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)
“Can’t wait for you to play for us tomorrow, Opal. We did okay with this guy. I’m hoping we can do something similar for your career.”
“Thank you,” she said, in a voice close to a whisper.
Wednesday morning, Crystal woke up, blinked, and thought, “Why is this day different?”
And then she remembered it was her birthday. Today she was thirty. She glanced over at the other pillow and wished—longed, in fact, just for a moment—that Damien was there, that she could roll over and kiss him and begin her birthday in the best way she knew. But Damien was doing something really important today, and not even for his own career, but for the sake of someone else. He was being so generous that she decided she could be generous too, and wished the two musicians a successful day. He’d said he would end the night in her bed and she believed him.
So she got up, put on a pot of coffee, and had a long, relaxing shower. For once in her life, she decided to take a slower morning before heading in to work. Today would be all about appreciating what she had and taking it easy. When she was dressed, the calls and messages from her friends and family began to flood in. Just before nine, Damien’s name flashed up on her phone and she grinned.
“Happy birthday, babe.” And then she was treated to a duet as he and Opal sang “Happy Birthday.” They sounded wonderful. She laughed and asked him how it was going.
“Dinner last night went really well. I mean, seriously well. We’ve got more official meetings today. Opal and I are both feeling pretty good about how things are going. I think there could be a record deal before the end of the day.”
Crystal was so excited, she squealed a little bit. “Tell Opal I think she’s amazing. It would be the best birthday present ever to find out she got a record deal.”
Damien laughed. “Don’t speak too soon. You’ll find a little something in your kitchen. In the sugar canister.”
Now it was Crystal’s turn to laugh out loud. “But I’ve never used the sugar canister.” She had a matching set of blue canisters on the counter. The coffee, the tea, and the flour were full, but she never took sugar in anything. If her friends came over and needed some, she had packets tucked away in the cupboard that she hadn’t bothered to decant into the canister.
With warmth in his voice, he said, “I know. I know you, Crystal Lopez. I figured it was the one place you’d never look.”
Then she heard a voice in the background and he said, “Gotta go. The driver’s here. I’ll see you later.”
By the time the car pulled up in front of the towering glass music headquarters, Opal was holding it together, but Damien could feel her strain.
As they rode up in the elevator, he reminded her to stay grounded, be herself, and listen to what the execs said before rushing in. He put his hands on her shoulders. “I believe in you. You’ve got this.”
“Do I look okay? I just figured it was best to dress like myself, but now that I’m here, maybe I should have worn something fancier?” She smoothed down her denim skirt and white camisole, plucking at a charm necklace distractedly. “My boyfriend gave me this necklace. I wore it for luck.”
Damien chuckled and gestured at his own ripped jeans and plain T-shirt. “We’re rock ’n’ roll stars, kid,” he said, hoping to make her laugh. “Suits are not our thing.”
Opal grinned. The innate belief she had in herself that he’d been able to see all along, and the knowledge that she had songs to sing and stories to tell, began to blot out the anxiety.
She took a big breath, tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulders, and nodded. “You’re right. I’ve got this.”
So when the elevator doors opened, she didn’t look like a nervous wreck. She looked like a young woman who was ready to take on the world.
Crystal ran straight to the sugar canister. Inside was a gold-wrapped gift box about the size and shape to hold a pen. When she pulled off the paper, she discovered a box from her favorite jeweler in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Her heart was actually pounding when she opened it and found a gorgeous diamond tennis bracelet winking up at her.
She would so much rather have opened it with Damien and let him fasten it around her wrist. But there was no way she wasn’t going to put it on. She did it herself and then held out her arm to admire the twinkle of the stones. It was so beautiful—by far the most beautiful piece of jewelry she’d ever owned. Damien knew her taste and it was perfect.