Page 13 of Born for Starlight

“Grant and I are taking things slow.” I thought about the spreadsheet. We weren’t due to break-up for another month and a half. “We’re not together much. I might take a ceramics course to fill the time.”

Julian laughed. He started to ask me questions about my upcoming release. I knew that spiel by heart. After another half hour, he clicked off the recorder.

“This is good,” Julian said, already halfway to the door and somewhere else in his head. “This is really good, Angelica. Especially the stuff about the Brazilian orphanages. Are you planning on announcing it anywhere else?”

“You’ve got an exclusive for the next forty-eight hours.”

I thought he might jump up and down in excitement.

I wondered how long I’d have to wait for the sky to fall after he aired the piece.

My phone was doing its best impression of an angry bee as it danced across my nightstand. I shoved my head under my pillow, trying to ignore the incessant buzzing sound. Even though it was on silent, it was still vibrating.

Dammit.

I looked at my watch. Five thirty in the morning? Who was up this early, for God’s sake?

I shot up straight, my pillow falling on the floor. Oh yeah, it was eight-thirty in Tennessee. Was somebody hurt? I grabbed my phone. Nineteen missed calls and forty-seven texts. My heart clenched, until I saw that most of the calls and texts were from Marty.

Right, the podcast had run while I was asleep. I’d gone on a long run through the hills in the late afternoon, then took a long soak, and went to bed early. This was the fallout. I stared at the names of everyone who’d texted or called.

Marty.

Jase.

Renzo.

Malik.

Bruno.

Grandma Maureen?

Well, she was getting the first call back.

“Hello, baby girl. I haven’t talked to you in ages. How’s my best girl?”

A rush of love so intense flowed through me that even my fingertips tingled.

“You say that to all your granddaughters,” I laughed.

“Maybe I do, but I always mean it. You’ve sure stirred things up with all the men in the family.”

“I seem to do that.” I smiled.

“Yes, you do. But I have to say, this time even your mother and I are a little bit concerned. Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

“Grandma, are you saying this isn’t the right cause for me to be involved in?”

“Of course not, child! I think this is a beautiful idea. What your mother and I are worried about is how this might hurt your heart. You don’t remember a lot of what happened in that orphanage, and Sharon and the boys always thought that was a blessing.”

“That’s not true. I always have this warm feeling of being held and I remember a song. No matter where I am, or how hard life gets, I can always pull up that beautiful dream and the stress floats away.”

The line was silent for so long I thought that maybe the connection had died.

“Grandma Maureen?”

“I’m here, honey. I just got something in my eye.”