“It feels that way, but I’m not sure why.” He was the one who sent me out to scout, and it looked bad on him that he kept picking horrible bands for me to go see. If he thought he was going to get me fired, he had another thing coming.
Bright blue eyes looked me up and down before Cross spoke. “Did you turn him down?”
I had turned him down when he came on to me. I’d been working at Titan Records for less than a year. I’d come from a small label that was going under and was pretty much starting over until I proved myself.
“Yeah,” Cross sighed. “That’s why he’s doing it. His ego is wounded.”
“He can’t really expect me to sleep with him, can he? That would make for a horrible work environment,” I mused out loud.
“Did you at least tell him you had a boyfriend to soften the blow?” Walker stepped forward but then rocked back on his heels.
“No, because like I said before, I don’t lie. It’s just not how I operate.” They all looked at me like I was naïve, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to take advice from them. “Let’s get back on track here. Unfortunately for you, my time is limited. We have two months to prove you’re the next up-and-coming band. Let’s start with…” I scrolled through the notes I’d made on my phone. All of their songs were good, but I needed to find the right one to introduce the world to them. “Stay. I think this one has the potential to be your first single.”
When I looked up, all of the guys were staring at me with awe on their faces. I knew right then and there; they’d do whatever I asked of them to make them the best damn band in the world.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” I leaned back on the couch and felt a spring pop, but I didn’t care. This was what I lived for, and it was time I proved myself to Titan.
“Give us a minute. This all just became very real for us.” Walker said as the biggest smile started to spread across his face. He looked to each and every one of his bandmates and then finally to me. “This is unbelievable. Is this how it normally works?”
I shook my head. “Not normally, but I pushed for you guys. If I can’t show him what I see in you by the end of two months, I may be out of a job.” Fuck, that would suck. I didn’t want to have to start over. Again.
Walker looked to me with so much conviction I had no other choice but to believe him. “We won’t let you down.” One by one, they each said the words—even Greer. And I believed them.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
CHAPTER FOUR
walker
2 Weeks Later
Opening my eyes, my gaze was instantly drawn to Pen, who sat off to the side on our old couch. She had a dreamy look on her face. While we had fans, I was only used to the support of my bandmates and Merrick, who’d been my best friend since elementary school. Having a new person believe in Crimson Heat the way she did was a powerful feeling. Every time she sat in this garage, I poured my heart and soul into my words, knowing it could be my last chance to impress her boss.
Pen tapped on her phone, turning off the recording. “That was… that was it, I know it.” She jumped to her feet with a wide smile on her face. “If this doesn’t convince Cristiano, I don’t know what will. Don’t be surprised if I have a contract for you the next time you see me.”
The guys hooted and hollered in the background, but I couldn’t stop staring at Pen. She’d been here almost every day for the last week, pushing us to be better. She was beautiful as always. Each time she came, she was dressed more casually than the time before. I was sure her jeans were still designer, but her heels turned into Chucks, and her silk shirts turned into worn t-shirts. I felt as if she was getting comfortable around us, and I liked that.
She tucked her phone into her back pocket and smiled around the room at each of us. “I’ll get out of here and let you guys celebrate.”
“I’ll walk you out to your car.” I held out my arm for her to go first. I hated that she had to leave so soon, but I knew she had a long drive ahead of her. I was surprised she didn’t get a hotel room instead of driving back and forth between LA and Willow Bay, but it wasn’t my place to ask why she was driving so much. Maybe she did have a boyfriend now. The thought of her driving home to some guy sent a shot of red hot jealousy through me. I didn’t like to think of her with any other men but me.
“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Pen spun around and then shot daggers at her car.
It wasn’t until then that I noticed both tires on the driver’s side of her car were flat.
“I thought I was going to get to go home and celebrate with some takeout,” she pouted. “It’s going to be hours before AAA can get out here.”
Pen turned to me with her whiskey eyes filled with tears. I was desperate to make her happy like she’d just made us minutes ago. It took all of my strength not to wrap my hand around the side of her neck and pull her mouth to mine.
“I know Willow Bay doesn’t have much to offer, but I’ll happily take you out to dinner while you wait for AAA.”
“That’s sweet of you, but it should be me taking all of you out to dinner. Seriously, how do you live here? There’s not even a Chinese restaurant.”
I shrugged because I didn’t have an answer. “I guess because I’m used to it since I grew up here. There are more places in the outlying towns, and they’re only a twenty-minute drive. If you hop onto the back of my Harley, I’ll take you.”
She looked toward the garage and then back at me. “What about the rest of the guys?”
“They can join, but they’ll have to provide their own transportation.” I started walking over to my motorcycle that sat in front of the garage. “Who wants to go get some dinner with us?” I asked as I grabbed my other helmet for Pen.
“Who’s us? I thought Pen was leaving.” Cross said, already heading for his car.
“So did I,” she sighed. “But I’ve got two flat tires on my car. I’m calling AAA right now to see when they can get out here to fix them.”
“That’s some shit luck,” Kenton observed. “You didn’t do it, did you, Greer?”
Greer rolled his eyes as he packed up his shit. He was the only one who didn’t live in the house. “Why the hell would I do that? Count me out. I’ve got other plans that don’t involve you guys.”
“Well, fuck you too,” Cross shouted as Greer walked down the driveway to his truck. Greer’s only response was to flip him off.
“Where are we going?” Cross and Kenton asked at the same time.
“Well, I think Pen was wanting some Chinese food, so I think we’re headed to Loganville.”
“I don’t have to have Chinese,” Pen spoke up from beside me. “I was merely pointing out that you don’t have a Chinese restaurant here. If everyone else wants something different, I’m fine with that.”
“Well, we rarely go out of town to eat, so I’m tired of the few places we have here. I’m down for whatever.” Kenton’s eyes widened. “Is this our celebratory dinner?”