Page 2 of California Love Songs (The Davenports, #4)

Chapter One

P resent day

Crystal Lopez stood at the edge of the sweeping lawn, her jewel-toned dress shimmering in the golden light of the setting sun.

She inhaled deeply, savoring the salty breeze of the Pacific as it mingled with the fragrance of blooming roses.

She couldn’t have designed a more delightful scent if she’d tried.

Everything was going to be perfect for the birthday party.

It had to be. The party was for the wife of one of the richest tech moguls in Pebble Beach.

“Ms. Lopez, where should we place the ice sculpture?” A harried waiter approached, gesturing toward a glistening swan perched precariously on a rolling cart.

Crystal glanced over at the buffet table. “Center it on the dessert table, please. And make sure to angle it so the lights catch those crystalline wings.”

As the waiter hurried off, Crystal’s gaze swept over the bustling scene.

Servers in crisp white jackets wove between tables draped in white silk, arranging delicate china and polishing already gleaming silverware for the supper to be served after the performance.

A string quartet played on a raised platform, while bartenders served everything from champagne to an impressive array of top-shelf liquors.

The party guests—all rich, famous, or well-connected—were nearly all present.

Crystal allowed herself a moment of pride. Now, if only our star attraction would arrive…

“Crystal!” The shrill voice of Brett Huntington, the evening’s host, cut through the ambient noise. “Where is he? Damien should be here by now! I promised Margot, and when I make a promise to my wife, I keep it.”

Crystal turned, her posture relaxed even as she noted the panic in Brett’s eyes.

The billionaire was used to getting his way, and he’d paid a good chunk of money to have Damien Davenport sing at his wife’s birthday party.

“Don’t worry, Brett. Damien will be here right on schedule.

You know how rock stars like to make an entrance. It’s all part of the performance.”

Brett did not look convinced. “Do I need to remind you that I paid three million dollars to secure my wife’s favorite singer? I trusted you when you said he’d knock this one out of the park.”

“Damien Davenport has never missed a show.” Crystal’s soothing, musical voice carried a note of absolute certainty. “I’ve known him since high school. Trust me, he’ll be here.”

Brett gazed at the sky, then at the helicopter pad, as though Damien might have materialized in the last ten seconds. Crystal checked her watch, then gestured toward the bar. “Why don’t you fetch a glass of champagne for Margot? I’ll make sure everything’s ready for Damien’s arrival.”

As Brett walked toward a group of people that included his glamorous and beautiful wife, Crystal allowed herself a small sigh.

She’d stake her entire hard-won reputation on Damien’s reliability, but with each passing minute, doubt gnawed at her confidence.

Still, she kept her serene smile firmly in place.

The show must go on, after all, and Crystal Lopez was nothing if not a consummate professional.

The rhythmic thump of helicopter blades suddenly cut through the chatter, silencing the growing crowd. Crystal’s heart leapt as she turned her gaze skyward, relief and excitement coursing through her veins.

“He’s here!” someone shouted, and a ripple of anticipation swept across the gathering.

The sleek black helicopter descended gracefully, kicking up a swirl of ocean mist as it touched down on the landing pad. Crystal watched, transfixed, as the door swung open.

Damien emerged, his presence electrifying even from a distance. His curls whipped in the wind, and the setting sun glinted off his signature silver jewelry. With his guitar slung across his back, he looked every inch the rock god.

For just a second, Crystal was transported back to that day in high school that had in some ways launched both their careers—Damien becoming one of the most successful musicians in history and Crystal one of the most successful event planners in California.

“Oh my,” one of the guests breathed beside Crystal. “He’s even more magnificent in person.”

Crystal couldn’t help but smile. “Just wait until you hear him play in the flesh. It’s something else.”

Damien strode toward the party, his confidence drawing all eyes to him.

He still moved with the easy grace of a panther, each step purposeful and charged with energy.

As he drew closer, Crystal could see the intensity in his gray-green eyes, the same focused look he always got before taking the stage at a sold-out arena.

As Damien made his way through the throng of admirers, Crystal couldn’t help but notice how he seemed both at home in the spotlight and slightly apart from it all. It was a dichotomy she’d always found fascinating––the way he could command attention while still maintaining an air of introspection.

Damien’s gaze swept across the gathering, flickering from face to face until it finally landed on Crystal.

The moment their eyes met, his entire demeanor softened, a warm smile transforming his features into the boy she’d known for so long.

He made a beeline for her, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease.

“Crystal,” he said, his voice dropping to a more intimate tone as he reached her. “Looks like you planned another great party.”

Crystal felt that familiar flutter in her chest. “Just doing my job,” she replied with a casual shrug, though she couldn’t suppress a proud flush. “But I’m glad you approve.”

Damien chuckled, the sound rich and low. “Always so modest. You know, without you, half these fancy parties would fall apart. The ice sculptures would end up in the pool. Or the chef would accidentally set the kitchen on fire while flambéing the dessert.”

Crystal giggled and then instinctively found herself reaching into the small cooler beside her. She pulled out a can of Damien’s favorite soda—a quirky, locally brewed ginger ale that was nearly impossible to find outside of Carmel.

“I believe this is yours,” she said, pressing the cold can into his hand.

Damien’s fingers brushed hers as he took the drink, sending a small shiver up her arm. “You remembered,” he murmured, his eyes softening with an emotion Crystal couldn’t quite name.

“Of course I did,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “Some things never change. You’ve always loved this soda.”

As Damien popped open the can, Crystal thought, how many times had they shared this simple ritual over the years? It was such a small gesture, yet it felt loaded with meaning––a testament to their shared history, to all the moments big and small that had shaped their friendship.

“You know,” Damien said, taking a sip and then sighing with pleasure, “no matter where I go, nothing ever tastes quite like home.”

Crystal’s heart skipped a beat at the word home .

She was so happy he still considered Carmel-by-the-Sea as his home.

She couldn’t imagine home being anywhere else.

She was about to say as much when the emcee, a famous comedian who’d cost another small fortune, boomed over the speakers, announcing Damien’s performance.

Crystal gave him a gentle nudge. “That’s your cue, rock star.”

Damien flexed his fingers with anticipation. “Wish me luck?”

“As if you need it,” Crystal said, laughing, but she took the empty soda can from his hand and then gave his palm a little squeeze.

As Damien strode onto the stage, guitar slung across his back, the crowd erupted.

Crystal felt the energy shift, electric anticipation crackling through the air.

Damien’s presence commanded attention; even as a teenager he’d had that magic, but age and success had only increased his appeal.

Glancing around, she saw women who were movie stars, tech moguls, and models.

Women who were invited to parties like this every week, who were impossibly hard to impress—and yet she could feel every one of them fall under Damien’s spell.

What must it be like to command that kind of adulation from women all over the world?

She was transported back to high school, to her role as his supporter and promoter, watching from the wings while girls like Melody got to put their arms around him, and press their lips to his, while she went home alone.

She shook her head at her own foolishness. Damien was one of her best friends, and if there was a tiny part of her that still yearned for what could never be, no one had to know that but her.

Beside her, a familiar voice said, “Even I was getting worried that he wouldn’t make it, but you never doubted him for a second, did you?”

Crystal turned to find Erin Davenport grinning at her.

Erin was Damien’s sister, and the Davenport sibling who noticed everything.

She and Crystal had been besties since high school and Erin was probably the only person in the world who’d guessed Crystal’s secret.

She thanked her lucky stars that Erin was too tactful and understanding to ever say out loud that her best friend had a massive crush on her big brother.

She hugged Erin hello. “Come on, you know that Damien’s a pro. He’ll cut the time to the last second, but he’ll always show up when he says he will.”

Their gazes turned to the stage, where Damien had now assumed his position. He grabbed the mic, flashing that trademark grin. “How’s everyone feeling tonight?”

The audience roared in response. Crystal watched, transfixed, as Damien launched into his first song.

His voice, rich and soulful, carried across the beach, mingling with the crash of waves.

Crystal felt the usual surge of pride as she watched him.

This was the Damien she knew—charming and utterly captivating. But then, to her, he always had been.

“God, he’s incredible,” Jay Malone murmured, suddenly appearing next to Erin.

The agent-to-the-stars handed his girlfriend a glass of champagne and then happily slung one arm around her.

Erin looked so contented next to Jay that Crystal had to pinch herself.

She still couldn’t believe that this unlikely pairing was working out so perfectly.

And yet she could. Erin never did anything without fully believing in it, whether that was adopting a dog or writing a newspaper article for the Sea Shell .

So it made sense that when she gave her heart away, it would only be to a person who deserved it.

And Jay Malone had surprised them all. He treated Erin like a princess.

No, like a queen. It was beautiful to watch. Crystal was so happy for her friend.

Jay said, “I wish Damien was my client. I wouldn’t mind a percentage of his career.

” Since Jay repped such movie stars as Archer Davenport and Smith Sullivan, Crystal doubted he was suffering.

She rolled her eyes and Jay chuckled. He held up his hands and said, “Okay, okay, repping one successful Davenport is enough.”

Crystal turned her attention back to Damien’s performance and found herself subconsciously whispering the lyrics.

Damien had such a way with words; he seemed to know exactly the right ones to express what everyone was thinking.

Whether it was about love, as with Tessa and Archer’s wedding song, or the rousing anthems that echoed the struggles and triumphs of his fans, every word he wrote was truthful and carried weight.

He turned pain into poetry and joy into fire.

This was how his songs had become the soundtrack of a generation.

He connected deeply with his listeners, leaving them feeling understood, heard, and less alone.

Damien’s eyes found hers and he flashed her a private smile. Crystal’s heart fluttered. For a moment, it felt like they were the only two people at the party, sharing a secret.

She gave him a nod. It was time.

Damien responded immediately. “And now, I think there’s a special lady here celebrating a very special day.”

To great applause and shouts of congratulations, a blushing Margot, led by her proud husband, came forward. Damien asked everyone to join him as he sang “Happy Birthday.”

Crystal’s team were so well trained, and the timing so carefully orchestrated, that with only a nod from her, the enormous buttercream cake, its twinkling candles protected from the sea breeze with a special glass screen, was carried out.

Margot blew out the candles to more applause and the staff cut the cake while Damien sang his final song.

He’d been asked to end with “Colors of Love,” his current hit and the song he’d written for Arch and Tessa’s wedding.

Crystal scanned the crowd and caught a glimpse of them, standing together in a quiet spot.

As the familiar song began, Arch pulled his new wife into his arms and kissed her.

Crystal felt the breath catch in her throat.

It was such a beautiful sight to see two people so in love.

Crystal knew it hadn’t been easy for Tessa to go from a caregiver looking after a movie star with a broken leg, to the wife of that movie star.

And then her own career had taken off and she was becoming a famous painter in her own right.

Talk about being thrown into the limelight.

And yet Tessa seemed to be taking it all in stride.

She was quiet, humble, and focused. And so in love with her husband that Crystal could feel the warmth of it on the other side of the lawn.

The final chords of the song faded into the night. There was a split second of absolute silence as the audience stood in wonder, and then it was quickly replaced by thunderous applause. Crystal watched in awe as the crowd surged, clapped, and cheered, their faces alight with adoration.

Damien took a bow, his smile genuine. But Crystal knew him well enough to see that it was tinged with relief. He had been nervous. The famous Damien Davenport was still the sweet and slightly shy musician she’d known since they were teenagers.