“He’s one of the biggest rock stars out there right now. He’s in commercials and has had movie parts already. Everyone is curious about him. How do you think this will stay private?” Nora demanded. “Don’t go destroying this thing before it’s even truly started.”

  “You and I both know if the gossip sites get hold of this it’ll inevitably be twisted into me using him to get this gig for our band.” Harlow could deal with most criticism, but the way women in the industry were so often accused of fucking someone to get ahead really pushed her buttons.

  She worked hard to be successful. Gave up a lot. Invested time and energy and every spare penny to make this career happen. That anyone questioned that because she was considered pretty was a thing she absolutely dreaded. It always seemed to be the voice she heard, even though it was rarer than other voices that lifted her up and saw her talent.

  “It’s ridiculous that no one would think he was blowing me to get ahead.”

  “To be fair, he’s way more famous than we are. But I get it. And I know you enough to know you’ll let this get to you. So please, give yourself a break. Have fun and remember who the fuck you are, Harlow.”

  “Your soulmate?” she teased as there was a knock on the door.

  “Obviously!” Nora tossed back as Harlow checked the peep hole to see who was knocking.

  It was Miles.

  “Hi there,” Harlow said as she opened up.

  “I just wanted to let you know we’ll meet you here in the elevator lobby at four to head over to the venue,” Miles told her.

  “Oh, we leave about ten minutes before that. But I’ll see you there.”

  “Ride with us. Makes no sense to waste gas and time, and your per diem on a ride when you can just come along when we do. We leave at four and get there in plenty of time. And we can ride back together.”

  “Sometimes we will. Other times we will come back on our own for one reason or another. Same with getting to the arena. There are days when we have media and will make our own way there,” she found herself saying, realizing that she had to set boundaries with this one.

  He frowned and she was reminded of Ryder, her baby sister, when she got told no. Like she was astonished anyone would ever actually refuse something she’d asked for.

  At her back, Harlow could hear Nora’s barely smothered snicker and it lightened her heart.

  “Have you had lunch yet?” he asked.

  “Um, we just got here half an hour ago. No chance yet.”

  “Want to come get something to eat with me?” he asked.

  A thousand reasons to say no. A hundred more to say yes but to have Nora along. Or anyone else so it wouldn’t just be the two of them.

  “Sure,” she said. “But you’re going to get recognized. Maybe we can do take out? I’ll go in to grab it and we can bring it back here to eat?”

  “There’s a food truck place. Go there,” Nora called out. “Bring me and Brian back something good. You know what we like.”

  “You both can come with,” Harlow said, turning to Nora.

  “You can be gone for a while. You know, enough of a while so Brian and I can catch up.”

  “Okay. Put the do not disturb thing out until you’re um, done catching up so I don’t walk in on my parents doing it.”

  Nora giggled. “Deal.”

  Brian came out of the bathroom and looked back and forth between Harlow and Nora. “I don’t want to know, do I?” he asked.

  Miles grabbed her hand and tugged. “Nope you don’t. Enjoy your catching up,” he called out. “Get your things,” he said to Harlow, who paused to give him a look. “Please,” he added.

  “See you two later. Open the window or something when you’re done,” Harlow called out after gathering her purse and allowing Miles to tug her from the room where she hung the do not disturb sign herself.

  She came to a halt as she saw the car with a driver already waiting.

  “This way we can eat and someone else drives,” Miles said. “And I get recognized when I drive. It causes more attention than having a driver. I know it’s weird. Do you think it’s weird?”

  It must be hard to be so recognizable, Harlow thought. That loss of the ability to do even the most basic stuff without causing a scene would hurt. And maybe it made other people think about him differently. She sure as hell got that second guessing everything she did and wondering if that made her look a certain way even though her intention wasn’t that perception.

  “I don’t think it’s weird,” she told him as he held her door so she could slide into the back seat first. “You have a strikingly handsome face. Even if you weren’t a celebrity people would look twice. It’s harder to be Miles the average guy when you look like you do.”

  He settled beside her, closer than he needed to be, but she had no real complaints.

  “I’m going to look up what trucks are there so we can know in advance what we want. That will keep the process shorter,” she mumbled as she began to search on her phone.

  Forty-five minutes later they were seated at a picnic table at a nearly abandoned park that stretched out next to the river.

  “You’re an internet research master,” he told her as he dipped his burger into a container of blue cheese dressing.

  “Ha. What I am, is someone who just spent nearly three months in a van driving across the country for our tour. These food truck lots are the best, and we ate at them as often as we could. Great variety, usually local vendors, cheaper than restaurants and way more mobile. And to keep the van from smelling like onion rings, we tried to find little parks here and there, so we got our vitamin D and some fresh air and a break from driving.”

  “I think this is a great idea. Fresno is next. Be my lunch date again?” he asked.

  “Let’s see how this one goes first. What if I’m terrible and you find out and then you’re stuck eating a burrito with me?”

  He laughed. “Goddamn, I really fucking like you, Harlow Martin.”

  Pleased, she smiled at him before going back to her cold noodle salad. “I’m very likeable. I guess I like you okay too,” she teased with a wink.

  “You’ll turn my head with such effusive words of praise.”

  He was really smart and funny. Sexy as fuck and magic on stage. A combo that left her weak in the knees.

  “What are you listening to right now and don’t say Above Me,” she said.

  “Why not? I like your music.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear. But this is Harlow and Miles getting to know one another, right? I’ll go first. I’m listening to Wolf Alice and Earth, Wind & Fire. I think it’s impossible to be in a bad mood while listening to Earth, Wind & Fire.”

  “It is Miles and Harlow getting to know one another, yes. Totally agree about Earth, Wind & Fire. I’m on a Who kick lately so I’m on “Quadrophenia” just now.”

  They finished up their lunch and headed back to the car for their return to the hotel. As they drove under the building to a rear entrance, Miles took her hand and squeezed it. “Thanks for coming with me today. You’re really okay with riding to and from the venue with us? It’s a sincere offer and I want you to, but I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything.”

  “It’s a very nice offer and I appreciate it.”

  Miles noted the slight pause but when she didn’t say anything else, he waited until they were standing in a back service elevator lobby. “There was a but just now.”

  “What?”

  Her confusion delighted him for some reason, and he leaned forward quickly to brush his lips over hers. “Sorry. When you said you appreciated the offer of the ride. There as a slight pause. An unspoken but. Tell me.”

  “I just have to be aware of what people do or don’t do for me or around me. And whatever perceptions or assumptions come from that.”

  “Say that again but like I’m not bright,” he asked.

  “When women achieve things like, say, opening spots on arena tours, many people are happy and celebrate that. There are people who lift other women and their successes up. But there are people who watch for any excuse, any reason to assume she didn’t earn it like someone else –usually a man—would have. Those people see me taking rides and letting you kiss me as me fucking my way to where I am.”

  In her tone he knew she was speaking from experience. He wasn’t ignorant of the double standard in the industry on so many levels.

  “Fair enough,” he said. “I won’t remind you that Above Me is already plenty successful before now because that’s a fact. As for the rest. Plenty of bands share stuff like transport to the venue. It’s not unusual really. Sure, there are plenty that don’t, but it’s not going to raise eyebrows. We won’t make a big deal of it.” He paused and took a gamble. “I like being around you.”

  “And what if you don’t in a week?”

  “You’re already writing fuck you break up songs about me and I haven’t even used my tongue when I kissed you yet. That hardly seems fair.”

  The tension she was holding in her body relaxed and she laughed a little as she got onto the elevator with him.

  “You and I click,” he said quietly. “We liked each other before this,” he waved a hand back and forth between them, “so I think in a week I’ll still want to spend the hours and hours of transport time with you.”

  They reached her floor, and she got off, taking the bags with Nora and Brian’s food with her. “See you at four.”

  Yes, she most definitely would be seeing him at four. And if he broke her heart, she would most definitely use that to write a fuck you break up song.

  Harlow made him laugh. She treated him like a person instead of a celebrity. There was something so confidently self-assured about her but here and there he’d catch a glimpse of a more vulnerable Harlow. That Harlow who’d just shared that bit about perception? Genuine interactions like that outside his very close circle were rare and he wanted more of that Harlow even as he craved the badass version. Wanted her to trust him even more than he wanted to kiss her again.

  That’s what made him pause a little as he headed up to his room. This wasn’t just physical attraction. He kept finding new things about her to be fascinated by. She made him greedy for more in a way that felt different than anyone else.

  There was a vein of worry, some terror even, that this path he sped on toward the heart of Harlow Martin could end up in a terrible mess. But by the time he got inside his room and flipped the latch, he knew he wasn’t going to shy away from this thing building between them. It just felt right in ways he couldn’t really articulate at that point. Every time he’d ignored his gut feeling about something it had bitten him in the ass.

  At the very least, there’d be songs written one way or the other. And what he hoped, even if a romance fizzled, they’d have a deep friendship by tour’s end.

  CHAPTER

  FIVE

  Though Harlow wasn’t as disciplined and fit as Nora, who took her yoga very seriously, she loved the way it was her wake up ritual on tour. Loved the way it helped her focus on her body and mind for that time she was able to carve into the day. It was easy enough to do anywhere she could put a mat down and since she hated most other types of exercise but needed the strength and endurance to tour, yoga had become a regular thing.

  In Salt Lake City, they stepped off the elevator on the lobby level because Harlow wanted to refill her water bottle and bumped into Maddie and Poppy.

  “Hi! What are you two up to?” Poppy asked.

  “There’s an intermediate yoga class downstairs. Hotel says it’s for all guests, so we figured we’d hit it up and see,” Harlow told them.

  “Really? Do you mind if we come too?” Maddie asked. “Poppy and I were just talking about how we needed to do something. We’ve got mats already.”

  “We’d love for you to come with us. It doesn’t start for another ten minutes. We’ll meet you there and save you space,” Nora said.

  Harlow really liked both women. She and Nora had a lot in common with them. They were down to earth, especially given their place in the world.

  Harlow also liked it that while Poppy was super yoga person like Nora, Maddie was more her speed. Stretching, muscle strength, focus and a way to keep moving, was all she’d wanted too.

  Afterward, they all grabbed breakfast in a café not too far from the hotel.

  “How are you liking everything so far?” Poppy asked once the food had arrived.

  “The crowd has been great every night. The sound is fantastic, and our engineer is over the moon,” Harlow began.

  “And we just got news that we’ve got two singles charting now,” Nora added. “Being out on the road is a lot at times, but the exposure is helping so we can’t complain at all.”

  “Socially everything is fine?” Maddie asked.

  “What do you mean?” Harlow wasn’t sure.

  “She means is everyone being nice and making you feel welcome,” Poppy explained.

  “Ah! Yes. It’s fun being on tour with another band. More people to chat and hang out with. Usually.” There were exceptions, Harlow knew.

  “We’ve all traveled with that band,” Maddie said with a snicker. “Thank goodness you’re not like that. We love you and are so glad you’re here.”

  “Definitely,” Poppy said. “By the way, after the show tonight, we’re all invited to a late dinner if you’re interested. Which I hope you are because otherwise it’ll be a bunch of dude rockers who Miles and Silas have been friends with since I was a kid. They’re nice, don’t get me wrong. But I’d like it if you were there.”

  “Miles would too,” Maddie murmured.

  Nora’s brows lifted and before Harlow could stop her friend, she said, “Yeah. I’ve noticed. What’s that about?”

  Harlow sighed.

  “What? Like you think they aren’t curious?”

  “Is it so shocking he’d be interested in my company?”

  Nora halted. “It’s not shocking. Look at yourself! He’s lucky you look right back at him. Curious doesn’t mean shocked. You know I’m always team Harlow.”

  Harlow put her head on Nora’s shoulder a moment. “You’re right. Sorry.”

  Nora knew all her buttons and triggers. She also knew all the work Harlow had done to overcome them. She was so very lucky to have Nora in her life.

  “I know what Nora means,” Poppy said. “I am curious. And I know Maddie is too. Obviously, you’re someone he’d look twice at. But that’s not really it. He’s around beautiful people all the time. She’s more than that. And I think Miles sees it and can’t help but be interested. He’s not…he doesn’t usually do more than flirt with people around him as he’s working. This is different.”

  “It’s only been a week. I’m…interested too. But this is dangerous. We’re on a tour together. He’s the leader of the headlining band we open for. I just don’t want the negative attention. The whole assumption by some that nothing is organic and real, but a way to manipulate via my vagina so I can get what I want is hard for me to not listen to,” Harlow admitted.

  “Yeah, that sweet, sweet next to nothing pay for opening on an arena tour,” Maddie teased with an open smile that Harlow was grateful for. “The first year I was in Earthquakes there were all sorts of opinions that I must be boning Miles or Silas. Then it was that I was chosen because of who my dad is. Who my uncles are. It never fucking ends.”

  Maddie’s voice was magic. She was quite clearly talented, and it burned Harlow’s gut to know that sort of bullshit happened to women no matter what.

  “Well that sucks,” Nora said.

  “My mother is a former model. She’s tall and blonde and absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous. She’s also a smart businessperson with a thriving chain of boutiques. She ran two of them before she even got back together with my dad. And still people liked to say she was coasting on the Hurley name. It’s depressing to know it’s never about who the woman is or what she does. It’s always about the person who brings that nonsense up to attempt to destabilize her. All women really. Because they hate to see us succeed, Harlow. Fuck them. I succeed! Not gonna lie and deny part of my success is from sheer spite.”

  “I really like you, Madelyn Hurley. You’re very smart.” Harlow winked. “I’m glad we bumped into you both this morning.”

  “We are too,” Poppy said. “Look, Miles is going to do what he wants to do. There’s no way to manipulate him anyway. Trust me, I’m his little sister and I’ve tried! He’s um.”

  “Bossy,” Maddie interjected. “He’s bossy and used to being in charge and, to be honest, he usually takes that and protects people.”

  “I did notice he seemed unfamiliar with being refused,” Harlow said with a snort.

  “He was really shy until he hit like seventeen or so. Then, I don’t know, he just leaned into himself. If he pushes too hard, you have to just flat out say you’re not interested. He’ll back off then. Otherwise? He’s going to be in your business trying to take care of you. Which is nice but also annoying,” Poppy told them. “Our dad is the same. He’s a caretaker.”

  “Thank you for the insight.” Harlow was grateful to hear from others that her initial impressions of Miles were correct. She didn’t get womanizer vibes from him, and after the last dude she dated, her womanizer radar was finely honed. But it was good to have her own intuition underlined.

  “We’ll definitely be at the dinner,” Nora added. “We rarely turn down offers of food.”

  They headed back to the rooms shortly after that because Maddie and the others were off to do media before that night’s show.

  “Let’s go ahead and pick you out a super cute outfit. We’ll bring it to the venue and you can change after our set.” Nora bustled into the room and began to rustle through Harlow’s clothes.

  “Do you think I should back off?” Harlow asked, knowing Nora would tell her the truth.

  “Do you?” her friend countered.

  Harlow snarled a little. “If we have this chemistry now, we will in a few months, right?”