Page 98 of Playing By Ear

“It was either that or quit my job,” Brian said with a sigh. “I was an hour away from burnout.”

“I’m sorry it got so bad.” Being a freelancer with low vision was no picnic, but Perry wouldn’t trade it for the hurdles Brian faced in the corporate world. “Is it better now you’ve had a wee holiday?”

“It’s worse. I’m buried in all the work that needs caught up on. I was already grafting twice as hard as everyone else just to keep up. And traveling while blind—well, you know how it is. I need a holiday to recover from the holiday.”

“Anytime you want to quit, I know a great side gig you can try.”

Brian let out his delightful booming laugh. “I’m sure Sarah would love that.”

“You could include her,” Perry said with a grin. “Duets make loads more money than us solo artists.”

“Then why not ask Jamie to join you?”

“I doubt he’d do it.” Perry lowered his voice. “His dad is someone famous, I don’t know who.”

“Intriguing. Sarah liked him a lot, so when can I give my stamp of approval?”

“Maybe after our Edinburgh match? He’s planning to come.”

“Won’t your parents be there?” Brian asked. “They’ll meet him?”

“Yes, and my anxiety about that has utterly eradicated my anxiety over the match itself.” Or it had done, before today’s godawful training session.

“Good, because I heard Edinburgh recruited an amazing forward.”

Perry groaned, picturing himself carved up by Edinburgh Blind’s new star.

As he shifted into a kneeling hip stretch, wincing at a new bruise on his knee, he once again longed for his refereeing days—for the surety, the authority, the general knowing-what-he-was-doing-ness of it all. He’d hoped to recreate that feeling as a blind footballer, but the learning curve was thus far holding it hostage.

Still, there was one arena where Perry had total control. Maybe it was time to make the most of it.

Chapter 19

“I’m in awe of you,” Jamie said as he settled into Perry’s high-backed, super-ergonomic office chair and rolled it up to his desk. Tonight’s cam session would be the first Jamie produced, and the first for an even more important landmark.

Perry’s shaky Thanks came through Jamie’s headset crystal clear, thanks to the new boom mic.

On the laptop screen, Perry was clad in nothing but a pair of jeans, sitting with his back against the headboard and his face out of view. His bare toes twitched in time to a silent beat.

“Testing, one, two, three,” Jamie said into his headset mic.

“Yes, I can hear you.” Perry touched his earpiece. “Just like I could hear you two minutes ago.”

Jamie glanced at the laptop’s clock. “Sixty seconds. How do you feel?”

“Good.” Perry clasped his hands in his lap. “Thanks for all your technical help, and for…everything.”

“You’re a pleasure to work with, Peregrine Hull. Now break a leg. Or whatever the camming version of that is. Break a penis?”

Perry laughed, his shoulders relaxing.

Jamie clicked on the live chat. About a dozen people were greeting one another like they were old pals at the local pub. Perry had given Jamie a short list of long-time loyal followers whose feedback he always wanted to hear, and all of those were present now.

“We are live,” Jamie told Perry, “and you are brilliant.”

“Hiya, everyone!” Perry said with a smile, putting on his Highland brogue. “Thanks for joining me this week. Today I’ve got something pure special for you, something you’ve been begging to see for a long time. Can you guess what it is?”

The live chat exploded with variations of FACE!!!1!!1!!!