When Annie boarded the bus, Vaughn handed her a blanket. “Try to get some sleep. It’ll take a while to reach the arena.”

“Thanks, but I doubt I’ll be able to sleep.”

Vaughn smiled warmly at her. “Long night?”

“Long couple of days.” Annie lowered her voice. “I’m still processing everything, but I was approached by two different record labels in Vegas, and I don’t know what to do or how to feel about it.” She didn’t know why she’d told him when she hadn’t even told Charley all the details. Maybe he felt safer because he was removed.

“That’s amazing,” Vaughn whispered. “Who?”

Annie hesitated. Vaughn had been nothing but kind to her, but he was still Lizzy’s assistant.

“No. Never mind.” He covered his ears playfully. “Don’t tell me. If you want to chat, you let me know, okay?”

Annie smiled. “Thanks, Vaughn, for everything. You’ve been very sweet and nice to me on this tour.”

He winked and moved toward the front of the bus to give her privacy.

After the last six hours of swirling emotions kicking at her chest, Annie didn’t think she would be able to calm down enough to relax but stretched out on three seats and fell sleep before the bus even moved from the curb. She woke up five hours later as the bus jerked in Los Angeles traffic.

She picked up her phone and sighed. Still nothing from Bristol. Determined not to give up, she typed, Los Angeles makes Denver look small. She wanted to keep the message friendly and light. She wanted to follow up with another text but mentally scolded herself. She didn’t want to be a pain in the ass. She genuinely liked Bristol and not because she was the most successful pop star in the world, but because she was warm and kind.

When the bus stopped next to the arena, everyone filed out and headed inside. Not really knowing what to do, Annie followed the crowd in. They all had a purpose except for Annie. She walked around, getting to know the layout of the arena, found her dressing room, and headed down to the main floor after seeing people delivering food. She was hungry and couldn’t remember when she ate her last meal.

“Lunch is here,” Clarissa, one of Lizzy’s assistants, announced to the many workers on the stage. Annie wasn’t in the mood to eat with anyone, so she politely grabbed a sandwich and sat in the stadium seats. People were moving about doing their jobs efficiently. After a year and a half on the road, the crew knew exactly how to work fast together. When her phone vibrated several minutes later with a message, her heart catapulted into her throat, only to lodge there when she read who it was from. It wasn’t Bristol.