Page 83 of Steal My Breath Away

Dante and Chad were talking in the hallway when I left the studio after the show.

“That was a great track,” Dante said. “I mean really great. Do you have more?”

“Enough for an album. I came back from Virginia, and it was like I was possessed. I couldn’t stop writing, and then I did all the arrangements and suddenly I had a story in songs.”

“Why aren’t you in a recording studio right now?” he said. “I’ve always thought you had talent, but that track was next level.”

Dante liked my song.I respected the hell out of him as a musician, and his praise meant the world to me. “I wanted to do a gig and get some live feedback. I’ve only ever sung covers in public. I just have no idea whether my original tracks are any good so I just recorded the one song.”

“Haley.” Dante shared a look with Chad, who had a grin from ear to ear. “It’s fucking amazing. You don’t need any more feedback. Have you seen the messages?”

My lips quivered at the corners. “Some.”

“Read them. All of them.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ve texted you the name of a guy I know who runs a recording studio in the Loop. Tell him I sent you and he’ll give you a substantial discount.Get that album recorded and then I can put you in touch with a PR team to get the word out.”

“Fifty bucks says Haley is signed within three months of recording her album,” Chad interjected.

“One hundred says two months.” Dante shook his hand.

Chad grinned. “One fifty says one month and I’ll donate the money you’re going to give me to the Haley Recording Fund.”

“Hey guys.” I waved my hand in front of them. “I’m standing right here. I’d rather you just come out to my gig at the Bluebird and show support that way than trying to beat each other in a betting pool.”

“I’m back for a few weeks and I was going to get the band together again,” Dante said after shaking Chad’s hand to confirm the last bet. “I could probably get another gig for us this weekend if you’re interested.”

“Thanks,” I said. “But I think I’ll go it alone.”

CHAPTER 36Ace

“I’m exhausted.” Jessica collapsed on her oversize white leather couch after a long day on the set. “This movie better win me an Oscar because I’m utterly drained, emotionally and physically. I don’t know how method actors do it. The more time I spend on set, the more I get into my character’s head, and sometimes I forget that I’m me.”

“You’re still you,” I assured her. “I don’t think you’ll be picking up a gun and blasting your way through any corporate offices anytime soon.”

“That’s sweet of you to say.” She gestured to the seat across from her. “Sit down. Relax. We’ve hardly had a chance to catch up since you got back. Did you sort out your personal matter in Virginia?”

“I did. Thanks very much for giving me the time off.”

“No problem. They sent Jorge to replace you,” she said. “I swear that man never slept. He was awake when I went to bed, and when I got up, and anytime I got out of bed at night for a glass of water.”

“You must have felt very safe.”

“It was weird,” she said. “We weren’t a good fit. I like my bodyguards to reflect me. They need to look good, be well-dressed, and have mad protection skills.”

“I’m glad I made the cut.”

“You very much made the cut.” She gave me a calculated look. “How is your friend doing? The singer?”

“Very well.”

“Any new gigs? I’d like to hear her sing again.”

I knew I shouldn’t say anything. My personal life was personal.But I’d just heard Haley’s song on her radio show—I never missed it—and I was so damn proud, and still reeling from the message it conveyed. “She just debuted a new track on her radio show, and she’s posted her song online. She’s doing her first live performance of her original music the day after tomorrow.”

“She sings, performs, and she has a radio show.” Jessica ran a hand through her long blond hair. “Let’s take a listen.”

I streamed the song on my phone, letting Haley’s beautiful voice carry me back to Riverstone and the night by the creek when I’d cried for her father. I didn’t realize Jessica was watching me until the song ended and I looked up for her reaction.

“That was beautiful,” Jessica said, her voice curiously flat. “How do you know her?”

---