“She’s just a class act,” one German laughed. “So sweet of her. I wouldn’t have it in me.”
“She is so sweet when she wants to be,” I said, overly familiar. “She always says she’s prickly, but not now.”
Mary and Alia sounded unstoppable. With Mary’s abundant confidence, Alia came alive. They covered the song with ease and even I began to sing along. Jaz looked at me like I was insane, but she’d never get it.
When the song finished, the crowd was completely beyond help. Mary gave Alia a big hug, then handed her mic back to Jason and exited with a small wave. The queen left the castle with a mic drop. As Alia took on her big number, Mary settled next to me. And that’s where the trouble began.
Instinctively, I looped my fingers in hers, “I am a baby, so I totally didn’t know you were MJen?—”
“Please never bring it up again,” Mary said. “I don’t like to talk about MJen. She’s dead, okay?”
I cocked my head. “Are you okay?”
Marit shook her head. “No. But I didn’t relish the idea of Alia out there having the same thing happen to her that happened to me at a festival in Denmark—all because of him.”
“Well, that was the kindest thing I’ve seen in an eternity, Mary. I’m so proud of you.”
She shrugged. “I just want to survive the evening.”
That was the most I’d get from her and didn’t pry. I knew pushing buttons on the day of a major performance was the least kind thing I could do.
Chapter 33
The Set
MARY
Looking over a massive festival crowd, I couldn’t help but smile. I was back. While I loathed admitting that performing with Alia had been a high that brought me back to another time, I wasn’t sure I was ready to explore MJen again.
We played the set well. The first few songs got people out of their seats. “Blue Jetta” predictably brought out dancing shoes. I smiled not to perform, but because it brought me joy tobringjoy. This was the biggest show I played in over a decade. It was now or never.
As Alicia cued us forThe Balcony, I realized I’d forgotten one major thing.
Clarice made eye contact with me and mouthed. “You never changed the set list.”
Fuck!
I could either stop this all now or play it off as planned. There was no choice in the matter. I set aside the fact that my girlfriend was in a VIP section watching this with my dad—allwith a camera trained on her! I couldn’t react. I just had to play through.
C’mon, Marit. You’ve played songs about exes with them in the audience before.
But the nagging feeling that this would result in getting the wrong idea about us didn’t fade, as I called it in.
“This one is new. I wrote it at a time I was pretty broken up over someone. We channeled it and while I’m a little nervous to play it, here goes nothing.”
The crowd cheered.
Float on that energy. Play forthem.Don’t run from it, Marit!
I listened to myself as I began, blocking the obvious fear.
“Five years I waited. Waited and pined,” I sang.
It was easy—easy until we got to the worst bit.
“You sit in your ivory tower,” I sang deep in my chest. “Far away and out of reach.”
I focused on my upcoming mix belt, clearing my head and visualizing my notes soaring.
