She was surprised at the complexity of the song and how tight they sounded. They played in perfect timing with one another, and she hoped she didn’t throw them off while she overcame the learning curve.
When the song was over, Lucas showed her the chords, stressing their names and strumming the strings. “C major.” He rearranged his fingers. “E major.” He moved his hand again. “G.”
She followed along and played the chords in succession, and he nodded with approval. He started naming the individual strings that made up each chord, which confused her. It was too much information, and she couldn’t keep up with him. She was still trying to remember the names of the chords. “Can you slow down a little?”
“I’m sorry. You were doing so well I thought I’d continue.”
“I recognize the chords. I just don’t know the names.” She didn’t want to tell him that she had made up silly little names for them which mimicked the position of her fingers, like “tarantula” and “staircase”. Someone with his intelligence would find it stupid. “Maybe you can just tell me the names of the chords, and I’ll work on identifying the names of the strings that comprise them later on.”
He paused. “OK.” And continued showing her the chords. “Here’s the sheet music.” Lucas placed a few pages on a music stand in front of her. “But it’s not going to do you any good if you can’t read it.”
Eager to show initiative, she scanned the paper, but it was merely for effect. They were unrecognizable black dots on little diagrams.
They played through the song again, and she had no problem following along. On the next take, she added a little spin and played off Lucas’ lead. He turned to her in surprise, an eyebrow cocked high. She challenged him with a twangy pull on the whammy bar, and he dropped to his knees and let loose a barrage of notes that left her jaw gaping. She had no clue he possessed such talent, and that he enjoyed showing off so much.
When they finished the song, she applauded him with clapped hands, which he didn’t seem to appreciate. His furrowed brow questioned whether or not she was mocking him. She was sincere, but she didn’t clarify it because she didn’t want a confrontation. She was the newcomer, and she didn’t want to make waves in this trio who really didn’t need her. They had played together harmoniously and had a long-standing relationship, probably playing together for most of their lives. She needed this gig and would do whatever it took to make it work, even if Lucas Blade was already starting to grate on her nerves. After about two hours, Sindy wondered about her stamina. Lucas, Tessa, and Mason all seemed more energized than when they had started, while she was ready to drop.
“I guess that’s enough for our first rehearsal,” Lucas said, seeing her exhaustion. “I don’t want you to get overworked, Sindy. We play hard and we play long. You did good.” He handed her the music sheets. “Go over these tonight, and tomorrow we’ll see if you can read them back.”
She looked down at the paper. He had written letters next to each chord. A cheat sheet to help her learn. “Thanks. This will be a big help.” She glanced up at him, and he pinned her with a smile that almost took her breath away. Up until this moment, he’d been all business with the occasional sly remark. The genuine smile he wore made his blue eyes sparkle brighter, and she realized how insanely good looking he was. She couldn’t look away. He was one of those beautiful people that made everyone turn their head and stare. As their eyes remained locked on one another, a rush of heat that she never expected filled her chest.
Tessa looped her arm through Sindy’s, breaking her trance. “Let’s go upstairs and get a drink.”
“You’re leaving?” Mason called to Tessa from behind his drum kit.
“I want to hang out with Sindy.”
Both Mason and Lucas watched Sindy leave the studio with Tessa, and Sindy felt as if she was pulling Tessa away from something important. “It’s OK if you need to finish up with them.”
“Oh, please. Those guys can live without me for a little while.”
Tessa brought Sindy into the kitchen and pulled out a high back chair that faced a massive center island. “Have a seat while I get us a drink.” Tessa opened the Sub Zero fridge and inspected the contents. “Iced tea OK?”
“Sure. Anything’s fine.”
Tessa set a large pitcher of tea with sliced lemon on the island and filled two glasses. Then she returned to the fridge and pulled out a container. A covered bowl from the cabinet joined the little display in front of them.
“Tessa, don’t go to any trouble.”
“No trouble.”
When Tessa pulled the lids off of the containers, revealing guacamole and tortilla chips, Sindy suddenly realized she hadn’t eaten all day and reached into the bowl, looked at the chip and bit into it. They were fresh and crunchy, unlike the bagged variety Sindy usually had. “Are these homemade?”
“Of course. So is the guac and iced tea. Besides music, cooking is the only thing that I’m really passionate about.” Tessa nibbled on a tortilla chip. “You did a great job today. Lucas was impressed.”
It surprised Sindy because the three of them were so much better musically than she was, with more experience. “Do you really think so? I felt like I could have done better.”
“Are you kidding? Did you see Lucas’ face when you deviated from the standard riff and threw in your own notes?”
“He looked a little ticked off, to be honest.”
Tessa threw her had back and laughed. “It was awesome. Lucas needs someone to challenge him. You two are going to have great chemistry.”
Rehearsal started early the next morning, since Sindy needed to be at the diner for the lunch hour rush. She was working a double shift today to make up for the hours she missed yesterday. Juggling her music career and her job was going to be rough, but determination would see her through it.
Mason was already behind his drum kit, exactly where Sindy had last seen him yesterday, leaving her wondering if the guy ever left his perch. He smiled and tilted his chin at her, but never stopped the soft beat he played with his sticks.
Lucas had his guitar slung over his shoulder as he arranged sheets of music on the stand. “Hey, Sin. I got yesterday’s lesson right here. Let’s start right away and do a run through while Tessa and Mason get set up.”
