God, he wanted to set her straight. There was nothing polite about what he wanted to do with her. To her. “Dodged a bullet, clearly.”
She laughed under her breath as someone rapped twice on her door—Andrew—and then they weren’t alone anymore.
Saved by the band.
The morning sped by a whirlwind of activity. She did her own makeup, but a woman from the crew came and did her hair, transforming her naturally glossy waves into something straight out of a music video, big bouncy curls that matched her dark eyes and perfect pink lipstick.
She was suddenly a star again, in a way she hadn’t been for the dress rehearsal the night before, even though she’d done the hair and makeup thing for that, too. But that had been on the tour bus right before she went on stage.
This was performance blurring with real life as he trailed her on her way down to a room on the ground floor of the hotel.
Part of the wall had been covered in plastic vinyl sheeting with her name scrawled on it over and over again, and it was this backdrop that she stood in front of for nearly two hours, spending a minute or two with a hundred and three fans, each one wanting a photo and a hug and private word.
For each of them, she gave them her full attention and her brightest smile.
When the last fan stepped up to see her, eyes full of tears, Liana started crying too. Dean passed over a tissue box and she dabbed the corners of her eyes like the pro that she was. “Honey, what’s this all about?” she asked the radio listener.
“I almost didn’t make it,” the woman whispered through hiccups. “My credit card didn’t work in the parking lot and I didn’t have any cash on me, so my husband is circling the block right now.”
“Oh, bless you. Well, I’m thrilled you made it. Are you coming to the show tonight?”
The fan nodded.
“I can’t wait to sing for you. What’s your favourite song?”
“River Bed Lullaby.”
“And what’s your name?”
“Ashley.”
“Well, Ashley, I’m singing that song tonight, and I’m going to sing it for you. Okay? Now dry your eyes, and we’ll take a picture together. You’re beautiful.”
Once they’d taken not one but three pictures, because Ashley blinked in the first one and Liana was laughing in the second—although Dean was pretty sure that one would be Ashley’s favourite for life—Liana walked her new best friend to the door and gave her one last hug before saying goodbye.
The second the door was closed, the mask dropped. It wasn’t that she hadn’t genuinely wanted to make that woman’s day, Dean was certain. It was just that being thatondidn’t come naturally to her. Which made how authentic she was with her fans all the more impressive.
“Lunch?” Jackie asked. “West headed over to the venue early, he’s recording something for his fan group. But Andrew’s around if you want to talk about the show, or just veg.”
Liana sighed. “I need to get online and do some stuff. Would you mind if I WhisperSnipped while we eat?”
“Of course not.”
It was like they were speaking in code. What the hell was whisper snipping? That didn’t sound healthy. Dean stepped ahead of them, making sure the hallway was clear. He’d gotten his hand on a copy of Track’s schedule and the headliner was scheduled to be at a White House lunch for veterans for a few more hours, but it never hurt to be careful. Then he followed along silently as they talked about how much to share about the new album.
“Who knows what songs will end up on it.” Liana rolled her head from side to side, stretching her neck. “You think I’ve got time to fit in some yoga?”
“Sure. We’ll get out of your hair after lunch. But maybe if we talk about what we’re excited about, we can shape fan interest, get them to push the label.”
Liana snorted. “You know better than that.”
“I’m being optimistic for the new guy,” Jackie said, flashing Dean a grin.
He spread his arms wide. “I literally have no idea what you guys are talking about. I heard lunch, yoga, songs. I’m officially a fan of all three.”
Liana turned around, walking backward as she talked. “I should ask you, too. How do you feel about being on a WhisperSnip?”
“No clue. I’m half-afraid to ask what it even is.”
