“I agree. Sasha could end up walking away with all the major awards on Sunday night. But let’s not forget about Anna Moss. She’s considered a long shot, but her sophomore album,Simply Myself, was the soundtrack to our summer, and she just might be the surprise star of the night.”
Eden stopped the playback. She put down her phone and closed her eyes. The weight of everything she’d just heard pressed her into the cushion beneath her, forcing the air from her lungs. Stella was right. Anna might be just the right person to shake up Eden’s Grammy performance. With a groan, she picked up her phone again, this time to call her manager.
“Eden, hi,” Stella answered breathlessly. The sound of conversation echoed over the line behind her.
“Sorry if I called at a bad time.”
“We’re about to sit down to dinner, but I wouldn’t have answered if I couldn’t talk,” Stella told her.
“I won’t keep you, then. I just wanted to let you know that I’m in. I’ll do the duet with Anna Moss.”
CHAPTER TWO
Anna sucked in a deep breath. She held it as she counted to five in her head, and then she exhaled slowly. She was still new enough in this industry that she was easily starstruck, so her nerves were hardly unexpected. But this ... this was maybe the most nerve-racking thing she’d ever done.
“Ready?” Kyrie asked, giving Anna an assessing look. Kyrie McIntosh had been Anna’s assistant for several years and was someone she now considered a friend as well. She kept Anna organized and on time and made her laugh. Today, Kyrie’s brown hair was tinged with blue, but tomorrow, who knew? It might be orange.
“Nothing in my teeth?” Anna made a face at Kyrie, baring her teeth.
Kyrie rolled her eyes, giving Anna a gentle nudge. “You look fine. Stop stalling.”
“But ...” Anna sucked in another deep breath. She worked hard to contain her inner fangirl when she attended industry events, but right now, she was about to meet her idol. She was about to rehearse for a Grammy performance with her idol, and her inner fangirl wasscreaming. Her inner fangirl was about to faint.
“I know you’re a little bit in love with her, but she’s just a woman, and right now she’s waiting to rehearse with you.” Kyrie made a shooing motion with her hands.
“Eden Sands isn’tjusta woman. She’s an icon. A legend.” Anna was determined to make a good first impression, hopefully even impress her.
Kyrie peeked through the doorway into the rehearsal space. “And she looks impatient. Get your ass in there.”
“Oh God.” Anna’s voice sounded like she’d inhaled helium. Eden looked impatient? But Anna was ten minutes early. How early had Eden gotten here? She peered over Kyrie’s shoulder, and sure enough, there was Eden. She stood in the middle of the room, talking to a Black woman, one foot tapping restlessly against the stage.
Anna’s stomach tingled, because oh wow, she was really about to meet her idol. Even from a distance, Eden had a presence about her, something that made her difficult to look away from. That tingling sensation intensified.
“Go on in and introduce yourself,” Kyrie urged.
“Okay, okay, I’m going.” Anna stepped through the doorway.
“Knock her socks off,” Kyrie called from behind her.
Under other circumstances, she would have flipped Kyrie off in retaliation for the jab, but right now, Anna was having trouble with basic functions like walking. Her knees shook, and she felt like she’d just drunk an extra fizzy soda ... like her entire body was carbonated.
Eden watched her approach, her expression impossible to read. She was dressed all in black, a silky blouse tucked into formfitting jeans and knee-high leather boots. Her dark-brown hair was down, cascading over her shoulders in glossy waves, and those bright-blue eyes Anna had admired in countless photos were fixed on her with laser-sharp intensity.
Everything about Eden’s stance said, “I’m a star, and I know it.” This was the woman whose music Anna had listened to on repeat throughout her teens, the woman she’d fantasized about back whenshe was coming to terms with her sexuality. And now they were going to sing a duet together.
At the Grammy Awards.
Anna’s knees almost gave out, but somehow she kept walking. Up close, Eden was tall, too, standing a few inches over Anna’s five foot five.
Anna drew in another steadying breath, composing herself as she extended her hand. “Anna Moss. It’s an honor to meet you, Ms.Sands.”
Eden took it and shook. Her fingers were cool against Anna’s, and her grip was firm. “Please call me Eden.”
“Eden.” Anna was pleased with how steady her voice sounded. She might be a raging fangirl, but she was also a professional, and first impressions were so important. “I hope you don’t mind me saying that you’ve been an inspiration to me. I have so much respect for you, and I’m a huge fan of your music.”
“I don’t think anyone would mind hearing that.” Eden smiled, but it was the kind of smile Anna had seen her give in interviews: appreciative but distant. Impersonal. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
