Lucy’s cheeks flushed pink. “Shall we go in?”
Marcus nodded and led the way, and I kept my hand where it was, leaning heavily into the protective boyfriend act.
The studio was quiet, with soundproofed walls.
Equipment filled every surface. Cables were coiled on the floor, and the two session musicians she’d hired were already set up.
I clocked the exits in the first ten seconds. There were two doors and three people, not including me and Lucy.
And there were no blind spots if I positioned myself on the chair next to the control board.
I settled there and watched, playing the ever-patient, supportive boyfriend role.
After a little small talk, Lucy walked into the recording room and transformed.
Here was the superstar I’d watched on stage.
She picked up an acoustic guitar from the stand near the mic and said something to the fiddle player that made him laugh. Then she pulled the strap over her shoulder and adjusted the mic height, looking completely at ease.
She started with the melody I’d heard her humming in the car, and I understood why she’d been itching to get it recorded.
Lucy could belt out a tune that made the whole world stop and listen.
And I caught myself getting trapped in her spell while they went through multiple recordings of the song.
Damn, she was amazing.
She caught me watching through the glass and held my gaze for a beat longer than she should have, long enough that she lost track of her song mid-lyric and started laughing.
“All right, boys. We need to start over.”
Then she looked right at me. “Ben, stop watching. I can’t concentrate with that look on your face.”
Hm. She might have a point. I was staring at her like I wanted to devour her.
Marcus came to sit beside me at the control board. “She hasn’t sounded like that in a while,” he said quietly, more to himself than to me.
I didn’t answer, but I understood exactly what he meant.
“Small Town Rambler,”he continued. “It’s going straight to the top of the charts. Did she base it off you?”
I slid my eyes off the exit doors and glanced at Marcus for a second. “Naw.”
“Because you’ve got that drawl. You sound a little bit like Nashville.”
“Yup. I’m right next door.” If you count one state away as right next door.
“And there’s that line about finding a country boy down at the county fair. Is that how you two met?”
Marcus sure was prying. He was a regular ol’ gossip.
I glanced at him again. “Naw. We met at a bar in Nashville. I took one look at her and danced her right into my arms. She hasn’t left my side since.”
Marcus grinned, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Cal had already cleared the man. But there was something about him that I didn’t like.
It was shortly after that conversation that I noticed the breach for the first time.
