Page 24 of Feuds and Interludes
“Good to see you, man,” I said, as Leland wrapped me in a big hug.
“Been too long, Butler. I hear there was a little mix-up with the schedule, man, I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. It’ll be good to have some time with Lydiaandwith Morrison. They both bring something different to the music, you know.”
Leland kept his arm around my shoulders. “You heading up?”
“Nah. Too restless. I was going to grab a guitar and go to Cabin 6, mess around for a while.”
Leland pulled me away from the lodge. “Let me show you what More brought me from his latest trip to London.” He rubbed his hands together, and I followed him. “He knows how I feel about vintage guitars, and he found me the perfect slide guitar. I’ve been itching to show it to someone who will appreciate it for what it is.”
I laughed and patted him on the back. “You’re not going stir crazy out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“Are you kidding? I get to play host to all of our best friends. I don’t have to deal with LA traffic. Ain’t gotta cook. This is heaven up here.”
“I guess it would be,” I said, thinking that I, too, might like a little break from the rat race. “What about the rain?”
He shrugged. “Hasn’t gotten to me yet. We went down south for a bit when it was snowing. Lydia likes the cold, so she booked all the time. Worked out good. Sometimes the damp fucks with my joints, though. Getting old is a bitch.”
“Whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes. And then I realized we were at the two-story house they’d converted into the main studio space when Morrison and Lydia bought the place, and Leland was going up the steps. “Oh, uh, aren’t they working in there?” As much as I was tempted to flirt with disaster, busting in on Boone’s studio time was probably not a great move.
“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s just in the control room.” He held open the door for me and waited.
Fuck. Now it would be weird to beg off.
What could I do but accept his invitation?
I walked in and he let the heavy door close behind us. We stood in the foyer of the old house and through a set of glass French doors, I could see Morrison sitting behind the board with his headset on, having some sort of…seizure? He had his hands pressed to the earpieces as he jerked his head and his whole upper body, his track-pants legs flailing about, rolling his chair side-to-side
“Oh shit, I heard what they were working on last night. This album is going to be all kinds of sick.” Leland opened the door and gestured for me to follow.
Beyond the control board, Boone was playing and singing his heart out, his long curls bouncing on his shoulders, his eyes closed. I couldn’t look away. Not even when he opened them and stared at me in surprise.
Leland put a hand on Morrison’s shoulder, making his partner jump. He stood and hugged Leland, bouncing up and down and pointing his finger at the band. He flipped a switch, and the control room was blasted with sound.
The sound of Boone’s voice flooded me with heat. I thought I might black out when he rested his hands on the mic stand and sang a high note that made the hair rise on my arms.
His giant blue eyes were focused on me as he finished the last note of the song. When it was over, he smiled at his bandmates, nodding at them. When he looked back atme, his expression was wide-eyed, as if he’d just gotten caught doing something naughty. Or that was just the salacious thoughts in my head.
“Boone, that was fucking brilliant,” Morrison said over the mic, jarring me from my little fantasyland. “I’m out of my head over here.”
Boone took a dramatic bow, and his eyes connected with me once more.
“I ran into Butler, and I wanted to show him my new toy,” Leland said to Morrison, reminding me we were not here to gawk at Boone Collins.
Leland stepped over to the rack of guitars and pulled out his new shiny. “Morrison already has my heart, but damn, would you look at this beauty?” The guitar was a rare Lectraslide, and he proceeded to run his fingers lovingly along the strings. “I’ve always loved these. I can’t believe you found one.”
Morrison shrugged. “I knew you’d love it. Plus, I thought it could come in handy if Boone agrees that this song we’ve been working on needs slide.”
“If Boone agrees to what?”
Boone stepped out of the studio and joined the three of us. The twins pulled out their cigarette packs and basically snuck out like a couple of kids cutting school. But Boone didn’t seem to notice. He was staring at me. Again. Making me realize that I was imposing on his studio time.
Ten
Boone
I did my best not to show that Shane’s appearance had rattled me. Flirting with him earlier was a ballsier move than I thought myself capable of, and thinking about what I’d said? My hands shook as I reached for the mic and put a little more oomph into the last note on this new song than I’d done previously.
