This was really happening, Annie thought. She reached the end of a short corridor, and a young man with an impressive pompadour, stylish glasses, and a killer smile greeted her. She returned his infectious grin.

“Annie Foster?” he asked. She nodded. “I’m Vaughn, one of Lizzy’s assistants. Follow me.” She could hear music and wondered who was warming up. Was it the band who was slated to go onstage after her, or was it Bristol Baines? She wanted to walk down one of the corridors that opened to the stadium and see, but Vaughn was on a mission to get her to where she was expected.

“Hi, Annie. Come on in.” Lizzy greeted her as people with defined roles buzzed about. It was wild. Annie wasn’t sure when Lizzy spoke if she was talking to her or somebody in her headset. “Bristol’s warming up onstage now, and then you’ll have a few minutes to practice.”

Annie nodded. “Thank you.”

“I have to go to the tech booth. Want to go with me? You can leave your guitar right there.” Lizzy pointed to a corner and ordered one of the people darting around to stop what they were doing and stay with it. Annie smiled a silent thank you to them and followed Lizzy out the door and down to the open-air arena.

“She sounds amazing.” Annie couldn’t believe that in just two hours, she would be up there on that stage singing for everyone in the arena to hear. Bristol was wearing light blue shorts, sandals, and a sweat-drenched, long-sleeved T-shirt. “She looks great but also hot.”

“The long-sleeve helps get her ready to perform under all the lights. Summer concerts are the worst. If she doesn’t stay hydrated, she’ll drop after the concert.”

Annie stood beside Lizzy and watched as Bristol marched down the walkway of the stage belting out words to one of her major hits. Impressive was too mild a word to describe Bristol. She was remarkable. Annie couldn’t wait to see her in front of her fans. “She’s a real powerhouse.” It was an observation, one she didn’t realize she’d said out loud until Lizzy responded.

“There’s a reason her fans have loved her for years. She’s been doing this half her life.”

“It must be so rewarding to do what you’ve loved your entire life,” Annie said. Lizzy rolled her eyes, but Annie pretended not to see. It wasn’t her place to question anything. She was thankful she was here and wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize her shot.

“It’s been a journey,” Lizzy said.

“Have you been with her the entire time?” Annie asked. Her gaze never left Bristol, and when Bristol gave her a wave from the stage, Annie looked around to see if the wave was for her or somebody else. She shyly waved back.