Dance With Me (With Me in Seattle 12)

“I’ve seen that show, and you’re a crazy woman on that stage.”

“Thank you.”

“Will you play us some songs on that piano before we go?”

“I’d love to.”

Diane looks down at her card.

“Do you mind if we get a little personal here?”

I cock my head to the side. “Let’s get personal, Diane.”

“Have you recovered from Rick’s death?”

I take a deep breath and look up at the trees. “You know, grief is a journey, not a line in the sand. It’s been a long journey, and while I will always mourn the loss of Rick, I can honestly say that I’ve healed a tremendous amount.”

“Are you in contact at all with Rick’s family?”

His family hated my guts.

But the smile stays in place.

I’m not sure why we’re talking about this. Rick’s death was five years ago.

“Unfortunately, no. I think it was too painful.”

“What was it that helped you heal from that loss?”

“Music.” I smile. “Having people in my life who are incredibly supportive. And time, honestly.”

“Good for you. I’m glad you’re doing well.”

“Thank you.”

“Cut.”

Diane sags in her seat as soon as the camera is turned off.

“What’s this all about?” I ask her. “Why all the questions about Rick? He’s been gone for a long time.”

“Because next week is the fifth anniversary of his death.” She looks at me and frowns. “Didn’t your people tell you this episode is about remembering Rick?”

No. Because if they had, I wouldn’t have done it, and it pisses me off that Donald left that out when he called.

I should have known.

“I must not have gotten the memo,” I mutter.

“I’m sorry.” Diane looks sincere as she frowns. “I really am. I would have talked with you more before the interview if I’d known.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“Can I ask you some questions, off camera?”

“Sure.”

Yvette comes over to powder our noses.

“Did you talk to him that morning, before the accident?”

“I did,” I confirm with a tight nod. I don’t trust Diane to keep our conversation confidential, so I’m especially conscious of my words.

“What was his mental state that day?”

“He was tired,” I reply. “But aside from that, I think he was fine.”

“Not angry or upset about anything?”

I smile, not willing in the least bit to confide in Diane about my last conversation with Rick.

“Not when he spoke with me,” I reply. “So, what are we doing next?”

The director steps over, notes in his hand.

“We’re going down to the waterfront to let you two take a walk and chat as if you’re two friends who haven’t seen each other in a long time. And then we’ll come back inside, and you can sing some songs on the piano.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.” I hop off the chair and smile at Levi. “But I don’t want anyone to forget; no shots of the front of this house.”

I already put any personal photos of the family away from prying eyes. I didn’t just put them in a closet, I took them to Nat and Luke’s house just to be safe.

People are nosy.“Action!”

We’re walking on the sidewalk along the waterfront. There are cameras in front of us and behind us, but Diane and I are just walking casually.

We both changed our clothes. It’ll look like we’ve spent several days together.

“One of the things that your fans love about you is your willingness to be accessible to them. You interact on social media, almost every day. Why is that so important to you?”

“Well, I gave up trying to fight social media a long time ago. And, yes, there are some pitfalls to having your life out there, exposed for all to see.”

Like crazy-ass stalkers.

“But for the most part, it’s fun to interact with fans. They’re supportive and funny. So funny.”

“Sometimes, they aren’t nice,” she reminds me.

“I think that’s true in every walk of life. Sometimes, people aren’t nice in real life either.”

“You recently had a bit of a social media hiccup when a video surfaced of you and a man in a restaurant.”

My face is neutral, my voice even.

But, man, I hate this conversation.

“Yeah, sometimes I think there are trolls who try to turn something simple into a big deal.”

“So you’re saying that wasn’t a big deal.”

“It really wasn’t.”

“The waitress sounded pretty horrible. I saw the video.”

I nod. “She wasn’t very gracious, but I really just wanted to leave. I didn’t want a scene. I think the whole situation was blown out of proportion.”

“Well, one of the things that’s been especially talked about since that video is the guy you were with.”

I can’t help the smile that spreads over my lips.

“Ah, I see that smile. What can you tell us about him?”

“What if I said I didn’t want to tell you anything about him?”

“Come on, Starla. We’ve all seen him. Give us a little something.”

“It’s new,” I reply, looking up at Levi, who’s behind the camera in front of us. “And it’s going very well. That’s all I’ll say for now.”