“How do you know about the professor?” Remy asks, quiet disbelief threading his voice. He’s not wrong to be surprised.
“It involved the opera house,” I say. “I was hoping to write my first score for them.”
That part lands harder than I expect. He’s right. I don’t pay attention to things that don’t interest me. And I should’ve been helping him more.
“My phone’s charged enough now,” I add. “I can send you the names of the sponsors who emailed me.”
His eyes narrow. I smirk.
He’s right to be suspicious.
"We need an assistant,” he says. He knows I’ll agree right now.
“Okay.”
“You need to give them access to your email and calendar,” he adds. “And you need to listen to them. Pay attention. Answer them.”
I’m not good with people. They tend to be boring. I don’t like boring, and pacifying them by listening to their incessant drivel isn’t in me. Remy knows this.
“Don’t hire an idiot,” I say mildly.
I wait. I know he’s going to squeeze at least one more demand out of me before he feels like he’s made progress. I let him. It’s always best to let him think I’m listening.
“You need to come to a patron dinner,” he says.
I nod, but he holds up a hand. “And interact with them. Politely.” Smart to tack that on.
I nod again and drink more water.
“One more thing,” he adds. “You need to find a conductor you’ll actually work with and give them full authority to hire.”
I shrug and scroll through my phone, then forward him a contact.
James Earl.
I’ll work with him. He’s a perfectionist and doesn’t suffer fools. I can work with that.
The server returns, and the conversation drops away as we turn to our food.
Chapter thirteen
Dark Angel
I watch him sleep.
He isn’t peaceful, even in rest. His hands twitch, tracing an unsung melody against the sheets.
I hum a new song for him. The first in years that carries hope.
The twitching slows. Then stops.
His head tilts toward my voice. I back away at his whispered, “Angel.”
I move to the next bedroom. The other man lies there, sleeping deeply.
I consider him.
She is fond of him. He takes care of her conduit. For now, that is enough.
