I sighed. While Blair was younger than I, he’d appointed himself my personal protector since I’d risen to fame. His attitude was sweet but a little frustrating. He liked to say that I’d given up my twenties to raise him and our other siblings, so I deserved to have someone watching out for me, but I didn’t necessarily see it that way. Yes, I’d sacrificed a lot when I decided to stay in Los Angeles, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. My brothers and sister were the most important people in the world to me. I loved them, and I’d never regretted choosing to stay and care for them, even when it hurt. But if it made Blair feel better, I didn’t mind checking in with him. Especially not when I was closer to him than pretty much anyone else on the planet.

Kennedy: Sorry. Bad taste. Booked any gigs lately?

Blair was lead guitarist in a band that fit somewhere between the realms of pop and folk music. They played at bars and clubs most weeks but hadn’t had a big break yet. He could easily have used his connection to me or Malcolm to shortcut the process, but he was determined to make it on his own, and I respected that.

Blair: Nothing major. Does the place where you’re staying lock?

Kennedy: Yes.

Blair: Does it have security cameras?

Kennedy: Not that I’ve seen. But I’m in the middle of nowhere, and no one knows I’m here. I’m safe.

Blair: You’d better be.

I felt a pang of guilt. Part of his protectiveness stemmed from the fact we’d lost our father as kids and then our mother and stepfather as teens. He didn’t want to lose anyone else. He probably thought he was well on his way to losing me simply because I’d left L.A.

Kennedy: Cross my heart. Love you, B.

Blair: Yeah, yeah. Enough of the mushy stuff. Go get your beauty sleep, it must be night there.

Kennedy: Talk soon?

Blair: Count on it.

Before I put my phone on to charge, I decided to do a quick check of my social media accounts. I had an assistant who used to run those for me, but I’d let her go before moving here—although I’d made sure she was set up with another actress I knew would treat her well first. Now, I was on my own.

I scanned anything I was tagged in. Unsurprisingly, my absence from an annual party held by a wealthy socialite had been noted. Sources close to me apparently claimed we were on the outs. I smirked. Total bullshit. But that was what you got. Most of the so-called news about me was fake these days.