Page 31 of Willow in the Wind

Aiden finished spreading the cream cheese, and they feasted. James asked Aiden plenty of questions about life on the road and was surprised at how articulate and poetic Aiden was.

“I found another version of myself out there,” Aiden admitted, “and I didn’t always like him.”

“What do you mean?” James asked.

“It’s not that I got too rowdy,” Aiden said. “I knew enough to keep myself in line. But I got despondent sometimes. I had to remind myself that I was chasing my dreams on tour. That it was all a part of the grand plan I’d always had for my future.”

“Achieving your dreams can be so difficult,” Taylor agreed. “You put everything into hitting this big goal. And then you get it, and it’s like, now what?”

James wasn’t sure he’d met such centered and focused young people before. He’d been a mess at their age.

“But we’re going back on tour in the fall,” Aiden said. “Thank goodness Taylor can come with us. She’s the best bassist we’ve ever had. And she keeps me in line on the road. She makes me go to bed on time.”

“But I’m taking online classes this time,” Taylor explained with a shrug. “I think it’s healthy to keep my mind alive when we’re on the road.”

Taylor took a bite of bagel and glanced around the room. But her face transformed a split-second later. She chewed, swallowed, and pointed at the desk. “Why do you have that book?”

James followed her finger to the turquoise-blueThe Athens Affair.His heart sank.

But Taylor was already on her feet. “I saw this on TikTok,” she explained. “But I didn’t think it was out till August! I already pre-ordered a copy.” She picked it up and held it out in front of her as though it were holy.

James cursed himself for not hiding the book in his desk drawer.

“I mean, I thought you only ever read music biographies,” Taylor joked.

“A friend gave it to me,” James said. His throat felt tight.

Taylor tilted her head. “Was it Kinsey?”

James’s cheeks were hot.

“It must have been her,” Taylor insisted. “It’s getting released through her publishing house.”

James raised his shoulders. “Yeah.”

Taylor gave him a look that seemed to ask,Is Kinsey why you came back?But she didn’t pry.

Instead, she said, “Have you read it yet?”

“Not yet. I’ve been working a lot,” he said, although this was a lie. He’d spent much time walking the streets and staring into space, fearing whatever was inside that book.

What would the book tell him about himself? What would it tell him about his past?

“I really want to read it,” Taylor said. “Could I borrow it?”

“She’s a fast reader,” Aiden said. “She can speed-read.”

I can’t let her read it. She’ll know it’s me immediately. She’ll put it together in a snap.

“I was going to start it today,” James lied.

Taylor flipped through the book happily. “It’s rare that a memoir gets so much buzz before it comes out. But her daughter posted a video of this writer—Stella Sutton—unboxing the books and talking about how it was her life’s dream to publish a novel. It was cute.”

James’s heart lurched.Daughter. Stella has a daughter.

He bit his tongue to keep from asking to see the video. He shouldn’t want to see it.

“Well, let me know when you finish it,” Taylor said. “I want to support women in the arts.”

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