Things That Shine

by Bria Quinlan

  “That sounded soupy.” He turned to look more fully at his guys. “We need to back off somewhere.”

  Next to him, a puppy-eyed hottie nodded and played back something pretty and simple and clean while the rest of the guys watched.

  “Sage,” Gorgeousness called. “Cleaner?”

  Sage sat forward and hit a button. “Yeah, that’s crisp in here. Let’s hear it with everything else.”

  The guys nodded and started playing again.

  “Wow,” Megan whispered. “Sage has the power.”

  I’d been a little surprised by that as well. The fact that this super famous group of guys trusted him to make their music better seemed insane.

  Megan pushed the door farther open and the sunlight fell across Sage, drawing his attention.

  He waved us in, and Megan rushed past me so fast I almost landed on my rear. She was over his shoulder, all but pasted to the window, staring in joy and admiration.

  Basically, this was a Rock and Roll Revival, and Megan was worshiping at the altar.

  Sage grinned at me, a look so comfortable with his surroundings that it was…strong.

  Stupid word. I don’t know. He obviously belonged there at the soundboard making music happen. There was something incredibly attractive about a guy in his element.

  What could he possibly have seen when he looked at me at The Brew? Was that my element? Was that where I’d be living for the next sixty years until I couldn’t lift a coffee cup again?

  “Hey,” he said, turning away from the window. “You made it.”

  “Yup!” Megan shouted from right next to him. “Here we are! Right here! Watching Double Blind Study do awesome stuff!”

  “Okay.” It was time to slow the roll. “Megan, why don’t you step away from the super-expensive-looking stuff? We’ll just watch from a safe distance.”

  I hadn’t finished talking when the music had faded out…each piece ending slowly until the drums just stopped.

  I glanced over and saw an entire room of hot rock stars watching us through the glass.

  “Hey! It’s the caffeine chick.” Blake Diedrich looked at me as if I were just in time for something important. “Tell my man Sage here to build me a guitar.”

  “Omigosh,” Megan whispered from beside me.

  Sage flipped a switch and spoke into a mic. “What are the chances you won’t crash it into a hard object after playing the guitar solo of your life?”

  Blake shrugged like this were a regular occurrence. “Slim to none.”

  “Exactly.”

  Blake glanced my way. “Come on, darlin’. Be my influencer.”

  “Oh. My. Gosh.” Megan was staring at me now as if I were something new.

  “Um…what if he made you a really cheap one to break?”

  Sage laid his head down on the counter.

  “Sage is an artiste. He doesn’t do cheap.” Blake gave me a killer grin and shrugged again. “Plus, I’d just forget to switch them out and break the good one anyway.”

  Well, at least he was honest.

  “Why don’t we take a break?” His Hotness of Lead Singers pulled the guitar strap over his shoulder and set it in a stand. I glanced around at all the equipment, surprised at how complicated everything looked. Who knew there were all these technical thingies at a studio?

  Um, probably everyone ever who wasn’t me.

  The band all came through a door to the right, looking hot, exhausted, and pumped up at the same time.

  “You work at a café?” Puppy Dog Eyes asked.

  “Um, yes.” This did not seem like the lead-in you get with most rock stars. Not that I’d know, but still.

  He glanced around, scowling.

  “Did you bring any snacks?”

  “Harrison.” The Emperor of Sex Appeal gave Puppy Dog Eyes—Harrison—a look. “Not every person on this planet was put here to feed you.”

  Harrison looked like he was going to argue this statement, when Sex Appeal went on, “And, I heard your wife was making sandwiches.”

  “Still. A pastry of some kind is a polite way to introduce yourself.” He shrugged as if it were all the same, when clearly it was not. He held eye contact with me, letting me know that next time I would be expected to produce some sort of snack cake in order to earn his trust.

  “Sandwiches any minute, bro,” Sex Appeal semi-repeated with an exasperated eye roll.

  Harrison nodded earnestly. “I know. Which is the only reason it’s okay.”

  He said it was okay, but I think we all knew I’d accidentally betrayed a sacred oath I didn’t remember taking.

  Beside me, Megan bounced on her toes and before I knew what she was doing, she breathed out one word: “Sway.”

  I thought this was a command to dance, until Sex Appeal gave her a saucy grin and said, “And what’s your name, honey.”

  “Megan! I’m Megan!” She started laughing hysterically, and I began to wonder if I should have brought a paper bag. “Hi! Sway.”

  And then she started giggling like an insane woman. Which I was beginning to wonder if she was.

  Behind me, someone covered a laugh with a cough. I glanced over my shoulder at the rest of the band watching Megan corner Sway of the Sexy Aura.

  “I was wondering if you could sign something.”

  “Sure, hun.”

  Before I knew what was happening, Megan had ripped her shirt open, taking full advantage of those snap buttons, to reveal a teeny-tiny tank top that said Double Blind Study Buddy on it. Her boobs were basically falling out of it.

  She held out a Sharpie—which, why hadn’t Ash warned me to do a Sharpie check?—and giggled again.

  “Well, Megan, hun. I have to say, my boob signing days are a bit behind me.” Sway gave her an apologetic look.

  “Oh.” Megan looked like this was the end of the world. “But, I mean, what’s one more boob, right? I mean…how many have you signed?”

  “You mean, like a number?” Sway looked intrigued by the question.

  “Like, a lot?” Megan seemed to think this was going to change the no to yes.

  “Well, a lot isn’t really a big enough number.” Sway seemed oddly proud and disgusted at this at the same time.

  I leaned toward Sage, who was making notes in his notebook while all this was going on. “Why doesn’t he sign boobs anymore?”

  Not that I understood the appeal of having a part of my body I kept covered marked up by a stranger.

  Sage didn’t look up as he finished noting whatever he was noting in his little book. “Married.”

  “Megan!” It was time to put my foot down.

  “What?” She spun around, her open shirt flitting in the Megan-made breeze.

  “He’s married.”

  She gave a deep sigh. “I know. I was just…” She glanced around, then smiled up at Sway. “It was a test. You pass.”

  I couldn’t even say anything because he just looked more amused than anything else.

  “I’ll let my wife know.” The door behind him opened. “Speaking of…the girls are here for lunch.”

  I turned around…and almost fainted.

  “Oh. Oh my.” I sucked in a deep breath, my gaze focusing in on one thing and one thing only.

  My life had just become complete. My idol stood before me in all her wonky awesomeness.

  “I…I…Ummm…”

  Sage put a hand on my back, warm and actually comforting. “Breathe, Em.”

  “You’re Zelda Fitzpatrick.”

  10

  Sage

  Emily's body vibrated beneath Sage's hand and he pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. She wasn't impressed by the rock stars, but show her a wild-haired woman with a plate full of sandwiches and she lost all of her chill.

  Zelda stopped short and turned her face a little to the side, her eyes on Emily. “I am,” she confirmed hesitantly.

  “I love you,” Emily gushed, her hands clasped in front of her as if she was trying to keep them from hugging Har
rison’s wife. “I mean, I love your work.” Color crept up the side of her neck and stained her cheeks and ears.

  “My work?” Zelda asked, her eyes darting around the room and then settling on Sage, looking for an explanation that she wouldn’t find.

  How was he supposed to know Emily had a girl crush on Zelda?

  “Your spread in Vanity Fair two months ago changed my life. I bought an extra copy just to be sure I had a backup in case I wore out the first one. And I don't have, like, any money, so that tells you how important that is to me.” Emily was babbling. Full-on fangirl vibrato in her words.

  Zelda's eyebrows arched. “My Vonnie Rae pictures?” She slowly shook her head, eyes wide.

  “The way you capture the people in the moment. The movement you harness and the light—there’s no moon! In any of the photos! I’ve studied them so many times, and there is no moon!”

  Sage had no idea what she was talking about. Zelda had been the band’s photographer for a while now. She had documented their tours and single-handedly displayed the DBS life to the public. He knew she did freelance work occasionally, and even more occasionally she would be requested to provide photos for famous whatevers and things.

  For example, Vonnie Rae was rock and roll’s latest darling. A rock balladeer from the middle of nowhere. Too young to be taken seriously by the industry, but her soulful and almost bluesy representation of life and love in lyrics made her a star to watch. Sage had never met her, but he’d heard Luke and Mike discussing bringing her on as an opener.

  “Would you like her to sign your boobs?” Megan held her Sharpie out in offering and Sage nearly lost hold on his laughter.

  Emily glanced at the marker and he saw something pass through her eyes as she thought about the offer. She must’ve remembered where she was and who she was with, because she sucked in a breath as her eyes darted around the people in the room.

  Zelda flashed her lopsided and wonky grin. “You’re a fan. Of me?”

  Emily swallowed and nodded. “The biggest.”

  Zelda did a little hop. “I’ve never been fangirled before. This is very exciting.”

  “I fangirl over you all the time,” Harrison said around a mouthful of sandwich.

  Zelda waved a hand at him and took a step toward Emily. “I’m so happy to finally meet you.”

  “Finally meet me?” Emily breathed.

  “Oh’ yes,” Zelda confirmed. “I have had many a daydream about meeting my biggest fan. I’m so glad it’s finally happened.”

  Emily shook her head, wonder pouring out of her every pore. “Can I ask how you did that? I mean, I’ve promised myself repeatedly that if I ever got the chance to meet you, I would ask you how you took those pictures.”

  “It was all practical lighting. I didn’t have to add to it; I just had to be in the right place at the right time. There may have been some contortion involved.

  “Vonnie has a life she’s built and I wanted very much to capture her in it. Not orchestrate a false scenario in order to get pretty pictures. I spent several days with her, following her around, watching her routine at home. The night writing sessions in her barn happened to be my favorite part of the day. The old lanterns and the muted surroundings are really reflected in her song styling. I needed to be sure I documented that.” Zelda ended with a shrug.

  Emily nodded silently, soaking up Zelda’s presence and words. Sage couldn't hide his grin even if he’d wanted to. This was a side of her he was really liking.

  “Now if I could just get Peter Jackson to return my calls. I'd really love to take Where Are They Now pictures of the original Fellowship,” Zelda added with a smirk that said how likely she thought that would be.

  “I love Lord of the Rings,” Emily said.

  A stillness entered the room. Hopefully Sage was the only one who noticed. He swallowed and lifted his gaze off of Emily’s adoring profile to connect with Luke. Luke half-grinned but took the hint.

  “I want to focus on the drum track if we can. Mike, as soon as you’re finished eating, get back in there,” Luke bossed.

  “Of course you do.” Mike rolled his eyes, but didn't argue.

  Mike had a process. It was a process Sage had heard about but hadn’t witnessed until this week. The guy was incredibly hard on himself.

  “I’m the worst drummer in the world,” Mike lamented as he dusted his hands off on his jeans and stood up. “Let me warm up a minute first.” He jerked his head toward the stairs and everyone moved that direction.

  Upstairs was the control room. It contained all the analog equipment and was the place where they monitored everything they created. It also doubled as a place to relax—big couches, chairs, tables, and a fridge with refreshments.

  “I thought downstairs was where you recorded,” Megan asked as she surveyed the equipment with curious but untrained interest.

  “It is,” Sage explained. “But the console downstairs really just records and sends it up here. This is where we put it together to make the tapes. We can even mix up here, if we want.” He waved his hands over the equipment. “This board is actually my favorite thing here. It has a warm but aggressive sound. It’s a really fun combination. Very Double Blind Study.”

  “Sometimes I forget how smart you are,” Zelda remarked, handing him a sandwich. “I’m so glad they picked you. When Harrison told me you guys were recording to tape, I got pretty nervous.”

  “Wait.” Megan closed her eyes like she were trying to focus really hard. “Tape? Why not digital? I thought digital was required now.”

  “Recording to tape is actually really easy,” Sage said, leaning against the doorjamb and taking a deep breath as he searched for the right words to describe his thoughts on the matter. “I think there’s a huge emphasis on perfection these days. A lot of artists record using a computer because then they can fix the things they don’t like. But real life, which I feel like rock and roll is supposed to reflect, isn’t perfect. I like tape. It keeps the personality.”

  “Exactly.” Zelda nodded. “It’s like how I see things through the viewfinder. I like seeing the rough edges of things. It has an honesty to it. Like that picture of us downstairs. No way would that be considered “perfect,” but it is to me, because it’s real. That’s what we look like, that’s how we live. That’s our family.”

  “Pro Tools is great,” Harrison interjected. “It really is. But when it comes to making a raw rock and roll record, you really can’t beat tape.”

  “And you have all the power?” Megan asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

  Sage chuckled and licked his lips. “Not even remotely. They play their music, and I do my best to keep up.” His lips twitched as he remembered how Heather had described it. “An orangutan could do it.”

  Harrison snorted and covered his mouth to keep from spraying soda everywhere.

  “When they take it someplace to be mixed, that’s when the professional will make it sound like what you love.”

  Sway cleared his throat in an obvious way, getting pretty much everyone’s attention. Except for Luke, who was talking to Lenny. Okay, they weren’t talking, they were canoodling. Sway cleared his throat again. Luke looked at his bassist.

  “What?”

  Sway jerked his head toward Sage. “You wanna tell the kid who’s mixing for us?”

  Luke sucked in a breath. “Oh, yeah. Sage, you are.”

  “What now?” Sage asked, feeling the room tilt.

  For a second, he thought he may have misheard Luke. He waited, breathing slowly, trying to keep the chill, his chill, the chill he was known for always having. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding or punch line or prank or something.

  The conversations continued around him at a normal rate and volume. No one jumped out to point and laugh at his shock and confusion.

  Maybe he should sit down.

  Mike’s drums pounded through the floor and into the soles of his feet, mimicking his heart rate.

  “These guys have a way of not
telling you the entire plan,” Zelda said, understanding in her voice.

  Sage didn’t have a response. He wandered over to where the big board resided and sat in the chair in front of it. He would need to do more homework. Because this...this was everything. And if he screwed it up, he would never be able to forgive himself.

  If he had to make a list of his biggest dreams that he never thought would ever happen, producing and mixing a Double Blind Study album would be at the very top.

  “That board looks more complicated than my cappuccino machine.”

  Sage looked up into Emily’s sweet face, a shy smile flirting with her lips as if it weren’t entirely committed to the movement.

  “Ah, they’re basically the same thing,” he said, feeling better the instant she’d come closer to him.

  “Megan is in her element,” she said, glancing at her friend, who was gabbering at Blake and Lucy. “Thank you for inviting us,” she said softly.

  “Thank you for accepting the invite,” he returned playfully.

  She looked away and rolled her eyes, probably because she still wanted to be a little bit mad he had coerced her into hanging out with him. But she had fangirled over Zelda, which meant he was obviously forgiven for a little bit of coercion. Right?

  His gaze drifted to the console in front of him and reality sunk in a fraction more. It probably wouldn’t hit him full force until later tonight when he was about to fall asleep.

  What were the chances a guy like him—with all the weird and impossible requirements he had in his head—would end up not only working for the band of his dreams, but actually work with the band to make the kind of music he loved to make?

  Creating was his passion. It was the only time he felt like he was doing what he was meant to do. Add rock and roll into the mix and...

  Well, perfect wasn’t a big enough word.

  Sage glanced over his shoulder at the white board outlining the tracks and the dailies. Everything looked very official all of a sudden.

  He shoved to his feet and gave Emily a grin and a chin lift. “You wanna hear the greatest drummer in the world tear himself apart?”

  “Really?” she asked with a soft frown.