standing there staring at her. I lifted a finger in her direction and mouthed the words, “For you.”
The spell holding us finally broke. Val turned her head away from me and discreetly dabbed a tissue to her eyes. She was crying. I’d made her cry. That had to be a good thing. Right? Or was it bad?
I moved exactly one step toward her and then Connie was there, hugging me and complimenting the song. My brain went to autopilot, unable to think of anything but Val, until I heard a roar of applause. I shook myself from my daze. Connie was thanking me for something. What had I just agreed to?
A signing. All of the audience members had received a copy of my new album, and I’d just agreed to stay and sign them. No, no, no! Val would be long gone before I was finished. That was unacceptable.
I held the microphone up to my face so that I’d be good and heard by everyone in the room as I answered her. “Sure, Connie. I’d be happy to stay behind for a while and sign a few CDs…as long as Virgin Val agrees to stay with me.” I flashed the women in the audience my best smile. “I haven’t seen her in four years. I can’t give her the chance to sneak away from me too quickly.”
This got the reaction I was hoping for, the reaction I knew it would get. No matter what, when it came to Val and me, the fans would always be on my side.
I waited out the screams and then turned my grin on Val. She was across the room, introducing her birth mom to her parents, and whirled around at the sound of her name. The incredulous look on her face made me burst into laughter. Just like old times.
“What do you say, Val?” I taunted. “Want to do the Virgin and the Rock Star thing with me again?” Time to bring out the irresistible sexy pout. “Just this once? For old times’ sake?” I turned my puppy dog face on the audience and said, “It’d really make you guys happy, wouldn’t it?”
Everyone in the audience went crazy again. Val had no choice but to throw her hands in the air. Groaning, she said, “All right, you win. I’ll stay.”
“Excellent.” I grinned at her so big she laughed.
“But just this once!” she warned.
Not if I had anything to do with it. “Of course just this once. I swear.”
As I crossed my heart for Val, I shook my head “no” at the audience, making them all laugh and cheer again. Oh, yeah. I definitely missed this.
Val asked for a ten-minute break before the signing, so I used the time to say good-bye to my bandmates—all of whom wished me luck while making endless fun of me—and use the restroom. On my way back into the main studio, I stopped by the guest lounge for a bottle of water and some snacks that would get me through the next hour. I’d been too nervous and excited before the show to eat anything, but now that crafty table was practically luring me in like a siren’s song. It’s never a good idea to interact with fans on an empty stomach, or with Val, for that matter. Actually, it’s never a good idea to have an empty stomach in general.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my quest for food forgotten when I entered the guest lounge and saw Val. She was standing there alone in the dark, leaning against one of the couches. Her back was to me and she was distracted enough that she didn’t hear me come in the room. I opened my mouth to say something flippant about her trying to get me alone when she sucked in a big breath and her entire body started shaking. I realized she wasn’t leaning against the couch, but gripping it as if it were the only thing keeping her on her feet at the moment.
I’d never seen Val so upset before. I’d flustered her on a regular basis back in the day. I’d always pushed her to her limits on purpose, trying to get her strong façade to crack, and she never once had. She was the strongest person I’d ever met. It said something about her emotional state of mind that she’d asked for a few moments to collect herself before having to do the signing
The spell holding us finally broke. Val turned her head away from me and discreetly dabbed a tissue to her eyes. She was crying. I’d made her cry. That had to be a good thing. Right? Or was it bad?
I moved exactly one step toward her and then Connie was there, hugging me and complimenting the song. My brain went to autopilot, unable to think of anything but Val, until I heard a roar of applause. I shook myself from my daze. Connie was thanking me for something. What had I just agreed to?
A signing. All of the audience members had received a copy of my new album, and I’d just agreed to stay and sign them. No, no, no! Val would be long gone before I was finished. That was unacceptable.
I held the microphone up to my face so that I’d be good and heard by everyone in the room as I answered her. “Sure, Connie. I’d be happy to stay behind for a while and sign a few CDs…as long as Virgin Val agrees to stay with me.” I flashed the women in the audience my best smile. “I haven’t seen her in four years. I can’t give her the chance to sneak away from me too quickly.”
This got the reaction I was hoping for, the reaction I knew it would get. No matter what, when it came to Val and me, the fans would always be on my side.
I waited out the screams and then turned my grin on Val. She was across the room, introducing her birth mom to her parents, and whirled around at the sound of her name. The incredulous look on her face made me burst into laughter. Just like old times.
“What do you say, Val?” I taunted. “Want to do the Virgin and the Rock Star thing with me again?” Time to bring out the irresistible sexy pout. “Just this once? For old times’ sake?” I turned my puppy dog face on the audience and said, “It’d really make you guys happy, wouldn’t it?”
Everyone in the audience went crazy again. Val had no choice but to throw her hands in the air. Groaning, she said, “All right, you win. I’ll stay.”
“Excellent.” I grinned at her so big she laughed.
“But just this once!” she warned.
Not if I had anything to do with it. “Of course just this once. I swear.”
As I crossed my heart for Val, I shook my head “no” at the audience, making them all laugh and cheer again. Oh, yeah. I definitely missed this.
Val asked for a ten-minute break before the signing, so I used the time to say good-bye to my bandmates—all of whom wished me luck while making endless fun of me—and use the restroom. On my way back into the main studio, I stopped by the guest lounge for a bottle of water and some snacks that would get me through the next hour. I’d been too nervous and excited before the show to eat anything, but now that crafty table was practically luring me in like a siren’s song. It’s never a good idea to interact with fans on an empty stomach, or with Val, for that matter. Actually, it’s never a good idea to have an empty stomach in general.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my quest for food forgotten when I entered the guest lounge and saw Val. She was standing there alone in the dark, leaning against one of the couches. Her back was to me and she was distracted enough that she didn’t hear me come in the room. I opened my mouth to say something flippant about her trying to get me alone when she sucked in a big breath and her entire body started shaking. I realized she wasn’t leaning against the couch, but gripping it as if it were the only thing keeping her on her feet at the moment.
I’d never seen Val so upset before. I’d flustered her on a regular basis back in the day. I’d always pushed her to her limits on purpose, trying to get her strong façade to crack, and she never once had. She was the strongest person I’d ever met. It said something about her emotional state of mind that she’d asked for a few moments to collect herself before having to do the signing
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