Eden nodded.
“And I’m twenty-seven.”
Eden stared at her for a moment in obvious surprise.
“You thought I was younger,” Anna said.
“Yeah, sorry ... wow. Twenty-seven?”
Anna winced. “I was twenty-two when I was cast inHex High, playing a sixteen-year-old, and now America can’t seem to see me as anything but a teenager.”
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Eden commented. “Things have definitely gotten better, but female celebrities still have a shorter shelf life than our male counterparts. They want us to stay young forever.”
“I’d just like to be seen as an adult,” Anna admitted.
“That’s fair, and I guess I’m guilty of treating you like a kid too. Sorry about that. I thought you were closer to twenty.”
“Most people do.”
“It was the opposite for me.” Eden stared at the waves below. “I released my first single when I was sixteen, but I was seen as an adult from the start. The way the media talked about me, sexualizing everything I did or said or wore ... it made me so uncomfortable.”
“Yikes. I was too young to see that happening to you, I guess. They treated you like a woman when you were a child, and they won’t let me grow up.”
“This industry can be hell when you’re a woman,” Eden said.
“Or anyone who’s not a cis white man,” Anna added.
“That’s very true.”
There was a noise behind them, and Anna turned to see Stella and David setting platters of sandwiches and other finger foods on the table. Stella motioned to them.
“Lunch is served.”
Stella raised her glass with a flourish. “As of noon today, the tour is officially sold out. Congratulations, ladies. You’re a winning combination.”
Anna fist-pumped the air, her ponytail bouncing. “Yes!”
Eden wished she felt anywhere near that excited. Instead, she felt relief mixed with a healthy dose of resentment that she’d needed Anna’s help to sell out the tour. Behind her bitter feelings, fear lurked. This was probably just a bump in her popularity, a dip that would right itself with time, but what if it wasn’t? What if she’d lost her spark, as the media kept saying? Or worse, what if she was past her prime in the eyes of an ageist world?
“You’re awfully quiet over there, Eden,” Stella said.
Eden reached for her glass, pasting on a smile. Regardless of her inner turmoil, she would be gracious and make sure Anna felt properly welcomed onto the tour. “Anna and I make a great team.”
Anna’s smile in response to that was luminous. She held out her own glass, tapping it against Eden’s. “I couldn’t possibly be more excited about touring with you.”
“But you hide it so well,” Eden teased. Anna was fun to talk to, someone Eden had things in common with. Eden didn’t have many friends, but maybe Anna could become one.
Anna pressed a hand against her chest. “Fangirl at heart, and I refuse to apologize for it.”
Everyone laughed. Eden usually disliked when people were so open with their flattery. From fellow musicians, it often felt like they were trying to suck up, to get in her good graces so she would do them a favor.Anna didn’t give off that vibe. She just seemed to be unapologetically enthusiastic. It was oddly refreshing.
“While we’re talking about the tour,” Eden said, “I’ve rented Limelight Studios for the four weeks before opening night as a rehearsal space. I rented the whole studio, so there’s more than enough room for you to rehearse there, too, if you’d like.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “I mean, if you’re sure you don’t mind, that sounds amazing.”
“I don’t mind,” Eden told her. “It could be helpful for us to be able to bounce ideas around, and I’ll have the staging all set up for you to use.”
After lunch, Anna and David headed out. Stella lingered to help Eden clean up, using the opportunity to reassure her that she’d made the right decision by bringing Anna on board. Eden’s tour was now sold out and receiving more internet chatter than it had since the day it was first announced.
