Page 33 of Sing For Me

I think about the way she had become so uncomfortable when that guy bumped into her, how skittish she seemed by the crowd. Marissa no longer looks merely concerned—I think she’s genuinely scared about the prospect of Eva going around to talk to guests.

“Hey, if you need to network, I can help with that,” I say, the obvious solution taking shape in my mind. I could recruit my dad or any of my uncles to help, but I’m not sure that would make her entirely comfortable—she seemed pretty tongue tied by meeting Cash Ransome. Luckily, they aren’t the only rock stars I know in this room.

“Let’s go meet my aunt,” I suggest. “She’ll take you around to whoever you want to talk to.”

Marissa raises an eyebrow. “Who’s your aunt?”

“Haylee Hunt.”

Both women stare at me, eyes wide with shock, Eva’s mouth gaping open. “Haylee Hunt is your aunt?” she squeaks, then slaps her forehead. “What am I thinking,of courseshe is. She’s married to Lennon Ransome.”

“What did you say your name was, Tattoo Boy?” Marissa asks, eyes narrowed as she looks me up and down.

I grin at her. “Will Ransome. You might have heard of my father, Cash.”

“Well, that’s an interesting development,” Marissa mutters.

I ignore her, turning to Eva. “Aunt Haylee is awesome,” I tell her. “She’s totally chill, and she’s great at charming all the suits. That and scaring them into submission. Either way, she’ll take care of you.”

The more I think about it, the more perfect it seems. Haylee went through some shit early in her career—a terrifying encounter with a stalker—and she’s struggled with crowds and feeling overwhelmed in the past. She’s much more comfortable with the whole scene now, but I have a feeling she’ll be more than understanding about whatever it is that seems to scare Eva about being here tonight.

“I can’t just go over there and talk to Haylee Hunt,” Eva whispers, eyes wide as saucers. “She’s like…she’s like my freakingidol.”

I snort. “She’s also the person who always burns the waffles at Sunday brunch and refuses to interact with her children before she has coffee in the morning. She’s a regular person, Eva.” I take her hand, giving it a squeeze. “She can help you with this.”

Eva shoots a terrified, questioning glance at Marissa, who nods encouragingly. “I’ll run interference, make sure the asshole doesn’t get in your way.”

Eva’s eyes are still wide and nervous, but she nods, swallowing hard. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“Awesome.” I tug on her hand. “Let’s get this over with and then we can get some food in you.”

I spot my Aunt Haylee right away, the overhead lights catching on her nose and eyebrow piercings. Unsurprisingly, her husband is with her, making those disgusting gooey love eyes my cousins and I like to rag them over.

“Will!” Uncle Lennon calls when he sees me, face breaking into a smile. He slaps my shoulder. “It’s good to see you, kid. Where have you been hiding all night?”

“As far away from my parents as I can get,” I tell him, leaning in to kiss my aunt’s cheek. “Mom kept trying to comb my hair.”

Lennon chuckles. “Looks just fine to me.” His eyes travel over to Eva, widening a little, surprise evident in his expression. The reaction is just what I expected. My family isn’t used to seeing me with a woman. Not anymore.

“You guys, this is Eva Lidell,” I say, nudging her forward from her hiding spot halfway behind my back. “Eva, this is my Uncle Lennon and my Aunt Haylee.”

“Hello,” Eva squeaks out. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well,” Uncle Lennon says, his eyes darting back to me. I ignore the question in his gaze and turn to my aunt. “I was wondering—”

But she nudges me away to move closer to the girl at my side. “Eva,” she says warmly, taking both her hands. “I’m such a big fan.”

Eva actually sways next to me, like she’s going to pass out, and her voice is even more high pitched when she whispers, “you know who I am?”

Aunt Haylee laughs, releasing her. “Of course I do. I have to keep my eye on the upcoming talent, you know. Watch out for the competition. You can really sing, girl.”

Seeing the way Eva’s face lights up at the compliment, I’m tempted to throw my arms around my aunt in thanks. But I play it cool, for Eva’s sake. “This is her first event in a while,” I explain. “Her manager wants her to make the rounds.” I meet Haylee’s eyes, trying to convey the seriousness of the issue. “I was hoping you could introduce her to a few people?”

Aunt Haylee’s gaze is knowing, and I realize that she’s probably more familiar with Eva’s history than I had been. I’ve basically tuned out the entire music world for the past few years while Haylee has been right in the middle of it.

“Of course we can do that,” she says easily. “I know what a drag the whole networking thing can be, but we’ll keep each other company.” She holds out her arm and when Eva slips her hand through it, I can see that her fingers are trembling. “Come on. Let’s go charm some assholes.”

“Thanks, Will,” Eva murmurs as she passes me, clinging to my aunt’s arm. I watch them for a long moment, Haylee guiding Eva gently around the room, easily pushing her way into a group of people that I’m pretty sure includes the top radio DJ in Los Angeles.