Page 20 of Sing For Me

Will

Iwalk Eva out to the front of the shop where the rest of her friends are waiting, wishing there was a way I could keep her here with me for longer. There’s something about this girl that makes it really hard to say goodbye.

“Did you do it?” one of the friends calls out from the reception desk.

She strikes a pose, her ankle raised for them to see, and they whoop and holler. “We need a group pic,” someone shouts, and they all gather up so Lulu can take the photograph.

The whole time she’s in my shop, I can’t keep my eyes off her. Not while she poses and talks to her friends. Not while she settles the bill with Lulu. And definitely not when she comes over to say goodbye.

For the first time in a long time, I feel excited. About a woman.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, an alarm bell sounds.We don’t do this, it warns me.We don’t take chances like this. Not anymore.

But the sound is muffled by the pounding of my heart, making it easy to ignore.

“Thanks Will,” she says softly, meeting my eyes. Something warm and searching fills hers. “Really. I can’t thank you enough.”

“It was my pleasure,” I tell her, the statement so patently accurate I want to laugh. I give her a wink instead. “I’ll be in touch.”

She graces me with one last smile, seizing my breath all over again, before she turns and heads to the door, her friends surrounding her. Half of them are whispering to each other, shooting me glances, but then the entire group has left before I can figure out why they’re quite so interested—and seemingly surprised—that I would flirt with their gorgeous friend. Surely a woman like that has men hanging all over her all the time.

The image of other men making a play for Eva has something pulsing in my chest. I don’t like it.

“Well this is interesting,” Lulu croons behind me, and I groan. I should have known this was coming.

“You’re looking pretty giddy, there, man,” Dave, one of my artists says.

“The boss likes redheads,” Quinn adds, clearly delighted by the entire situation.

“Um, the girl being a redhead is not the interesting part of all this,” Hannie says, leaning against Lulu’s desk. “Who knew that the boss likes pop music?” She gives me a devilish smile. “What would your dad think?”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, the alarm bells getting a little louder in my head.

She stares at me blankly. “Wait, do you not know who that was?”

Lulu, Quinn, and Dave appear as bewildered as I am, and Hannie gapes at us. “Seriously, you guys? She’s one of the biggest stars in pop music.”

My entire body goes rigid. “Who is?” I hear myself ask even as my brain fills with worry and confusion.

“Eve.” She looks between the four of us, exasperated. “Oh, come on. Even if you don’t listen to that kind of music, you’ve heard of her.Eve.”

“Eve who?” Dave asks.

Hannie rolls her eyes. “I think her last name is Linnel? Linden? Who knows—she just goes by Eve. Like Adele, Madonna—”

“Eve?Holy shit!” Lulu claps a hand over her mouth. “I thought she looked familiar!”

Quinn squints at the girls. “Doesn’t Eve have blonde hair?”

Hannie rolls her eyes. “You do realize hair dye is a thing, yes?”

“Hang on.” I hold up a hand, my brain struggling to catch up. “Who the hell is Eve?”

“Seriously?” Hannie asks. “She’s a huge star, Will. You have to have heard of her. She’s been everywhere in entertainment gossip for the past four years.”

“I don’t pay attention to entertainment gossip,” I snap, maybe too sharply, because they all wince at my tone. I take a deep breath, trying to calm the dread that’s suddenly curling in my belly. “You’re saying she’s a… what? A singer?”

Hannie nods, her expression cautious now as she looks at me. “Yeah, Will. She was a pretty big deal. Her first album was the highest selling debut of any female artist inhistory.”