Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
I nod. “More than anything. I’d like to discuss doing some songs with just her and me on the album, too.”
Susan ponders that. “It can be discussed, but one thing at a time. For now, we’ll have a contract drawn up to get her on the last leg of the tour. We can talk about the album when we return home. Does that sound fair?”
I scream and throw my arms around Susan, which is something I rarely do. She’s stiff for a few moments, then carefully pats my back.
“Thank you, Susan!”
“It’ll take me a few days to get the contract drawn, so she won’t be able to play with you until our next stop. Is that okay?”
I nod. “That’s fine. It’ll give her time to get familiar with my song lists.”
Susan nods. “Go and tell her the good news.”
I beam and rush out of the room and into where Amalie is waiting. I run over and throw my arms around her, taking her off guard. I start to tell her she’s in, but realize I’m yelling it over her shoulder, so I pull back and look at her. “She said yes. You’re in!”
Amalie’s face lights up, and she starts jumping up and down. “Really?” she cries.
“Really! She’ll have a contract drawn up tonight, so you won’t be able to play my two shows here in San Francisco, but you will for all my next ones.”
“That’s okay. Thank you so much, Scarlett.”
“I’ll also have a word with her after the show about you travelling on my bus with us. If you like?”
Her face gets even brighter. “Really?”
“Really! I could use a new roomie!”
She beams and hugs me again.
“I’m so happy,” I tell her. “Welcome to my team. I have to go get ready for tonight’s show, but please, make sure you find me after and we can talk about anything you might want to know.”
She nods, smiling happily.
I return that smile and leave the room, feeling absolutely incredible.
And wondering if Maverick will be in the crowd tonight.
My heart swells with anticipation.
~*~*~*~
My show is insane.
By the time I’m finished, I’m exhausted. I’m going to be playing again tomorrow night, because the first night was such a major sell out they decided to do two shows. Maverick stood and watched, front and center. I don’t know how he manages to get that close, my guess is people move out of his way when he bustles through. He’s that massive—anyone in the right frame of mind wouldn’t take him on unless they had a death wish. He watched the whole time I sang with a depth to his gaze that made my heart flutter. It felt good to know I was the one making him stare like that. To feel whatever it is he was feeling when he was watching me.
I just arrived at my holiday house and found my room at the very back, with a big set of double doors opening out onto a wooden deck. Just for me. Peace and serenity, just what I need. I spoke to Susan after the show about Amalie coming on the tour bus with me, she was happy to let her. So, I gave Amalie the good news over text. I couldn’t find her after the show, although I got hustled out pretty quickly once we were done.
Exhaustion pulls at my body and I take a long, hot shower and get into a comfortable pair of cotton shorts and a tank, then I sit on the little deck with a cup of tea, staring out at the city lights. I feel relaxed for the first time ever after a show. That’s a first for me. Usually, I struggle to unwind. Maybe it’s because of Amalie, or Maverick, or both.
I wonder if Maverick will come by.
Did the hint in my message come through clearly enough? I did write my address, but was that too forward? What if he comes here thinking I want to sleep with him? My heart starts hammering against my rib cage. Would I honestly care if he thought that? Probably not. It’s been so long since I’ve felt any kind of passion, let alone romance.
My body heats at the thought of it.
A low rumble that sounds an awful lot like a motorcycle fills the night, traveling into my senses and putting my whole body on alert. I can’t see much, due to the angle of my deck, but I do hear the bike quiet down to a stop on the street outside. Will he go to the front door? Will he figure out where my room is? God. What if he does knock. Susan will lose her mind. She’s gone to bed but the woman has people on duty in the living area for this very reason.
So nobody can come in without going past them.