Page 16 of Moonlit Hideaway
Sierra swallowed as her gaze traveled to her hand-tooled guitar case with her iconic guitar. Before she could say anything, Emma jumped from the bed and screamed. “Your guitar case is the same as Sierra’s. Wow. Look at the curlicue designs. Can I see it? It’s electric, isn’t it?”
“I don’t have an amp,” she said. “As for the case, I got it online.”
“Really? Where?” Emma was on her phone immediately. “I bet it’s expensive.”
“Yes, well, the case is just a cover. What’s important is the guitar,” she deflected. “You don’t need an electric guitar to play a riff. It might sound cooler for that song, but you can do some cool stuff on your mom’s acoustic, too.”
Emma looked skeptical. “But you can’t do solos or rock out on acoustic.”
“Let me show you.” Sierra picked up Emma’s acoustic guitar and launched into a rhythmic riff full of percussive effects.Though it didn’t quite have the same distorted crunch or the drawn-out vibrato, the energy of her riff made her jump off the bed and strut around the small room—until she realized she was playing the opening sequence to “Neon Heartbeat.”
Emma’s eyes went wide. “Whoa, that was awesome. I can’t believe you played my favorite Sierra Rayne song on my guitar.”
“You’re just being nice,” Sierra said. “I’m sure it sounded nothing like the real thing.”
Emma fired up the video again. “Well, duh. She has this cool guitar, but you made it sound almost as good.”
“Like this?” Sierra asked, her fingers plucking out the familiar tune. She glanced over at Emma, who beamed back at her with wide eyes full of admiration.
“Exactly,” Emma exclaimed, raising her phone to video her. “You’re a natural. I mean, if you can pick up the riffs like that, you could totally be a pop star, you know?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m sure you’re good at picking up tunes, too.”
“I need someone to write down the tab.” Emma tilted her head to the side with an appraising look. “You need to lose the mom clothes and put on some makeup. Then you’ll really be a rocker.”
“I wish.” Sierra rolled her eyes. “But I’m happy as a songwriter.”
“You’re too cool to hide behind the scenes,” Emma said, bringing up another video of Sierra Rayne. “Here, look at her. You two look like you could be sisters. You could even dress as her for Halloween, and everyone would believe you.”
“Emma, we’ve been talking, and you haven’t started your lesson.” She handed the guitar to the teen. “Why don’t I write down the tab for you? We’ll start with a?—”
A loud, percussive knock on the door set Sierra’s nerves on fire.
“Relax, Jane,” Emma said with a grin. “It’s just Dad. He probably wants us to come down for dinner.”
“Wow, time flew by,” Sierra said, exhaling a shaky breath.
Emma flung the door open. “Dad, Jane’s so cool. She’s teaching me how to riff like Sierra Rayne.”
“You two are having fun, I see.” Hank’s eyes didn’t quite meet Sierra’s as he stood at the door without entering.
“Totally!” Emma exclaimed, putting her guitar in the case. “Jane’s an amazing teacher. You should see her play.”
“Maybe another time,” Sierra said quickly, not wanting to draw more attention to herself. “Let’s go eat. I’m starved.”
Hank gave her a quizzical look as if he didn’t believe her fake cheerfulness but was too polite to call her on it. She let Emma go first, but Hank waited for her to head down the stairs before bringing up the rear. He was either protective or watchful or both.
As they approached the lounge, Sierra turned back to look at Hank. She wasn’t sure if he was still upset about their bet or the almost kiss or the visit to the monument, but she had to clear the air.
“Are you truly okay with me giving Emma guitar lessons? I don’t want to come between you two or anything.”
His expression was pained, but he forced a smile. “You’re very considerate. I want my daughter to be happy, and I shouldn’t have overreacted earlier. You’re doing a great job with her.”
She nodded, feeling the warmth of his praise and, strangely, finding her heart racing in his presence. She’d have to keep a lid on this craziness. No matter how his maleness stirred her unspoken desires, there was no future with a man who refused to leave the island.
“Hey, Dad!” Emma shrieked, startling both of them.
Sierra whipped her head around to find the teenager pointing at the large-screen TV. The entertainment news was on, and the gossip reporter, Stella Gimenez, practically screamed, “And shocking news out of Vegas. Sierra Rayne has canceled her Crystal Coliseum debut for unspecified personal reasons. Has anyone seen her lately?”
