Annie felt the tears well and blinked them back. “I miss you all, too. I’ll see you soon. I promise.” She disconnected the call and decided Sarah was right. It was time to start making decisions. She called the first company on Dani’s list. The representative seemed friendly enough, almost too laid back, and she scheduled a sit-down two days after the tour ended. She didn’t like the vibe of the second call, so said she would be in touch but knew she wouldn’t call them back. She called the local Chevrolet dealer in Denver and asked to speak to the manager of new cars. Twenty minutes well spent. She had time for one more call.

“Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in months!”

Annie laughed at Charley’s exaggerated statement. “I called you last week. And we texted three nights ago.”

“I know. I just miss you. Open-mic night isn’t the same without you. When are you done?” she asked. “And why is there so much banging in the background? Where are you?”

“Portland. The crew is setting up the stage. I can’t even begin to tell you how much goes into planning a tour. Things I never thought of just to get in front of people.”

“Did you get a manager yet?”

“No, but before you yell at me, just know that I have a sit-down with Mountain Entertainment in Denver. I called both recommendations and felt the most comfortable with this one.”

“Shit. I wish I knew the first thing about managing,” Charley said.

“You don’t want this job,” Annie said. She saw how hard Lizzy worked. Fifteen percent of whatever Bristol made was a chunk of change, but Lizzy had to pay her own staff, too.

“How’s Bristol?”

Annie couldn’t stop the smile from slipping into place. “She’s wonderful but overextended. I don’t know how she’s keeping her shit together.” She didn’t want too many people to know about her and Bristol, so she kept their make-out sessions to herself. Her sister knowing was enough. Privacy was so important to Bristol that Annie felt guilty with her sister knowing as much as she did.

“Well, keep livestreaming your concerts. I’m showing them in the coffee shop. That way, when you return, people will still remember who you are,” Charley said.

“I will. And the last concert is going to be amazing. I’ll send you the lineup.”

“Will you be able to livestream the whole thing?” Charley asked.

“I don’t think so, but I’ll sneak clips on Instagram. As will tens of thousands of other fans. Okay, go do your thing, and I’ll see you soon. Want me to bring back some Portland coffee beans? Isn’t that what they’re famous for?”

“Bring yourself back. That’s what Denver’s famous for.”

“You’re the best, Charley.”

“I know.”