“They’re worried I’ll end up being a server at the pub forever. It’s not like it’s a bad job. I can support myself. Visit with family and friends. Meet new people. And I don’t have to think about work when I leave. I have plenty of time to do what I want.”
“Like music?”
She shrugged. “I enjoy performing, but there’s limited opportunity around here. But someday, I want to find a music publisher for my songs…”
Her words sounded well-practiced. Almost rehearsed. But underneath them was a quiet longing coupled with an edge of fear.
“I can get your music in front of the right people.”
She inhaled sharply. “Thanks.”
“I’d like to tape us singing ‘Broken Dreams’ if you don’t mind so I can send it to my manager and a few contacts.”
Hope filled her gaze, but once again, a hint of fear was present, too. “That’s fine.”
“We’ll do that after we eat, and then I want your input on a new song.”
Ivy brightened, transforming her pretty face to a beautiful one. “I’d like that.”
Nash liked her. NDA or not, he rarely opened up with people he just met, but he wanted to let down his guard around her. “I’ve been looking forward to you being here all day.”
She picked up her half-eaten slice of pizza. “It’s great to meet someone who feels the same about music.”
“It is.” But Nash’s feelings went beyond music. Ivy was a singer-songwriter, but he saw beyond that to the person—the woman—she was. She lived simply, making the most of what she had in this small town, yet wrote lyrics with a much larger worldview, full of contradictions and complications, emotional words with hidden meanings that stirred his soul.
Bottom line, Ivy Quinn captivated him.
He didn’t know what that meant because he’d never felt so drawn to anyone before, but he couldn’t wait to find out.
