Chapter 10
The Bow Lounge was everything I dreamed a classic Hollywood bar would be—all rich velvets, dim lighting, and the croon of live jazz. I half expected Humphrey Bogart to step out of the shadows with a bourbon in hand. It was the kind of place I could imagine deals being made back in the day, where stars rose.
I followed Lily through the crowd, to a circular booth tucked in the back in a row of others while she whispered names to me, pointing out each of the women who had become her confidants and support system over the last few years.
I’d already met Nia. She sat on the outer edge of the booth, her bobbed platinum hair catching the glow of a lamp hanging above the table. What I hadn’t known was just how deep Lily and Nia’s friendship went.
“Alys is next to Nia,” Lily said, her voice low, indicating the redhead grinning at something the dark-haired woman across from her had said. “She’s Ryan’s girlfriend. Then you’ve got Ella and Mel. They’re sisters.”
The only difference between them appeared to be their age and the length of their hair.
“And Ceri, one of my dancers. Also Alex’s ex, but not.” Lily sighed.
“How can she be an ex but not?” I asked, studying the raven-haired woman again.
“They just found out they got married while drunk in Fiji a few years ago and he’s using it as an excuse to reconnect.” She winced, throwing me a warning look. “I wouldn’t bring it up. It’s a touchy subject.”
“There you are!” Nia scooted over to make room on the bench next to her. “We were starting to think you two got pulled into the secret bar they’re hiding behind the jukebox in the hall.”
“How do you know there’s a secret bar?” I slid in beside her, sinking into the buttery leather cushion.
“A little birdie,”—she tilted her head towards Lily as she took a seat opposite me—“might have whispered it in my ear. Apparently, it’s where all the real deals go down, away from prying eyes.”
Mel leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I heard Frank Sinatra used to hold court there back in the day.”
“Well that just makes me want to see inside even more!” Ella took a sip of her cocktail. “I wonder what kind of secrets those walls have heard over the years.”
“Probably enough to fill a tell-all memoir or two.” Lily smirked. “You know what they say—if those walls could talk…”
“We’d all be in a world of trouble.” Ceri clinked her glass against Lily’s.
My mind conjured images of a dark, smoke-filled room where the likes of Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis might have held court once upon a time—making deals, trading barbs and indulging in all the vices 1940s Hollywood had to offer. The thought of being even remotely close to that kind of old-school glamour and intrigue sent a thrill down my spine.
“Sounds like something straight out of a movie.”
“Trust me, reality is usually far less romantic than fantasy.” Lily signalled a passing waitress to place our drink orders.
“Unless you’re Nia, of course.” Ceri bumped the photographer’s shoulder with her own. “Then every gritty back alley and seedy dive bar is just another opportunity for a killer shot.”
Nia grinned, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a dramatic flair. “What can I say? I’ve got an eye for the extraordinary in the ordinary.”
“I don’t know how you do it,” Alys said, her Welsh lilt warm but tinged with amusement.
The conversation flowed as easily as the cocktails, the girls chatting with the ease of old friends. I sat back, content to listen and absorb, to soak in the camaraderie and the laughter. It struck me how different this was from the solitary life I’d led in Nashville, holed up in my tiny apartment, just me and my guitar. I’d had friends, sure, but nothing like this. Nothing like the bond these women shared.
Once the waitress returned with our drinks and left, Lily raised her glass in a toast. “To Liv, the newest member of our little sisterhood. May she survive the madness with her sanity intact and her liver only slightly pickled.”
“Hear, hear!” the women chorused, clinking their glasses against mine.
I took a sip of my whiskey sour, the tart sweetness bursting on my tongue. “I make no promises on the sanity front, but I’ll do my best to keep up with you all.”
“You’ll be fine. We’ll show you the ropes.” Nia laughed, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “And possibly the inside of a few jail cells, if the night takes a turn.”
I nearly choked on my drink, my eyes widening. “I’m sorry, what now?”
“Ignore her,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “She likes to think she’s far more hardcore than she actually is.”
Nia just sipped her drink, staring at us all over the rim of her glass with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.
“Though there was that one time in Prague…” Mel said, her brows raising suggestively. “She got close that night.”
“Ooh, I remember that!” Ella slapped the table, a smirk claiming her lips. “Wasn’t that the night Nia sweet-talked her way into that underground burlesque club that fronted itself as an absinthe bar?”
Alys shot Nia a hard look. “And then promptly got us all kicked out for trying to snap a photo of the owner when there were a million no picture signs.”
“In my defence,” Nia held up a hand, warding them off, “he had the most amazing face. All weathered and wise, like he’d seen some shit, you know?”
“Haven’t we all,” Alys muttered into her martini glass.
A tall woman with black hair and dark red tips approached our table, a bright smile on her face. I recognised her from the kick off meeting but her name absolutely escaped me. Who’s shocked? She was dressed in a sleek black jumpsuit that hugged her curves, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
“Ooh, shuffle up, ladies,” Lily said. “Our final newbie has arrived.”
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, leaning in to hug Lily who’d slid out of her seat. “Riley would not stop talking and end the meeting.”
Lily waved off her apology. “No worries. We were just getting started.” She sat back down and shifted over to make room for her to join us. “Liv, this is Mia Johnson, our fearless production manager.”
“It’s great to see you again, Olivia.” Mia smiled. “I can’t wait to see what you do opening night. I’ve heard great things about your music.”
I flushed with pride. “Thank you, that means a lot. I’m excited to be here.”
“We’re thrilled to have you,” she said, settling into her seat. “Lily’s been singing your praises non-stop. Says you’re the next big thing.”
I shot Lily a look, half-thankful, half-mortified. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Tyler.”
“Just calling it like I see it.” Lily merely shrugged, unrepentant. “Get used to the accolades, because they’re only gonna multiply once the world hears that voice of yours.”
I busied myself with my newly delivered drink, a blush heating my cheeks.
“So Liv,” Nia said, bumping my shoulder with hers. “How are you feeling about all of this? Excited? Nervous? Ready to run for the hills?”
“D, all of the above,” I admitted with a rueful grin. “I mean, it’s a lot, you know? One minute I’m playing dive bars in Nashville, and the next I’m heading out on the biggest tour of my life with the band I’ve idolised since high school. It’s surreal.”
“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.” Lily reached across the table and squeezed my hand, her eyes warm with understanding. “This business, it’s a wild ride, but we’ve all been there and any time you need a break or a vent, we’ll be ready and waiting.”
I smiled gratefully as a knot of tension unwound in my chest. “Thanks, Lily. That means a lot.”
“Anytime.” She winked, then turned her attention to the waitress who had appeared at our table. “Another round, please. And make Liv’s a double. She’s gonna need it.”
The girls chuckled, and I joined in, the laughter loosening something inside me.
As the waitress hurried off to fetch our drinks, Nia leaned forward, a mischievous glint in her eye. “So, Liv. You and Lewis seemed awfully cosy at the kickoff meeting. Anything you want to share with the class?”
I nearly choked on my own tongue, heat rushing to my cheeks. “What? No! I mean, we just met. We were just talking.”
“Mmhmm.” Ceri smirked, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Talking. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
“Oh, leave her alone,” Mel said, though she was fighting a smile herself. “Can’t a girl have a conversation with a guy without it turning into a Crimewatch investigation?”
“Not when the guy is Lewis Davies, who barely bats an eye at all the groupies screaming for his attention,” Ella said, her tone dry but teasing. “And the girl is looking at him like he’s the last Welsh cake at Cardiff market.” Mel tossed a napkin at her, and she dodged, chuckling. “What? I’m only calling it like it is.”
I buried my face in my hands, my voice muffled. “Oh my lord, was I that obvious?”
“Only to those of us who know what to look for.” Nia patted my arm. “Which is pretty much everyone at this table.”
“Fantastic,” I groaned, peeking out from between my fingers. “Just what I need, to start the tour with a reputation as a groupie.”
“Hardly.” Lily rolled her eyes. “Lewis isn’t exactly known for being a cad. If anything, I’d say he’s the one who looked smitten.”
My heart did a little flip at her words. He’d told me how he felt, of course, but there was something about hearing it from other people’s lips that made it all the more real.
Belatedly, I remembered his plea for us to keep our relationship secret for now. I bit back a groan. How did I even begin to walk my reaction back and be believable?
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, aiming for a firm ‘don’t argue with me’ tone, dropping my hands. “I’m here to sing, not to get involved with anyone. Especially not someone in the headlining band.”
They all eyed me with varying degrees of disbelief and suspicion. I braced myself for someone to call me on the lie.
“Famous last words,” Nia singsonged, but she let the subject drop as the waitress returned with our drinks.
I took a grateful sip of my whiskey, welcoming the burn as it slid down my throat.
“I can’t hold my tongue anymore,” Ceri said, putting her drink down. She leaned forward and her voice lowered to a stage whisper. “Anyone else noticed a Sanderson brother lurking a couple of booths down?”
Mia and I leaned out of the booth, Nia and Mel lifted themselves up to peek over the top of our booth, and Alys tutted.
“We said no shop talk!” She frowned.
“How is celeb-spotting shop talk?” Ceri shot back.
“It’s giving more fuel to the rumour mill, which directly impacts their PR, which is shop talk in my book.” Alys raised a brow, her tone brooking no argument. “Besides, they’re people too. How would you feel if someone was gawking at you and speculating about your love life in the middle of a bar?”
“She’s got a point, but I have zero issues speculating when the celebrity in question is an utter asshole,” Mia said, nodding to where one of the brothers leaned against the bar chatting up a redhead. “That is not Chris Sanderson’s fiancée. Mark my words, that relationship is faker than botox and there’ll be fresh faces on their arms by the end of the night.”
“Some things never change.” Lily grimaced, shaking her head. “Those two have been playing the field since they hit puberty.”
“Hey, nothing to be ashamed of there. At least they’re not slinging around wedding rings like Chase Campbell,” Mia said, nodding to a dark-haired god laughing with a gaggle of admirers at the other end of the bar. “I swear, that man changes wives like most people change socks. What’s the count now, five? Six?”
“Seven, if you count the Vegas wedding that was annulled before the ink was dry,” Nia said.
“I don’t know how you’re spotting these people,” Ella muttered into her Old Fashioned. “I can barely keep my year two class straight, let alone cram the faces and names of people I’ll never meet into my head.”
“It’s a skill,” Ceri said, smirking.
“Yeah, one she’s been practising since we were eight.” Lily smiled at her, a fondness in her gaze that made me miss Ashley instantly.
Goodness knows we’d spent our fair share of time poring over gossip rags and daydreaming about rubbing elbows with the rich and famous.
“But there are at least forty people in this room.” Alys indicated towards the open bar with her martini glass. “You couldn’t possibly get them all right.”
“I don’t have to.” Ceri shrugged before directing a pointed look at Mia. “Mia’s local. I’m betting she’s spotted more than me.”
Mia laughed, scanning the room. “Oh, I see how it is. She’s telling you no celeb spotting but it’s okay for me?”
“Absolutely.” Ceri nodded. “Besides, I’m on this tour against my will. I have to get my kicks from somewhere and it’s never going to be Alex.”
The more pieces I heard about their relationship the more curious I got. But with the tense set of her jaw, I bit my tongue on every single question. Curiosity didn’t need to kill this cat literally five days before she got to play with The Brightside.
Luckily, Mia took the challenge in hand and nodded to a guy in a booth in the opposite corner to us. “That’s Aria Campbell. Chase’s sister and co-singer in their country band. She was on that reality show, Married Blind.”
“The one where they marry total strangers?” Mel asked, her eyes wide. “I’ve heard so many sketchy stories about that show.”
Mia shook her head. “I don’t know how anyone could agree to marry a complete stranger in the first place. I mean, I love my husband, but it took us years to get to a good place.”
“Nah, it’s utterly ridiculous. Where’s the spark? The chemistry? The butterfly inducing meet cute?” Nia twirled her glass, her brow furrowing. “I could never give that up and I couldn’t walk down the aisle for just anyone. It has to be right, and no way did they fall in love at first sight.”
Ceri threw a coaster at her. “You watch too many rom coms. There’s nothing exciting about marriage.” She nodded to Chase. “I don’t know what he thinks he’s playing at, but one day he’s going to find a woman he doesn’t want to shake, and she won’t trust a word he says.”
I couldn’t help but stare. I’d followed the media circus surrounding his sister’s stint on Married Blind, seen the way the tabloids had ripped her to shreds when the relationship imploded weeks after the cameras stopped rolling.
I took a long swallow of my drink, the burn of the alcohol grounding me slightly. Lord, what had I gotten myself into?
“You okay, Liv?” Ella asked softly, her brown eyes kind with concern. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I mustered a smile, shaking off the catastrophic thoughts. “I’m fine, just… processing. It’s a lot to take in, you know? The whole ‘fame’ thing.”
“It’s overwhelming, isn’t it?” Ella nodded, understanding flickering across her face. “I remember the first time I got papped with Jared. It was just a coffee run, but suddenly there were these cameras in my face, these strangers shouting questions at me. I felt so… exposed. Vulnerable.” She shuddered at the memory. “Like I was suddenly public property, my every move scrutinised and judged.”
“How do you deal with it?” I asked, my voice small. “The scrutiny, the invasion of privacy?”
She sighed, running a hand through her short hair. “Honestly? Some days are easier than others. But I try to focus on what’s real, you know? My relationship with Jared, my work, the people who matter. The rest… it’s just noise. You can’t let it consume you.”
I nodded, absorbing her words like a sponge. It was sage advice, a reminder to keep my priorities straight and my head on my shoulders.
“And it helps to have a solid support system,” Mel added, bumping Ella’s shoulder affectionately. “People who keep you grounded, who remind you of who you are when the world tries to tell you differently.”
Ella’s phone chimed with an incoming message. She glanced down, her brow furrowing slightly as she read.
“Everything okay, El?” Mel asked, picking up on her sister’s shift in mood.
“Yeah, just Mam asking what time my flight lands tomorrow.” She sighed, setting her phone face down on the table. “I was doing my best to ignore it honestly. I love teaching, but I hate leaving Jared for two months.”
“Oh, El,” Mel murmured, wrapping an arm around her sister’s shoulders.
“It’ll be fine.” Ella mustered a brave smile, but I could see the tightness around her eyes, the flicker of doubt she couldn’t quite mask.
“You know,” Ceri said, her tone thoughtful. “My cousin’s been teaching English online for the past year. She says it’s been a total game changer, lets her travel and still do what she loves.”
Ella perked up, interest sparking in her gaze. “Really? I’ve never considered online teaching.”
Alys nodded, warming to the idea. “There are so many reputable programs out there now. You could teach from anywhere, even the road, as long as you have a decent WiFi connection.”
“And you’d still get those long holidays to spend back home with your family and your man,” Mel added with a wink. “Best of both worlds.”
“Huh.” A slow, hopeful smile spread across Ella’s face as she turned the idea over. “I’ll have to look into that. Could be a real solution for next year while you guys are working your way through Europe.” She bumped Ceri with her elbow. “You might have just changed my life.”
Ceri smiled. “That’s what I’m here for. Well, that and to make sure Alex gives me the divorce I’m owed.”
My gaze drifted to Lily, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the exchange. She was staring into her glass, a pensive look on her face, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
I tapped the table in front of her. “You okay, Lil? You seem miles away.”
“What?” Startled, her eyes snapped to mine, a rueful smile tugging at her lips. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Just… thinking.”
“About Rhys?” Mel asked, keeping her voice low and gentle.
She winced. “Am I that obvious?”
“Maybe we’re just exceptionally perceptive.” Ceri shrugged before throwing her a sympathetic smile. “Or maybe we know the look of a woman with a lot on her mind.”
Lily nodded, understanding flickering in her eyes. “The curse of dating musicians.”
She was silent for a long moment, worrying her lip between her teeth. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “Rhys and I only just got back together. I guess, hearing Ella, I can’t avoid thinking about what the distance will do to us.”
“He’s not joining the tour?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I offered, of course, but everything is still so new. I don’t think he’s ready to turn his life upside down for two years to follow me around the globe.” She grimaced. “He’s also in the middle of launching an app and hasn’t long quit his IT support job to focus on it full time. So I get it, I really do.”
But she missed him.
She didn’t need to say it. It was written in every tense line of her body.
“But we only just patched things up.” She chewed her lip, her gaze dropping to the table. “What if the stitches aren’t strong enough?”
“So what if they aren’t?” Ceri shrugged when Lily directed her shocked gaze at her. “Do you really think he stands a chance holding you off?”
Lily smirked. “I can be pretty stubborn when I want to be.”
Nia snorted. “You’re always stubborn, Lily.”
A laugh rippled around the table and I found myself joining in. Because yeah, we were a stubborn bunch, the lot of us. Guess you had to be, to make it in the music business.
“But serious, have you heard of this thing called FaceTime?” Nia asked, her tone gently teasing. “Trust me, with the right angles and strong WiFi, distance is nothing.”
Mel nodded. “Seriously. A well-timed sext can work wonders for keeping the spark alive.”
“Ugh!” Ella groaned, tossing a wadded up napkin at her head. “I did not need that mental image of my sister, thank you very much.”
Lily ducked her head, a watery chuckle escaping her lips. “You guys are ridiculous.”
“But we’re not wrong.” Alys waggled her brows suggestively.
“Okay, but real talk?” Ceri leaned forward, her expression softening into something more earnest. “You and Rhys, you’re the real deal. Anyone with eyes can see that. And yeah, it’s gonna be hard, being apart for so long. But you know what’s harder? Giving up on something beautiful because you’re afraid.”
Mia nodded, picking up the thread. “Relationships take work, whether you’re in the same room or on opposite sides of the world. But if you’re both willing to put in that work, to fight for what you have? Then distance is just a minor inconvenience.”
Lily stared at them, her expression gradually smoothing out. “You’re right,” she said at last, sitting up a little straighter, her smile wobbling but genuine. “We’ve been through too much to let a little thing like distance come between us now.”