Nathan’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching slightly. It was clear that Owen’s taunt had hit a nerve. But Nathan wasn’t the type to back down either.
“I prefer to keep my employees close,” Nathan replied coolly, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife. His words were smooth, almost cordial, but there was an undeniable edge to them now.
Either Owen couldn’t read Nathan’s tone or he was choosing to ignore it, because he simply chuckled. It was the kind that said he didn’t feel threatened by my boss.
“I’ll call you to reschedule our date, Elise.” Owen said, handing me the flowers, his smile slow and wickedly confident.
“She won't be available.” Nathan replied before I could.
I glared at Nathan. “You don’t speak for me.”
“I’ll call you.” Owen promised before he turned and strolled back to his Audi.
Nathan took a step back and I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding before I turned around and walked us back into the house before shutting the door. “You’re going to schedule another date?” Nathan pressed before I could ask him what the whole jealous boyfriend act was about.
“Yes.” I lifted the roses to my nose, taking a small whiff. “Why?” I asked, a hint of impatience slipping into my voice as I headed toward the kitchen so I could put the flowers into a vase.
“No reason,” Nathan followed behind me, stopping only to stand on the other side of the counter. “I just think maybe you should mention to Bailey the next time you see him that you prefer tulips.”
His words caused me to freeze. “What?”
“You prefer tulips over roses.” Nathan clarified as if it was completely normal for him to know my favorite flowers, which for the record it wasn’t. He never showed that much interest in me.
“H-how do you know that?”
“You have a vase of tulips on your desk and your phone case has tulips on them. It’s not hard to figure out.”
“I didn’t realize it was that obvious.”
“I notice more than you think.” Nathan said, eliciting a wave of butterflies in my stomach.
Those little suckers were appearing more and more these days, originating from the dinner in his office two weeks ago and I decided not to dwell too much on why that was.
I cleared my throat, hoping it would deter the foreign feeling in my stomach from expanding. It didn't. So I walked further into the kitchen, grabbed a vase from the cabinet and filled it with water then placed the bouquet inside. “Okay. Let’s find you your next big star.”
* * *
FOR THE NEXTthree hours, Nathan and I sifted through Edge Records' archive, diving deep into the pool of demos sent to the company. The demos were from singers all over the world hoping Nathan would open the door to all their dreams.
I had a few artists that I’ve been following that I thought were worthy of Nathan’s time and attention, but there was one in particular I had a gut feeling would be Edge Records’ next best-selling artist.
“Who is he?” Nathan asked as I pulled up his Instagram page.
“His name is Darryl Barnett. I’ve been following his page for a while, and I’m telling you, Mr. Edge, he’s everything you’re looking for.”
Without waiting for an invitation, I played one of Darryl’s videos. Instantly, the handsome twenty-one-year-old’s soulful voice filled my living room. Goosebumps peppered my skin as I listened to his cover of a Tevin Campbell song.
I sneaked a peek at Nathan, hoping to catch a glimpse on his face that he liked him as much as I did, but his face gave nothing away.
Nothing. Zilch. Nada.
“What did you think?” I asked, stopping the next video before it could play.
“He’s talented, I’ll admit that. But so was everyone else we listened to today.” Nathan said. “I want to hear your thoughts. Why should I sign him to Edge Records?”
“Besides the obvious fact that his voice is incredible?” I began, pausing to gather my thoughts. “His range is phenomenal, and not just in terms of pitch, he can effortlessly shift from soft, intimate moments to full-out power with ease. But it’s more than just his technical ability. He’s got this raw charisma that you can feel even through a screen. He owns the stage, and you can see it in the way he moves, the way he connects with his audience. There’s a depth to him that most artists don’t have. He’s got heart, Mr. Edge. Real heart. And that’s what sets him apart from everyone else we’ve listened to. That’s what makes him someone worth taking a chance on.” I don’t normally get so passionate about the artist Nathan signs, but everything in me believed that Darryl was exactly what Edge Records needed right now.
Nathan studied me and for a second I worried that I said too much or didn’t say enough to back up my reason for wanting to sign Darryl but then Nathan let out a slow breath and relaxed his shoulders.
