Perfect Rhythm

by Jae

“I can and I will,” she said, her calm voice a counterpoint to his yelling. “So, what’s it gonna be?”

  “You’re crazy if you think for a minute that you’ll—”

  “Goodbye, Saul. I’ll make sure you get your last paycheck. And Saul? If I ever find out that you were the one who told the paparazzi where to find me, I’ll make sure no one else in the music industry will ever hire you again.” She ended the call before he could answer. There was nothing left to say.

  As silence spread through the living room, she slowly began to grasp what she had just done.

  She’d fired her manager of twelve years, the man who’d been a big part of her success. She might have just ruined her career.

  Oh God. Her knees gave out, so she plopped down onto the couch. Holy cow! I did it. I really did it.

  It was crazy and terrifying, but it also felt freeing, as if she had thrown off shackles that she had worn for so long that she’d forgotten they were there. She had fulfilled the contractual obligations to Clio Records when she’d wrapped up her world tour, so now she was free. No one could force her to return to New York if that wasn’t what she wanted.

  So, what did she want?

  The first thing that popped into her mind wasn’t her music. Instead, images of Holly rose from deep inside of her—images of walking hand in hand along the creek, of Holly smiling at her as they lay in bed, talking and cuddling, and of the peace she had felt when they had hung out on the couch earlier, with Holly reading and her composing a new song.

  That’s what I want. She had no idea what the future would bring when it came to her career, but she knew with a certainty that left no room for doubts that she wanted a life with Holly. Now the question is: how do I get it?

  Holly slid the bookmark between the pages of her novel and put it on the bedside table. The book was good, but she couldn’t focus on its plot. The empty spot in bed next to her was too distracting.

  At breakfast, Leo had told her that she had an important appointment today and that it might be pretty late by the time she got back. That was when Holly had decided she might as well sleep in her own bed for a change. Now she regretted that decision as she imagined how nice it would feel to slip into bed with Leo, cuddle close, and let her heartbeat and her wonderful scent lull her to sleep.

  Jesus, get a grip. It’s just one night. What are you going to do when she flies back to New York or goes on a year-long world tour?

  A chill slid over her, even though it was a pleasant seventy-two degrees in her bedroom. She and Leo had avoided talking about it, but they both knew the day would come when they had to go their separate ways.

  Or you could go with her. Nurses are needed everywhere, even in New York.

  The thought made her heart pound with part fear, part excitement. Except for the four years when she’d been away at college, she had lived in Fair Oaks her entire life. She loved it here—being around her family and the people she’d grown up with, working with long-term patients she came to care about.

  How would she deal with the anonymity of a big city like New York and the constant change of patients in a large hospital?

  Maybe she could find work as a home-health-care nurse.

  Of course, Leo might say that she didn’t have to work at all since she made more than enough money for the two of them. But she loved her work and didn’t want to give it up. While she loved Leo even more, she didn’t think that giving up her job would be good for their relationship either. She wanted them to be equals.

  The ringing of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts.

  When she saw the name on the display, she smiled. Leo!

  She decided then and there that she would tell her about the option of her coming to New York with her—just throw it out there and see what Leo would think. They might be moving a little fast, but she had a feeling Leo would like the suggestion.

  Her finger felt a little unsteady as she swiped to accept the call. “Hey there.”

  “What are you wearing?” Leo asked.

  Holly chuckled. “You’re not, by any chance, trying to have phone sex with an asexual woman, are you?”

  Leo’s laughter trickled through the line. “No. I’m trying to find out if the aforementioned woman is still dressed so she can come open the door.”

  “Open the…?” Holly’s breath caught. “Where are you?”

  “In front of your house,” Leo said, a big grin in her voice.

  Holly jumped out of bed, almost getting her feet tangled in the covers in her haste to get to the door. Seconds later, she threw it open.

  Leo leaned against her father’s car, which she was driving now, cell phone at her ear. Her blonde hair was tousled, as if she’d repeatedly run her hand through it. She exuded an energy that seemed to make the air around her crackle.

  Holly hesitated, not sure what it was—excitement or nervousness. “Hi,” she said, then realized that she was still talking into the phone. She put it away and repeated, “Hi. All done with your appointment?”

  Without moving away from the car, Leo put her phone away as well and nodded. “Just came back. There’s something I have to tell you, and I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow.”

  “I’ve got something to tell you too.” Holly paused and took a second to study Leo more closely.

  Leo’s expression was so serious that it could only mean one thing: her appointment had been with her manager, who had flown all the way to Missouri to drag her back to New York, and now she had come to tell Holly she was leaving. Surely she would want Holly to come with her, right? The thought of living apart and not seeing Leo every day caused an almost physical ache, and she was sure it wasn’t a one-sided feeling.

  Still, her knees started to tremble, so she leaned against the doorjamb. “You met with Saul, didn’t you?”

  “Saul?” Leo shook her head. “No. And I won’t be getting any more phone calls from him either.”

  Because Saul would finally get what he wanted—Leo back in New York—or was there another explanation? “Why not?”

  “Because I fired him.”

  Holly gripped the doorframe. “You fired him? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “It just happened yesterday, even though it was a long time coming. We just don’t want the same things anymore.”

  Holly swallowed. “What is it that you want?”

  “For one thing, I want to write music like ‘Odd One Out’ or ‘Holly’s Song.’ I don’t know if my record label will go for it, but if they don’t, I could easily finance it myself. That way, I would have full creative control.”

  “Oh, Leo. That would be fantastic!” Something in Leo’s expression told her that wasn’t all. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

  Leo nodded. “I also want to give Chance a good home.”

  “You want to give Chance a good home?” Holly repeated as if that would help her understand.

  An affectionate smile spread across Leo’s face. “Are you going to repeat everything I say?”

  “Sorry. My brain can’t keep up. Who or what is Chance?”

  Now Leo stepped to the side, opened the back door, and pulled a cat carrier from the car. “This is Chance.”

  Holly rushed over and peeked through the bars.

  Big yellow eyes stared back at her from a furry face.

  “Aww. You got yourself a kitten? Is it one of Happy’s little ones?”

  “No. I mean…yes, he’s one of Happy’s kittens. But I didn’t get him for me—I got him for us.”

  “For us?” A thrill of hope spiraled through her. She stared at Leo, just as wide-eyed as the kitten. “Does this mean you want me to come to New York with you?”

  “No.”

  Holly waited for her to go on, her heart hammering and her mouth dry.

  “Because I’m not going back to New York,” Leo added.
“I’m not going anywhere.”

  “But what about your music?”

  Leo shrugged and grinned. “I always thought someone should build a recording studio in Fair Oaks. Might as well be me.”

  “But…but…you don’t like it here. You said it’s claustrophobic.”

  “It’s endearing,” Leo corrected, as Holly had many weeks ago. “In my mind, I made it into this horrible place full of nosy, narrow-minded people. It took coming back to realize that there’s also a lot of positive things that I had forgotten about. I like the slower pace here and that I can be just Leo. And you are here. I like that most of all.”

  “Leo?” Holly’s voice quivered as she struggled to hold back either tears or giddy laughter—she wasn’t sure which.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’d better put that cat carrier down.”

  Leo looked back and forth between the kitten and her. “Um, why?”

  “Because I’m about to jump you.”

  Leo laughed—loud, happy, and unrestrained. “Who needs New York when I’ve got you right here?”

  Then neither of them said anything else, because Leo put the carrier down, and Holly threw herself into her arms and kissed her with all the love in her heart.

  It was a high-pitched mew that pulled them apart minutes later.

  They leaned their foreheads together.

  “I think someone is feeling a little neglected,” Leo whispered against Holly’s lips.

  “He’d better get used to it because I intend to do this…” She kissed Leo again, but this time just for a few seconds. “…any chance I get.”

  “Any chance.” Leo laughed. “See, I named him well. Because there’ll be lots and lots of chances.” She rained kisses down on Holly’s face before she picked up the cat carrier by its handle and slid her free hand into Holly’s.

  Holly felt as if she were floating rather than walking into the house. Having Leo here, knowing she would stay, was more than she had ever dreamed possible.

  Once inside, Leo lifted the kitten out of the carrier and nuzzled her cheek against its soft-looking fur for a moment.

  Aww. The two were so cute together that Holly nearly melted. “You didn’t happen to get a litter box for him too, did you?”

  “It’s all in the trunk.” Leo pointed to where she’d parked the car. “Your mother gave me a list of things I’d need for a cat.”

  Holly stared at her. “My mother knew about this? That you’re staying? She didn’t say a word when we all had dinner together yesterday.”

  “I asked her when I helped with the dishes and you were busy cleaning up the mess your nephew made in the living room.”

  “So, what did she say?” Holly asked.

  “That we’ll have to have Chance neutered in about two months, and that she expects me to be there for it.” Leo grinned. “I think it’s her way of telling me I’d better stick around and not play fast and loose with her daughter’s heart.”

  “And you will? Stick around, I mean.” Holly still couldn’t believe it.

  “I will,” Leo said. “I’ll probably have to travel and give a concert or an interview every now and then, but I won’t do big tours anymore. Let other singers do it. I’ve been on the road for long enough.”

  Could it really be so easy? Holly felt a little faint with happiness, so she pulled Leo over to the couch.

  They snuggled together on the middle cushion and watched Chance explore his new home.

  “So,” Leo said after a while, “what was it that you wanted to tell me earlier?”

  “Hmm?” Holly leaned her head on Leo’s shoulder.

  “You said you had something to tell me too.”

  “Oh. That.” She chuckled. “Great minds think alike. I was about to offer that I move to New York with you.”

  Leo stared at her. “You would have moved away from Fair Oaks? For me?”

  “For us.” Holly lifted her head off Leo’s shoulder. “The offer is still on the table if you’d rather do it that way.”

  “Hell, no! Your mother would use her evil vet tools on me.” Leo laughed but then sobered and looked into Holly’s eyes. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

  Drawn in by the loving look in Leo’s eyes, Holly leaned toward her for a kiss.

  Chance chose that moment to leap for the laptop power cord dangling off the edge of the couch. When he couldn’t reach it, he tried to climb Holly’s leg.

  Leo saved her by gently picking him up before he could use his claws. “There goes your peace and quiet. Are you sure you’re ready for this?” She nodded down at the kitten batting at a strand of her hair.

  Holly grinned. “Who needs peace and quiet when I can have the two of you?”

  They beamed at each other and then leaned across Chance to share a kiss—the first of many kitten-supervised kisses.

  Epilogue

  One year later

  Leo’s fingers shook as she clicked on the refresh button on her laptop’s browser. “Oh God, it’s up!”

  Her voice, louder than intended, made Chance look up from the catnap he was taking at the foot of the bed. He gave them a disgruntled glare before rolling into a no-longer-tiny ball and going back to sleep.

  Instantly, Holly wrapped her arms around Leo from behind and pulled her back against her tank-top-clad body. “Want me to take a look and tell you?”

  Leo shook her head. “Let’s read it together.” With Holly’s warmth surrounding her, it wasn’t quite so scary. Holly loved her music—and, more importantly, loved her; that was all that mattered.

  They held on to the laptop together while Leo scrolled to the beginning of the review and then read it out loud.

  Jenna Blake has just released her first independently produced album. The twelve tracks have been written and recorded in the studio the Grammy-winning artist built in her Missouri hometown last year.

  That wasn’t quite true. Most of the songs had been written in the living room of the small house they now rented together, with Holly next to her on the couch. But the press didn’t need to know that. The media attention she had garnered when she had announced her own recording label had been bad enough.

  If you haven’t bought a copy of the aptly named album, Perfect Rhythm, get one ASAP.

  Fans of her last album might not like this one as much, but this reviewer actually thought it was superior in every way—beautiful melodies, profound lyrics, and Jenna’s smoky voice that effortlessly glides through octaves. With songs like “In the Rain,” “Sex and Video Games,” “Holly’s Song,” and “When Our Hearts Collide,” you’ll have a hard time deciding which is your favorite.

  Blake has always been one of the most technically sound singers in pop music, but she has been criticized for focusing too much on showy elements and not enough on emotion. Well, this album will definitely silence those critics. She has put her heart and soul into this album, and it shows. Five stars out of five.

  Leo’s voice cracked on the last word. She swiveled her head around to face Holly. “She liked it.”

  “She loved it. I told you so.”

  “You did.” Holly had believed in her from the very start. Whenever Leo had struggled to reinvent herself as an artist and a brand, she’d been there to encourage her.

  Leo closed the laptop and set it on the floor so she could lie down and take Holly into her arms. “Thank you,” she whispered into Holly’s ear.

  Holly combed her fingers through Leo’s hair. “Anytime.”

  They lay cuddled together for several minutes while the reviewer’s words echoed through Leo’s mind, making her beam. Life was so good that she felt a little drunk on it. There was only one thing that would make it even more perfect.

  “The concerts in New York, Boston, and Chicago are coming up next month,” Leo said.

  Holly slipped her hand ben
eath Leo’s shirt and stroked her back. “Don’t worry. They’ll love the new songs too.”

  That wasn’t what made Leo’s body vibrate with renewed nervousness. “Will you come with me? I know you probably won’t be able to come to all three, but how about at least Chicago? Someone has to protect me from all the bra-throwing fans who don’t get that ‘Sex and Video Games’ isn’t an invitation.”

  “All the bra-throwing fans?” Holly arched her brows. “Didn’t you say you don’t have any wild groupie stories to tell?”

  “Oh, so you paid attention to what I said, even back then? Jealous?” Leo asked in a teasing tone.

  Holly’s expression was serious. “A little.”

  Leo rolled around so she could lean over Holly on one elbow and look into her eyes. “There’s no need. You know that, right? All the wild groupie sex in the world could never compare to what we have. Not even close.” She put emphasis on every word.

  In reply, Holly pulled her down and kissed her. “For me neither.”

  Leo nibbled on Holly’s bottom lip. “So, will you come to Chicago? We could even meet up with Meg and Jo while we’re there.”

  “That would be great. Can we get them tickets to the concert?”

  “Sure. I could get them all-access passes. In exchange for…some information.”

  Holly cocked her head. “What information?”

  “Well…” Leo swallowed. “They bought a house last year, didn’t they? Maybe they could give us some pointers.”

  Holly stared up at her. “You mean…?”

  Leo nodded. “I love living here with you. But I’d really like us to have something that is ours. Something a little bigger, with a guest room and—”

  Holly let out a cry that made Chance jump off the bed and stalk out of the bedroom in search of a quieter napping spot. Ignoring him, Holly wrapped her legs around Leo, rolled them around so she was on top, and let her lips wander over every inch of her face.

  Among kisses and happy laughter, Leo gasped out, “So that’s a yes?”

  “Yes, yes, yes.” Holly punctuated each affirmation with another kiss. She looked down at her. “Were there ever any doubts about what my answer would be?”