“This is my last song. Thank you all for coming out tonight. A special shout-out to my new friends Kenzie, Celeste, and Mattie. What a beautiful venue and such an honor to play here,” Annie said. She strummed the first few notes of the song, and people started cheering. That was Bristol’s cue. She grabbed the live microphone and strolled toward Annie. “Bristol Baines!”

The smile that Annie shot her was pure sexiness. It was brief, but it was there, and Bristol’s veins throbbed in response. Tonight, she wasn’t going to slip up. She dialed up the charm and stared Annie right in the eyes as she sang her song. She was surprised when Annie didn’t back down but embraced the new onstage teasing. When Bristol leaned forward and used Annie’s microphone with her, neither one of them missed a beat in the song.

“That’s it for me tonight! Up next is Fast Cars. Let’s give it up for the star of the night. Bristol Baines.”

Bristol waved to the crowd on her way backstage and even bent down to slap the hands of several people who wanted that contact. She never did that. She played to the crowd, but never in a physical way. She waited while Annie waved good-bye. Watching her interact and give the fans what they wanted made her weirdly proud. Like she was somehow responsible for Annie’s success when it was all Annie’s talent that got her on that stage. “That was great,” she said when Annie joined her twenty seconds later.

“Thanks for always coming out onstage with me.”

When Annie threw her arms around her, Bristol stepped into the hug and held her a few seconds longer than normal. Annie didn’t seem to mind. “It’s been a lot of fun. You’ve made touring exciting again.” Bristol looked up and saw Charley standing a few steps behind Annie. “Hi, Charley. Thanks for coming out for the show.”

“That was amazing. Both of you!” Charley squeezed Annie’s hand. “The crowd knows your music already. They were singing your songs. How incredible is that?”

Bristol couldn’t help herself. She longed to be a part of their camaraderie. She missed having a friend that wasn’t part of the tour. “I’m singing her songs, too. How incredible is that?” Bristol winced because that sounded arrogant. Before she had a chance to soften that declaration, Annie clapped.

“It’s the highlight of every night.”

Bristol smiled. “I’m just playing along. Your music is great, and I’m happy that people get to hear it.” Before she said something else stupid and insensitive, she bowed out. “I’m going to go get ready, but don’t forget we’re going gambling after the show. Stay close if you want to join us.”

“Definitely,” Charley said.