Free Rock Star's Ballad (White Mist Series Book 3) by A. P. Jensen Page B

led her to a table where Missy sat with a sharp eye on the kids. They dug into the food and for several minutes, there was peace.  
    “You sure you want to work with Regan Lee?” Missy asked.  
    “Don’t start, Missy,” Regan warned.  
    “What line of work were you in before?” Missy pushed.  
    “Hotels.”
    “Her family owned The Ashton Hotel in New York,” Regan said proudly.  
    “No shit?” Holly said, “That place is famous!”
    “Why would you work with Regan Lee if your family owns a fancy hotel in New York?” Missy asked.  
    “The hotel was bought out and I was released from my position.” Demi was determined to start fresh in a small town and live a simple life out of the spotlight.
    “That sucks,” Holly said, jabbing the air with a hot dog.  
    “Yes, it does,” Demi said quietly. She shoved down the need to rage against fate. She knew from experience that it changed nothing.
    “Well, Regan Lee can make money out of nothing,” Holly assured her. “I’d work with her, but she works a bit much, if you know what I mean. My job’s easy, it pays the bills and I got what I need, you know?”
    Demi decided she liked Holly. In fact, she had what Demi wanted—a simple life with no frills.  
    “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Demi said.  
    She was relieved when Missy and Holly didn’t ask anymore questions about The Ashton Hotel . Conversation flowed around her. It was obvious that they were all very close. Regan, Missy and Holly bickered constantly. Demi was alarmed at first until she noticed that Kerry and Gwen took it in stride. Demi smothered her laughter as they took turns insulting and baiting one another.
    When the kids finished eating, they broke into teams for soccer. The men became referees and called fouls. Johnny held Missy’s youngest daughter in his arms. Demi watched him talk to the toddler who grinned at him, not immune to his charm even at this age. Kids naturally gravitated towards Johnny’s manic personality. Demi’s heart clenched and she looked away. Her sisters adored Johnny and brought him up constantly since they listened to his CDs. Teddy turned into a clone of her father, just as she knew he would. Braxton wanted to be Johnny, much to her father’s displeasure. It struck her that the rock star playing with the kids was a far cry from the man who tossed seductive looks into the audience last night.  
    The women poured her a glass of wine and Demi took it gladly. She was so tired. She carried The Ashton Hotel on her shoulders for a year, worked herself into the ground and still lost it. All of that seemed very far away now as she sat in Valerie’s backyard surrounded by kids and friendly locals. For the first time in a long time, Demi relaxed. She’d known these people less than two days and they didn’t treat her like an outsider, they acted like she was a part of them. How had that happened? She felt so disconnected, even from Barry who loved her through the night. She felt like an empty shell of a person, her insides broken and hollowed out. Right now, in a small town in Montana, she began to feel again.  
    Kids came over to her as if they’d known her all their lives. They ate from her plate or leaned against her as they talked. Demi couldn’t remember their names, the best she could do was remember who they belonged to. It was clear that Holly and Max’s kids were the naughtiest out of the group. Max laughed when his son’s got rough until Holly stepped in. She smacked the boys and then Max, which resulted in a fair soccer game. At some point, Regan’s son Chase crawled into her lap and fell asleep against her chest. She cuddled him close and it brought back so many sweet memories of her siblings that she shook her head when Brooks and Regan offered to take him away.  
    It hit her when she and Missy were separating the leftovers that it was time to figure out where she was going to sleep. She had a new wardrobe in Regan’s trunk and no idea where