Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Ivy
Hannah sits beside me on my battered old piano bench, her small shoulders hunched like she’s bracing for a thunderstorm. She’s so tense, her fingers smash the keys instead of pressing them.
“Don’t forget,” I say gently, nudging her arm with my elbow. “You’re the boss of these keys. They don’t get to tell you what to do.”
She giggles, just a tiny sound, but it’s enough. Her shoulders loosen. She presses down. Gently. The melody drifts out, a little hesitant at first, but so sweet it takes my breath away.
This kid has talent of the pure and simple kind. She reminds me of someone.
Me .
Before I became a teenage pop star, I’d been an eleven-year-old with music in my soul. Piano had come naturally to me. I could lose myself in the song without worrying about who was listening.
There had been a time when music brought me happiness and peace. Hannah reminds me of that time.
Olivia comes barreling into the living room, stomping her feet and humming along completely off-key. She throws herself across the floor in a dramatic leap and somehow manages to stick the landing.
“Hannah, you have to add a twirl right here!” she says.
“What?” Hannah’s fingers pause. “You want me to get up in the middle of the song?”
“Yes!” Olivia grabs Hannah’s shoulders and tugs her off the piano bench. “It will be so cool!”
“Give it a try.” I nudge Hannah’s side. “Olivia has a gift for the dramatic.”
Hannah giggles again. “Tell me about it.”
Over the last few weeks, the girls have become best friends.
They aren’t the only ones who have grown closer.
Owen and I have been spending a lot of time together. We watch movies, work on crafts or homework, and even manage to sneak in a few kisses. Despite not being alone since Hannah’s mom brought her home early that night, our level of intimacy has increased.
He even gave me his plumber’s contact, and now my shower is an amazing experience that rivals his.
I look forward to seeing Owen. Besides Olivia, he’s the best part of my day.
Hannah and Olivia twirl through the living room, nearly knocking Owen over as he comes in carrying a tray of something that smells delicious.
He dodges the girls, holding the tray over his head so they don’t bump into it. “What’s going on here?”
“They’ve decided to do the talent show.” I reach for the tray. “What’s this?”
He lifts it out of my reach and walks into the kitchen. “It’s my world-famous meatloaf.”
I can’t help but laugh as he pulls me into his arms and plants a kiss on my cheek. “World-famous?”
“Wait ’til you try it.”
I pull him into the pantry and kiss him like I’ve been dying to for weeks. He pushes me against the door and kisses me back.
“We should plan a weekend away,” he says, sliding his hand under the hem of my sweater. “There’s a great little inn on the outskirts of town. We could go out for a nice dinner. Maybe a hike.”
I shiver as his lips trail down my neck. “Or we can just stay in all weekend.”
“I can get my parents to take the girls,” he says. “If that’s okay with you.”
I didn’t think I’d ever find something like this again, but it seems it’s found me in Starlight Bay. “I’m okay with that.”
“Mom?” Olivia calls from the kitchen. “Where’d you go?”
Owen releases me, stepping back to open the door. “We were trying to find the red pepper flakes.”
“Yuck,” Olivia says. “Too spicy.”
“Girls, what do you think of a weekend away with Nanny and Pops?” Owen asks as he uncovers the meatloaf.
“Who are Nanny and Pops?” Olivia asks.
“They’re my grandparents, and they’re the best,” Hannah says. “They have kittens.”
“No way!” Olivia bounces in her seat. “I want one.”
Owen and I share a smile when they aren’t looking. Seems like we’re going away for the weekend soon.
We crowd around my tiny dining table and dig in to Owen’s delicious meatloaf. It feels almost like a family as Olivia and Hannah argue about whether their act needs more or less twirls and possibly a fog machine.
Owen raises an eyebrow at me. He doesn’t have to say a word to get me to laugh. I stick my tongue out at him. He grins. Then he slides his foot up my shin under the table, and I’m suddenly counting down the days until our weekend getaway.
By the time the talent show rolls around, Hannah and Olivia couldn’t be more prepared.
Backstage, though, Hannah is pale. She clings to my arm like she’s about to be sent into battle. Olivia fluffs her hair, trying to be supportive, but ends up making Hannah’s bangs stick out sideways.
“I don’t want to do it,” Hannah whispers. Her eyes are brimming with tears. “Everyone will look at me.”
I kneel, brushing her bangs into something less gravity-defying. “You don’t have to do it alone. I’ll be right there. Okay?”
She sniffs. “Will you sing with me?”
Well, that was not the plan. But there’s no universe where I can say no to her sweet little face.
“Of course.” My stomach drops straight to my toes. “I’ll be your backup singer.”
We step out together. The three of us on stage. I swear I feel every single eye in that school auditorium laser-focused on us. Then, Olivia runs across the stage in a flying leap, and there is no time to get stage-fright. The show is on.
Hannah’s fingers shake, but she plays.
I clear my throat and sing. Softly at first, then I find my voice and it gets stronger.
Hannah glances up at me, her eyes wide. “You’re really good!”
I nod my thanks, feeling damn good about my singing for the first time in years. The stage used to be my place to shine, until everything went wrong. Singing with Hannah on stage is like going back in time to the good days before I was a star. Before every move I made hit the tabloids.
Hannah finishes her final chord, and the crowd erupts in applause. They loved us. I swear I can hear Owen’s voice above everyone else’s, whooping and cheering.
And then, from the front row, a sharp voice cuts through the applause.
“That’s Ivy Ice! ”
The world tilts. The breath whooshes out of me like I’ve been punched.
The moment is made worse because it’s Hannah’s mom who outed me. She is on her feet, jabbing a finger at me like she’s discovered a zoo animal in the wild.
“I knew I recognized you!”
Suddenly the whole auditorium is buzzing. Parents pull out their phones, and someone demands I sing Neon Dream.
My face burns hotter than a stage light. I grab Hannah and Olivia and hustle them off stage. The clapping continues at a roar until the principal comes on stage and demands silence for the next act.
Owen meets us backstage. He’s so excited for Hannah, he picks her up and twirls her around. She wraps her arms around her dad’s neck, and it’s like they are in their own little world of celebration.
His gaze meets mine, and he mouths the words, “Thank you.”
Somehow, despite the anxiety thrumming in my chest, I find myself smiling.
Maybe my quiet little life just exploded.
But Hannah did it. She played her song. And Olivia danced her fabulous twirls.
And finding Owen is worth every setback I’m about to endure.