“Of course you did. Oh, Eden, I had no idea. You’ve never talked about this in interviews.”
“No.” She sipped her tea. “It’s not a particularly tragic tale. It’s just not one I enjoy sharing. Around the time I turned twenty-one, I fired my manager and told my parents I was ready to make my own decisions about my career. It didn’t go well. We’re ... well, you saw what things are like between us now. I’m so embarrassed you had to see that.”
Anna rested a hand on her arm. “Yeah, and I’m embarrassed that you saw my run-in with Camille at the Grammys, but really, we shouldn’t be embarrassed by other people’s behavior, right?”
Eden still didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I guess not.”
“And we’ve both done the work to cut those people out of our lives, so kudos to us for that.”
“Right,” Eden agreed. “So you’ve cut Camille out of your life, then?”
“Pretty much, although it took me a while. We broke up the first time about two years ago, but for a while, every time I’d run into her somewhere, we’d end up in bed together. I think that’s what she was expecting at the Grammys, to be honest. Even when we were awful together, we still had this passion, you know? We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Was it like that for you and Zach?”
Eden shook her head. “Zach and I were the opposite of that. We’re better as friends than lovers.” In fact, Eden wasn’t sure she’d ever experienced passion like what Anna was describing.
“Are you guys still friendly?” Anna asked.
“Yeah, we are. He’s a great guy. We had a very amicable divorce.”
“That must be a Hollywood first,” Anna said with a laugh.
“Right? I miss him, but I think I mostly just miss having someone around the house to talk to. It’s lonely living by myself, especially when I can’t exactly just go out like a regular person.”
“Yeah, I love having Zoe next door. We hang out a lot. Hey, speaking of families and things, you know I’m from San Francisco, right?”
Eden turned to look at her. “Yes, and we’ll be there tomorrow. Are your parents coming to the show?”
“They are, and they really want to meet you.” Anna gave her a bashful smile. “In fact, I’m having lunch at their house tomorrow after we land, and they’d love for you to come. No pressure if you’re busy or just want to rest and do your own thing.”
Eden chewed her lip, considering. “I’d like to, but I don’t want to impose if you’d rather have that time alone with your parents. We’re going to be on the road for a while, after all.”
“I see them plenty, and they’ve heard me fangirl over you for a very long time, so they’re pretty thrilled that you might actually come to their house.” Anna’s cheeks were bright pink now.
“So you need me to show up and prove that our friendship is real and you’re not secretly my stalker?” Eden teased, rewarded when Anna’s blush grew even brighter.
“Sure, yeah, basically,” she said with a silly laugh.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to come, then.” She stood and gestured toward the bedroom of her suite. “Time to rest our voices and rent that movie. Slumber parties involve lying in bed, yes?”
“Absolutely.” Anna bounced out of her seat. “You’re really getting the hang of this sleepover thing.”
Eden lifted the microphone from its stand as she turned to face Anna. The spotlight engulfed them, making Anna’s eye shadow sparkle. Tonight, she wore a deep-blue princess-style gown, modeled after a dress Eden had worn for one of her first live performances, and she looked so beautiful. Eden’s gaze traced her face to the delicate curve of her neck and down to the swell of her breasts.
“I kick off my heels,” Anna sang, kicking one of her feet up in the air.
That was Eden’s cue. She began to sing, stepping in front of Anna to illustrate her struggle with her younger self. The lights shifted, partially illuminating the audience. Vegas crowds weren’t her favorite. The seats in the first few rows were generally reserved by the casino to give out as freebies to the high rollers, so she tended to see a lot of bored people up front who had no real interest in her music.
Tonight, she glimpsed a lot of senior citizens in the first few rows, and while some of them were actively watching the show, most of them were focused on snacks or even their phones. Behind them, several younger fans held up a hot-pink sign, and Eden shielded her eyes with her hand to read it.
#EDANNA4EVER
Oh.Eden turned away as Anna stepped beside her to begin the next chorus. She caught Eden’s eye with another one of those radiant smiles, and Eden’s stomach fizzed with something strange, like electricity surging through her, like ...sparks. Oh God, was this what people meant when they said they felt sparks?
Heat swept through her body. Anna twirled, and Eden’s stomach sparked again. She pressed a hand against it reflexively. Her gaze focused on Anna’s calves as the skirt flared, and drifted up to the curve of her waist. Then she was staring at Anna’s breasts again. Everywhere she looked, she was noticing Anna’s body. What was happening to her? Eden had never ... she didn’t ...
Anna was in front of her now, giving Eden a funny look, and oh God, she’d missed her cue. What was her next line? She spun, desperately searching for something, anything to orient herself, and then Anna’s hand was on her arm. Eden remembered earlier that evening, watchingCaptain Marveltogether in her bed, the way Anna’s hair had tickled her arm.
Anna was singing Eden’s line, covering for her. Her hand was so warm, and ...