Page 65 of Moonlit Hideaway
Emma picked it up quickly, her natural talent shining, and before long, she was humming along to the tune and making up her own lyrics.
“You’re a natural,” Sierra said as they strummed the last chord.
“I want to be just like you.” Emma’s blue eyes sparkled. “A famous pop star, traveling the world, going to all those awesome parties.”
She pulled up videos on her phone of Sierra at high-profile events in exotic locations.
“You know, it’s not all glitz and glamour,” she cautioned, but Emma’s starry eyes were fixed on the screen. “Promise me you’lltake me traveling with you. Please? I’m dying to get off this boring island.”
Just then, Hank walked in, his expression troubled.
“Everything all right?” Sierra asked, sensing his unease.
“I… yeah, everything’s fine. Just a lot on my mind.” His eyes lingered on Sierra with a mix of emotions.
“Dad, Jane taught me a new song for the festival,” Emma exclaimed. “Do you think I might get discovered? Russ and Linc said they’re bringing their boss to see me play.”
Hank sighed, his gaze shifting between Sierra and Emma.
Emma’s dreams mirrored her own past, but now those dreams seemed fraught with unseen dangers.
And she wasn’t at all sure Hank and his mother approved of them.
Hank sat on his bed and let the day’s troubles wash over him. The swish inside his ears matched the relentless pounding of the waves while the moonlit night stirred his blood with restless energy. He set his phone down as Sierra answered his text that she would keep him company.
The creak of his door followed her soft knock as she stepped inside, wearing a warm flannel robe and fluffy cat slippers. Her ruddy complexion and the glow of her youth never failed to trip his heart, but tonight, he was troubled.
She came toward him. “Couldn’t sleep either?”
He rose, holding out his hand, and she threaded her fingers with his, tilting into his touch as he kissed her. “I missed you.”
He wanted to feather his fingers through the silk of her hair and take her in his arms, but not yet. He couldn’t afford to be lost in her when he needed her advice.
“What are you thinking?” Sierra asked softly as she sat next to him on the bed.
“Lots of things…” He sighed, wondering how he could breach the subject of her influence on Emma. “I worry about the future. Wish we could hole up in this room forever.”
Her smile was bittersweet as if she already knew that these moments would end soon.
“I love being with you too, so what’s worrying you?”
He wanted to say everything—like her leaving the island and touring, but he couldn’t hold back her free spirit, nor would he want to. She was an adult, and as long as she came back to him, he’d take the crumbs he could get. But Emma? Taking her away would be ripping…
“I’m worried about Emma. She’s getting ideas.”
“Ideas about a life beyond this island, you mean?”
“Exactly. She’s enchanted by your world, Sierra. But it’s not… It’s not her world. It shouldn’t be.”
“Why?” Sierra’s forehead wrinkled. “She’s got talent. You have to admit that.”
“She’s good, but…” He clenched his jaw, trying to shake off the dread. “She needs direction. Stability. She’s too young.”
“No one says she has to leave now.” Sierra squeezed his hand and leaned her head against his chest. “She can grow and develop as a musician. I can?—”
“That’s where I have a problem.” Frustration flooded him. “You’re one of the tip-top performers. The one-tenth of one percent who made it. She’s young, and all she sees is the fame and glitter, but she has no clue what it takes to get there.”
“A lot of hard work, determination, and confidence,” Sierra said. “All things she can develop.”
