He shifted forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs, trying not to talk himself out of what he was about to say. “I don’t know if Gibson told you, but I’ve opened up a small studio in town. It’s kind of a side project for me when I’m not doing Darkfall stuff. I cut demos for people and have started to produce some local start-up musicians.”
“Yeah, he said something about it. Aren’t you working with Colby’s boyfriend?”
“Keats? Yeah, talented kid.”
She smiled, her amused gaze flicking over him. “I didn’t know you were into country.”
“I’m into good music, regardless of genre.” Plus, if Pike wanted to make a real go of producing in the future, he needed to attract talent now, get some buzz going. Keats had a real shot at breaking out.
“So what does this have to do with the kids?” she asked.
“Well, I’m thinking that if you want the kids to be heard, maybe that’s the way.”
“Meaning?”
“There’s no bigger world stage than the Internet. I help them cut a record. They can put a few tracks together and put them for sale online. The proceeds could go to the fund. Then once the songs are out, maybe they can put on a small show to promote it.”
Her eyes lit. “You could do that? They could have real-deal songs out there?”
Fuck. Me. He forced a smile. “If they have enough material and patience to put together a track or two. Recording can be tedious.”
She clapped her hands together. “Oh my god, that would be fantastic. They’ll think they’re stars! Imagine how proud they’ll be to have an actual song out that people can buy. I love this idea.”
Great. Fantastic. Shoot me. All he could picture was little kids running around his studio, screaming into the mics and climbing all over the expensive equipment. “How far along are they with having a full song ready to go?”
Tessa rolled her chair back. “Why don’t you go see for yourself? They’re working on it now in the music room.”
“We don’t have to—”
But Tessa was already cruising around the desk and grabbing for his hand. “Come on. They’ll be thrilled to meet you. They were so bummed when the other guy had to bail. But now they get to work with a genuine rock star!”
He snorted. “Marginally popular at best.”
And if his band didn’t get it together soon, they would be candidates for Where Are They Now? shows in the not so distant future.
His stomach knotted as Tessa led him down a hall filled with colorful drawings and finger-painted artwork pinned to the walls. He rubbed the back of his neck, finding sweat there. This was so not his scene.
But when they rounded the corner and Tessa stopped in front of a window that looked into a wide room, he forgot his discomfort for a minute. Ms. Uptight Receptionist was sitting in the middle of a circle of older kids, strumming a guitar and singing something. He couldn’t hear anything from outside the room, but the way her fingers moved over the strings was all confident elegance. Huh. The woman who had sneered at the idea of him being a musician appeared to be one herself.
And the tight-lipped, steel-spined posture she’d maintained during most of their conversation was gone, replaced with this sexy sway and bright-eyed smile. He let his eyes linger on her profile then travel down, watching the way her throat worked when she let out her notes and the way the swells of her breasts rose and fell with her breath. He adjusted his stance, willing his body not to react. Then Tessa cracked open the door, and Oakley’s sultry voice hit him in the gut—smooth water over jagged rocks. Every ounce of his blood traveled straight south.
Goddamn. If a voice could be fuckable, hers was. And the woman attached to it wasn’t hard to look at either. Dark hair and eyes that went cat green when she was annoyed—which had been about ninety percent of their interaction. He’d wanted that tour more than he’d let on just so he could keep teasing her and making those pink lips of hers purse. He put a hand on Tessa’s shoulder. “Don’t interrupt her.”
Tessa looked over at him with a knowing smile. “I told you she was pretty amazing.”
“Is that who I’m going to be working with?”
“Mmm-hmm. She works reception in the mornings, but once the kids get here after school, she helps out with them. If we do this project, I’ll find someone else to cover the desk so that she can take this on fully.”
“We met up front. I don’t think she likes me very much,” he said, keeping his voice low and his eyes on Oakley.
“Let me guess. You flirted with her.”
He glanced over at Tessa, feigning an innocent Who-me? expression.
Tessa sniffed. “I knew she sounded weird on the phone. You Ranch boys are a menace.”
“Hey, you’re married to a Ranch boy.”