Addiction (Bayfront Billionaires)

Both met Liv’s ideal for her change in direction from acting to singing. There were numerous driving forces behind her desire to branch out, most crucially the charge she’d gotten when she’d been a guest lead in a Broadway musical.

The thrill of a live audience would be magnified when it was a more interactive setting, such as a nightclub or a concert venue where she could get people on their feet. Liv yearned for that sort of high-voltage reaction to her performances, and had been working with a vocal coach and a stylist. She’d also written songs that she’d like to eventually record if she expanded into a solo career.

But first things first.

This new transition wouldn’t occur overnight, she was perfectly aware of that. She was being strategic, relying on the help of experts who understood and supported her goals. Granted, it seemed music performers tended to want to break into movies more often than the other way around, but there was a certain allure to having her own stage and listening to the roar of a crowd if she could so move them.

She suspected that was the reason her superstar mother was so enthralled with opera; her ability to evoke tears with her haunting voice. Though it wasn’t difficult for Liv to see that Cara Tyner was more enamored with herself than her audiences’ response to her.

This wasn’t a mentality Liv subscribed to—and it was just one of the many sources of contention between her and her estranged mother.

At the moment, however, Liv wasn’t inclined to dwell on any of that. She had a different purpose today and needed to kick off her morning with a tall iced skinny latte. She popped into the coffeehouse in the town square and was greeted by the staff and a small group of friends who were just approaching the counter to place their order.

“Perfect timing!” Vanessa Parks called out. To the barista, she said, “Add Liv’s usual to ours.”

“And I’m buying,” Liv announced as she handed over a fifty to the cashier. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks,” he beamed.

“It was Grace’s turn,” Vanessa sweetly scolded Liv.

“Yes, but she didn’t actually get anything to drink last time because she’d just had her teeth cleaned and didn’t want to lose that sparkly feeling.”

“Oh, right.” Vanessa and Liv stepped to the side, allowing other customers to order. Vanessa said, “So, Boxley delivered yesterday.”

“Puppies!” Liv blurted excitedly.

“Chip’s home with them right now, along with the sitter. It was quite the ordeal. You’d think nothing would gross out a ten-year-old boy, but apparently a dog giving birth does the trick.”

“That is surprising,” Liv concurred. “But congrats on being a pet grandparent, Ness.”

“They are so freaking adorable. The size of hamsters—one doesn’t even fill my hand.”

“Text me pictures.”

“Speaking of!” Vanessa gasped, all dramatic-like for Liv’s sake, which made Liv laugh. “You must spill about these two men!” She whipped her iPhone from her Burberry bag, tapped the screen a couple of times, and then thrust the device toward Liv.

“Nate and Tristan?” It was a photo of her standing between them on the sundeck, with Fallon along the periphery. “You know them,” Liv said to Vanessa. “We all went to school together. A few years apart, but you hadn’t graduated yet when the three of us started high school. Nathaniel Dalton and Tristan Reeves.”

“Oh, no,” Vanessa contended with the shake of her head. “I would recognize these two hulking men if I’d met them before!”

Heat burst on Liv’s cheeks as she thought of just how hulking Nate and Tristan were—and she did everything in her power not to envision them in the buff.

She told her friend, “They didn’t quite look like that in school. And I really want this photo. It’s awesome—who took it?”

“Lindsey. She posted it on Snapchat. She knows better, of course, but apparently couldn’t help herself because you seemed so happy to see them. Lindsey assumed they were actors or models you’d done some work with, so far game, I guess.”

“I haven’t even looked at social media this morning.” Liv retrieved her own phone and opened the app, then located the notification and typed Childhood friends! #BayfrontAcademy and hit the reply button.

That would quell any speculation about her and the mystery men.

“By the way,” Vanessa said, “I was binge-watching The Walking Dead last night and saw you in two episodes. Wow, you as an extreme survivalist—completely blew me away. Sorry you had to die, though.” She winced.

Liv smiled. Her appearance on the show had been rather spontaneous, like the Broadway musical; something that had fallen conveniently into place while she was between movie roles. She told Vanessa, “Thanks. I knew it was only a two-parter going into it. Though they really liked me and mentioned to my agent that they might find some way to bring me back. As my evil twin perhaps.”

“Or a zombie. That would be cool.”

“I don’t know. Maybe if they let me eat a lot of people. Otherwise, I’d just be roaming about, moaning and grunting. I need more action than that.”