. They might be the ones with the contacts, but she was the one with the talent. Even if she walked away now, she had a big following on her YouTube channel and could easily do that for a long time. The internet was able to put her in front of more people than a tour could.
“You’re Annie Foster, right? Can we get a photo with you?”
Annie looked up to find a family of four standing far enough away to be respectful, but close enough so Annie could hear their request. “Um, sure.” She stood and waited for the mother to hand her phone off to somebody at the bar and ask them to take their picture. Several times. Annie’s food arrived during the photo shoot. They posed for at least ten pictures.
“You’re such a wonderful singer and an inspiration to so many young women out there.” The woman’s hand was on Annie’s arm, and alarm bells started going off. She was entirely too comfortable in Annie’s personal space.
“Thank you. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to eat my dinner.”
“Let’s go, honey.” The woman’s partner had to pull her away from the table. Honestly, it freaked Annie out. There was normal attention, but then there was this obvious invasion.
“I’m so sorry that happened. We’ll make sure you are undisturbed from now on,” Amber said. She dropped off the side of mayonnaise and extra napkins and gave Annie a weak smile. Annie asked for the check immediately. She ate half her burger, dropped cash on the table, and ordered another Lyft to take her back to the stadium. If this was what Bristol had to deal with all day, every day, it was no wonder she wanted out.