Page 58 of Before the Encore

“And they did. Not everyone loves your music—and that’s okay. Not everyone likes ham and pineapple on pizza, but some people do. There will always be someone with something negative to say. I bet even the Pope gets hate mail.” She laughed. A bee buzzed around their glasses before flying away. “But there will always be people that love what you do. As long as you stay true to yourself and follow your heart, you can’t go wrong.” She wrinkled her nose. “God, listen to me. I haven’t even had a gin yet.”

“You’re even worse when you’ve had a gin.” Bonnie’s mouth lifted. “Thanks, Katy. I’ll stop being so dramatic now.”

“You’re not being dramatic.” She pointed a finger. “Yes, you’re a pop star, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have problems like everyone else.”

Bonnie nodded, though part of her still swam with guilt.

“Are you still seeing your doctor?” Katy asked.

“Dr Levingworth? Not since before tour started.”

“Maybe you should see her soon. And there’s nothing wrong with going on medication, you know.”

“I know.” And Bonnie had considered it when Dr Levingworth suggested it. But like a lot of aspects of her life, she’d been putting it off. “I’ll make an appointment with her when I’m back in LA.”

“Good.” Katy took a sip from her glass, her voice measured and careful. “Have you been to see your parents yet?”

The guilt tripled in size, solidifying into stones sinking low and deep in her gut. She swallowed and dropped her head.

She needed to, but the more she thought about it, the harder it was. Alzheimer’s was unpredictable, and her mum’s bad days—days where she didn’t know who she was, and everything made her violent and angry—haunted her.

“I’ll come with you,” Katy offered. “Nathan will watch the kids.”

“I know. Thank you.” Tears threatened her eyes again, and she pressed her lips together. “It never gets easier.”

“You don’t have to do it alone.”

Bonnie met her gaze through watery lashes. “Thank you.”

Katy blinked, fighting tears away from her own eyes. “Right. We should be celebrating.” She straightened, holding her glass to Bonnie’s. “Your tour is doing amazing, and I’m child-free for another two hours. Cheers to that.”

They clinked glasses and settled back into their chairs, birds chattering somewhere up in the privet bordering the garden. Bonnie breathed in the fresh air, the subtle lavender blooming in a pot by the shed. It didn’t possess the same view as her house in the Palisades, but it was another kind of home. Arguably, a more invaluable one.

She turned to Katy, finding a mischievous smirk on her face. “What?” she asked, already dreading her response.

Katy’s smirk grew wider. “You really think you’re gonna get away without giving me the goss about you and Madison?” She leaned closer. “Spill. Everything.”

Bonnie laughed, finishing the last of the lemonade in her glass. “Alright. But first, it’s time for that gin.”

Chapter Fifteen

Madison

Madison leaned towards the microphone, letting the music flow through her as she touched it to her lips. “You want me, you touch me, then treat me like a bad dream, and wish it away.” The spotlights flashed above her, smoky pyrotechnics flooding the stage. “It’s my fault, you want out, broken heart and lousy mouth. Who is there to blame?”

Kam beat down on the drums as the song built towards the chorus. Usually at this point, Madison would approach and engage the crowd, but the empty arena echoed back at her. She bobbed her head, fingers stilling over her guitar. The venue was huge, easily the biggest they’d ever performed. And on home soil too.

Everything was working out. Their gamble had paid off. Roberto was getting swamped with partnership and brand deals, and he’d secured a spot at a recording studio in London for the band to finish their album. Madison’s follower count had two extra zeros at the end, and fans were loving their material. So, why did it feel like she was playing hopscotch on a glass ceiling?

Since the disaster at M&M World, Madison’s sleep had been plagued by giant candy figures trying to tear her limb from limb and grind her into a chocolate bar. The content might have made her laugh before, but a powerless feeling gripped hold of her, and she didn’t know how to shake it off. Just like she hadn’t known what to do on Wednesday when the crowd swarmed her. Or how to talk to Bonnie after she ran away. If Ruby hadn’t pulled the fire alarm, who knows what could’ve happened to her. Now Bonnie—

The music cut out, ripping her back to the present.

Shit.

“Madison, what the fuck?” Frank clunked his bass onto its stand. “You missed the cue. Again. That’s the third time.”

Double shit.