"Oh! I know you! I absolutely love you. Can you sign something for me?" a young woman in thegroupsaid.
"Umm thanks, yeah, sure. What do you want me to sign?" Lucky saidawkwardly.
She still wasn't used to the attention and didn't know how to act. She knew Jude would know but quickly pushed him out of her head. She had to stop thinkingabouthim.
A small crowd grew and Lucky found herself hugging strangers and signing napkins, clothing, and magazines, whatever people had on them. Suddenly the driver stepped forward and liftedhishand.
"Miss Saldano must be going. Please keep an eye out for her next album," the driver said in a formal Britishaccent.
Taking her bag, he cleared the way to his Town Car. He opened the door for her then placed her bag in the trunk. When he entered the driver's seat, he turned backtoher.
"I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to introduce myself sooner. I'm Nigel. I'll take you directly to Eel Pie where I'm told they're waitingforyou."
"Thank you, Nigel,"shesaid.
"Ofcourse,Miss."
She looked out the window at the palm trees and blue sky, so different from back east. Jordan was right, it was very grey at home. Home just wasn't the same. The time on tour was enough to help them both see the world differently thanbefore.
It felt strange to her to be doing this again so quickly. Not that long ago she brought Jordan with her, mostly because she didn't want to be alone. Now she was comfortable with it and with herself. Lucky felt a new confidence within her that she didn't have just a few short monthsbefore.
Noticing a sign that read Malibu, she paid closer attention to the surroundings and realized they were in a residentialneighborhood.
"Nigel? I thought we were going toEelPie?"
"Weare."
"But these look likehouses."
"Eel Pie is a state-of-the-art recording studio on the producer's property. He's arranged for you to stay in one of the guest roomsaswell."
"He has? Richard didn't tell me anything about this. I don't know how comfortable I feel about staying in astranger'shome."
Nigel didn't respond. Staring out the window, Lucky noticed the houses getting larger. Between the homes, she saw the blue water of the Pacific and the sparkle of the waves peekingather.
State-of-the-art studio in Malibu. She wondered if Richard paired her with some big producer, but Eel Pie wasn't familiar to her. She wracked her brain but hadnoluck.
"I'm sorry, Nigel, what did you say the producer'snamewas?"
"I didn't. Eel Pie is a nod to the small island on the Thames where many successes got their start. I'm sure you've heard of The Who, Rolling Stones, RodStewart."
"Wow, is it someone who worked with oneofthem?"
"I am a driver, Miss. I don't make it my responsibility to know details like that about myemployer."
"Oh, sorry.Nevermind."
Hearing Nigel talk about those classic bands brought her mind back to Jude again. Her cheeks burned as she thought about their time on tour, and she turned away as she fought a smile, not wanting the driver to notice. Looking down at her hand, she began playing withJude'sring.
The homes disappeared as they followed a curving road up a small hill. The car came to a stop at a tall gate and Nigel lowered his window to press a small red button attached to aspeaker.
"Yes?"
"This is Nigel Jones. I have Olivia SaldanoforMr--"
"Enter."
The gates slowly opened. Lucky could see the Spanish-inspired home at the end of the driveway. Its sand-colored exterior rose from the dark green grass and the sun reflected off the black and tan tile roof. The house was one level with huge windows, and she could see straight through to the Pacific Ocean from the front of thehouse.
