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)
More important, he needed to get Crystal on board. Because as soon as the word romance had entered his brain, all he could think about was his arms around Crystal and how warm and sexy she’d felt. The sensation of her lips pressed against his hadn’t faded. What was wrong with him? He’d kissed countless beautiful women in beautiful locations all over the planet, but he didn’t think there’d ever been a single kiss that rocked his world the way that questionable kiss between old friends had done.
He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
And now he realized that he’d proved Crystal right. Hadn’t she been the first to say that the press would jump to conclusions about his mentoring?
He ended the call with Arch, feeling a lot more glum than he had only ten minutes ago. He wasn’t worried about the paps getting onto the grounds of his place. He was very low-key about it, but he had a security firm on retainer, and he always let them know when he was in town. Right about now, they’d be unobtrusively patrolling the grounds, making sure everything was okay. He couldn’t do anything about paparazzi hanging around on public property, but there was no way they’d encroach on his home.
As he approached the studio with the tray and heard the sound of Opal warming up floating on the breeze, his mood immediately lifted. It was easy to think that becoming a rock star was mostly luck, and he was the first person to admit a lot of luck had played into his path. But what people didn’t see were the hours and hours of practice, the lyrics that got chucked in the trash never to see the light of day, the tweaking to make each song better—never accepting the first version of anything. Making sure every song was the best it could be before anyone heard it.
Looking at Opal now, tucked up on a stool, already bent over her precious guitar, he knew they shared the same work ethic. He had a pretty good feeling they were going to get on fine, so he tried to put aside his annoyance over that pap’s picture. Watching her strum a few chords, he debated whether to even tell her. What difference would it make if he waited a couple of hours until they’d put in some work? Why start her visit on a negative note? They’d keep it peaceful and drama-free, at least for a few hours.
He set down the tray, handed her the glass of mineral water, and said, “Let me hear some of your new stuff.”
Opal immediately looked both excited and bashful. “Sure. But I want you to be super honest with me, and as critical as you have to be.” She was so serious and earnest when she looked at him that he was reminded of his younger self, caught on the wave of her enthusiasm.
He promised his absolute honesty, because that was the best way to help her career. So he took a seat and, with some nervous anticipation, nodded that she should begin.
She took a deep breath and then that incredible voice of hers poured out of that tiny frame. It was raw and raspy, deep and rich with emotion, and although she stumbled a couple of times, which he put down to nerves, by the second verse he could see the song take over. Then she was gone, fully immersed in the music, and he was right there with her. It was a little rough, and he saw where it needed work, but he was as convinced as he had been the first time he met her that this girl had serious talent.
When she finished, the confidence drained from her face and the nerves returned. Her eyes looked a little troubled as she asked, “What did you think? Honestly.”
He just let his smile beam out to speak for him. “I’ve got some ideas on how you can make it better, but as raw material, that was absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to get started.”
She heaved a huge sigh of relief. “I’m so glad. I was so nervous about coming here. During the whole flight I kept asking myself, what if it doesn’t work out? What if you feel like you made a mistake?”
He shrugged that off. “I wouldn’t have invited you here if I didn’t think you had this in you. Now, let’s get to work.”
Chapter Nineteen
Crystal was glad it was Monday and she was back at work. She needed to keep busy. She was always busy—she had a to-do list as long as her arm—but for some reason today she couldn’t settle down and focus. She decided to delegate some of that to-do list to her incredible staff. She had hired each one carefully, thoroughly trained them, and paid them well. It kept them loyal, and when the odd one moved on, it was usually to better things in a different city. One of her favorite event planners had moved to New York and started her own firm. As sorry as Crystal had been to see her go, they’d been able to throw each other jobs from time to time, so it had worked out well.