Page 180 of Movers and Shakers

Juno nodded, giving me a sympathetic look as we walked to the car.

We drove silently until we returned to the house where Mom lounged on the couch.

“Hey,” she said with a smile. She didn’t seem worried, and I was glad she didn’t. Our roles had been reversed in the span of a day. “How was the practice?”

“Um, fine,” I lied. “So, you wanted to see LA?”

“I do.”

“Let me get the wig off, then we can go.”

I went to the bathroom, hoping that meticulously taking off my disguise would put my Lila worries away.

It didn’t.

Barry

There was a limo waiting at the airport. I blinked at the driver standing outside of it holding a sign that read,The Murray Family.

“Is that for us?” Max asked, gripping my shoulder.

“I guess Lila wanted to spoil us.” I was hoping to see her here, whether as Lila or Rose, but with two days left before the tour, I knew she was more than likely practicing.

We piled in, and as we rode through the busy streets, Max excitedly talked about every aspect of our trip.

I played it cool, but I counted down the seconds until I saw her again.

We were all staying in a nice hotel close to the event. Everywhere was packed for the first night of her concert. Even our hotel was clogged with other fans coming into town. This morning, she’d mentioned all of us staying at her mansion, but I turned her down, knowing that the members of this party would not take it well if I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Lila.

And Ruth had reiterated that I had a terrible poker face.

It was better for our story if we stayed somewhat apart. Lila paid an excessive amount for the hotel to get us all rooms, plus offered extra tickets for the hotel to giveaway.

“Wow,” Selena said. “This is . . . huge. And loud.”

“You can rest for a bit if you feel like you need to,” Tom said.

“I think I will. I want to enjoy the concert, not overdo it beforehand. Max, do you want to join me?”

“Yeah. I need some quiet time.”

“As do I,” Lynn added. “Will you kids be okay without me?”

“We’ll be fine,” Ruth said, her hand in Knox’s.

“I actually have to go too,” Knox said. “Work calls.”

“Boo.” Ruth groaned. “But I understand. Just stop before dark, okay?”

I hated to admit it, but the weight was off my shoulders at the fact that the only people with me knew who Rose was. There would be far less to worry about with just the three of us.

“So, what’s the plan? Rose is obviously here, right?”

“Yeah, she is. But she might be practicing. I’ll text her and see if she’s free.”

I pulled out my phone and scrolled to our text chain.

Barry: Are you busy?

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