“It’s my favorite way to work,” Leo says as he joins me in the booth. Cam is in the production room with two other men. “We’re going to run through it without recording first so we can get a feel for each other and the song. If you want to tweak anything, just tell me. This is an original song, so we can do whatever we want with it.”
“You wrote it?” I ask.
“Yeah, and you won’t hurt my feelings if something doesn’t sound right to you, and we need to work it out.”
“Okay, cool. Let’s do it.”
For two hours, we work. The song is an absolutely beautiful slow song about a lost lover and the emptiness he feels since she’s been gone.
It reminds me of an Irish ballad, and I tell him so.
“Do you want to add more wind to it?” Leo asks. “To make it even more so?”
“No, I think this rock edge is cool. But let’s work on the hook a bit. I feel like it’s missing a beat.”
Leo nods and grabs a guitar so he can pick while we sing. In ten minutes, we have the rough patch fixed, and we return to the mics with our headphones on as the band grabs their instruments.
This time, when we start from the beginning, we nail it. I know it as soon as the last note reverberates through the room.
This is it.
This is the one.
“Hell, yes,” Leo says with a wide grin and pulls me in for a hug. “This song is going to be a hit.”
“It’s okay if you put it on the B-side, and it’s never heard from again.”
Leo pulls back and frowns down at me. “First of all, this is the twenty-first century. There are no more B-sides. Second of all, this might be the first single we release from the album.”
I can’t move. Hell, I can’t breathe.
“You’re going to release it?”
“Why else would we record it? I’m assuming you don’t have an agent, but don’t worry, I won’t screw you. We’ll make sure you’re paid a fair percentage and work out the details.”
“I’m not doing this for the money,” I reply immediately.
“Yeah, definitely no agent,” Leo says with a laugh. “This is a job. Cam told me that it’s not a job to you, but it is all the same. If you ever change your mind about wanting to make a career with your voice, just let me know. Even if you don’t want to be a single recording artist, I can always use backup vocals on the road. It’s something to think about.”
I can’t even reply.
“You should invest in some recording equipment for your house and practice. Technology is incredible these days. You can record on your own and upload it to one of the media streaming services, a website, or a bunch of other places to sell your music. Make a little money. Think about it.”
“Thank you.” I can’t help it. I launch myself back into his arms and hold on tight. “Thank you so much, Leo. You didn’t have to do this.”
“I’m glad we did,” he says softly and hugs me back. “You’re incredible. Isn’t she, guys?”
“One of the best voices I’ve heard in years,” Gary says with a nod. “And I’m not blowing smoke up your ass.”
I laugh and wipe at a tear that I didn’t know had formed. “If nothing else, this was really good for my ego.”
“When we go on tour with this album, if you want to join us for this song and as backup vocals, we’ll hire you in a heartbeat,” Leo says.
I gape at him and then laugh.
“Okay, enough. I have plenty to think about here. Thank you so much for this. It was seriously an item on my bucket list that I can now mark off.”
“I’m glad.”
Cam comes into the room and scoops me up in a hug. After we listen to the song twice more, we say our goodbyes and head back for the island.
When we’re at the railing on the ferry, I look over at Cam and watch the wind blowing through his hair for a minute.
“Will you take me to the Caymans?”
His blue gaze whips over to mine. “You want to go?”
“Yes. I need recording equipment. And a car. And some other things. And, damn it, I more than earned that money. I’m going to claim it.”
“Good girl.” He pulls me close and lowers his mouth to mine. “We can go whenever you’re ready.”
“I’ll talk to Keegan when we get back. I’d like to go as soon as possible.”
“We’ll arrange it, then.”
Chapter 9
~Cameron~
“Holy shit, this is nice,” Maggie says as we step inside the hotel suite. She wanders to the window and looks out at the ocean, then turns back to me with a grin. “The water looks way different here than it does back home.”