Page 2 of The Oscar Escape
This most definitely wasn’t welcomed news.
Another infuriating photograph of Justin blazed across the screen—a shot of the man who said he was going to take it easy tonight and turn in early. The liar! The image captured the creep with one of the women on his lap and his hand up her skirt.
Blistering irritation built in her chest. She didn’t have time for this. She rubbed the back of her wrist across her face and grimaced, feeling the grit and glop of her spackled-on stage makeup smear across her cheeks. But she couldn’t worry about her appearance. She needed a plan. The press would be on the Justin situation like house flies descending on a pile of horse manure.
She had to think. How could she spin it? A sinking sensation set in. Perhaps she should have expected her boyfriend to disappoint her. Then again, calling Justin Jamison her boyfriend was a bit of a stretch. They were supposed to be an item—a match made in musical celebrity heaven. Justin was a member of a popular boy band. As far as appearances went, he was a good choice for a beau. He had a couple million social media followers. His group was edgy but not obscene. He was good on paper, as the cliché goes. Still, he couldn’t hold a candle to her pedigree.
She could be considered nothing less than rock star royalty.
She was the daughter of Trey Grant and Leighton Paige. Along with her uncle Landon Paige, the trailblazing musical trio had made up the wildly popular band Heartthrob Warfare. But that wasn’t her only connection to the music world. Her aunt, Harper Presley, had skyrocketed to fame as a recording artist nearly seventeen years ago.
While her aunt had soaked up the limelight for a few years, for most of Aria’s life, her aunt and uncle had turned their attention away from stardom. For the last decade and a half, the pair had focused on running a program connecting at-risk youth with musical mentors in Denver.
Her uncle Landon and aunt Harper had raised her in the city after her parents died in a plane crash when she was barely five years old. As a very young child, she hadn’t realized that she was the daughter of celebrities, but she’d known her mother and father loved music. Her memories of her parents existed in flashes of dancing melodies threaded with love and laughter.
Here’s the thing. Her parents and her uncle had come from nothing and made it big.
What would it mean if she didn’t make it as a rock star? She certainly had the genes. She was a musical prodigy. She’d inherited her mother and uncle’s gift of being able to play just about any instrument by ear. She also had connections to the music world that any newcomer to the industry would kill for.
If she failed, the only person she could blame was herself.
Back in the day, Heartthrob Warfare’s album had hit double-platinum status in thirteen months.
That’s why she had to hit double platinum—and do it in twelve.
If she missed the mark, she knew what would happen. She could almost hear the clickbait writers clacking away on their keyboards.
Aria Paige-Grant bombs as a musician despite coming from a rock star family and having every advantage at her fingertips.
“Get out of your head,” she whispered and took another pull off the bottle of whiskey. And hello, Topsy-Turvyville. The cold medicine and hard alcohol combo sent a wishy-washy ripple through her body. Blinking a few times, she gripped the edge of the table and steadied herself. She could handle it, and she’d take a little lightheadedness over a raging sore throat any day.
She went to take another swig when her phone pinged an incoming text from her uncle Landon on their niece, uncle, and aunt group chat.
She abandoned the whiskey bottle.
Uncle Landy: Hey, kiddo, we haven’t heard from you in a while. Your aunt and I are worried.
Aria cursed under her breath.Shit!Describing her life as a whirlwind would be an understatement. The last two weeks alone had garnered multiple tour stops in New Jersey, Connecticut, and now Massachusetts. She scrolled through the text feed, and a knot formed in her belly. Forget missing afewtexts. She’d gone weeks without replying to the man—or anyone, for that matter.
A text from her aunt Harper flashed on the screen.
Aunt Harper: I know what it’s like to be on tour. It can consume your whole life. But I’m concerned. I know how hardheaded and driven you can get.
Uncle Landy: That’s because you and your aunt Harper are two peas in a pod. It’s a miracle I made it out alive, living with the two of you.
Aunt Harper: Easy there, Heartthrob. You’re lucky to have such fierce women in your life.
Aria chuckled. Her aunt and uncle were an absolute riot. And damn, she missed them.
Dots flashed across the screen.
Aunt Harper: Have you heard the news about your best friends? Sebastian and Phoebe are engaged.
Guilt settled in Aria’s chest as she tapped the screen.
Aria: Yeah, it’s great news. I saw a headline about it online.
Silently, she’d berated herself. She’d made a mental note to reach out to her friends, but she’d forgotten to text, thanks to her chaotic schedule.
