“Where is this studio going?”
“In an old barn?” I don’t know why I phrase it as a question, except I don’t know if it’s even doable.
“That sounds interesting. I tell you what. How soon do you need it done?”
“As soon as possible. My girlfriend will be back in about a month.”
“Harmony Ellis, right?”
“Right.” How does everyone in this town already know about us? Also, it feels crazy to call her my girlfriend. She is, but it just feels weird.
“Okay, Peter needs a couple days out of the office. How about we come see it tomorrow afternoon?” Rand asks.
“That would be great. I wasn’t sure you’d even be interested.”
“You kidding? We definitely want to be able to say we built the studio that took the local girl from a star to a superstar. Besides, anything to help out a brother.” He winks at me. “Do you mind a local crew?”
“No, that’s fine.”
“Great. We’ll be there tomorrow after lunch.” I give him the location and head back outside.
Doubts about this whole thing begin to set in before I even make it back to my truck. I think I’m more worried about what crew he shows up with more than anything. It will be worth it, though, if it keeps Harmony with me.
True to his word, it’s not long after lunch the next day when a fancy SUV comes bumping down the dirt road to the house. Rand steps out of the driver’s door. A man I don’t know and a half scary-looking woman climb from the other side. I open the door to greet them, and Reacher pushes past me before I can stop him.
“Hey, big fella,” the other man says, bending down. Reacher, of course, knows a dog person when he sees one. The dog presses against the man rubbing on him like he’s going to produce a genie.
“Beau,” Rand says, stepping forward. “This is my associate, Peter.” I shake his hand briefly before he goes back to scratching Reacher’s ears. “And this is my other associate and sister, Geneva.”
“Or associate is plenty.” She rolls her eyes as she steps forward to shake my hand. I think I’ve misjudged her. We might be the same side of the coin.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” I offer.
“We’re good,” she answers for all of them. “Show us this barn.”
“It’s a little rough,” I say as I lead them over. It’s warm enough now so both horses are out in one of the pasture traps. Pushing open the door, I lead them inside. Peter stands just inside the door taking it in while the other two start poking around. “This is the only space I can come up with.”
“What’s up there?” Geneva asks, pointing to the hayloft over our heads.
“Storage mostly.”
“I think he needs an apartment up there for the band to stay in when they come to work,” she says.
“Band?” I ask. Crap, I hadn’t even thought about that. They will need somewhere to stay if they need to rehearse here or record anything. I can’t exactly put them up at the house of horrors we refer to as the hotel in Dansboro Crossing. Although I guess the Elvis room could be inspiring.
“I think we have enough room that we can do a music and an art studio. I have one of your pieces on my office wall,” Geneva says.
“Really, which one?” Peter asks.
“The sketch of the Pennybacker Bridge at sunset.”
“Ohh, I like that one. You’re right, he needs a studio also.” I feel like I’m no longer in control of this project. I like the direction it’s taking though. A studio where I could work in the evening while listen to Harmony would be perfect. They continue to make plans while I fantasize about the fun we could have with a couch on my side of the studio.
“Okay, we’ll take it,” Rand says. “I’ll shoot you some preliminaries and price estimates next week. In the meantime, start emptying the loft out. We’ll need to start soon to make it in a month.”
“Really?” Honestly, I didn’t think I could make this happen.
“It’s going to be one for the magazines,” Geneva announces before swooping out of the barn. We follow her slowly to the SUV where she already sits waiting.
