Likedwasn’t quite theright word, but I nodded. There had to be a better description of how it’d mademe feel. If I could focus on anything else but the way Quinn seemed to glowunder the ergonomic fluorescent lights in here, I might even have been able tothink of it.
“I… yes. Yes, it’s… it’svery good.”
I had to protect Quinn. Sohe could keep doing this.
“I love it,” I continued,glancing at Dave. Should I thank him, too? It’d been so long since I’d beenable to reallylistento music.
It wasn’t like it had beenbefore. I knew now that it never would be, which was a strange thing I’d neverquite processed.
But Quinn had given me agift that evenhedidn’t realize the magnitude of today.
Quinn beamed up at me. “Well, if Foxlikes it, I think that’s good enough.”
“I like it,” Lucy said. “AndI’m gonna push to include it on the final album.”
I could’ve kissed herfor the way she made Quinn’s face light up.
All I wanted was to see himhappy. To take all the hurt I’d seen in him and soothe it until it was gone,until he smiled all the time and wrote dozens and dozens of his own songs.
I wanted, with a sudden rushof feeling, to be the one standing beside him. Watching him blossom intosomething like one of the double-bloom roses my mum had been so proud of, fullto bursting with petals, almost too heavy for the stalk he was attached to.
The metaphor was fallingapart, but the sentiment stayed solid as I poked at it.
I wanted to be with Quinn.
Impossible and stupid as itwas, Iwantedit.
My heart was an idiot, butit had excellent taste.
“I… you’d do that for me?”Quinn asked.
Lucy grinned at him. “Hey, my name’sgoing in the credits. I’d do it forme. I wanna be theproducer who put together the very first Quinn O’Rourke all-original song,”she said.
I could’ve kissed her.Quinn deserved to have people tell him things like that. He deserved to beshown that they were confident in him, that he was worth so much more than hisuncle had let him believe.
“I don’t know how to thankyou,” Quinn said. “I… I can’t believe you’d…”
“Just say I can do it,” sheinterrupted. “Give me your blessing to go to bat on your behalf.”
“Yes.” Quinn nodded. “Ofcourse. I… please. I’d love that. You have no idea what it means to me.”
“Awesome,” Lucy responded,beaming. “You should take a break, I’ll handle that. Great work, guys.”
A round of applause went upin the tiny room, but I barely noticed it.
All I could see was Quinn,glowing with triumph and happiness.
Stunningly beautiful.
A man it would have beendangerously easy to fall in love with.
***
Much as I didn’t want to leaveQuinn for even a few minutes today, Jimmy’s lead had come through and I neededto follow it up. The lunch break Lucy had insisted we take was the perfectopportunity for that.
Besides, he was discussingartistic and technical things with her. Nothing I could help with, and unlikeUncle Vincent, ItrustedLucy.
I knew it wasn’t impossiblethat she was the one who’d leaked the last album, but I didn’t think she couldhave been responsible for the lyrics. Not unless she could be in two places atonce.
