Page 34 of Wild

An involuntary reaction lifts Nell's brows and etches a couple of lines across her forehead.

"Sorry," Erin says.

"Don't be. Sometimes family is a mess and the best thing you can do is keep your distance." Nell finishes her glass and signals the bartender, this time ordering herself a gin and tonic and Erin a soda.

"I raised her," the doctor says, surprised to find she trusts Nell enough to talk about her life. "My mom worked two jobs to keep us afloat. Brooke is twelve years younger than me, so I took care of her, and apparently I didn't do a great job of it—she got used to me fixing all her problems."

"If you raised her, you did fine. She wasn't your responsibility to begin with, and the choices she makes now aren't on you either. She's an adult. If she's immature, that's not your fault."

Erin goes quiet, turning Nell's words over. She might be right, in part—but for Erin it's far more complicated than that, becauseshe still feels like her sister is her responsibility, especially now that their mom is gone and they only have each other.

"Why don't you go rest for a bit before that lavender-haired girl monopolizes your attention again?"

Erin manages a small smile.

"Why does she wear it that color?" It's not that she dislikes it. She'd never dye her own hair platinum blond mixed with lavender, but she'll admit it suits Mia—gives her a mysterious quality that's genuinely striking.

"Not a big fan of her music, are you?"

Erin blinks quickly before she answers.

"Well, I haven't really followed her career, if that's what you're asking."

Nell nods.

"I've been with her on both tours—the first one and this one. She dyes her hair a different color for each and won't change it until it's over. Says it brings her luck."

"What's her natural color?"

"Very light brown, I think."

Her phone vibrates again, but this time when she flips it over, she sees Mia's name on the screen.

Mia Wilder

I'm awake

The doctor holds up the screen for Nell to see and climbs down from the barstool.

"Go. I've got this."

"Thanks, Nell."

Chapter 13

Mia woke up feeling anxious. She remembered what had happened, but lying in bed she couldn't quite tell whether she'd been asleep or unconscious. She sat up fast, felt a brief wave of dizziness that passed immediately, and took a moment to place the room—though figuring out which city she was in took a beat longer, which wasn't unusual for her. When she reached for her phone to call Noah, she found Erin's handwritten note on top of the screen. Her hand trembled in a way she couldn't explain when she picked it up; her pulse spiked for no reason, and the anxiety slammed into her chest all over again.

Seeing Erin's handwriting dragged her straight back to an hour or two earlier, lying on the floor of the rehearsal room with Erin beside her. Mia shivered, because the way Erin had looked at her then—with that focused, quiet tenderness—had nothing to do with the usual detached indifference she got from her. The tone of her voice, the way she'd whispered and spoken to her with an affection that didn't feel performed, made Mia exhale with something close to longing, without fully understanding which version of Erin Dooley was the real one: the cold, distant woman she saw most of the time, or the one who showed up whenever Mia collapsed.

She heard the front door of the suite open. At first she figured it might be room service, but then she remembered that Erin had a key card for every hotel they stayed in—and she was surprised to realize she could actually recognize her by the way she walked, by those quick, sure-footed steps.

"Hey, Dooley," she said when Erin came through the bedroom door.

Erin crossed to the bed and sat beside her, wrapping her fingers around Mia's wrist to check her pulse.

"I thought you'd sleep longer. How do you feel?" Erin asked.

"Fine. Still a little scared, I think." Mia smoothed her hair with one hand, restless.