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Easiest request I would handle all week. “The album cover, Follow the Leader?”
“We’re looking to recreate it for a scavenger hunt. We’re looking for you to recreate it. We’ll pay you for your time.” Maddox finished my thought without missing a beat.
“Oh yeah, that radio station thing. Wicked.” Ravyn closed the front door behind her and stepped off the porch. “Follow me.”
Okay. She led us down a packed dirt path that ran along the side of the house and toward the barn. “How big are we talking?” She asked. “Because you need to take pictures in front of it, right?”
How big was too big? “We’re not sure.”
“In other words, magical made-up size? Sure. I can do that.” Her tone was teasing and light. She unlocked a giant padlock on the double barn doors and swung one open. The outside looked like every other barn in this town, but inside was a whole different story.
She’d put in a floating wood floor, and paint-splattered drop sheets decorated different sections. There was an easel with a canvas on it, but the pencil lines didn’t mean anything to me. They hadn’t taken a shape yet that I recognized.
Several narrow stalls lined the walls, stacked with more canvases and paintings. “I love it in here.”
“Isn’t it the perfect workspace?” She grinned. “And when I blast the music, the neighbors don’t complain.”
“We need something like this for the band.” Maddox looked around the room. “Or… I could set up so many scenes here.”
That probably sounded bad to someone who didn’t know Maddox.
Ravyn raised her eyebrows. “Scenes? As in…”
“Photography.” If Maddox caught her confusion, it didn’t show in his expression.
“So, not like bondage scenes,” Ravyn said. “Because the rafters are probably strong enough for ropes.”
I liked the visuals, but I shook the thought aside to play with later. “Photography for now.”
“For now.” Ravyn smirked. “In that case, check these out.” She pointed us toward what looked like an older pair of barn doors, leaning against a far wall. “I pulled those when I remodeled. Do you think that’ll work, size-wise, for your cliff?”
Maddox approached the giant wooden structures. “Fuck me, they’re perfect. But…” He faced us with a frown. “There is a small catch. I hope it’s small? It might not be small. How quick can you do it, because entries are due in two weeks.”
That was no time at all for what we were asking.
Ravyn screwed up her face. “Give me a couple of days to rough out a mock-up, and if you like it, I can wrap it up by the end of the weekend.”
“Are you serious? Are you sure?” I shouldn’t question it, because that was awesome news.
“Positive. Come back Wednesday afternoon to sign off, and I’ll make it happen.”
“You are awesome, thank you.” I’d hug her if I was the kind of person who initiated hugs.
The three of us talked about a few more details, then Maddox and I were on our way. As we were driving back to Onyx’s, Xander called me. A shadow crossed over Maddox’s face when I said his brother’s name, but the look vanished behind an impassive mask as quickly as it appeared.
“Have you got a minute to talk?” Xander asked when I answered.
When I talked to him last night at Joystick’s, he’d asked me more questions about my music-matching algorithm. I hadn’t shown nearly as much restraint as I probably should have, as I assaulted him with so many technical details. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about this thing you wrote.”
He had?
“And I have an offer for you,” Xander said.
“Okay?”
“Your idea has a lot of potential. If you build it up, make a couple of additions based on my specifications—if you’re interested—I’ll help you sell it.”
