Hold Me

She knew what happened when she opened her mouth. The connection was instantly clear. There was no hiding who she was and where she’d come from.

The comparisons were inevitable—and she was fine with that. Once people knew about her family, they saw the similarities in appearance, heard familiar elements in her voice. What she couldn’t get past was that she’d done it to herself. She could say she’d been compelled by a force she didn’t understand but the truth was she’d walked onstage with her own two feet. She’d opened her mouth, and she’d chosen to sing. While she planned to have it out with Miles later, in the end, the choice had been hers.

What she didn’t know was why she’d done it. Sure, she’d sung in public before. When she’d been little. But as an adult, she avoided the limelight. Miles only knew she could sing because he’d heard her one time when the hotel window had been open, and she hadn’t known he was in the room right next door. He’d questioned her until she’d admitted who she was. Since then he’d refused to let the information go. He loved bringing it up at the worst possible time. And encouraging her to perform.

Until last night, she’d always refused. So what had been different?

There was no way she was going to get her question answered, she thought. So she sucked in a breath for courage and walked into Jo’s.

Several of her friends were already waiting at a table. Madeline was there, along with Bailey. She recognized Isabel, Madeline’s business partner, and Taryn, the tall, dark-haired woman who ran the PR firm, Score. Shelby waved from the other side of the table.

“Hi, everyone,” Destiny said as she sat down in the empty chair between Madeline and Dellina. They all greeted her normally with no mention of the previous night. A few of them hadn’t been there, so she wondered if word hadn’t spread. She hoped that was true, but didn’t think she was that lucky.

Bailey, from the mayor’s office, leaned forward. “Dellina, you have to help me plan my wedding. I honestly can’t decide what to do, and Kenny’s getting impatient.”

“What’s the problem?” Dellina asked.

Madeline leaned toward Destiny. “Dellina’s our local party planner. If you need a wedding put together, she’s your girl. She can do nearly anything in almost no time.”

Dellina laughed. “I heard that, and please don’t oversell me. I’m not a miracle worker.” She turned back to Bailey. “The first question is what kind of wedding you want. Big or small? Formal or informal?”

“I don’t know,” Bailey admitted.

“That was my problem, too,” Taryn said. “I secretly wanted the big dress, big wedding, but I’d been married before and wasn’t sure.”

“And I didn’t want any hassle,” Dellina said cheerfully. “So we eloped. There are lots of options.”

They were a marriage-and family-friendly town, Destiny thought, realizing that nearly every woman at the table was married or engaged. In fact, Madeline and Shelby were the only other single people there. Taryn was pregnant, Isabel was part of a get-pregnant bet she might or might not know about and the rest of them had kids.

It was all so normal, she thought wistfully, thinking how when she was a kid, normal sounded like heaven. While other people dreamed of fame and fortune, she’d imagined living on an ordinary street where the rhythm of life was dictated by the changing of the seasons or school calendar and not a record dropping or a tour schedule.

“I guess Kenny and I need to have a talk,” Bailey said. “Chloe wants to be a bridesmaid for sure, so eloping isn’t an option.”

Patience Garrett raced into Jo’s and hurried over to their table. She claimed the last empty seat. “Sorry,” she said. “I was talking to Zane Nicholson.”

Isabel and Madeline sighed while the rest of them just looked confused. Well, not Bailey, who shook her head.

“You are all totally insane,” Bailey said. “You get that, right?”

“I don’t care,” Isabel said dreamily. “Zane is amazing.”

“He’s just a guy,” Bailey corrected. “He puts on his pants one leg at a time.”

“Which means sometimes he takes them off,” Patience said, then giggled.

Bailey rolled her eyes. “Ignore them,” she told the rest of the group. “They’re acting like five-year-olds.”

“We’re acting like sixteen-year-olds,” Isabel corrected. “There’s a difference. And it’s just silliness. Zane Nicholson grew up here. He has a ranch about twenty miles away. He’s very hunky. Taciturn. Manly.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “Is it hot in here, or is it me?”

“You’re married,” Destiny said, before she could stop herself, knowing the talk about the mysterious Zane was simply done in good fun, but still finding it strange.

“I know.” Isabel didn’t sound the least bit repentant. “I love Ford with every fiber of my being. Zane was a high school crush. It’s just fun to remember what it was like back then.”

“He’s no Jonny Blaze,” Shelby said with a grin.

Madeline laughed. “You’re right. My eternal love for Zane is overshadowed by my movie star crush on Jonny Blaze. I think that makes me kind of slutty.”

Jo appeared to take their orders. No one discussed getting margaritas today, and Destiny was grateful. She planned to avoid alcohol for a very long time.