Page 33 of Before the Encore

Shit. Did she think this was a date? Madison leaned back, resting her hands on her legs. You’ve taken her on the Ferris wheel at sunset, you moron. Shit, shit, shit.

Madison and relationships didn’t mix. After last time, she promised she’d keep things simple. Not dating Bonnie was the exact definition of that. They couldn’t even kiss, for god’s sake. There was no way she’d get feelings for someone she wasn’t allowed to touch unless it was approved by her publicist.

Damn, it’s hot in here.

Luckily, Bonnie broke the silence before Madison could say something stupid. “My mum took me on this once.” Her soft voice barely registered above a whisper. Too delicate for the small space. “I was ten. She’d come to LA for work and managed to sneak me along.”

Madison glanced at her, surprised by the change of topic. She knew Bonnie’s mum worked in the music industry. A lot of people online accounted her fame to her mum’s connections, but what she actually did was up for debate.

“It was probably the best day of my life. I was so excited. Everything here felt like magic.” Bonnie let out a sigh. “I worried if I came here, it might erase the memories, but actually, I feel closer to her.”

Was she dead?

Madison hesitated. Words completely emptied out of her brain. She was shit at heartfelt conversations, shit with emotions in general.

“Have you ever had a corn dog?” Bonnie asked, more chipper than expected. Madison shook her head, and Bonnie nodded. “They’re gross. We should get you one.”

“Sounds delicious.”

Bonnie smiled at that, then her face turned contemplative again. She glanced up as a plane streaked through the pink sky, lights blinking, leaving a trail of cloud.

“My mum has Alzheimer’s,” she said, looking straight ahead. “It started after she turned fifty. We just thought she was stressed with work—people miss rehearsals and forget dates sometimes—but then one day, she picked up her violin and her fingers wouldn’t work. Apraxia, they call it. It disrupts the connections between the brain and the muscles. The doctors don’t understand it. It usually comes much later, but…” Bonnie held her hand in her lap, squeezing. “She loved violin. I mean, she loved lots of things. But witnessing her hold it like a foreign object after so much of my childhood was spent admiring the sounds she could create with a bow…that hurt.” She blinked back tears, tucking her chin to her chest. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m telling you this.” She straightened, fixing a fake smile like that would undo anything she just said.

Madison hated how she tried to hide her pain, how she mirrored the same expression she’d given Bailey countless times.

Madison hated even more that she didn’t know what to say to make it better.

“Did she play professionally?” she asked.

Bonnie nodded. “Yeah. She toured with a lot of bands in an orchestra.”

“Wow. She must be really good then.”

She sniffed. “Yeah. She was.”

The cabin fell quiet again. The ride creaked as the wind whistled through the metal structure. Madison’s heartbeat thudded hard against her ribcage. She forced herself to look at the rolling waves and not the woman next to her, afraid of the feeling itching under her skin. The urge to comfort. The pull encouraging her. To hold her close and not let go.

She scratched at her neck.

The altitude must be high up here.

Bonnie sniffed again. “Thanks, Madison. I needed this. I actually had fun today.”

Her breath caught, but she swallowed it. “Don’t sound so surprised.”

“Not just for today either. Thank you for how you’ve handled everything, the interviews, even if you bordered on inappropriate, but also all the stunts we’ve had to pull. It could’ve been a total disaster, but you did well.”

Madison smiled, genuine, the praise warming her chest. “Don’t sound so surprised.”

Bonnie turned to her, the setting sun coating her in a golden glow. Heat simmered low in Madison’s stomach, those russet brown eyes holding hers. In the light, flecks of gold and amber swirled together, drawing Madison deeper. Then the wheel stopped with a crank, having reached its ascent, and rocked back and forth.

Bonnie put the camera to her eye, capturing photos of the sun sinking into the horizon. Orange and violet streaked the blazing sky, spilling across the waves in ribbons of gold. She turned her attention to the blinking lights of the pier far below, people scuttering around like ants.

“We haven’t taken a picture together yet.”

The statement left Madison’s lips without much thought, unsure why she suggested such a thing.

Bonnie glanced at her like she’d suggested she try a backflip into the ocean. “My eyes are probably puffy. I bet I look awful.”