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“Do you want to practice the song again?”
“Aren’t you sick of it already?”
I laugh and shake my head. “I know you want to get a lot of practice in before the show. I don’t mind at all. Besides, you’re hot as hell when you sing.”
“Then, yes.” She moves her head from side to side, as if her neck is bothering her, so I move up behind her to give her a little neck rub. “Oh, that feels like heaven.”
“Don’t stress about this, babe.”
“Of course, I’m going to stress,” she says as my fingers dig into her shoulders. “More than the contract opportunities, I want to make Leo proud. And, yeah, I know that’s silly because he’s already thrilled that the song is doing so well, but I can’t help it. I wrote a song with my hero, and fans love it. I don’t want to screw anything up.”
“You won’t.” I kiss the top of her head and then walk to the piano. “Did your musicians get the music you sent them?”
“Yes, and they’re ready to go. They’re also flying in early for extra rehearsal time tomorrow.”
“It’s going to be a busy weekend for you.”
“I love these weekends,” she admits with a grin. She glances down, and I can see what she doesn’t say in her eyes. She wishes I’d go with her.
But I can’t.
“Okay, from the top.” With her guitar in her lap, she begins the song, and I join in, playing with her.
The truth is, I’m not sick of the song at all. I love this song.
Sidney stops in the middle of the bridge and frowns.
“What’s wrong?”
She narrows her eyes and whispers something under her breath and then runs from the room and returns with a notebook.
“I just got an idea for a new song.”
“In the middle of this song?”
“Happens sometimes.” She’s writing furiously. “I’m going to play a melody. Do you think you can learn it?”
“I can try.”
For the next hour, we play, tweak, and she writes notes.
“This is gonna be a good one,” she says and sets her notebook aside. “Thanks for humoring me.”
“You have to pay attention when the muse strikes, right?”
“Yeah. It shows up out of the blue most of the time. You know what? I think I’m ready.”
“I know you are.”
“Then I’m going to set this aside for now and enjoy the evening with you because it’ll be close to a week until I see you again.”
“You’ll be gone that long?”
“I might have to jet over to Nashville if I need to sign contracts and pose for photos, give a press conference, that kind of thing. But we’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Do that.” I reach for her and pull her into my lap, here by the piano. “What are your plans for this evening?”
Her smile is slow and satisfied. “Let’s go to the bedroom, and I’ll show you.”
“Have a safe flight.” Standing on the sidewalk in front of the departures at SeaTac, I pull Sidney in for a tight hug.
“I’ll text you when I land.” She lifts her face for a kiss, and I press my lips to hers. “Don’t forget to watch.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Have fun.”
She grins now, clearly excited about the whole thing. “That won’t be hard. See you soon. Love you.”
“Love you.”
She grabs her suitcase, and, rolling it beside her, walks into the airport, and I drive away from the terminal.
I have plenty of work to keep me busy over the next week while Sid’s gone. I’m never bored. But damn, it’s going to be lackluster and quiet without her around.
Once at my house, I shoot off some emails, putting out feelers for that Charger Vaughn wants. I’m just about to head out to the shop when my phone rings.
“Hi, Dad.”
“What are you up to today?”
“Just working, but nothing big going on. What do you need?”
“Well, there’s this movie…”
I can’t help but smile. There’s always a movie, but when you’ve been in the film industry for as long as my dad has, and own your own production company, it makes sense.
“I don’t act.”
“Ha. Funny. Actually, it’s a period piece, set in the 1940s, and I need automobiles for it.”
“Aren’t there people who do that?”
“Of course, but they aren’t my son. You don’t have to come up with the actual vehicles, but I’d like your opinion on what to use. No one knows more about anything with an engine than my kid.”
How can I resist that? “Yeah, okay. Where do you need me?”
“My office, if you don’t mind. If you don’t want to come into the city, I can meet you at the house.”
“I can come into the city. I’m used to it by now and can drive it with my eyes closed. I’ll be there soon.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
It’s Friday morning, so the drive into the city isn’t a fast one, but I eventually park in one of the family-only spots under Dad’s building and ride the elevator up to his office.
