Page 6

Bea stared at Jo, not squeezing back with her hands, not saying a word, and not blinking. Panic swelled in her chest, swirling around and moving into the pit of her belly and forming a vortex of bile. It was exactly what they’d wanted. But that didn’t mean Bea was ready for it. Slow steady steps to the top. That had always been her goal. She didn’t want to be a one-hit wonder and then die out quickly. She wanted a career that would last a lifetime.

“Bea?” Jo asked, a small tremble in her voice. “I promise. It’s going to be great. This is an amazing step forward.”

“Yeah, except you’ve only just told me.” Bea’s voice rushed out as she hurried to her suitcase and opened the lid. Beside hers, Jo’s suitcase lay open with clothes half hanging out and no organization to be seen. “I can’t go out there like this. I didn’t even bring any of our fancier outfits. How could you do this, Jo? We barely haveKick it in the Assready for a live performance, and yet it’s the third song in the set tonight.”

“What?” Jo tilted her head and furrowed her brows.

“Don’t you give me those puppy dog eyes. You knew I’d want to make sure tonight was perfect for this, and you haven’t given me nearly enough time to be prepared. We’re not ready for something like this.”

“You aren’t mad I convinced her to come?” Jo asked.

“Oh no.” Bea stopped searching through her clothes and looked up. “What did you tell Siena? Tell me you didn’t lie to the best agent in the business. The agent you know I want for us more than anyone else. Tell me you didn’t.”

The knock on the door gave Jo an easy out.

“They’re ready for you!” The voice called out before footsteps hurried away.

“This isn’t over,” Bea snapped, turning to Jo as she slapped her suitcase shut.

“It’s going to be fine. I promise.” Jo smiled with that hyperactive energy. Whatever chagrin had shown on her face as Bea ramped up for a lecture had disappeared in an instant.

Bea closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, she counted to ten before opening her eyes again and looking at Jo. Their eyes met, and while a fissure of anger lingered in Bea’s chest, she knew she would forgive Jo. She would correct whatever lie had gotten Siena here, even if it meant they wouldn’t be her client.

Because now she saw the energy that vibrated off of Jo for what it actually was. Jo was nervous and scared.

And now so was Bea.

But that no longer mattered. Despite her palms sweating and her heart racing in her chest, Jo was scared, and it was Bea’s job to make sure she wasn’t.

It had always been Bea’s job to protect her little sister. And she wouldn’t let her down tonight.

“You’re so lucky I love you. Even if I don’t like you very much right now,” Bea said but ended her words with a wink.

The wink was enough to shake whatever fear Jo felt as she squealed with happiness and wrapped her arms around Bea’s neck.

“But that love is conditional on you not squealing like that again and getting your ass out there before they cancel our set.”

Jo laughed and let Bea go.

Bea took several more deep breaths as she followed Jo from the room. Jo’s feet barely touched the ground. She bounced more than she walked as the excitement built the closer to the stage they got.

Bea’s own excitement was difficult to find, let alone pull to the surface.

She knew they were good. She knew they had worked their asses off to get this far, but they weren’t ready for Siena.

Bea wasn’t ready for this to be her make-or-break moment. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from racing down any more of the dark paths she knew her brain would take if she didn’t put a stop to it.

She was still angry at Jo, but she also understood why Jo did it.

If it were left up to Bea, she couldn’t honestly say she would ever feel ready for Siena. Bea wished she had the natural energy and confidence that poured out of Jo, but then again, who would be the one to reel them back?

At the steps to the stage, Jo turned back and looked at Bea.

Bea put on her best smile and gave Jo a thumbs up. The smile she received back was worth it. It would also be worth the tumultuous sensations in her stomach.

In the end, Bea should have known better than to let her panic and fear get the better of her, for even a moment. Because the moment she stepped on stage, the world disappeared and the music was all that mattered.

She forgot about Siena who might or might not actually show up. She forgot about her self-doubts and fears. She even forgot about the unknown lies Jo had told Siena to get her interested.