Page 62 of California Love Songs
She’d seen her mom that morning to discuss her birthday plans. If Crystal was honest with herself, she’d been avoiding her mom a little bit. Although she’d told Erin that she and Damien had kissed, she hadn’t breathed a word to anyone else about their new relationship. Or fling. Whatever it was. It was just too precious, too sacred to share with anyone else. Her mom, for one, would get overexcited. The minute the news got out, she’d be on the phone planning a gigantic Mexican wedding and calling long distance to relatives she hadn’t spoken to in years. As far as her mom was concerned, she and Damien had always been a perfect match and their platonic friendship had baffled her. So, Crystal kept the development between them to herself, treasuring it as a teenage girl would treasure the memory of a first kiss, returning to it again and again.
As it was, Crystal’s mom had sighed a little bit over her only baby girl turning thirty with no grandchildren in sight. But then, Sofia Lopez had been talking about grandchildren since Crystal was eighteen, so she’d ceased to let this bother her. Besides, her mother was happy planning a nice family party, which Crystal really appreciated. It would be a chance for her to see cousins and family friends that she didn’t get to see every day.
“And what about your friends?” her mom had asked. “Are they planning something for you?”
She told her that Erin had invited some girls around for dinner at Jay’s beautiful house on the waterfront. Jay would be exiled from his own home for this girls’ night in. “And that’s exactly what I feel like,” she said. “I’ve arranged so many parties that a quiet girls’ evening will be perfect.”
If secretly she hoped that Damien might say something about her birthday and spending an evening together, she tried not to be disappointed that he hadn’t. Her girlfriends would always be there. Damien might not.
He always sang “Happy Birthday” on her birthday and this year she was pretty sure it would be no different. Hopefully, he’d do it in person when they woke up together, wrapped in each other’s arms.
That would be the best birthday present she could ask for.
Damien couldn’t believe how quickly he and Opal had progressed with her music. She worked so hard, and frankly, he’d become so good at producing that, much sooner than he’d anticipated, they had five songs he believed showcased her voice and her songwriting talents in their best light. He’d finally started emailing a few people back and planning some meetings. So early Monday morning, when Nate Silverman called him, Damien excused himself from the studio immediately to take the call.
Nate was the label manager of Crimson Palm Records. He’d launched many a career, including Damien’s, and he wasn’t a man who wasted time. When Nate cut to the chase and said he wanted to meet Opal in LA, Damien knew that her big chance had arrived. Nate had overseen Damien’s first three albums and taken them platinum. He was a genius in the business and had great instincts for what worked. If Damien could have picked anyone to break Opal out to the big time, it would be Nate. Damien trusted him completely.
So when Nate said, “I need you to fly your protégée down here Tuesday night. The team here want to meet her and see her perform in person. I’ve got my global team in town for meetings and I want to see this new talent of yours. I’m scheduling meetings Wednesday.”
Damien went from elated to worried in a nanosecond. Wednesday. Crystal’s thirtieth birthday. He wanted to wake up with her, sing “Happy Birthday” in bed, and ring in her new decade in the sexiest way imaginable.
Nate must have heard Damien falter. “You do think Opal is ready for this, right? That’s why you sent out her demo?”
Damien rushed in with reassurances. “Absolutely. But is it possible to delay a couple of days?”
Nate stood firm. He wasn’t a man who could be put off. He had a slot and a lot of important people potentially lined up and ready.
So Damien could only say, “I had plans Wednesday, but it’s nothing that can’t wait.” Even as he said them, the words felt like acid in his mouth.
Could he really not be there for the morning of Crystal’s milestone birthday?
While Nate explained his PA would send details of the flight and pickup via email, his thoughts were elsewhere.
Maybe this would be better. He’d make sure he was back in time for Crystal’s surprise party and add to the surprise. Knowing him, if he were with Crystal when she woke up, he’d give away the surprise. So after checking with Opal, he agreed to the meetings and the audition.
Opal was so excited and nervous that she burst into tears. “You have to promise me you won’t leave my side for even a second. I’ll be so intimidated by all those big-shot record folks that I’ll clam up. Or worse, I won’t stop talking and I’ll say something really stupid.”
Damien promised, trying his best to hide his conflicted feelings. He’d committed to Opal. He’d committed to her career. And here was the chance of a lifetime that he couldn’t—wouldn’t—deny her. He’d be back in time for Crystal’s birthday party. And he’d sing “Happy Birthday” in person. That was what really mattered.
“It’s all happening so fast,” Opal said, looking nervous already. “I never imagined it would be like this.”
“No one does,” Damien agreed, reflecting for a moment on his own sudden rise to fame. “But you can handle this. All that matters is the music. I’ll coach you through the rest of it.”
Later that evening, when he told Crystal about the trip to LA, she was as happy for Opal as he’d known she would be. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “And you made this happen. You must be so proud.”
He hadn’t looked at the situation like that until now. When he thought about it more deeply, he did experience a warm glow around his heart that he’d helped another musician. It felt good to give back, to offer a helping hand to a singer-songwriter with so much raw talent and such a strong work ethic.
But that didn’t take away from the fact that he was letting Crystal down.
“I’m really so sorry I won’t be here to wake up with you on your birthday, but we’ll go to bed together at the end of the day—if you want to, that is.” He was so desperate to tell her that he’d be at the party with literal glitter and bells on, but obviously he couldn’t. He’d never realized that keeping a secret from Crystal, even a fun one, would be so hard.
She smiled, a twinkle in her dark eyes. “Oh, I definitely want you there at the end of the night. Are you going to sing me to sleep?”
And he laughed. “Something like that.”
He had already bought Crystal a special birthday gift and as soon as she was asleep, he hid it in her house. He would text her first thing Wednesday morning and send her clues as to where to find it. He knew she’d enjoy the game, and at least that way it would feel like he was right there with her.
* * *
