Page 26 of Shock to the Heart

He ducks and chuckles. "Honestly, I haven't heard anything so heartfelt and fresh in a very long time. And no, don't worry, I'm not going to tell your mother."

My breathing stops for several seconds. "Really?"

"Really. It's none of my business, and I shouldn't have listened. But…" He gives me that look we've shared so often over the years. The one that points out that Mom is seriously over the top and we need to tread lightly.

"Thank you." I take a slow breath. "Seriously, thank you. I don't think I could deal with that."

"I understand. But if you decide you are going to share this, please don't let her be the last one to know. Is that fair?"

"Yeah."

"And if it's private for now?—"

"Forever."

Dad holds up his hands. "Okay. Private forever. That's your business." He leans back and smiles. "That Trey…Ray's son… I tell ya, his eyes lit up when he said your name. Anything to share there?"

I force myself not to fidget. "Not yet."

"Well, for the record, he didn't rat you out and say anything about the music. Just told me about the work he did. But I can tell when a guy is smitten." He grins. "He seems like a good man."

"He is."

Dad gets up and pats my shoulder on his way out. "The kind of man who would be good for you, sunshine. You know, somebody with purpose."

"I think so, yeah."

"Again, if things get definite, try to tell your mother before you tell the world. I know she's a handful, but it will be worse if she thinks you're trying to keep something from her."

"I know. I'll keep you both posted when there's news."

"Fair enough. Goodnight, sweetheart." Dad closes the door behind him.

My room is quiet again, but my mind is reeling. I know now that Trey did everything right. I couldn't possibly have asked any more from him.

He handled my parents perfectly…probably without even realizing he was doing it.

Plus, he really did help me find my voice. He made me feel centered enough to relax into a tricky song.

Actually, it was far more than that. It was a love song that didn't have the right intensity yet because I didn't know what love was until I met him. To paraphrase my own song, I don't need to be an electrician to realize it was Trey's current that helped me find my grounding.

Unfortunately, there's no way to tell him all that in a coherent way until I sleep like a log and recover.

16

TREY

Usually, I ignore my phone when I'm working. I even leave it in the van from time to time. It's just a distraction. My friends know that I'll mostly talk to them in the evenings and on weekends, and Dad's texts are simply about the next job, or checking in.

But all Tuesday morning, I glance at my phone every twenty minutes, hoping that Electra has responded.

She hasn't.

Today's job is running some new wiring to an outdoor shed, plus updating an auxiliary fuse box. Thank goodness it's simple work, because my overloaded brain couldn't handle anything more. Also, the endless walking back and forth across the client's long back yard is kind of soothing.

By three in the afternoon, the truth is staring me in the face. I blew it.

Even though it wasn't entirely my fault that Electra's parents discovered that we are…whatever we are…I may have incurred her mother's wrath. Also, by confirming that repairs were done on the studio over the weekend, it could have led to the discovery that she was doing her own recording there.

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