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Reese shifts uncomfortably on her feet. “Thanks, Phillipe. Are we done?”
“Yes, yes, you can change back into your clothes, and leave when you are ready.”
She scurries off, smiling at me from over her shoulder.
“You have a special one there, Thorin,” Phillipe says, his eyes still on his screen.
“Oh, we’re not—”
“Together?” He looks up. “I know, but you should be. What you two have is that unnamable thing us photographers spend years trying to photograph. You’re lucky. I wouldn’t take it for a granted if I were you.”
“I won’t,” I tell him. I walk away, and his words repeat in my head over and over again while I change, and when we head back to the hotel for dinner.
What you two have is that unnamable thing us photographers spend years trying to photograph. You’re lucky.
I guess I am pretty lucky, but do I have a shot at making Reese see it too?
We have dinner in the hotel restaurant, and I watch in amusement at how Mya recalls some of Reese’s most embarrassing moments in college. Eli is tucked into my arm, his empty bottle on the table, and every time he dozes off, Reese’ll laugh and his eyes would search her out. She’s beautiful when she laughs too, so uninhibited and so free, a far cry from the girl I grew up with. I don’t even notice glimpses of who she used to be, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s been my problem since I got back—I’ve been looking for someone who simply doesn’t exist anymore.
“So, Thorin.” I look up at Mya. “Do you ever regret not going to college?”
Reese sips some white wine, watching from over the rim of her glass. She has that look in her eye she usually gets when she watches me with Eli, although, I have no clue what it means.
“Who said I didn’t go to college?”
“Did you?” She asks.
“Bachelor of Science majoring in Business from Penn State, online.”
“While you were still recording?”
I look between her and Reese, both of whom look surprised. “Took a little longer, but yeah.”
“So, why business?” Reese asks.
“Because it takes more to make a band successful than just good music. We have Alex, and he’s a damn good manager, but I needed to understand what he was doing, and I wanted to be able to give more than just music. Besides, my old man said I could pursue music as long as I had a back-up plan, so I got one.”
“Huh.” Mya tilts her head. “And the rest of the band?”
“All they care about is the music, which is fine, but I wanted more. We won’t be together forever, and if we ever had to call it quits, I wouldn’t mind starting my own label. As it is now, Alex and I make a lot of the business decisions together, and Benji and Fletch are my right hand guys. They’d open a label with me.”
“What about Carson?” This is from Reese. “Y’all have been thick as thieves since high school.”
A sigh escapes my lips. I should really be discussing this with Benji, Fletch and Alex, but I feel like neither Reese nor Mya would tell anyone. “Carson went off the rails a little, half way through our last tour. I’m using the next few months to keep an eye on him, see if he can get his head on straight before we record again. He doesn’t write the songs, but he’s a damn good bass guitarist.”
“Have you guys been working on some new stuff already?” Mya asks. I can see Reese is just as curious.
“I’ve been writing, but nothing official yet.” I smile down at Eli. “We’re actually turning the old barn into a recording studio so that I can lay tracks down back home.” Reese knows this, but she’s obviously kept it to herself.
“Does that mean you’ll be in Horseshoe Bay permanently?”
Rather than look at Mya, my eyes find Reese. “Yeah. It’s home, and I’m not leaving Reese alone to raise Eli.”
“This is the part where I’d usually ask you what your intentions are with my best friend, because I love her like a sister, but now I know.”
“Mya,” Reese admonishes with a little shake of her head.
Mya gives her a pointed look. “What? It had to be said.” She drains her wine. “Now, if y’all will excuse me, I need my beauty sleep, and judging from that dopey-eyed expression on Eli’s face, it’s way past his bed time, too.”
