Page 52 of The Voice We Find

So ... will I be working with a random producer in a random studio next week or will I be decking the halls with you?

I’m reading the contract over now but keep getting distracted. Chaperoning.

Sophie:

?

I snap a covert photo of Gabby and Tyler and send it.

Sophie:

Ah, they are the sweetest!??

On second thought, I think you might be better off working with a random producer.

Sophie:

??You can’t tell me you’re not impressed with this comp plan! The earning potential could be huge for us both. Also, here’s my availability to help with rides for Gabby in September if you find yourself double-booked.

She sends over a calendar she’s made on a spreadsheet app, showing the dates and times she’ll have the Escalade at her disposal for the next month, as well as her work schedule. I can’t help but note her availability next weekend. Partly because she’s circled it three times in red. I smile at the not-so-subtle hint.

Am I safe to assume next Saturday night is open for me to take After-Hours Sophie to dinner?

Sophie:

What if I told you that’s my monthly date night with Phantom?

Then I’d tell you my previous offer has been revoked due to irreconcilable differences.

Sophie:

Your cat prejudices are not charming, August. I WILL change your mind about him. Mark my words.

I smile at her cheekiness.

Are you working at the winery now?

Sophie:

Yeah. It’s a slow shift, though. Mondays usually are.

She sends a selfie, only she’s cross-eyed and standing with her back to a counter of wine racks. I shouldn’t be nearly as charmed by it as I am.

Might want to take it easy on the wine tonight, looks like it’s affecting your vision.

She sends another picture of her pretending to sing into a mop handle, and it’s so ridiculous, I laugh. It’s only then I notice Gabby and Tyler’s eyes have shifted from each other to me. No idea how long they’ve been watching me smile at my phone like a goon, but I’m immediately self-conscious.

They give each other a knowing look, and then Gabby fingerspells Sophie’s name. I watch the silent shake of Tyler’s shoulders.

Ha ha, yeah, so funny.

I set the phone down and work to concentrate on the contract details in front of me. Sophie isn’t wrong about the deal points—between the higher rate and the projected promotional subscription commissions, there’s some potentially life-changing money to be made if all goes well. And I know exactly whose life it should change.

I glance up at the table again and watch my sister copy a sign Tyler is teaching her, and I feel the familiar stab of guilt at all she’s lost. And all that I haven’t been able to fix for her.Yet.

After she was denied eligibility for a cochlear implant last summer due to nerve damage, I’d gone on a deep dive in search for alternative answers. Whenever Gabby slept, I would be out here on my laptop. Researching. Bookmarking. Submitting requests to otolaryngologist specialists, asking them to consider reviewing Gabby’s unique case.

Fourteen never replied.

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