Sarah pointed at her. “That cat hates me. Like it wants to slice my throat when she sees me walk into the apartment.”

Annie sighed. “If she had opposable thumbs, we’d all be dead.”

“I won’t tell anyone if you give her back,” Sarah whispered.

Annie laughed. “Back to the streets? Nah. I love her too much. That little psycho kitty. Let’s go inside, tuck Peyton in, and then I’m going to need a ride home.”

“I love you.”

“Because I’m the best.”

“Because you’re the best,” Sarah said.

* * *

“It’s Annie Foster, back from tour, and I’m here to sing a few songs and answer some questions.” It had been a week since the tour ended. Annie had met with Mountain Entertainment but didn’t feel a real connection with them, so she left without signing.

She was off. Nothing felt right since she left Bristol. Her first question during the livestream popped up. Annie repeated the question and answered it.

“How did I like the tour? It was amazing. One of the best experiences of my life.” She strummed a few notes before jumping into the biggest hit she’d had on tour. She scrolled through the questions and answered the ones she wanted to. “What was Bristol Baines like?” Annie felt both sad and elated at the question. “She’s such a wonderfully kind and gentle person. She always made me feel like I was good enough to be on tour in front of thousands.”

She sang a few more songs, answered more questions, and before she even realized it, the hour was up. Her tip jar brought in more money than any jingle gig. She was done writing them. Not talking to Bristol was driving her crazy, but she had to respect Bristol’s wishes. She was at a complete loss.

“Okay, let’s make a list,” Sarah suggested when Annie dropped by that night.

“What do you mean?”

“We need to figure out what makes you happy.” Sarah was the only one who knew the truth about what had happened in Los Angeles after the tour. She didn’t know the specifics, only that she and Bristol hooked up one night and that was it.

“What do you mean?”

Sarah grabbed a notebook and drew a line down the center of a blank page. “On this side we’re going to write down everything that makes you happy. And over here we’re going to write down what doesn’t and talk about it when we’re done. I’m going to start.”

Annie watched her write down Peyton, Sarah, Chase, Raven, Charley, and Bristol in the left column. In the right she wrote down being away from family, followed by being away from Bristol.

“Have you talked to her at all?”

Annie shook her head. “No. I’m honoring her wishes.”