Page 183 of Blue Moon

“Luna, this is your last chance, you ungrateful little…” A pause. “Are you streaming this?”

Oh, so she’d finally noticed.

“Yes, I’m streaming.”

“You little bitch!” A series of bumps came from the other side of the door. “Let go of me, you stupid prick. No, I do not need professional help.”

“Well, folks, I’m gonna finish my breakfast. If you have a ticket to the show tonight, I look forward to seeing you, assuming I can get out of my apartment without being dragged off to rehab.” I leaned closer to the camera. “I’ll let you into a secret. All those other times I went to rehab? I wasn’t sick then either; it was just easier to go than to argue.”

Another thump on the door.

“Don’t worry, it’ll hold,” Ryder said, and I thought that was a nice touch.

“Amethyst…” Dr. Adamson started.

“Shut up! Luna’s my daughter, and I care very deeply about her, and I’m telling you she needs psychological help.”

“What I need is to pick up more dog treats for Rocky,” I told the camera, “but it doesn’t look as if that’s happening any time soon.”

Rocky is the best!

Luna, I called the police for you.

What’s happening with your cancelled shows? I bought a ticket.

This is wild!!!!!

I’m gonna call the cops too.

“The missed shows will be tagged onto the end of the run,” I told the person who’d asked. “The Nile Palace can’t accommodate the extra dates, so we’ll be at the Nebula instead. I actually have a meeting about that tomorrow to finalise the details, provided I’m not in a group therapy session or a meditation class.”

I answered several more questions, gave Rocky some screen time, and drank my coffee. Then Mom got arrested, which turned this into the second-best day of my life. The best day was obviously when Judge Morgan jailed her for contempt. Jubilee messaged a whole row of shocked emojis, and Kacie sent shocked emojis plus a smiley face, then asked if I wanted her to pick up doggy treats.

Rocky always deserved doggy treats.

Long story short, Kacie headed across the city to Bone Appetit, and I ended up naked again.

On second thought, this was the best day ever.

52

RYDER

The months in Vegas flew by. After the Hebert incident, the Serafini family had engaged Blackwood to perform a full security audit, so half of Ryder’s time had been taken up with that. They’d also tried to hire him as Luna’s bodyguard, but he’d declined and recommended Randall instead. She needed someone who wasn’t emotionally involved, and Ryder trusted Randall to do the job.

He’d also grown bored.

Not with Luna, but with work. He missed his team. He missed the challenge.

For the first two months post-Hebert, the guilt had eaten away at him. Guilt that she’d give up her career while he kept his. Luna had thrown herself back into the show, and she was receiving rave reviews. Stepping back from social media, posting once or twice a week instead of once or twice an hour, had taken a weight off her shoulders, and Ryder began to worry that she’d want to stay in Vegas long-term. Offers rolled in. Half of the hotels on the damn strip called to talk about a residency, but she turned them all down. Ditto for most of the brand endorsements. The only ads she did involved Rocky and dog treats, and she gave the money she earned from those to the shelter. Ryder had loved the old Luna, the fragile mess he’d met in San Gallicano, but he fucking adored the new Luna. Every day, she got stronger.

All along, she’d insisted that she was going to move to Richmond with him, that she knew what she wanted, but he’d still had his doubts. She had the world at her feet. What more could he offer? Then a month ago, in the quiet moments, he noticed the tiredness that began to creep in around the edges. A stiffness in her movements when it was just the two of them. They’d talked.

“I know my limits,” she said. “It’s just that in the past, I was never able to respect them. No matter how tired I felt, I wasn’t allowed to show it. When we get to Richmond, I’m gonna sleep for a week straight.”

So that was Luna in month four. Upbeat but weary. She sang to herself as she began packing for the move, as she googled “things to do in Virginia” and texted back and forth with Caro. The lawyers were still fighting for music royalties, and they were confident of wrestling at least part of Stargirl away from Amethyst, but Luna said she didn’t much care. She had the bulk of her savings back, now carefully invested by Caro, and all she wanted was a fresh start. And one of those couches that reclined. And a lifetime supply of cookie dough ice cream.

Ryder watched her as she slept. Sometimes, she curled up against his side and used his chest as a pillow, and other times, she spread out like a starfish. Today was a starfish day. Luna flopped an arm across his face and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “Candy Kittens.” A British fan had mailed Luna a package of the cat-shaped candies, and now she couldn’t get enough of them. Ryder had managed to find them for sale at Walmart, but at four times the price of their UK counterparts, so he’d persuaded Emmy to bring back a case when she visited London. Now Emmy was also obsessed with Candy Kittens.

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