Listen To Me (Fusion #1)(5)

Kat reaches out a fist for a bump. “Me too.”

“Hard Knox was a good band.” I sip my wine. “They broke up, you know.”

“So sad.” Mia shakes her head. “You got to see Jake Knox.”

“But we didn’t find an act for here.” I feel defeated. I so wanted to wrap that up tonight.

“We’ll find one,” Kat says. “Have Jeremy ask around.”

“He doesn’t really play the kind of music I want for us.”

“You mean the good kind?” Mia asks sarcastically.

“Okay, so he’s no Daughtry. He’s not horrible.”

Both Kat and Mia just raise a brow at me and smile.

“Okay, he’s not good.”

We all giggle and fall into a comfortable silence. Finally, Mia whimpers and lays her head down on the bar. “So tired.”

“Day off tomorrow, Mia. I mean it.” I rub her back in big circles. “You need to sleep.”

“Okay. But if anything happens, you call me.”

“We will,” Kat says. We look at each other while I continue to rub Mia’s back and we don’t need to speak aloud to know what the other is thinking.

The place would have to be on fire before we’d call Mia tomorrow.





Chapter Two


Jake


“You’re quiet.”

My head jerks up at the sound of her voice, pulling me from some damn daydream, and I frown. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be.”

“What’s on your mind?”

I chew on my bacon and watch my best friend of more than fifteen years across the table from me at this dive diner that serves the best breakfast in Portland. Christina has been with me through fame and money, and some of the shittiest moments of my life. She’s watched as I hit bottom and clawed my way out of the darkness again.

She’s the only person in the world that I know I can trust without blinking.

“Music’s always on my mind,” I reply and take a sip of coffee. She rolls her pretty brown eyes and tosses her brown hair over her shoulder the way she does when she’s annoyed.

“You’ve been invited to—”

“Not interested,” I reply, cutting her off. “I lived it, and I don’t need it anymore.”

“You miss it. You sang at that open-mic-night thing last weekend and you nailed it.”

I shrug one shoulder and don’t deny that she’s right. I do miss it.

Not playing music for people hurts as bad as if I were missing a leg, but playing at that open gig the other night was a big mistake. Because now I crave it again.

But I don’t deserve it.

Because Christina is missing a leg.

Because of me.

“I loved the song you wrote for Nash that just released last week.”

I manage a grin. “Thanks.”

“Why did you do it?” she asks unexpectedly.

“What?”

“Open-mic night.”

I rub my hand over my lips and sigh. “I just . . . God, I miss it, C.”

Her eyes soften. “I know.”

“So, I sang and I got it out of my system. Case closed.” A complete lie, but I won’t admit that to her.

“Working this afternoon?” she asks.

“Yeah, Max and I will be in the studio this afternoon, finishing a couple of songs for Daughtry.”

She nods thoughtfully. “Must really suck to be you, with your own production company, and fancy studio at your house, and famous people flying in to work with you and all of that.”

“Yes, it sucks to be me,” I reply dryly.

“You’re writing, and producing, still making a difference in the music world, just not performing.” She tilts her head to the side and runs her pink-tipped finger over her bottom lip, in thought.

“You already know this.”

“Excuse me?”

We both turn to the pretty blonde standing beside our table, wringing her hands nervously.

“Hi,” I reply with a smile.

“Aren’t you Jake Knox?” she asks and I immediately switch gears. My smile is cocky, and I lean back in the chair, assuming the role.

“I sure am. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“M-Michelle,” she replies with a slight stutter, and her cheeks blush. More than five years out of the limelight and this still happens at least once a week. “I’d heard a rumor that you lived in Portland now.”

I raise an eyebrow and glance at Christina, who’s hiding her smile behind her coffee mug.

“I live in the area,” I reply. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh! I’m sorry. Could I maybe just get a selfie with you?” She pulls her phone out of her pocket and smiles shyly.

“Sure.” I stand, wrap my arm around her shoulders, and take her phone from her, aiming it high. I paste my signature smirk on my face and take the picture.

“Wow, thanks. I love your music. Are you going to put a new album out soon?”

Now Christina frowns and glances down at her empty plate.

“Thank you. No, the band broke up. I’m more behind the scenes now.”

“Aww, that’s a shame,” Michelle says with a frown. “Thanks for the photo.”