The next morning Grayson kisses me, nods at Marnie, and walks out the back door.
I sigh, and Marnie chuckles.
“Ahhh, young love. Sometimes I forget what it’s like to be in love for the first time.”
“It’s my first time. Not his though.”
“Well, with the way he looks at you, no one would ever know. That boy is lost over you. I’m happy for you, Nora.”
“Thank you. So…” I say, trying to regain my focus. “Where should we start?”
“How about we start with you? Obviously I’ve followed your career over the years. I know your ups and downs, and you’ve filled me in on everything that has happened most recently. What I really want to know is how you want to move forward. What do you want for your career? Where do you see yourself in five, ten, or fifteen years?”
Gray and the kids are the first thing that pop into my head.
Not sold-out stadiums and screaming fans. Nope, what I picture are screaming kids, evenings spent playing tag in the yard, and nights wrapped in Grayson’s arms.
“Your face says it all.”
“I’m that transparent, huh?”
“Pretty much.” Marnie laughs. “But that’s not a bad thing. Do you want my opinion?”
“Very much so.”
“You’ve spent your entire life working your tail off. It’s okay if you need a break.”
I nod. “That’s how I feel. Lately, since I’ve been spending time with my family and Grayson, it’s become increasingly clear just how short and precious this life is. We get one shot. We don’t get do-overs. There are no retakes like there are in the recording studio.”
“You’re right; there aren’t.”
“Sometimes I feel like this life—” I motion to the opulent house surrounding me. “—isn’t enough. That probably sounds awful of me since I have more money than I’ll ever be able to spend, and a celebrity status most actors and performers hope for, but it’s not enough. What good is any of this if I have no one to share it with at the end of the day?”
“You’re right. You need to be happy, Nora. No one is forcing you to go on tour after tour and spend your nights jumping from hotel room to hotel room.”
“Well, actually, yes, I was sort of being forced.”
“Not anymore. I work for you, not the other way around. There are many things we can do to keep your name and your career relevant while still giving you time to have a life and explore your relationship with Grayson.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Celebrities do it all the time. Whichever way you decide to go, we’ll make it work. If you want to take a step back, we can keep your tours scheduled for summers only when the kids are out of school, or space them out with plenty of time in between so you can be at home more. Or, if you want to keep pushing your career forward at full force, I can make that happen too. But whatever we do, it has to be your decision.”
My eyes drift out to the back to where Grayson is lounging by the pool. He’s holding up his phone and I can tell he’s FaceTiming the kids.
“I guess I have some tough decisions to make.”
“I guess you do, and while you mull that over, let’s talk about how we can shed this innocent-girl routine and get people to see you in a different light. Although, I think you did a pretty good job of that last night at the premiere. Showing up in that dress with that man was a pretty bold statement from someone who doesn’t normally make statements.”
“That was the whole point.”
“Well, let’s keep it rolling.”
Marnie and I talk in detail about my next album. It’ll be one-hundred-percent songs I’ve written, and I’ll have complete say in which ones make the cut.
“I don’t want to completely lose the audience I have now—”
“You just want to expand it,” she says, finishing my sentence. “I get it. This is all great, Nora. I would like to see some of the songs you’ve got ready.”