Page 11 of Love is a Lyric
4
Piper
Quinn was going to be the death of her.
Piper stared down at the printed schedule in her lap as she sat on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water. Quinn floated on a raft, her face lifted to the sun.
“I need you to get my laundry done today.” Quinn didn’t even look at her as she issued more directions.
In that moment, Piper was only an assistant, not a sister. Would she have to do laundry if she went to work for Drew? Probably not.
“Laundry.” Piper scribbled a note in the notebook. “Got it.”
“I’m also going to need an appointment for this afternoon at a tanning bed. You’ll have to arrange for the place to be empty so I don’t have to sign any autographs.”
“A tanning bed?” Piper scanned their surroundings, from the pool to the beach across the deck. Today was a perfect day with brilliant blue skies and the kind of heat she’d always loved.
Quinn sighed as if annoyed she had to explain herself. “I can’t go to the beach until I have a tan. There could be paparazzi there.”
“Paparazzi? Quinn, we’re in a small beach town in Florida, and no one even knows we’re here.”
“You just don’t understand what it’s like to be famous.”
Piper couldn’t contain the eye roll. If having to tan before hitting the beach was what it meant to be a star, she’d gladly hide in the shadows. “Sure, Quinny. I’ll get it set up.”
“Ugh, don’t call me that. It’s a child’s name.”
Piper’s hand froze mid-sentence as she took notes. Their dad called Quinn Quinny just like he called Piper Peter like the old rhyme. She hadn’t loved the nickname when she was little, especially after some neighborhood kids made fun of her for it—until Chase stopped them. But she’d give anything to hear the nickname again, to hear the affection in her dad’s voice when he said it.
Piper’s phone rang, and she lifted it from the concrete beside her to see Julia Evan’s face flash across the screen. She was so distracted, she didn’t hear her sister speaking.
“Piper,” Quinn snapped. “You’re working. You can take calls later.”
She was right, of course. No matter who Quinn was to Piper, this was still a job, and it was the only one she had for now.
Her phone rang again, and she smiled when she saw Matt’s name. He’d be trying to woo her to the dark side no doubt.
“Piper.” Quinn sat up so suddenly, it threw her off balance, and she fell off the raft with her arms flailing. She emerged sputtering, her hair hanging limp over her shoulders.
Piper covered a laugh with a cough. “You okay, sis?”
Quinn climbed the steps until she stood with water dripping down on Piper. “No, I am not okay. My sister is too distracted to do her job. My boyfriend left this morning without telling me where on earth he could have gone. Ugh, I’m going to find Conner. At least one person in this house won’t disappoint me.”
“Uh, okay. I’ll just get on this list then.” She got to her feet, snatched up her phone, and retreated to her room for a few moments of peace.
What would their parents think of them now? They’d be proud of Quinn no doubt, their famous daughter. And Piper? The one who left college because she couldn’t stand to be there alone anymore? That was the problem, wasn’t it? Since the day she learned of her parents’ deaths, Piper held on to everything she had left with an iron fist.
It was why she put up with Quinn’s demands. Because if she left Quinn, if she took that job with Drew, she would be truly on her own. It was a nice dream to think of calling Matt and telling him she’d replace him, but even Quinn knew Piper didn’t have the courage to leave.
She threw the notebook on the bedside table and collapsed onto her bed, pulling up her favorites list on her phone. The phone rang once before Julia’s voice came through. “Piper.” She sounded so happy to hear from her, Piper’s eyes watered.
“Hey, Julia.”
“Hold on, I’m going to FaceTime.”
A moment later, Julia’s kind eyes looked back at her. The woman had been her mom’s best friend in college and beyond. She’d felt the pain of her death right alongside Piper.
“Oh dear, are you okay?” Julia’s gaze softened.
