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“So, that was about my career?”
“More specifically, it’s about finding a way around your incredible stubbornness and refusal to let anyone help you,” he said, as he carried the hammock over to a palm tree and tied it to the trunk.
“I don’t care what I agreed to. I’m not going to use you to launch my career.”
“You’re not using me, Phee. You’re allowing me to be a part of the process.”
“But—”
“Nope. No arguing,” he said. “We had an agreement. Four hours, nothing but yes.”
He stretched out the hammock and tied the other end to an adjacent palm tree as I said, “When I agreed to that, I didn’t know what it was about.”
“Please give it a try. I just know it’ll be the jumpstart your career needs.”
“Not necessarily. There’s no guarantee anyone will like my music.”
“They will.” I started to turn away from him, but he caught my hand and asked, “What are you so afraid of?”
After a moment, I admitted, “I’m afraid of failing. I know I’ve done that a million times, but this feels an awful lot like my last shot. This dream is all I have. If I fail again and finally have to admit it’s never going to happen, then what’ll I do?”
“Take the leap, Phee. If you fall, I’ll catch you and we’ll try something else, but there’s every chance you’re going to soar. I really believe that.” I met his gaze, and he said, “Please trust me.”
As I studied him for a long moment, I realized something. There was no ulterior motive here. He gained nothing from helping me, and there was only sincerity in his eyes.
With Dallas, I’d convinced myself his offers of help were out of pity, or maybe guilt at leaving me behind, or even a way of gloating about being in a position where he could make or break my career. I’d probably been right too, at least before we patched things up.
But there was none of that with Harper. He was just a nice guy who cared about me and sincerely wanted to help, and this was a pretty low-key way for him to do that. I was glad it wasn’t costing him money, which wouldn’t have been okay with me. It was just a quick video, and it might even be fun.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s do this before I change my mind.”
He actually whooped with joy, and then he grabbed the tote bag and said, “I brought a digital camera and a microphone, so give me a minute to set it up.”
“You just happened to bring a microphone with you to Hawaii?”
“No. I brought it because I planned to convince you to shoot this video.”
“But you must have packed it after I broke up with you, and after you thought I was hitting on pretty much everyone.”
“That’s right.” He untangled the microphone’s cord and plugged it into his tablet. “I might have been upset, but I still cared about you and wanted to help.”
I drew him into an embrace and kissed him before saying, “You’re such a good guy, Harper.” I was beginning to fully appreciate just how true that was.
Pretty soon, the equipment was all set up, and we got comfortable on the hammock. “In a minute, I’m going to hit record and do a quick intro,” he said, as I tuned my guitar. “Can I give you some advice on your song choice?”
“Go right ahead.”
“Pick one of the most emotional songs you have, even if you think it’s depressing. Maybe go with one you wrote just for you, without any thought of ever putting it on an album. You tell beautiful stories with your songs. Don’t be afraid to let us see the emotion behind them.”
I muttered, “You might as well have suggested shooting this video naked.”
Harper smiled at me. “I’d totally be down for that if you thought it was a good idea. I know what you mean, though. I’m trying to get you to expose yourself, figuratively speaking, and that’s asking a lot. But it’s what makes a great performance. Singing and acting have that in common. If we want to connect with the audience, we have to let ourselves be vulnerable.”
He was totally right about that. “Okay. I’ll go with one of my heavier songs, if you really think that’s a good idea.”
“Great. Just one more thing,” he said. “We’re going to do this in one take, so whatever happens, happens. I want this to feel spontaneous.”
“What if I mess up?”
“Just keep going,” he said, as he held up a little remote and pressed record.
I tried to stay calm as he looked directly into the camera and said, “Hi everyone, Harper Royce here. I’m currently on the gorgeous island of Kauai, and I want to introduce you to someone special. This is my boyfriend, Phoenix Jaymes.” I turned to stare at his profile, and he glanced at me and grinned. “It’s the first time I’ve ever called him that, which is why Phee looks stunned right now. He shouldn’t be surprised, though. I’m crazy about this man, and I’ve thought of him as my boyfriend since the very first time we hooked up.” That was definitely news to me.
