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“I won’t, not even if you say something completely outlandish—like—you want to be the first astronaut on Mars. Whatever it is I’ll support you.”
“You swear?”
“Good grief, yes, absolutely,” he promised, releasing her arm.
Sitting back down, she cupped her head in her hands and leaned forward.
“Okay, Tony, I sing. And I write songs. And I play the guitar.”
It was the last thing he expected, and as he took a second to process the startling revelation, she jumped to her feet.
“You promised you’d support me!”
“Heather, I will, I do, that’s fabulous,” he exclaimed, abruptly standing up.
“Then why didn’t you say anything?”
“You took me by surprise, that’s all. Why were you so worried about telling me? I think it’s great.”
“My mother doesn’t, she thinks it’s ridiculous, and dad says I’m crazy. I can’t even mention it. He just goes on and on about the music business being worse than the film business.”
Hearing the pain in her voice and seeing the hurt in her eyes, Tony was furious with her parents for stomping on their daughter’s dreams.
“Please sit back down. I want to hear more. How did you learn how to play?”
“I taught myself at first, then I took lessons,” she said, slowly perching on the edge of the lounger. “But no-one knew—or knows.”
Leaning forward, he took both her hands and held them tightly.
“Heather, I think you’re remarkable. Remarkable and very special. Will you come inside and sing for me?”
“You want to hear me?” she murmured, staring at him. “You really do? You’re not just saying that?”
“I really do, and for the record, I never say anything I don’t mean.”
“Thank you,” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. “I’ll be right back. I just have to fetch my guitar.”
As she hurried down the steps and ran back to her house, he had a hunch she was going to be good, very good. Moving back inside and hoping his instincts were right, he settled on the couch to wait for her. But as the minutes ticked by, he couldn’t deny the truth a minute longer. In spite of his wandering eye and playboy lifestyle, he adored her. At some point, and he wasn’t sure when, she’d crept under his skin and into his heart. Though she lived an enviable, lavish lifestyle, Heather spent her days feeling alone and unloved.
“Not any more,” he mumbled under his breath. “You’ve got me now, and I’m not going anywhere.”
