Unexpected Harmony

3. There is no need to scream to make people listen

Chapter 3

There is no need to scream to make people listen

“ A spen, if you don't start doing a few appearances, you'll start wasting away in the landfill of has-beens. The whole reason I had you do the proposal was to push your sales, and it won't work if you sit here atrophying.” Morgan placed the drone she owed Aspen on the counter.

Smirking, Aspen pointedly looked at her new toy then back at Morgan. “Remind me, what was the bet again with this?” She pointed to the high-tech drone. “Was it a crash in sales? That doesn't seem right. Oh, I remember, it was something about surpassing projected sales in three weeks. But that can't be right because, according to you, the sky is falling, and I'm close to plummeting into obscurity. Well, at least if the sky does fall, I have a cool gadget to capture the footage.”

“Snarky. Is it because you've sequestered yourself from reality and forgotten how to converse?” Morgan opened the cabinets and pulled out a container of crackers, making herself at home, like always.

“I'll do a local taping. There should be a shit ton to choose from, but I'm still not ready to leave the bubble of the cottage.”

Morgan's eyes lit up at Aspen's acquiescence. “I already have four late-night shows lined up. You're hot shit right now after the disaster. Everyone's been asking for an interview.”

“Hmm, I’ll agree to two.” Aspen held up her finger as Morgan opened her mouth. Her face gave a I’m about to negotiate you to death look. “Two,” she restated firmly, cutting off further discussion on the subject.

“Fine, two.” Morgan deflated before holding out her hand to shake. “I would have taken just one,” she added.

“I'm okay with two. Damn, Morgan, I haven't taken a break in years and am finding this time so freeing. Have you heard of audiobooks? I had no idea there were books that I could listen to. It's a game changer when I'm working out.” Aspen sipped her lemon honey tea. Even if she wasn't singing right now, it didn't mean she shouldn't keep her instrument up in tip-top shape.

“I can’t believe you listen to audiobooks while working out instead of pump-you-up music. I don't have time for audiobooks.” Morgan waved her hand like she couldn't even be bothered by the thought. “I've got an empire to preserve. Speaking of, have you been working on any songs?”

Aspen's eyes drifted to her piano. It wasn't something she wanted to talk to Morgan about, but her head, which usually was overflowing with ideas, had been silent since that disastrous day. She was genuinely worried that she'd never create another song, which was another thing she didn't want to talk to Morgan about.

“There are a few things in the fire,” Aspen lied through her teeth and Morgan pretended to believe her.

“Good. I'll call you with the first interview. I've got to run. Please don't shut yourself up here forever. You belong in New York, with its amazing pizza and to-die-for sandwiches. You're too much of a star to waste away in all this California smog and fresh ocean air. I'm afraid you'll start to prune.” Morgan kissed her cheek. The move itself wasn't new, but she lingered longer than the norm this time.

Aspen pulled away, wanting to re-establish boundaries. Morgan shook her head, leaving with a wave over her shoulder.

With the house to herself again, Aspen dove for the drone, wanting to enjoy her new toy while it was still light out.

Out in her backyard, she practiced flying over her house before pushing further and further out. Staying high in the air, she swept over the pristine beach, watching the view from the camera. A giddiness bubbled up at the simple sight.

This is what she’d been missing. Just being allowed to enjoy a new toy or taking the time to listen to a book once in a while. Everyone in the corporate world got a break, so why didn't she? It was like she didn't feel like she deserved a break since she was doing something she loved. Initially, it made her feel like the luckiest person alive—getting paid to do something she would have done anyway. But as the pressure to perform increased, so did her anxiety, and lately, it didn't feel as fun.

Something caught her eye out towards the ocean. Turning the drone, she followed the glimmer, squealing in delight when she saw a pack of seals swimming towards a rock near the shore. Not wanting to disturb the seal babies sunning on the beach, she stayed high above but was able to zoom in using the camera. Aspen almost fell over from cuteness overload when one of the babies yawned.

After her stomach growled, she navigated her shiny toy back to the house and put it back in the box. She might have more money than she knew what to do with but that didn't give her free rein to treat her stuff like trash.

With her keys in hand, Aspen decided to brave the grocery store. It wasn't something she usually did, leaving most of her day-to-day errands to Andi, but with her self-imposed break, Aspen wanted to experience life to the fullest. Right now, that meant grabbing bread and eggs like any other person.

Heading down the road, Aspen rolled down the windows of her 2007 silver Ford Escape, now sprinkled with flakes of rust. It was the first car she’d ever bought with her own money, having purchased the used vehicle a year before she hit it big. But even when she started making real money with her royalties, she couldn’t seem to part with the old clunker. She kept the treasured vehicle in California and had someone look after it every few weeks.

Aspen’s hair whipped around her face as she kept one arm out the window. Her stomach lurched as one of her songs came on the radio. She sped up to get through a yellow light then quickly switched to an instrumental station. The song wasn’t an Estrada, but at least it wasn’t hers.

Parking her car, Aspen grabbed a few reusable bags and walked through the front door. Behind her aviator sunglasses, the overhead fluorescent lights were dulled.

Whispers followed her everywhere. After a decade in the spotlight, Aspen was well used to them. As she shopped, a few people stopped for pictures or autographs, which she was happy to provide.

It wasn't until she was in the chip section looking for some snacks that she turned and crashed into a pretty redhead. Immediately on alert, Aspen's knuckles turned white as she gripped the cart.

“Oh gosh, sorry about that,” the woman gushed. “Shit, you’d think I would be a little more graceful in the presence of Aspen Lake.”

Red flag.

The woman had approached her from behind. It was awfully suspicious that she knew who Aspen was from the back of her head. The only conclusion Aspen could come to was that the woman had known ahead of time who she was. She'd bet her cottage that this was a staged setup.

“No harm done.” Aspen gave a polite smile while trying to slip by the woman’s cart.

Her heart rate spiked when the woman put her hand on Aspen's arm. She tried to limit her use of bodyguards while traveling and hadn't felt the need to have them while on the West Coast. The town had left her alone for the most part, but right now, she wished for Sebastian and Yolanda, the twins she had on rotation who were always a phone call away.

“I can take your mind off of your girlfriend.” The bold woman held out a piece of paper with her handwritten number. Little hearts bordered the card since subtlety wasn't this person's strong suit.

“No thanks.” Aspen tried to walk away but was stopped again by the hand on her arm.

It had been a long while since she’d felt the tug of uncertainty. She looked around, trying to keep her panic at bay. As someone in the public eye, she was in a unique position—unable to make a scene unless she wanted her face to grace the front page of some dubious magazine alongside some story about her having an illicit affair with the milk delivery driver. Heaven forbid she show any emotion.

She could already hear Morgan's exasperated tone as she tried to explain the odd situation. No, best to try and sidestep whatever setup this was turning out to be.

“I don't bite unless you ask.” The woman winked as if Aspen’s stiff, taut muscles of unease were pliant under her touch.

“Let me go.” Aspen’s tone didn’t change, but her eyes screamed, don’t fuck with me . The woman’s hand jerked away as if burned.

You don’t have to scream to make people listen to you. Remember that, Aspen.

Her parents didn't give her much, but what they lacked in monetary value, they made up for with love and advice. They had always looked out for her best interests.

She stepped aside, willing her feet to move towards the front of the store where there were more people. After paying quickly, she walked out to the parking lot, letting the comfort of her old car wash over her as she took in the familiar surroundings.

Hidden in the front seat, Aspen allowed herself to show emotion. She grasped the steering wheel, trying to wrangle her erratic heart. Ready to return to the comfort of her house, she felt the loneliness claw at her throat. She never could tell if someone wanted to get to know her for herself or her fame. Someone that brash and forward could only want one thing, and it wasn't something she was willing to give away.

Spread out on the couch, Zoey stretched her arms over her head, trying to locate the remote without much success. Grunting, she twisted from the cushions. She gave up and slipped back down when she located the remote, which wasn't, in fact, right at her fingertips, but a whole-ass table away.

While staring at the ceiling, the start of an instrumental piece played along above her head. Zoey ached for the notebook she had upstairs, but the notes vanished slowly when her mom walked through the door, drying up any creative juices that might have been able to start flowing.

“Come help me put these groceries away, Zo,” her mom called from the kitchen.

Grunting, Zoey climbed off the couch that had a butt imprint from where she’d been sitting all day.

“How’s it going?” Erin asked when she rounded the corner to the kitchen.

Zoey shrugged, putting her phone down on the counter before reaching into a bag for the chips she saw on top. Ripping open the bag, she offered one to her mom, who shared a conspiratorial smile before dipping her hand in and grabbing a chip.

“Are you not talking or have nothing to say?” her mom asked, handing Zoey the bag of pantry items for her to put away.

“Don’t have anything to say. The day was riveting. I was sitting on the couch for hours on end. I wonder who will play me in the movie.” Zoey stuck her tongue out.

“Smart ass. How about you come with me to work? I'm sure you'll be screaming to come back to air conditioning after a day or two. Maybe working outside and getting a sweat going will unlock your creativity. Sometimes having a mindless task can help. Why do you think epiphanies happen in the shower?” Erin finished putting the cold items in the fridge, closing the appliance with a thunk before turning her concerned gaze on her daughter.

Zoey pretended she didn’t see her from the corner of her eye and refocused on the pantry, which shouldn’t have taken all of her concentration but did. Guilt bubbled in her gut from knowing how hard her parents worked—not only for her, but especially for her brother.

“Yeah, I'll come help. How's work going, by the way?” Zoey finally poked her head out from the cupboard, actually putting an effort into talking with her mom.

“Oof, we're the busiest I've ever seen it. I did some work for a retired celebrity and had to turn people away, although most of them just wanted to wait until I was free. I had to hire four extra people and promoted Penelope a few months ago.”

Zoey's eyes fell to her phone, which was lighting up. Her best friend from college, Zarah, was calling, her smiling face taunting Zoey on the screen. Unable to wrangle the emotional bandwidth it would take to talk to her, Zoey let the call go to voicemail—again.

“You always had an eye for transforming yards. Want to catch some sun for a bit?” Zoey indicated with her head towards the backyard.

Erin grabbed a diet soda from the fridge before following Zoey out to the back.

“What time do you want me to start?” Zoey lifted her face to the sun, wanting to soak up as much as she could before returning to the dreary days of college. The forced leave was turning out to be good for her soul.

“I leave the house at four in the morning. We can go to the first house together. I'm just monitoring the crews and have five projects actively going. If your music doesn't work out, there is no shortage of landscaping work, especially here in Malibu.” Erin burped after taking a sip of her soda.

“Four? Does that time even exist? I thought it was just a rumor, like a unicorn or the middle class?” Zoey sat up from the chair she was lounging in. “And I'm not giving up. I need a break. Apparently, I have a limit, and hit it. Now that I know the signs, I can keep from falling into the traps again.”

“You're brilliant, but I'm afraid you'll need someone to watch out for you. Make sure you're drinking water, getting sleep, and taking breaks enough for this not to happen again. Is there anyone special at school?” Erin grinned behind her can. “Anyone at all? How about Zarah? I know you have a crush on her.”

“ Had , Mom.” Zoey emphasized the past tense. “I was at one point a walking cliché, having a crush on my best friend, but if you saw her with Brooklyn, you too would get over those feelings fast. They're made for each other.” She shrugged. It wasn't for lack of trying; she'd been on more bad dates than she could count, but as Zarah said on multiple occasions, her standards were too high. “Right now, I don't want to rely on someone to help me. I need to get my own shit together before even thinking about entering a relationship.”

“Famous last words,” her mom mumbled cryptically.

“Would you look at this, my favorite ladies in the world right here in my backyard.” Zoey’s dad popped his head outside, a smile stretched across his face. Theo barreled past him with Dug in tow, going towards the small cabin tucked in the corner of the yard.

“Is he okay?” Erin asked worriedly, standing up.

Zoey watched the red and black harness still attached to Dug disappear into the cabin with Theo. She wasn't always on call, so to say, but when that vest was connected, she didn't let Theo out of her sight.

“He had a hard time in class today. I'm hoping to give him a minute. Let him decompress,” her dad mused, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I need to get back to the hardware store. Are you okay?” He leaned down to kiss Erin's cheek. Zoey looked away from the love still radiating off her parents after twenty years.

A song started flowing into the backyard as Theo worked through his emotions. He filled the song with short, speedy notes, staying primarily in the minor key range. Zoey's heart rate sped up as she listened to the aggravated tones lifting up from the beat-up piano housed in the cabin.

Unable to handle the intense emotions flowing from the keys as they held up a mirror to her own mental health, Zoey slapped her thighs and stood.

“See you tonight, Dad. Love you.” She waved, needing to distract herself and wanting to check on her little brother to see what had caused such anger in the music he was playing.

The alarm screamed in her ear as Zoey tried to wake up. It was her second day getting up before the sun, and so far, it wasn't getting any easier. However, her mom had been right about one thing: her mind wandered freely in search of different ideas for musical pieces as she worked on creating design concepts for a few of her mom’s clients.

She mumbled her thanks when she reached downstairs and a cup of coffee magically appeared in her hands. Not needing to think yet, just follow her mom, she climbed into the pickup truck Erin used to haul supplies and tried to wake up.

The thing about getting up at the butt-crack of dawn was that they were heading home around eleven before the heat became too unbearable. That was how she found herself back on the couch at two in the afternoon.

A shadow appeared over her. “Can you take Theo for a walk on the beach, please? Getting out of the house will help with some of his energy.” Erin stood by Zoey’s head, holding out her hand.

The peppy song Theo was playing was happier than the one the other day in the cabin. This one filled the living room with the cool tones of the nicer piano they kept in the house.

Grabbing her mom’s hand, Zoey winced at the blisters forming on her palms. It had been a while since she’d helped her mom, and she needed to work on rebuilding the calluses. Even though she wore gloves, her hands were still raw.

When she entered the room, she asked her brother, “Hey buddy, do you want to take Dug to the beach?”

His smile lit up his face as the music halted. Even though he didn’t speak, his face and eyes held the depths of his thoughts and feelings.

“Come on, get your coat.” She waved him to the front door.

After readying Dug’s harness, Theo came up behind her, slipping on his shoes. Zoey handed the leash to her brother before calling goodbye to her mom.

The beach was a short drive away. Luckily, there was ample parking along the side of the road. Zoey's stress of the past few months seeped away as she watched Theo run to the waves, Dug always on alert and right by his side.

Along the way, Zoey heard a faint note of piano music flowing from one of the houses on the beach. Smiling at the tune, she strained to listen to the unique sounds over the crash of waves. For the first time in a long while, Zoey felt content. Coming home was precisely what she needed to find herself again.