Courtship of the Cake by Jessica Topper Read Free Book Online Page A

cover my three o’clock?”
    My fellow therapist reached to check the appointments clipboard hanging from the pole of our massage tent. “No problem. Hot date?”
    â€œPlease. Just wanted to catch Go Get Her’s day set.” I didn’t wholeheartedly believe that Nash would dedicate a song to me, and with titles like “Get Me Some,” “Head Girl,” and “Ex-Sex,” I wasn’t really sure I wanted him to. But I couldn’t deny my curiosity was piqued.
    Jade frowned. “Go Get Her doesn’t have a day set today.” She showed me her phone app with the daily itinerary and sure enough, they weren’t on until well after dark.
    Liar, Liar, custom-made leather pants on—
    â€œOn the Lemonwheel stage?” Jade hooted a laugh. “No way!”
    Her finger tapped the time slot and the detail appeared. Nash was appearing solo on the stage in the Kids’ Zone at three o’clock for a “family-friendly sing-along,” apparently.
    â€œYou’ve got to be kidding me.”
    Curiosity was for cats, and monkeys named George. I now had tomake it my life’s mission to get over to that stage by three o’clock. All I could picture was Nash, with his Norse god hair and his leather pants low-slung on his hips, trying to control his potty mouth and win over the sippy-cup club.
    â€œJade, can I borrow Delilah?”
    â€¢Â Â Â â€¢Â Â Â â€¢
    â€œYay, Kids’ Zone!” Delilah grabbed my hand and together we skipped halfway across the festival grounds to the bright green-and-yellow-striped tent. A bounce house was rocking sidestage, and Minstrels & Mayhem’s youngest attendees were Hula-Hooping, crafting, and hitting bongos under the watchful eyes of their parental figures and the competent Kids’ Zone staff.
    I felt a little bad using Delilah as my ticket into the twelve-and-under event, but then again, she never missed a chance to play in the Kids’ Zone. Or to catch the musicians rotating daily on the Lemonwheel stage.
    Sure enough, Nash was standing on the low platform, checking levels and tuning up. The production was pretty low-fi compared to the main stages, but I still gave the “earplugs in” reminder. At five years old, Jade and Travis’s daughter was a veteran festy-goer, and plucked her own brightly colored foam plugs from the kangaroo pocket of her overalls without needing assistance. A small crowd had already gathered to watch, but behind the fencing set up to keep the family-friendly area separate from gen pop, a large group of Go Get Her’s faithful following and curious adult fans sans children waited to hear this bonus and obviously rare solo set.
    â€œWho’s that pretty lady?” Delilah asked.
    Kylie was waving madly at me from behind the fence. Thankfully she had more clothes on this afternoon than she had had on the tour bus that other night. “Just a friend I made here at the festival.” I smiled and waved back as Kylie bopped around in anticipation of the music.
    Delilah nodded, plopping herself down on the grass cross-legged.“I’ve made some friends. They’re all kids, though. Daddy tells me not to talk to the adults unless I’m with him or Mommy or you.”
    â€œThat’s very wise,” I told her, kneeling to her level and giving her little shoulders a squeeze. I couldn’t help but think of Kylie and her “my Daddy always says” words of wisdom from the other night.
Daddies, don’t let your babies grow up to be groupies
, popped into my head, to the tune of the old country song about cowboys.
    â€œHowdy, folks!” a bubbly MC in a neon orange Kids’ Zone T-shirt boomed into the mic. “We’ve got a special treat for you today here in the Kids’ Zone! Please give it up for Go Get Her’s Nash Drama!”
    Kids old enough to clap, clapped; those who were too little sat and stared, or their