“To Kalispell to meet with a friend.” She scooted around his desk and started to collect the scattered papers off the floor.
“Nope.” He shook his head, an unnecessary level of emphasis given his gruff outburst. “You’ll go another day when I can take you.”
“Jamie—” She straightened and lifted her gaze to his.
“I said no, Summer.”
“But—”
“No.”
“Go wash up,” she ordered, cocking her brow and pointing to the counter with the small sink. “You’re cranky, and you need to eat.”
“I’m not cranky,” he grumbled, doing as she said anyway.
“You’re always cranky when you’re hungry.” She bent and retrieved some papers. “So back to Kalispell. My friend Mason has been trying to reach me for the last week. I didn’t see his messages until I logged into my old account to respond to Marla’s email.”
“Who the fuck is Mason?” Hands soaped and rinsed, he flicked the water from his fingers, and feeling a hit of jealousy unlike anything he’d ever experienced, he reached for the paper towel dispenser.
“He’s the frontman for the Whiskey Walkers. We used to write songs together.”
“And now?”
She shrugged. “Now he buys them from me, which brings me to my point.”
“Answer’s still no.” He balled up the used paper towels and tossed them into the garbage.
She huffed and smacked the autopsy reports down on his desk. “You can’t say no until you hear me out, Jamie. This is important to me. So sit your butt down and eat.” She waited until he had his ass back in his chair. Then she waited until he picked up his sandwich and took a bite.
And shit, a chicken sandwich never tasted so good. Probably because she’d made it. For him. So he wouldn’t go hungry and turn into an irritable bear. “Alright, let’s hear it,” he said around bites. “What’s so important you have to go into town today?”
“Not what—who.”
“What?”
“Connor Walt.”
“Use more words, buttercup. Who is Connor Walt, and why is he important to you?”
She grinned. “He’s a local up-and-coming country music singer who broke the top one hundred with the first release off his debut album last year. He’s in Kalispell visiting his sister—Mason’s girlfriend.” She flapped her hand, waving away the familial connection. “Anyway, he heard Mason playing a couple of my songs and wants to talk about a collaboration.”
“He wants to write music with you?”
She nodded. “Yes. He wants to meet me in person to see if we’re the right fit. If we are, we’ll work together remotely. Him from Nashville. Me from here.”
“And this is important to you?”
She dropped her gaze. “I know writing music seems like a silly thing to do considering what’s going on with Dominion, but it’s been my dream forever, and I…”
Her eyes on the floor, and her voice trailing off, she was killing him. His own fault. He’d done this. Made her feel like what she wanted, what she needed, didn’t matter. Like her musical talent had no value in a world on the cusp of a global disaster. Wrong. So fucking wrong. “Come here.” He patted his lap. “Come sit down, and we’ll figure this out together.”
On her way over, she stopped to gather the X-ray sheets, and holding them in her hand, she stepped between his thighs, settling her weight against his good leg. “First things first.” He lifted her chin and kissed her hard and fast. “Your dreams are important, and the worldneedsto hear the songs you create. Now more than ever. I may not know a lot about music, baby. But I know you’re a talented songwriter, and I believe people will connect with your music in ways that will impact them profoundly. You’re special, and I’m an ass for wanting to keep you to myself.”
“You’re not an ass, Jamie.” She brushed his hair behind his ear. “You’re nervous about me going into town on my own. I understand why. The JTT has enemies. But they don’t know where you are, and they don’t know about me. Letting me go on my own is low risk.”
“And the meeting can’t wait a day or two?”
She shook her head. “Connor is leaving town tonight. If I don’t meet him this afternoon, I’ll miss this chance, and I may not get another to work with a musician of his caliber.”
