“Still waiting for my hug,” he said.
She released her mom and turned to let her dad wrap her in one of his bear hugs. “I missed you, Dad. Let’s do the crossword together tomorrow morning like old times.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” He patted her back before releasing her.
“But first, we want to hear all about your big tour,” her mom said, guiding Anna into the kitchen, which Anna had always thought of as the heart of their home. She and her mom had spent countless hours here while she was growing up, cooking and bonding.
It was a chef’s kitchen, with gleaming double ovens in back and a large gas cooktop, everything finished in warm earth tones. Today, itsmelled like a combination of lemons and mint, courtesy of the pitcher of freshly made lemonade on the island.
Anna’s mouth watered. Her mom’s mint lemonade was legendary. “For a glass of lemonade, I’ll tell you everything.”
“Are you hungry?” her mom asked as she picked up the pitcher and began to fill a glass. “And is Eden still joining us for lunch?”
“A little hungry, and yeah, she is. She’ll be here in an hour or so. She had to get checked in to the hotel. Did you take today off from work?” Her mom owned Terrace Bistro, a popular restaurant in downtown San Francisco.
“I did. Couldn’t miss the chance to spend some time with you. John’s coming with us to the show tonight, by the way.”
“Yay.” Anna accepted the glass of lemonade her mom handed her. She hadn’t seen her brother in months. He was two years older than she was and worked in Silicon Valley doing some sort of techy thing that went right over her head but earned him a lot of money.
Her mom produced a bag of homemade granola for Anna to snack on, and they brought everything into the living room to relax and catch up until Eden arrived.
“Since she’s not here yet, tell us all about what it’s like to be on tour with Eden.” Her mom gave Anna a knowing smile as she settled into the chair across from her. Her parents probably knew better than anyone how much Anna had idolized Eden while she was growing up, and Anna would have to tread carefully here or they would easily realize just how desperately infatuated Anna had become with the real-life Eden.
“Well, I’ve decided that whoever coined the phrase about never meeting your idols must have idolized terrible people, because Eden’s wonderful. She can be a little standoffish at times, but not in a rude way. More like she’s the most famous person in the room and feels the pressure to watch everything she says and does because of that.”
“I can see that,” her mom said thoughtfully.
“And when she performs, it’s like ... I literally get goose bumps. She’s that amazing.”
“Wow.” Her dad exchanged a look with her mom. “I’m certainly looking forward to meeting the woman who can put stars in your eyes like that.”
“More like hearts in her eyes,” her mom said. “Anna, hon, it sounds like your adolescent crush has turned into something more?”
Anna covered her face with her hands. Well, that had taken all of two minutes for them to figure out. “Am I that obvious?”
“Only because we know you so well.” There was laughter in her dad’s voice. “We know how you look when you’re smitten with someone.”
“It’s a harmless crush,” Anna said. “I’m not going to act on it. Not only do we have to work together for the next six months, but she’s straight.”
“I’m relieved to hear that,” her mom said, “because the dynamic between you does remind me a little too much of your relationship with Camille.”
Anna flinched.
“I didn’t want to say it, but I thought so too,” her dad said with an apologetic smile. “You used to gush about her just like this.”
“I know, I know, I see it too,” Anna said. “But for the record, even though I’m absolutely not going there with Eden, she’s nothing like Camille.”
“I’m glad,” her mom said. “Manipulative people are toxic to be around, whether you’re romantically involved with them or not.”
Anna nodded. “Eden’s been nothing but kind. You’ll see when you meet her.”
Eden hesitated on Anna’s parents’ front porch as anxiety churned in her stomach. Standing here left her feeling exposed, though. She always feltvulnerable when she was outside in a public place, just waiting for an overzealous fan or paparazzo to pounce. The car she’d arrived in still idled at the curb, with Taylor watching from the passenger seat to make sure Eden made it inside safely. And that meant Taylor was watching her freeze on the porch.
Eden lifted her hand and knocked. Footsteps approached from the other side, and then the door swung open to reveal Anna’s smiling face.Sparks.Eden’s whole system lit up like an arena full of fans illuminating their cell phones.
She immediately tamped it down. She wouldnotfeel anything other than friendship for Anna while she was in her parents’ house. “Hi,” she said, pleased that her voice sounded unaffected.
“Hi yourself.” Anna gestured with her hand. “Come on in and meet my parents. My mom hasn’t told me what she’s making for lunch, but it’ll definitely be amazing.”
