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The song is new.
His handwriting is about as legible as my two-year-old brother’s.
Yet somehow, I manage to decipher it.
It’s good.Reallygood.
“Can you sing the chorus for me? I need to work out the chords here.” He points to the page with the chewed pencil, and I read it over and wait for him to count us off.
Jack still hasn’t given up on me sticking with Six Day War, but he has put some feelers out at school. In the meantime, we keep practicing, and I’m still helping them with their original music. I keep telling Jack he’s got a month before I go back to Kroydon Hills for July, but he doesn’t seem to be in any rush.
When we repeat the chorus, he adds in a line of harmony and taps his palm in time against the Gibson. Theo joins us from the kitchen and uses his hands against the coffee table as a makeshift drum kit while we work out the song. By the time we’ve finished, Emerson has joined us and is sitting on the edge of the couch with her phone in front of her face, recording us. No doubt, uploading it to the band’s socials. She swears she’s on my side and fully supports my not wanting to sing lead with the band permanently, but you’d never know that based on the pics she’s shared this week.
One of the videos of us singing at the Rat last Friday went viral already.
It’s not really helping to convince Jack that I’m not the singer he’s looking for.
Jack grabs the book from my hands, jots a note down on the page, then closes it. “You think we can have this ready for the Rat this week?”
I sip my tea with honey and lemon, a trick a voice teacher taught me years ago. “Works for me.”
“Yeah,” Theo agrees. “Me too.”
My phone rings, and Em and I both scramble to see the screen. Chloe’s name flashes across it, and we each let out a quick breath. Neither one of us is good at waiting.
“Hey, Chloe.” I head out to the backyard. “What’s up?”
“Good morning, Care-Bear. Why do you sound miserable?” Chloe has never been someone who sugarcoats things. She lacks a filter and is the ultimatetake me as I amgirl.
She’s a year older than me, but I kinda want to be her when I grow up.
“Sorry. Didn’t sleep great last night. How are you?” I haven’t said anything to her about Cooper yet.
Not yet. I don’t know how any of them will take it, and I’m not willing to deal with that complication yet. We need time to figure out what we’re doing before being put under a microscope for the entire family to study and feel like they have a say in. And everyone will have an opinion.
Especially my brother. Aiden is going to throw a fit to rival Callen’s biggest tantrum.
Ironic since I’m the one he likes to treat like a child.
We’re so screwed.
This sounds good in theory, but it means we’re keeping something from the people we love. We need more time in the same damn place before we can tackle that shit.
Even though she’s not technically family, Chloe’s brother, Brady, and my stepsister, Nattie, have been together for years. Kroydon Hill’sItcouple. Making Chloe extended family, whether she wants to be or not. The difference between Chloe and me is that she’s always been accepted as part of our brothers’ group of friends.
She’s one of them, but I’ve always been treated like a little sister.
Someone to protect, instead of an equal.
“Did you finish up those French-lace sets last week? Because I think I found a buyer who wants them in her boutique in the city. I want to show her a sample before we discuss cost.” Of the two of us, Chloe is the sales brain behind our brand, Le Désir. She’s handled most of the business aspects and let me run wild with the designs. Yes, we’re each doing both, but it’s been surprising how we’ve fallen into these roles with ease.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have them overnighted to you later today. You still playing with bathing suits?” I walk through the back gate and sit down in the cool sand, digging my toes in. It’s still early here, and the sun hasn’t had time to warm it yet.
“Yeah. I’ve gotten a few done. I sent you the designs Friday, remember?”
Shit. She did, and I never responded.
“I’m sorry. Summer classes already started, and I got caught up trying to get all my reading in. Seriously, Chloe, I hate school. I wish I could just take the design classes and ignore the rest.”
