She inhaled. “Okay.”
“I’ve met someone.”
Her stomach dropped.Oh.Of course he had. God, she hadn’t prepared herself for this. She forced a smile. “I’m happy for you, and I appreciate you telling me before I read it online.”
“I’ll always care about you, Eden. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “I feel the same way. So who is she? Do I know her?”Please say no.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “We met on the set of my last movie. She’s an assistant director. Hallie Milzovski.”
“Not a celebrity? That’s new for you.”
“It is, and a good change, I think.” He held up his phone, showing her a photo of himself with a pretty brunette. He gazed at Hallie with a kind of adoration she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen on his face before. He looked like a man in love.
She pushed her shoulders back, fighting the urge to slump in her seat. Zach had moved on, and she hadn’t even been on a date since their divorce. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been kissed.Had she ever looked at Zach the way Hallie did? “You two look good together.”
“Thanks. We’re really happy.”
He didn’t mean it as a jab. She knew he didn’t. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. But even so, she felt a stab of pain right in her heart.
CHAPTER SIX
Stella settled herself on the love seat across from Eden—much the way Zach had done earlier that week—and something in Stella’s expression made Eden think she wasn’t going to like this conversation any more than she’d liked the last one. “I have an idea for you, and I need you to promise to hear me out before you say no.”
“No,” Eden countered with a coy smile.
Stella threw her hands up in the air. “Oh, come on!”
“You’ve already told me I’m not going to like it. So ... whatever it is, my answer is no.” Eden was joking. They both knew she was joking, and yet in her heart, she’d never felt more serious. She was tired. She was frustrated. And she was fighting a rising sense of disillusionment, this feeling that the rest of the world was out there living their lives and loving each other while she sat in her condo above the beach she couldn’t even walk on, alone in her tower.
Bitter. That’s what she was. She was turning into a bitter woman, and she didn’t like that at all.
Stella waved a hand. “Wipe that scowl right off your face. I’m going to start the conversation over with a new approach.”
“Fine.” Eden didn’t try to stop her. They both knew she’d probably say yes to whatever Stella was about to propose.
“The internet is still buzzing about your Grammy performance four days after the fact,” Stella said. “You and Anna had the most talked about performance of the night.”
“I’m glad.” Edenwasglad, but she was tired of talking about it. The Grammys were over. Soon, she’d begin rehearsals for her upcoming tour. She’d rather focus on how to get people buzzing about the tour than rehash her Grammy performance.
“Ticket sales for the tour are still sluggish,” Stella said as if she’d read Eden’s mind.
Eden didn’t respond. She just sipped her coffee, waiting for Stella to continue.
“Part of what made your Grammy performance so captivating was the energy between you and Anna onstage together. She hasn’t received much critical acclaim yet, but she has a wildly enthusiastic fan base. Her fans are younger than yours, and some of them have started downloading your music. Your streaming rates are up and trending younger over the last few days, which is great news. Let’s jump on this while it’s hot, Eden. Bring Anna on board for the tour. Invite her to open for you.”
Eden pressed her lips together in frustration. She hadn’t had an opening act for either of her last two tours, and she preferred it this way. Opening acts were distracting. It was hard to find the right match. They ate into her profits ... not that she was hurting for money, but still. Eden liked to be in control when it came to her career, and adding a last-minute opening act would involve compromises she didn’t like to make.
The teenage pop sensation who’d had every moment of her day dictated to her while her parents lived large on her millions was still a part of her. They’d micromanaged every aspect of her life—before and after she’d become famous—and it hadn’t stopped when she turned eighteen. She’d tried so hard to get them to listen to her and respecther wishes, but she’d finally come to terms with the fact that she’d have to cut her parents out of her life if she wanted to have a career on her own terms.
She sent them enough money to keep them living in luxury and saw them from time to time, but they were less interested in being her parents than in taking credit for her celebrity. She still sent them tickets to all her local concerts and events, but they usually gave them away to impress their friends instead of coming to see her. That made her unspeakably sad, but she’d made her peace with it. Eden had control of her life now, and she wouldn’t give it up for anything or anyone.
“If you announce Anna as your opening act, tickets will sell out in a matter of hours. Like it or not, she’s hot right now,” Stella said.
Eden definitely didnotlike it, no matter how much she reluctantly liked Anna herself. “We didn’t factor the cost of an opening act into the ticket price.”
“No, but we always build a buffer into the ticket price to accommodate unexpected costs, and I’ve already put together a plan to recoup some of the cost through merchandising and additional VIP options. If you don’t do this, you’re either going to have to offer discounted ticket bundles or have unsold seats in every arena, so any way you look at it, you’re going to need a way to recoup costs.”
