Keep it together.
Pulling back with a watery smile, I squatted down beside Lucy’s chair. “Did you have a good time, sweetheart?”
As much as it could, her face lit up. “The best,” she said softly.
I could feel the tears building behind my eyes. “Good, baby. Good.”
With one last hug, I watched as her parents wheeled her away.
“God,” I breathed, finally letting the tears fall.
My personal security stepped out of the shadows, glancing at the Maddox’s retreating backs. “That’s tough.”
I nodded. “I can’t even imagine, Frank.”
At that moment, I closed my eyes and sent up a prayer to the Gods.
Please. I’ll give up everything I have if you spare her. All that I have is yours.
With that, I felt the crash start to settle into my bones. It happened after every concert. Performing for two hours might not seem like a big deal, but it always took it out of me.
“Let’s get you to your dressing room.”
I nodded.
Then, pulling myself up by my bootstraps, I let Frank lead me down the long hallway that ran behind the stage.
“I’ll be out here if you need anything, Ms. Jackson,” Frank said as he pushed open the door and peeked inside to make sure it was safe for me to go in.
“Thanks.”
Closing the door behind me, I dropped into the oversized chair in front of my dressing table and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
The come-down after a show was always brutal—adrenaline crashing into exhaustion, leaving me feeling hollow and wired at the same time.
“You good?” My personal assistant asked as she bustled around packing up my things.
“Yeah.”
“I swear,” she sighed. “There always seems to be more stuff.”
I laughed. That was true. I was a bit of a packrat.
Thankfully I had the adorable Sondra to wrangle it all, and she truly was adorable.
Her jet-black hair was long and shiny, though most of the time she had it tied up in a messy bun. Her eyes were the color of warm honey. She was also brilliant.
She’d been with me for three years, and honestly, I wasn’t sure how I’d survived before hiring her.
She made sure my life was organized and ran like a well-oiled machine.
That’s why she made the big bucks.
“Also, the car is already waiting outside to take us to the hotel,” she said, pulling my street clothes out of my bag and laying them on the couch. “And... your flight plan has been sent to the pilot.”
That last part came out of her mouth a little unsure.
Shifting my eyes to see her better in the mirror, I could see something else was on her mind. “That’s good, right?”
