Page 14 of Before the Encore

Of course, she’d heard Madison sing before. Bonnie had stayed up rebelliously past her bedtime watching every YouTube and TikTok video she could find. But this was different. Raw. Unfiltered. Passionate. Completely professional—if you ignored her red tongue tainted by the Slurpee.

“I never believed in ghosts ’til I met you.”

A warm tingle slipped behind her sternum. How would this sound layered with Bonnie’s vocals? Madison’s dark, rich tone blending with her powerful yet softer voice?

For the first time, excitement about the prospect of working together flooded her veins. She headed into the control room, ignoring Bailey in the corner to stand behind Evan. His head bobbed, headphones snug over his neat cornrows, fingers adjusting a few dials on the mixing console.

He tapped on the mic, speaking to Madison. “That was great. I think we got it.”

“Sweet.” Madison’s gaze flicked to Bonnie’s, and she smirked, like she’d been there, listening the whole time.

Yes, Madison possessed many faults. But damn, Bailey was right about one thing—she could sing.

Madison removed her headphones and slipped out of the recording booth. Her bandmates huddled around her; Kamaria crushed her in a hug before offering a KitKat, and Frank gave a solid pat on the shoulder. A twinge of something else caught Bonnie off guard. Jealousy? The camaraderie, the trust they had in each other—which said a lot, where Madison was concerned—it was hard to keep hold of. Bonnie tried to keep the same people around—her touring band, the stage crew, her security and driver, but it wasn’t quite the same. If this new album flopped and the label dropped her, everyone would be gone faster than a costume change.

That was the business. People came, and people went. That was her last few relationships too.

She spent most of her time a continent away from the people she wholeheartedly trusted. Despite the fame and money opening doors and smoothing travel arrangements, returning home came with its own set of drawbacks.

Nothing is ever simple.

“What did I tell you, huh?” Bailey gloated behind her. His smug smile reflected in the glass. He might as well spread his legs and light a cigar.

“We’ve a long way to go yet,” she replied, tracking Evan as he busied himself with the console.

Bailey laughed. “They don’t call me the best in the biz for nothing.”

Humble as ever.

Bailey was testing and frustrating at times, but he’d been there from the start, picking her up after her third-place finish on The Pop Factor. They didn’t always see eye to eye, but she trusted him. He stuck around through the lukewarm reception of Bonnie’s fourth album and told her the truth—however brutal. He was as invested as she was; that had to count for something.

Evan picked up his head, waving Lipstick Fever in through the window. They filed inside, laughter filling the room. Evan spun in his chair, his dark eyes sparkling. “Who wants to hear the chorus?”

Bonnie’s answer was drowned out by the “hell yeah” of Lipstick Fever.

Evan grinned at the enthusiastic response and hit a few buttons. Bonnie held her breath.

Here we go.

The song blared through the speakers, jumping into the second chorus.

Goosebumps prickled her arms. Madison’s voice came in beneath hers, rich and low, its grain catching against the cleaner line of her own. Chesty meeting soft, pairing beautifully together. Relief washed over her, the tension in her shoulders loosening. The basic recording needed mixing, of course, but the raw elements couldn’t be faked. This was—

“Sweet,” Madison praised, nodding her head. She turned to Bonnie. “Whatcha think?”

She smiled genuinely. “I really like it.”

“I love this bit.” Madison sang over the line as it blasted through the speaker—I never believed in ghosts ’til I met you.

Did she mean that?

The praise warmed her, but she didn’t want to read into it. Everything Madison said needed to be taken with a pinch of salt. Or a bathtub.

Roberto arrived at the door, red-faced, forehead licked with sweat. “S-Sorry to interrupt.” His focus darted to the speaker. “Wow. Is that from today? You two sound great together.”

Frank took a step towards his manager. “Roberto, are you okay?”

“Oh. Yes, I’m fine, but…” His attention flicked to Bonnie, worry etched between his brows. “There’s something you need to see.”