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“I wish. I’d love to have a dog, but it just isn’t practical with how unpredictable my schedule is. But that’s one reason I support animal shelters that adopt out dogs and cats… If I can’t give one a forever home myself, maybe I can help them find one with other people who will love them.”
“Tattoos?”
Lauren cracked a smile. “Three at the moment. One on each arm and one on my ankle.”
“Secret vice?”
For a split second, Lauren considered saying “meth” just to see the expression on Martin’s face, but that would have been all over the gossip sites in an instant. Instead, she said, “Cat videos. Especially cat versus Christmas tree.”
“Now, tell me, what is the hardest part of what you do for a living?” He folded his hands in his lap and waited for an answer.
Lauren bit her lip before she responded. “The hardest part? Guess I’d have to say it’s hard to have friends. Once you reach a certain point in your career—if you’re successful—then you don’t know if people want to be your friend because they like you or because they want something from you. Makes it hard to trust people. I miss the friends I had here when I was growing up. They liked me for who I really am, not who they thought I ought to be.”
Her words hit Danny like a punch, and the wash of sadness that skimmed Lauren’s face made it worse.What a hard way to live,he thought as he compared her words to his life. He was surrounded by family and friends. People he trusted. People he loved. He sank deeper into his seat, a frown folding the corners of his mouth.
“Would you consider yourself lonely?” Martin asked Lauren.
“Lonely? Some days, sure.” Lauren tilted her head, considering the rest of her answer. “Everyone probably does now and then. But I spend a lot of time with the band, and their families. Especially Augie. I mean, we’re cousins and all, but he’s more like a brother to me.”
“Do you fight like siblings?”
“Oh, yes.”
The laugh that underscored Lauren’s answer rolled through Danny. He’d missed that sound. Restless, he shifted in his seat again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Heather pull her arms in closer against her body.
“What about the rest of the band? Ever any romantic entanglements?”
Once again, Lauren set her jaw. Danny recognized the expression. She had always valued candor, and he could tell she didn’t appreciate Martin’s efforts to be coy.
“Entanglements? Let’s speak plainly here. What you want to know is if I’m sleeping with anyone in the band.” She crossed one leg over the other and tapped a finger on the armrest of the chair.
“It isn’t uncommon for band members to have relationships with each other,” Martin said. “Fleetwood Mac is a classic example of that: there were marriages, divorces, multiple affairs. Those undercurrents had a profound effect on their music and their success. Has that same type of dynamic shaped The Kingmakers?”
Next to Danny, Heather’s whisper was sharp. “I bet she’s slept with every single one of them.”
“Jesus, Heather. She’srelatedto one of them.”
“Whatever.”
Up on the stage, Lauren said, “Not an issue for us.”
“Never?”
When Lauren’s pause lingered, Martin leaned forward slightly. Danny didn’t like it. It was sensationalistic, intrusive. He also, quite frankly, didn’t want to know if Lauren had slept with one of her bandmates.
“You’re fishing in the wrong pond, Martin,” Lauren said. “Maybe for some other bands, the drama fuels them. I don’t think it would work that way for us. Wrecking what we have is too big a risk.” She shook her head as she spoke.
Lauren kept her last answer short. It wasn’t the first time she’d been asked about relationships within the band, and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. Whatever may or may not have gone on between her and another Kingmaker, it was her business—not anyone else’s.
After she was silent for a few beats, Martin moved on. “Could we persuade you to sing us a song, Lauren?”
Lauren replied that she’d love to when really, she just wanted to say it was about damn time they got to the music. The showrunner had staged a guitar for Lauren. Discreetly tucked next to the loveseat she occupied, it was hidden from the audience. She lifted the instrument, felt its weight and balance, and picked at a couple strings. As she made a small adjustment to the tuning, Martin asked another question.
“What inspires you to write a song?”
Nothing.The thought flashed through Lauren’s mind before she answered. “Inspiration’s everywhere. Experiences. Observations. Relationships. What matters is the emotion. That’s the soul of your song. Doesn’t matter if it’s joy, despair, love, or hate. Without the emotion, you don’t have anything for a listener to connect with.”
“That is so very true. The very best songs tell a story with that emotional resonance. The listener can relate because they’ve felt those same feelings. What are you going to perform for us tonight?”
