Page 23 of The Bachelor

“There is some producer showing up in like five minutes. Pat says he’s shopping,” Lauren said.

That did make her back stiffen just a little. She hadn’t actually encountered any real musicians or producers at this point. That was all kept away from her, in the big offices in the front of the building. She and several other writers were shoved in the back, by the break room, in a tiny room. “Oh, really? Did Pat say what she’s going to show him? Or her?”

“No. But I’m tempted to accidentally get lost with my guitar in my hand,” Lauren declared. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know y’all were in here, I was just walking and singing this song as I always do.”

That made Avery laugh. “Subtle.”

“I can’t afford to be subtle.”

Lauren had been at Rusted Truck for two years while also taking on random gigs where she could get them. She was getting an anxious frustration that Avery didn’t have yet. “You can’t afford to get fired either.”

“True.” Lauren flopped down in a chair. “I just need a shot. Any shot.”

“All it takes is one person to hear you at the exact right moment. It will happen.” Avery was happy to be working in the industry in any way. She had no idea how she would feel in two years, but right now, she was just grateful. This wasn’t the vision she’d had of moving away from home, but in the end, it was even better than she had imagined. Not having a boyfriend was freeing, and she was learning a lot about herself and what she was capable of accomplishing.

She started playing the song she’d been working on. “Let me know what you think of this. It needs work in the middle bridge.” It was a raw, melancholy ballad she had been tinkering with, and she had just added the lyrics. She started singing softly, knowing her voice wasn’t her strongest asset—but it was safe in the office with just Lauren to hear. After all, she wasn’t writing songs for herself to sing, but for someone with the talent to carry them.

It was a song about watching her life fade in the rearview mirror. About being left broken and betrayed. About waiting for a promise that would never be kept.

Lauren closed her eyes, a habit she had when she was listening. She said it helped her see the sheet music in her head. She was more of a literal songwriter than Avery was and they complemented each other that way.

As she sang, Avery heard voices in the hallway and she regretted that the door was open since this wasn’t a polished, finished piece. But she wanted Lauren to hear the whole thing, so she kept singing.

As the last note trailed off, her boss Pat appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide as she made flapping arm gestures. Startled, and not sure what in the heck Pat actually wanted her to do, she put her hand on her guitar to quiet her strings. “What’s wrong?” she asked Pat.

Lauren’s eyes flew open. “Nothing is wrong. That song is fucking amazing.”

Avery sat up straighter and gestured to Pat. “No, I was asking Pat if something is wrong.”

“Oh, shit,” Lauren murmured under her breath. “Sorry for the cursing, Pat, I didn’t know you were there.”

“Not a problem,” Pat said loudly. “Now, Avery, was that something you wrote? Because it seems you have some interest in it.”

Avery’s heart started to race like a hovering hummingbird. “What do you mean?” she asked, breathless.

“Mr. Hart was in the office and he heard you singing.” Pat gestured to the hallway. “Right in here, Mr. Hart. This is Avery O’Leery, one of our newest staff members. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to meet you.”

Mr. Hart. Mr. Hart the music producer.

As in Shane? No, please dear Lord, no, anyone but him.

It was him.

He came around the corner, and his expression told her he was as shocked as she was. “Avery?” he asked. “I had no idea you worked here.”

Oh, no. He did not just make it obvious they knew each other.

“You know each other?” Pat asked, her eyebrows rising in curiosity.

Shane stood in the doorway, and there he was, all dark eyes and lean muscle, and sexy lips that had been everywhere on her body. Tugging at her nipples, nestled between her thighs… Oh, damn. She felt heat bloom in her cheeks. She hadn’t expected to see him ever again. Certainly not here, in front of her boss, while he raked his eyes over her as if he remembered what she looked like naked. She felt naked under his gaze.

He gave her a long, sensual, searching look, before turning to smile at Pat. “Just briefly. It involved a lost purse and some coffee, nothing more.”

That was unexpectedly harsh. It had been a whole lot more than coffee. But still she was grateful he was being discreet.

That night had lingered in her mind ever since she left him sleeping in the hotel. She had dreamed about Shane. She had run her hands over her own body in the shower fantasizing about his mouth on her. She had stalked the crap out of him online and found that he was thoroughly inaccessible on social media. Which was a blessing. Because she didn’t need the distraction of a man in her life, nor did she need the ability to contact him, and either embarrass herself completely or land herself right back into man trouble. It was best to just leave it as it was.

Despite the fact that she hadn’t stopped wondering about him and what he had thought of their brief time together, she had come to terms with the fact that she would probably never see him again. Now he was standing in front of her looking handsome as sin. He had jeans and a navy button-up shirt on, untucked. He had a silver ring on his hand that appeared to be a skull, and expensive black boots from the looks of them. She glanced at his crotch. She didn’t mean to, it just happened.

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