Chapter Nineteen

"Promise me you'll try to be cool, okay?" I say in a stern voice.

"I'm always cool," Juliet responds, tossing her hair off her shoulder in a way that was supposed to make her look cool but actually kind of made her look like a nervous wreck.

"You say that now, but I know once you meet Alison that's all going to go out the window. Remember, I work with her. She's basically my boss. I can't go having my little sister scare her off."

Juliet throws her hand over her heart and drops her mouth. "I would never!"

Dad stands behind Juliet, laughing at our whole interaction. This is my second show with Alison. I know things seem a little bit better between us, but I definitely want to keep on that upward trend. Juliet is a great kid, but she can get a tad bit scary when she fangirls.

That's why I didn't have her meet Alison the night of our first show. I wanted to have a clear head and only be nervous about going up on stage, not worried about my little sister saying something mortifying.

"I know you wouldn't on purpose. Just maybe try to keep any embarrassing information to yourself," I say, tousling Juliet's hair.

She latches onto my hand, aggressively pushing it off her head, before she starts smoothing down her hair. "Dude, it took hours to get my hair just right for this. Do that again and you'll walk away with one less finger."

I instantly take a step back from her. "Woah. That was a bit . . . violent, don't you think?"

I look back at Dad who's standing behind Juliet, eyes wide in mock fear. He throws his hands up in the air. "I'm not getting in the middle of this." He leans over towards me. "Don't tell her, but she kind of scares me," he whispers.

I look over at Juliet, who's arms are crossed as she shoots daggers with her eyes at us.

"I think she already knows," I whisper back.

Juliet rolls her eyes and throws her hands up. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm just nervous. You guys know how I get when I'm nervous. I can't control what I say."

"Oh believe me, I know," I laugh. "It's going to be fine though. Just breathe. Alison is just a person. Like me and you."

"That's where you're wrong. She's waaaaaay better than you," Juliet points out.

"Oh, shut up." I look towards the door behind us as one of the stagehands walks out. "Alison said she's good to go whenever you guys are."

I look back at Juliet. "Ready?"

She nods her head and grabs my hand. I look down at her and smile as I lead us towards my sister's idol and the biggest question mark in my life.

We've been here for almost half an hour now and Juliet is showing no signs of being ready to leave. I look over at Alison's face, trying to read if she's ready for us to go so she can get ready for tonight's show. She's hunched over in her chair leaning really close to Juliet listening to every word she says with a smile. Juliet is so animated as she talks to Alison. Her hands are flying all over the place and there's a massive grin on her face that hasn't faltered this entire time.

I can't help but smile myself. Juliet looks so happy right now. I'm so glad that the person she idolizes lives up to her expectations. It really reiterates how thankful I am for Alison and all that she's done for me and my family. I know her and I are in a semi-weird place, but I can tell by the way she treats everyone she works with that she truly is a good person. I'm so happy that Juliet has a female role model like her to look up to, especially since she doesn't have Mom.

A lump starts to grow in my throat. I quickly swallow it down and turn towards Dad who's also watching the interaction between the two girls.

"She really is something," my dad says in a proud voice. I turn my gaze back to Alison and Juliet.

"They both are," I respond, without taking my eyes off of them.

Fifteen minutes later, Alison gets up from her chair, wraps her arm around Juliet's shoulder, and starts guiding her over to us. I can tell by the way Juliet bounces as she walks that she's dying to run over to us, but she's trying to play it cool.

When they're finally within earshot, Juliet can't contain it anymore.

"Alison is the coolest!" she practically shouts. "Did you know she started writing her own music when she was in elementary school like I am now? That's soooooo awesome!"

"I did know that actually," I answer.

Alison looks at me with a curious gaze. I shrug my shoulders. "What? I pay attention to things," I respond.

"So," Alison starts, "A little birdie tells me that today is kind of a special day."

I narrow my eyes at Juliet. "Oh, did she?"

"Yep, something about a birthday," Alison adds.

"I thought we had agreed to keep that a secret," I say, still looking at Juliet.

"Oops," she mumbles, as she puts her hand over her mouth. "I couldn't help it."

"Mhm," I say as I cross my arms over my chest. I turn back towards Alison. "And what else did this little birdie say?"

"Just that . . . you were maybe going to have a little celebration after the show and that I should come celebrate with you guys."

"Oh, I see." Now I really give Juliet a look. She shrugs at me and mouths the word sorry. I look over at Alison. "And what did you say to this birdie?"

"I mean, I told her that there was no way I would ever pass up an offer involving cake."

"Fair enough."

"Is it okay if she comes, Arch?" Juliet asks as she rocks back and forth on her tippy toes.

I'm hesitant to have Alison spend the evening with my family since we are still getting to know each other and I can very much still ruin the deal we have going. The cat's kind of out of the bag at this point though. It would look worse if I told her no, wouldn't it?

"I mean, I'm sure Alison doesn't have time to come. She's kind of important," I say, laughing to try to lighten the whole situation.

"Actually, hanging out after the show with you guys kind of sounds perfect."

"And there will be cake. Don't forget about the cake," Juliet says as she grabs onto Alison's hand.

"Then, I guess I say . . . the more the merrier."

All of a sudden, Juliet's launching herself at me. She wraps her arms around my stomach. I scoop her up and give her a hug as she leans in and kisses me on the cheek.

"You're the best brother," she whispers in my ear.

"Yeah, just remember that later when I get back at you for breaking our promise to keep my birthday a secret."

Juliet answers me with another kiss to the cheek before she wiggles her way out of my arms and walks over to Dad.

"We're going to go to our seats now. Break a leg!" Juliet shouts as she grabs Dad's hand and pulls him away from us. Dad quickly turns and waves before following her.

I look over at Alison. "You know, if you really are busy, you don't have to come. I can explain it to Juliet. She'll understand."

"No, I want to come. It's your birthday. We have to make it special," Alison says as she gives me a wink before turning and walking away. I watch her retreating frame. This girl is really going to be the death of me. And I'm not talking about Juliet.