Until one did.
The voice that reached him belonged to a woman at the edge of the stage, closest to where Max and Tasha stood. It wasn’t just that she was closest to Max. It was that her voice had that rare quality to it you didn’t often hear—even in Nashville.
Tasha heard it, too, and nodded at the woman—whose long dark hair was in a braid over her shoulder, a baggy sweatshirt worn over plain black tights.
“That’s Sadie Hunter,” Tasha said. “Sort of a Brandi Carlile thing going on, right?”
Max frowned, watching Sadie Hunter pace in a slow circle near the edge of the stage. Then she turned toward them, and Max got a complete picture: she wasn’t just talented, she was gorgeous, too. A gentle pink hue to her cheeks, andthose eyes. Blue as a bluebird.
Tasha nudged Max’s shoulder with her own. “Pretty as a peach.”
“In that vanilla popstar sort of way, I guess.” Max shrugged. “Bit sweet for me.”
“Hmm,” Tasha replied, giving him a wry smile. “I don’t know, she sort of seems just your type.”
“Hush up.” Max raised his eyebrow at his friend.
Just then Cruz McNeil sidled up to them, a young guy with movie-star hair and a huge smile following a step behind him.
“Tasha, love, I want you to meet someone,” Cruz said, completely ignoring Max. His silver hair was immaculately styled, but he still ran a hand over it to ensure there were no strands out of place.
Max was more than familiar with Cruz McNeil. Not only was he the producer and top judge onStarmaker, Cruz wasthestarmaker in town. At only forty-five, he had produced some of the highest-earning albums in the world and now had his own record label. And despite some unpleasant rumors, anyone he chose to work with became a sensation—including Max’s own father.
“This is Johnny King,” Cruz said. Johnny stepped forward with a bold confidence that belied his young age.
“Ms. Munroe, I’m your biggest fan. ‘Lightning and Cowboys’ is my theme song,” Johnny said, shaking Tasha’s hand enthusiastically.
“Is it now?” Tasha said, smiling at him. Max tried not to chuckle. “Lightning and Cowboys” was Tasha’s most well-known hit, so Johnny using it to try to impress Tasha had, in Max’s opinion, the opposite effect.
“Have you met Max Brody, Johnny?” Tasha turned to Max, her expression suggesting he should engage in this social nicety, especially because Cruz was looking on.
“Hey, man, good to meet you,” Max said, shifting Patsy so he could shake Johnny’s hand. “Good luck out there.”
“Oh, Johnny doesn’t need luck, Max,” Cruz said, finally acknowledging his presence.
“I think we all need a little luck, Cruz,” Tasha said pointedly.
“We sure do!” Johnny replied, grinning like a kid who had just been given all-out access to a candy store.
Cruz gave an almost imperceptible sigh. “Time to go,” he said, nudging Johnny back toward the stage with the others. “See you at the table, Tasha?”
“I’ll be right there,” she replied breezily. She waited a beat after Cruz left before saying, “Max, you’d better get out there, too. I know Cruz can be frustrating. But he’s the head judge. Don’t piss him off before it even begins, okay?”
Max took a deep breath. “Yeah, I know.” Then he looked around for his assistant. His longtime manager, Bobbi Lovett, had insisted that theStarmakerdeal included an on-set assistant, despite his protests that he needed no such thing. Max liked to do things his own way.
“Hey... ummm... hey,” Max said, pointing to the guy he had met the day before.
“That’s Landon,” Tasha whispered.
“How do you always know everything?” Max retorted, keeping his voice low.
Tasha smiled and shrugged, before sashaying back to the judges’ table.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Brody?” Landon said. He kept his eyes on Tasha two seconds too long.
Max gave his fingers a couple of snaps. “Hey, Landon? Over here, man.”
Landon turned back to Max, looking slightly dazed, his reaction slower than a Sunday afternoon.
