Page 109 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

“Got it. But you loved that one, right?” Knox pointed to the first dress, the one on the mannequin.

“I do. It’s just too much material. I’ll look like a parade float.”

Knox smiled. “You forget I’m a seamstress. I can give you all the things you love about the bodice—the transparent sleeves, the flowers, the plunging neckline—and put it on a different skirt.” She pulled out a ball gown-style dress. “And I can add the same flower overlay. I won’t have time to make handmade cutouts, but?—”

“I’ll take it.” Excitement gleamed in Noa’s eyes. “What you described is exactly what I want.” She sighed. “I love it so much.”

“Wonderful.” Knox smiled. “Then, let’s get some measurements. Give me a second to get the dressing room ready.” She took off.

“That was fast,” Lorelei said.

“Yeah, because every stylist I’ve ever worked with has told me what doesn’t work. Knox told me what she can do to make it work. She’s my new best friend.” Noa’s gaze roamed the boutique. “I wish she could design my entire tour wardrobe.”

“Make your next record a wedding theme, and you’re all set.”

“Right? I’d wear a different gown each night.” She clapped her hands together, her head tipping back with the comical expression of an epiphany. “Wait a minute. How fun would that be?”

“I think that would be wild. You should totally make that happen.”

Noa grinned. “Want to do it together?”

Lorelei sat with that suggestion a moment, opening herself to the possibility. “You know, that’s a hard no. My touring days are over.” And for whatever reason, she’d always written songs alone.

“It is pretty grueling.” Noa looked troubled. “I hate that I’ll be gone so long.”

“Well, it’s hockey season, so it’s not like he’ll be around either. And you’ll still be able to visit him.”

“You never miss it? This life?”

“No.” And she could say that with total honesty. “I don’t miss life on the road. I don’t miss all the merchandising and pirating issues. I don’t miss any of the business stuff.”

“What about performing? You don’t miss the rush of an audience who adores you?”

Not even Noa knew about her little jaunts to the bar. She didn’t know why she kept it a secret.

No, wait. She did. She didn’t want the pressure. If anyone knew what she was doing, they’d expect more. Her manager would start generating ideas for producers, projects, and collaborations. The A&R rep from her old record label would fly out to listen to her, see what they could do to make her new songs more marketable.

Just thinking about it made her creative spirit shrivel. For now, she needed freedom. She needed space.

“I think, now that I have Stevie, I look back and see that none of it was real. They’re screaming for the idea of me. And I might’ve known that intellectually before, but when you stomp in mud puddles and walk around all day with dough in your hair and soothe an inconsolable baby, it just…it’s a whole new perspective on life and what matters.” Kind of like what she and Slick talked about in the cabin a couple years ago. “She adores me because ofme.” But this outing was about Noa’s wedding. Not her deep revelations. “My daughter finds me delightful.”

“That’s because you are.” Noa kissed her cheek, leaving her in a cloud of her signature gardenia perfume. “So, I guess you said no to Jilly? I obviously did. It’s right in the middle of my tour.”

Lorelei had no idea what she was talking about. “Jilly Peterson?”

“Yeah, the producer.” Concern etched lines on Noa’s forehead. “Why? Did you have a bad experience with her?”

“No. Look what she did toUnbridled.” That was Lorelei’s first album to go platinum. It had the most requested songs at every concert she’d played around the world.

“Then, why are you looking at me funny?” Noa asked.

“Because I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The invitation. We all did a few lines from a song for a fundraiser, and now she wants us to perform it at the Grammys.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. We didn’t get together or anything. We didn’t even know who else was involved. We just recorded our bit on our own and turned it in. It was a few months ago.”

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