Alice waited patiently in the trendy coffee shop, sipping a cappuccino and biding her time. Right on schedule, she watched as a stretch Hummer pulled into the private parking garage of the luxury hotel across the street.

Rex was a creature of habit, and there were certain demands that had to be met prior to his agreement to do any show. One of them was that a stretch Hummer had to take him to the venue. In that custom limo, she knew, would be a bottle of Lagavulin, lambskin seat covers, and a minimum of two, preferably three, busty, willing females who had signed an NDA.

The familiar pang shot through her chest at the thought of Rex with other women, but she had become so accustomed to it over the years that it barely registered anymore. He was a big rock star, and he embraced the rock and roll lifestyle with the same passion he poured into his music. Everything was voluntary and consensual, and Rex always made sure each encounter was a one-time, no-strings deal. He didn’t do relationships, and he didn’t do repeats.

When sufficient time had passed, Alice got up, gathered her things, and took a slow walk across the street.

“Pst.”

The soft hiss drew Alice’s attention to a cluster of indoor palm trees surrounding a tranquility fountain and the toothy grin of her favorite teenager.

“What are you doing down here?” Alice admonished softly as they exchanged a warm hug. “Where is your security?”

“With Dad or watching the tour bus,” Carly said.

Alice frowned. She had always made sure that some security was left behind at the room. Crazy fans would, and sometimes did, go to extraordinary lengths to get something belonging to their favorite celebrities, including posing as hotel staff to get into the room. Since Carly rarely attended her father’s live performances, she was usually in the suite.

“You shouldn’t be up there alone.”

Carly shrugged then hooked her arm in Alice’s. “You’re the only one who cares.”

The matter-of-fact way she had said that made Alice’s heart ache.

“Your dad cares, Carly. He’s just ...”

“Full of himself? More concerned with his vintage guitars than his daughter? Sorry he didn’t pull out?”

“Carly!”

The teenager grinned, but her eyes remained sad. “Hey, it’s true. I know it, and you know it, too.”

The ache in her chest increased, because there was some truth in Carly’s words.

“Besides, work crews are up there repairing all the damage after Dad’s pre-performance temper tantrum. Hey, it’s okay,” Carly told her, seeing the concern that had to be clearly etched on her face. “It is what it is. I’ll be a legal adult in a few years. Until then, I’ll just have to make do with five-star hotels, international travel, and all the material affection my father can buy.”

“You are far too jaded for your age.”

Carly laughed. “That’s rock and roll for you. So, what are we doing today?”

“How do you know I came for you?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Please. Like you’d be in town and not sneak in to see me. Give me some credit, will you?”

“Excellent point,” Alice conceded with a grin. “Well, I was thinking that there’s a huge amusement park with epic thrill rides about thirty miles away, but I don’t know if that’s cool enough for a seasoned, hardcore rock chick like yourself.”

“Are you kidding? That sounds awesome! And we’re totally eating junk food all day. Corn dogs, burritos, ice cream—”

“What about the dangers of chemical additives?”

“Pft. I’m not human. What do I care?”

“Ugh,” Alice mock-moaned, grabbing her stomach. “Okay, but only after we’re done riding everything.”

“Deal.”

The afternoon passed in a blur of screams and laughter. Alice had scored VIP passes for them so they never had to wait more than a few minutes in any line and got to ride all the good stuff at least twice. They stuffed themselves on bad food and had a wonderful time.

Alice was glad she could give Carly a day of normal in her otherwise insane world. It was so nice to see her smile and hear her laugh. She had missed her so much, more than she had even imagined. The daily FaceTime helped, but it wasn’t the same.

The sun was long past the horizon when they finally left the park. Neither one of them was anxious to see the day end.

They sat up on a quiet hilltop, enjoying ice cream while looking out over the lights of the city below. To the left, they could see the massive Ferris wheel of the park they had just left. Far off to the right was over-the-top pyrotechnics and lasers from the venue as the Animals of Rock continued well into the night.

“I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun,” Alice told her.

“Me, either,” Carly agreed.

As the evening had progressed, the teen had become less animated, more thoughtful. Alice guessed Carly was thinking the same thing she was—that their time together was quickly drawing to a close.

“When will I get to see you again?” Carly asked.

“I don’t know,” Alice answered honestly. She had already checked the schedule, and the two big names weren’t going to cross paths anytime soon.

“Do you miss him?”

Alice knew what Carly was asking. Under that scowling, indifferent, teenage persona Carly wore like a second skin was a very intelligent, astute young woman. She would pick up an outright lie right away. So, Alice didn’t lie.

“I miss you.”

They were quiet for a little while, then Carly asked, “Are you going to get in trouble?”

“For what?”

“For taking the day off to spend with me.”

Again, Alice understood where Carly was coming from. Rex had always required her to be within shouting distance, especially on concert days, to ensure that everything ran smoothly. Even when he was performing, he expected her to be backstage, ready and waiting to do his bidding.

“No. Johnny’s got it all under control. He’s pretty self-sufficient, actually. He told me to have fun.”

Carly’s eyes widened. “He sounds pretty cool.”

“He is,” Alice agreed. “Johnny is kind and thoughtful. Very smart. Generous to a fault.”

“You really like him.”

“Yeah.”

Alice knew that by not going into more detail, she might be giving Carly an inaccurate portrayal of her and Johnny’s relationship. That might be for the best, though.

More silence.

Carly stared out at the fireworks shooting from the venue, part of the big finale. “You know, I always kind of hoped that you and my dad ...” She broke off, cleared her throat, then continued, “Silly, I know.”

“It’s not silly.” Alice had secretly wished for the same thing, so many times. That one day, Rex would open his eyes and see past all the glitz and glamor and worshipping fans, and recognize that he had a daughter and a woman who really cared for him and would be there long after the curtains closed and the screaming stopped. Unfortunately, life wasn’t based on wishes.

“Everything happens for a reason, and no matter what, I will always be here for you. If you need me, you call me ... anytime, anywhere, and I’ll be there. Got me?”

Carly sniffled and nodded. Then she gifted Alice with one of her incredible, warming hugs.

“Now, come on; I’ve got to get you back before someone notices your Houdini act.”

“No one will,” Carly murmured quietly.

The sad thing was, she was probably right. It didn’t appear that the situation had gotten any better since Alice had left.

The ride back to the hotel was a quiet, somber one.

“It’s going to be okay, kiddo,” Alice told her with a final hug.

“Yeah, I know.”

Alice watched Carly get safely into the elevator, chuckling when she saw the attendant’s wide-eyed, terrified expression when he realized who she was. Clearly, Carly wouldn’t have to worry about him telling on her for sneaking out. Rex Løve had been known to maim a few messengers who had brought him unwelcomed news.

Alice waited in her car until she received the text a few minutes later from Carly, saying that she was safely in her suite. She drove back to her hotel, where she immediately took a hot shower and changed into her pajamas. Then she flipped on the television to catch the end of the late news.

No sooner had she settled into bed than a soft knock sounded on her door. “You decent?”

She smiled at the familiar greeting. “No, but I am dressed. Come on in, Johnny.”

He looked freshly showered, too, and good enough to eat with a pair of black silk, Japanese style pants slung low on his lean hips. She could probably make decent bank snapping a picture of him and selling it to the highest bidder. Candids of the enigmatic, reclusive rock star were rare.

With the grace of his kind, he leaped onto her bed and settled atop the covers beside her. “So, did you have a good day?”

“The best,” she told him. “Thanks for letting me do that. Today must have been crazy.”

He shrugged elegantly. “You left nothing to chance. All I had to do was show up.”

“Surely something unexpected must have happened. It always does.”

“Nature of the beast.”

On the screen, a news reporter was broadcasting live from the concert. Crowds of hyped-up fans were cheering in the background.

Alice turned up the volume to hear what she was saying.

“A record crowd here tonight at the Animals of Rock Tour. The musical performances might be over, but here in front of Rex Løve’s tour bus, things show no sign of slowing down anytime soon.”

The camera panned up to show Rex on top of the tour bus, guitar in one hand, bottle in the other, while being swarmed by adoring female fans climbing on top of one another to reach him. Much of the scene was blurred out, due to the rampant nudity of not just the fans, but of Rex as well.

Johnny reached over, took the remote out of her hand, and changed the channel, settling on a Lord of the Rings marathon, one of his favorites.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” she said, summoning a weak smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Johnny put his arm around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder.

“Why couldn’t I have fallen in love with you?”

He chuckled softly and kissed her forehead. “Because that would be way, way too easy.”