AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because I’m lying!” she burst out.
“Oh dear.”
“This is my first time performing since the engagement photos hit. My mom is wrong! I’m not so fearless.”
“Oh, honey.” Lark slid her arm around her.
She leaned against her new friend. Funny thing was, she’d only known this woman for a few days and already considered her a person that she could confide in. Someone who could keep her secrets.
There were even fewer people she’d talk openly with. For all her popularity and fame, her world was pretty small.
And right now, Julius—and what she was about to do—was at the center of it.
Lark gave her a small squeeze. “What changed? You know we’ll keep you safe.”
“I’m not worried about that—well, not much, anyway. It’s just that…”
Lark’s big eyes urged her to spill.
“What am I doing? I can’t believe that I wrote him a song!”
Lark blinked. “Who? Julius?”
She gave a miserable nod. “The worst part? I mean every word of it!”
“Ohhh,honey!”
“What if he hates it? What if he doesn’t get it? What if…”
Lark’s expression was calm. If this woman had a billboard selling calm, it would sport a picture of her current expression.
“This could be your only chance.”
To tell Julius she was falling for him?
Lark continued, “The whole world has their eyes on you. We could get this guy tonight.”
It took her mind a beat to catch up and understand what Lark was talking about.
Her stalker. Or the guy who made that tape of her. It could even be the same man.
“Two minutes!”
She and Lark spun toward the entrance of her dressing room to see Heidi standing there looking more exasperated than she did when Avalynn was late to the press conference.
With no choice left in sight, she rushed to the door. Heidi grabbed her by the arm and towed her a few feet. She was aware of the Sentry men falling in step behind her, guarding her life.
Too bad they couldn’t guard her from what she was about to do.
She hurried up a short run of stairs and stepped foot onstage. The lights were out. The crowd chanted. And it didn’t sound like most of the seats were empty like the last stadium.
Her heart gave a hard throb in her chest. She didn’thave tosing that song she’d written only hours before. She told her band she was opening with a solo performance, but she could change her mind.
She moved to the center of the stage, glancing between the members of her band. Was she really going to do this?
She headed toward her beat-up old guitar on a stand and picked it up. The familiar weight in her hands gave her the courage to loop the strap over her neck.
With her heart in her throat, she pulled in two big, cleansing breaths, stepped up to the microphone…and sang the first note.
