Angela sighed as the water shifted up and down her cheek with the current. God she needed this, her brain had been fucked up for months. Depressed and bogged down with the worst kind of writer's block. The ADHD kind. She'd have a billion ideas swirling around in her head a day but every time she tried to put them onto paper either the words or the ideas just wouldn’t flow. It was like she was off balance. Again. The last time this had happened it had been when she'd first got into writing. She had promised her manager a song in a week for some indie band and had barely managed to write the chorus by Wednesday. “Angel?” a gruff voice broke through her waterlogged ears. “Your mom’s ringin’ the dinner bell,” Angela smiled at the southern drawl in her brother-in-law's voice as he raised his voice above the sound of the waves.

“Minute!” 

“‘Kay. Don't go and drown!” Angel could hear the smile on Beau’s voice as he turned towards the house.

“I won’t!” Hopefully. Angela groaned as she rolled to her side, taking a deep breath before slowly letting the water envelope her as she propelled herself towards the shore.

“Mom!” Angela smiled, she had missed her sister so much, especially the little things like the way her sister whined when their mother would say or do something to embarrass her. “Angel!” her sister plead as she caught sight of her, “Make her stop!”

“What? All I wanted to know was when I was getting some grandbabies!” 

“Angel!”

[~]

“Lila!” Lila jumped, she had been so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't even noticed Chris had been talking to her.

Lila rubbed her head as her mind refocused on the conversation, “Sorry, what?”

“Do you have any ideas?” 

“For…?” Lila’s brow creased as she racked her head, how long had she been spacing? A few minutes, maybe more? What were they even talking about before? Something about their schedule…Fuck! 

“Your tour?” Mr. Barlowe growled in frustration, his bushy brows curly together forming a unibrow as he scowled.

“And any new song ideas you may have,” Warren interjected with an apologetic smile, he was always protecting someone. A fitting name for a guardian.

“Where are you from?” Lila smiled at Warren’s wide eyes. The man was like one of those dogs farmers have to protect their farms. Quiet but loud. Fierce but peaceful. Come to think of it she knew just about as much about him as she knew what a guard dog did. 

“Uh…well Maine. But most of my family works here in Los Angeles. We’re a musical family.” Warren finished with a whistful smile, “Except for my sister, Angel. She works and lives back home helping our dad.”

Lila frowned, “Angel?”

“My mom is a writer she never names something without a meaning. She says she chose Angel because, from the moment she first held my sister, she knew she had a story to tell and a message to send.” Warren smiled and with a tilt of his head said, “She wasn't wrong, Angel’s always giving advice.”

“What does this have to do with the tour?!” Mr. Barlowe asked his rough voice seeming to rumble like gravel.

“Where in Maine?”

“Eden,” Warren said with a smile.

Lila chuckled, “Eden Maine it is.”