Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
He glanced up at her. “You know, I never went to college either. Some of this stuff looks really interesting. We could be co-eds together.”
She laughed. “Can you imagine? Damien Davenport going to community college?”
“I’m sure I could take online courses at least. I mean, I figure I’ve had quite an education with all the travel I’ve done, the people I’ve met. I’ve tried to read good books, but wouldn’t it be nice to actually learn something in a structured, serious way?”
Crystal grinned. She loved that he got it. He was a million times more successful than she was, but still. He understood the urge to learn, even if it was just for learning’s sake.
She pulled her clothes on—inside out, backward, who cared—in a kind of contented chaos. She didn’t know where any of this was going, not yet. But as he buttoned his shirt, barefoot and still smiling like a boy with a secret, she knew she wasn’t ready to walk away from it either.
Chapter Twenty-Six
By the time they were ready to leave, he thought they might be late. He’d forgotten that women always took more time to get ready, even when they insisted they didn’t. He could well imagine the rest of the family sitting in Archer and Tessa’s home, bemoaning his timekeeping.
Crystal did look a little worried until they parked in the drive. With one eyebrow raised, she said, “I don’t know how you do it. It’s six fifty-nine.”
“Perfect timing, I’d say,” and then he led her into the house.
“Come on, it’s almost on,” Mila cried as she caught sight of them in the grand entry. She was already hustling everyone downstairs to the home theater. The lights were down low and everyone was finding a couch to cozy up on. Tessa circulated, handing out tubs of popcorn and sodas. Damien was touched at the effort she’d made for the event.
Erin looked over at them and then her brow furrowed. For a moment, Damien wondered if it was obvious he and Crystal had just had some wild and super fun sex. But then she said, “Where’s Opal?”
Relief swept through him. “She’s watching the show at your apartment. This is a big deal for her, and she’s got her boyfriend and her family watching it with her remotely. She said thanks for the invite, but I think she wanted to share the moment of her first big interview with her own family.”
Erin nodded sympathetically. “I totally get that.”
“It’s so crazy that she’s on national TV already,” Mila said. “I feel kind of nervous for her.”
Opal was pretty nervous about how the piece would turn out, too. It made sense that she’d want to be with her family and loved ones, at least on shared screens. She was a long way from home and probably feeling homesick.
As Arch dimmed the lights and everyone settled into their places, Damien realized he hadn’t even been thinking about the interview. He’d been too caught up in making new music with Opal and his growing feelings for Crystal. But as the show began and they introduced the evening’s topics, he felt a tickle of anxiety. What if the TV people had screwed him over after all, turning the piece into racy gossip instead of the truth? What if they spun it to show Damien in a bad light? Or made Opal’s music sound bad?
When Roxy Thanton came on with a picture of him and Opal in his studio splashed across a huge screen behind her head, his nerves fully took hold.
He held his breath as Opal’s song began to play. Within seconds, he knew that the song didn’t sound as good as it would when they were finished, because it just wasn’t ready. Maybe he’d been a fool to agree to put Opal forward so quickly when she was barely beginning her career. His fears rattled around in his head as he sat, rigid, in the dim light. He reached over and grabbed Crystal’s hand, squeezing it. He didn’t even realize he was doing it until he felt her hand stiffen for a moment and then relax.
He glanced at her and she squeezed. “It’s going to be okay,” she said. “Stay with it.”
He nodded, and then, when he should have let go of her hand, he held on. Everyone around him was watching the screen, so why deny himself the comfort?
Roxy Thanton began their segment by saying how much she’d wanted to interview Damien Davenport for years. And now, getting behind the gates and into the famously reclusive rocker’s music studio was one of the highlights of her career. She was fun and a little bit flirty about it. “You can imagine my surprise when Damien Davenport didn’t invite me to his house to promote his own record or his own career, but to help out a brand new musician on the scene. Oh, am I excited to share the music of Opal Dahlberg!”