We nod and she releases us. The guys wave and greet the fans like the pros they are, while I do my best to fit in. A few cameras flash and Dean’s name is shouted before Roxanne and another attendant start to let people forward. The first two ladies look like sisters and wear huge grins as they ask Dean to sign t-shirts. They each pose for a picture with him and then make their way down the line. We each sign their shirts and they want pictures with all of us, which surprises me. I mean, who am I?  They haven’t even heard me play.

At the end of the session I meet a girl who came to see the show with her mother. She looks about twelve years old and asks me to sign her backstage pass.

“Sure. What’s your name?”

“Amanda.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Amanda.” I sign my name next to the words “Renegade Tour.” “Are you excited to see Ariel later?”

She nods. “And you, too.”

“Me?  No one knows me.”

She blushes. “I didn’t know girls could play in rock bands. I always thought they had to be pop singers.”

“Oh, no,” I say. “Girls can be band members. They can play any instrument they want.”

“What do you play?”

“The guitar.”

“That’s cool.” She looks at her pass I just signed and smiles. “Thanks. I haven’t heard any of your music yet, but I’m sure I’ll like it.”

“I hope so,” I say as her mother asks us to stand together for a picture.

We finish the meet and greet with time to spare since not everyone who purchased a VIP ticket showed up. Roxanne explained some people buy the tickets just to meet the headliner, but she hopes that will change the longer we’re on tour.

“You have half an hour before show time,” she announces. “Make the best of it.”

Without consulting the guys, I decide to go back to the dressing room to busy my hands. I need something to pass the time to keep my mind off what I’m about to do. Even though I’m using another guitar on stage courtesy of the label, I brought my own with me tonight to keep me sane. It’s comforting to hold something familiar before doing something that’s the exact opposite.

I’m almost to the room when the same guy wearing the headset from earlier stops me. “Are you Jen Elliott?”

“Yes.”

“There’s someone waiting for you in your dressing room.”

Immediately my thoughts jump to Latson. “Thank you.” I grin and pick up my pace. Maybe he was lying when he said he was two time zones away. When I make it to the room, I expect to see him standing there with his lopsided smile and open arms. Instead, who I see stops me dead in my tracks.

“So.” Ariel Allyn flips her hair over one shoulder. “You’re the one dating my ex.”

Chapter Twenty

“Uh …” I stutter. I’m flustered by the famous celebrity pop star standing in front of me.

“You know,” she turns toward the mirror and checks her bright red lipstick, “Gunnar’s phone call surprised me. I didn’t think he’d keep my number.”

Wait. “Latson called you?”

She nods and turns to me, then pulls at the top of her strapless leather bustier. In fact, her entire outfit is leather. She’s got the body to pull it off, too. She reminds me of Anne Hathaway when she played Catwoman, but without the mask and ears.

“I don’t know who thought this was a good idea,” she says as she adjusts her chest. “I’ve got more double-stick tape going on than 3M.”

I suppress a laugh as her eyes comb over me.

“I’m jealous,” she continues. “You don’t have to worry about flashing an arena.”

“True.” I take a few steps toward her. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t find a way to embarrass myself.”

She gives me half a smile and starts to back away from me. “Well, you’ve made it this far. You must’ve done a few things right.” She turns around and reaches for a guitar case propped against the wall. I don’t remember seeing it before.

“Whose is that?”

“Yours,” she says before placing it in my hands. “It was delivered to me with strict instructions to make sure it got safely to you.”

I’m confused. I take the case from her and set it on the vanity in front of the mirrors. Popping the latches, I open the lid to a familiar sight.

“No way,” I breathe as I stare at the Fender. It’s Latson’s. The same guitar he let me play the night of Dean’s show. There’s a folded piece of notebook paper tucked in the strings, and I wiggle it free.

So we can be on stage together.

She’s yours now. I know you’ll take good care of her.

You’ve got this, Little Bird. Knock ‘em dead.

 – Latson

I’m speechless. His gift is unexpected and over the top. Slowly, I run my fingers over the strings.

“Do you like it?” Ariel asks.

“Very much.”

“Then it looks like my job here is done. I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.”

“Thank you.” I meet her eyes. “You didn’t have to be Latson’s delivery service.”

She smiles. “He thought if he sent it to Dean you might accidentally see it and ruin the surprise.”

“I don’t ruin surprises,” Dean’s voice sounds as he enters the room. “Ariel. How in the hell are ya?”

She opens her arms wide and squeals. “C’mere!  I need hugs!”

Dean wraps her tiny frame in his big arms. “Thank you so much for this. We’ll make you look good, I promise.”

“No worries. When that Australian boy band canceled I knew who I wanted to open for me.” She steps out of his embrace and hangs on to his hands. “I’m so glad you’re here!  It’s almost like old times.”

As the two of them reconnect, Paul appears by my side with his bass. “Hey. You want me to help you tune that thing?” His eyes dart to the Fender.

“Yeah.” I lift it out of the case. I swear the air around me changes the moment I slide the strap over my head. I position my fingers on the strings and Paul strums an E. With his tone as a reference, I strum the same note and then adjust the tuner. We go through all six strings and play the beginning of our opening number for good measure.

“Sounds good,” Ariel says. “I’ll be watching you guys.”  She starts to leave, but stops. “Oh, and I’ll see you after the show. You’re coming, right?  Never mind. I just made it mandatory. I’m at the Ritz. In the penthouse.” She gives us two thumbs up before disappearing out the door.

“After party?” I ask the guys.

Drew stops doing push-ups and wags his eyebrows. “Oh, yeah.”

Why is he on the floor?  “What are you doing?”

“Pre-show ritual,” he huffs. “Gotta get the blood flowing.”

Good to know.

I run my hand over the smooth face of my new guitar before I decide to give Latson a call. I want to let him know I got his gift. It’s unbelievable, and he shouldn’t have done it. I no more than tap his name on the phone when headset guy returns for a third time. He must get exhausted running back and forth all night.

“D.U. The stage is ready when you are.”

I swallow and hang up.

“Okay.” Dean looks at us. “Ready?”

Drew gets to his feet, and Paul slams the last of his Red Bull. They both walk toward Dean, so I do the same. We end up standing in a circle, and Dean puts his fist in the middle. Paul follows suit and so does Drew. I place my fist in last. It looks small next to the others.

“Tonight is the beginning of something I thought I’d never see,” Dean says. “I wasn’t sure I’d set foot on a tour again, let alone one this big. You all made that possible. We’ve put in the hours and we’ve practiced our asses off. Now, there’s only one thing left to do.” He looks each one of us in the eye. “Go out there and kill it.”

“Hell yeah!”  Paul pumps his fist in the air.

“Kill it!” Drew does the same.

“Let’s do this!” Dean says with the most excitement I’ve ever seen from him. He high-fives me, and then we file out the door.

When we get to the side of the stage, the place is swarming with crew. They descend upon us, attaching receiver packs to the backs of our clothing and helping us place our ear piece monitors. Dean and Paul are given their guitars, and another crew member tries to hand me mine until he sees the Fender in my hands.