Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
As the truck purred along the winding road, the vibrant beauty of Carmel-by-the-Sea came into view. The surrounding hills stood tall, dotted with autumn wildflowers, while the distant sounds of the surf added a tranquil soundtrack to the scenery. As they drove past picture-postcard fairytale cottages, Erin thought to ask Opal if she wanted to stop for a coffee or anything, but she shook her head. “I’m hoping we can start work. I have some new material.”
He was pleased to discover she was as driven as he was. Maybe Opal would find the local landscapes as inspiring as he did. Maybe it would make its way into the gentle percussion of her guitar-led songs.
They soon arrived at Erin’s and Damien realized how long it had been since he’d seen her place. He’d forgotten how simply she lived. It was just a small one-bedroom, but full of bookcases, books, and pictures of the family—everything scrupulously clean. Erin explained with a blush that she was spending so much time with her boyfriend she was hardly ever home, and then said, “I hope it’s okay. My view is of a local school rather than the ocean, like Damien’s place, but I’m happy to have it.”
Opal, who’d been shyly looking at Erin’s book collection, glanced up and then laughed. “Are you kidding me? This is way better than my place in Brooklyn. It’s about twice the size—and do you have your own washing machine?”
“And a dryer.” With an amused look, Erin pulled open the closet where they sat.
Opal sighed in pure bliss. “You have no idea how tired I am of schlepping down to the basement every time I want to do my washing. I love New York, but unless you’re uber-rich, apartments are very small.”
He could tell Erin was relieved that Opal was going to be happy in her place. She said, “I left you some space in the wardrobe and cleaned out two drawers for you. There are some basics in the fridge. Help yourself to anything.”
Opal was delighted. He thought when he’d met her that she was a really nice kid, and now he was confirmed in that opinion. She said, “This is great. Thanks. How much is the rent?”
Erin shook her head. “I need to keep this place because it gives me independence, but since I’m not staying here, I’m happy that you are. It’s such a waste to leave it empty. All I ask is that you water my plants.”
Opal’s eyes widened. “Wow, that’s so generous. Thanks. I’ll make it up to you somehow.” Then she glanced at Damien. “If this dude can figure out how to elevate me from the coffeehouse circuit…”
“I can’t make any guarantees, but you know I think you’ve got talent. At the very least, if you work with me for a while, you’ll get some new material.”
She looked very happy to hear this. “Like I said, I’ve been working on some new songs. I can’t wait to play them for you.”
He said, “Great. Why don’t we get started right away?”
And so, after Erin had explained a few things that Opal needed to know about the building and given her a spare set of keys, she said goodbye and told Damien she would walk back to Jay’s place.
Once more, they set off in Damien’s truck, Opal’s guitar carefully strapped in across the back seat.
Chapter Eighteen
Damien waited at a traffic light, musing again at how great it was, just chatting about music with Opal. Being home was wonderful, but he’d become accustomed to life on the road with other musicians whose whole world was their instrument and their record collections. It was strange not living and breathing music and talking about it the whole time. With Opal here, he realized how much he’d missed it—even in such a short time.
For a moment, he wondered whether he really had it in him to stay in one place. Even a place as beautiful as Carmel.
Now that Crystal wasn’t even talking to him, some of the decision’s impetus was waning. He shook his head to banish the thought. Now was not the time to dwell on Crystal. He’d been doing that nonstop for two days. Instead, he’d put all his energy into Opal. It was almost intoxicating to feel again the excitement of a young musician just starting out with all the talent in the world, but not quite the confidence yet to believe in herself the way he already believed in her. Damien had seen and heard a lot of musicians over the years. Plenty had tried to get him to support their careers, and if he really believed in their talent, he’d done his best. But he’d never mentored someone to the extent that he was willing to with Opal.
Maybe it was part of this new phase of his life. He didn’t just want to be a rock star, endlessly flying around the globe putting on concerts and writing new songs. He’d been incredibly lucky in his career, but he also knew himself well enough to recognize that it was time for the next challenge. Part of that was giving his support and expertise to a new songwriter. What was wrong with that?