He saunters away, leaving me speechless.
My brother swipes both hands down his face, spinning around, then pivoting right back. “Jesus. Did you hear that?”
I down my champagne. “Mm-hmm.”
“Shit. Holy shit.”
Chase scratches his jaw, eyeing the business card tucked inside my hand. “We need a drummer and a bassist.”
Tag nods, eyes still bugged out of his head. “I have connections. I’ll ask around.”
“I might know a drummer,” Chase adds, his gaze faraway, wheels spinning. Then he looks at me. “Is this something you want?”
Both men watch me, waiting.
The sparkling wine fizzes in my throat.
Of course it is. On the surface, it’s everything I want. Music, writing, creating, living.
Yes.
But Chase isn’t just asking a question. He’s telling me to think. To peel back the layers, examine each piece, and see it for what it really is. This isn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. This is a crossroads. A life upheaval. A domino effect of shifting dreams, abandoned safety nets, and terrifying decisions.
This is another test.
My job will take a back seat.
My relationship will be pushed to its limits.
My conviction will be analyzed and picked apart, leaving me in pulpy pieces.
Life, as I know it, will change.
This is more than music. I’m signing up for everything that comes with it. And at the center of that conundrum is Chase: the one person I swore to avoid after tonight.
Our eyes meet through the dusky night, his burning into mine.
I swallow hard.
Around him, I don’t trust myself.
And yet…
Every road seems to lead back to him.
Chapter 24Chase
“What do you think of this lyric?”
Stella sings one of the lines to “Hallelujah.” The part about love being compared to shooting someone who outdrew you. She leans back on her hands as we stare out at the wind-churned lake, her bare toes coated in ruby polish and clumps of sand.
I shrug, pulling my knees to my chest. The late-summer afternoon is hotter than a space heater in hell, but the breeze is sharp, adding a much-needed balm. “Never thought about it before.”
She gapes at me. “Really? Lyrics make the song.”
“I tend to focus on the musical progression. The structure, movement, melody.”
“Typical guitarist.”
