Page 25 of California Love Songs (The Davenports, #4)

Chapter Eighteen

D amien waited at a traffic light, musing again at how great it was, just chatting about music with Opal.

Being home was wonderful, but he’d become accustomed to life on the road with other musicians whose whole world was their instrument and their record collections.

It was strange not living and breathing music and talking about it the whole time.

With Opal here, he realized how much he’d missed it—even in such a short time.

For a moment, he wondered whether he really had it in him to stay in one place. Even a place as beautiful as Carmel.

Now that Crystal wasn’t even talking to him, some of the decision’s impetus was waning.

He shook his head to banish the thought.

Now was not the time to dwell on Crystal.

He’d been doing that nonstop for two days.

Instead, he’d put all his energy into Opal.

It was almost intoxicating to feel again the excitement of a young musician just starting out with all the talent in the world, but not quite the confidence yet to believe in herself the way he already believed in her.

Damien had seen and heard a lot of musicians over the years.

Plenty had tried to get him to support their careers, and if he really believed in their talent, he’d done his best. But he’d never mentored someone to the extent that he was willing to with Opal.

Maybe it was part of this new phase of his life.

He didn’t just want to be a rock star, endlessly flying around the globe putting on concerts and writing new songs.

He’d been incredibly lucky in his career, but he also knew himself well enough to recognize that it was time for the next challenge.

Part of that was giving his support and expertise to a new songwriter. What was wrong with that?

Crystal had encouraged his crazy dream to start working on some jazz tunes.

And there he went again, finding a way to think about Crystal.

He glanced over at Opal and considered sharing his dream with her, but it didn’t feel right. She was here to follow her own dreams, not counsel him on a possible career change. So, he held his peace.

As they drove and chatted, he had the uncomfortable realization that, despite Erin’s practical efforts, he was still heading to his house alone with an attractive young woman.

If anyone saw them, they’d immediately get the wrong idea.

He was normally so careful that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t done more to protect Opal from the paps.

Maybe it was because he’d come back to a corner of the world that felt safe from the intrusions of paparazzi and nosy people with smartphones willing to make a few bucks off a gossip site.

He’d have been much more careful if he’d been in New York or London or LA. He realized now that Erin’s alarm had been the right reaction, and he’d probably been too relaxed about this. The last thing he wanted was to taint Opal Dahlberg’s name before she’d even made one for herself.

One of the real downsides of fame was how everybody and their dog was interested in his business.

Judgments about his life were based on a snap photo or a clip somebody picked up somewhere out of context.

That’s why he’d been so relieved when Crystal’s friend had intervened at Ray’s club, when someone was trying to photograph him.

And yup, there it was again—all roads led back to Crystal.

Damien pulled up outside and tapped the remote that controlled the high iron gates, casting a glance around to make sure nobody was tailing him.

Maybe he was being paranoid, but now that the thought had occurred to him, he couldn’t shake off how awful it would be if the media got wind of Opal’s arrival.

To his relief, there was no car, motorbike, or person in sight.

Not even a dog. So he drove on and parked in the garage beside the house.

He could tell Opal was already overwhelmed by the size of the place, but was trying to play it cool.

He imagined how wild it all looked to a newcomer: the sports car in the space next to the truck, a huge house in the mountains, a professional recording studio.

He’d worked hard his whole life to earn these things, but he never took for granted how lucky he was to get paid the way he did to do something he loved.

He hoped Opal was inspired by her surroundings and that she would find the peace and quiet she needed here to make the best music of her life.

He took her straight to the studio. He might have traveled the world, but there was no better feeling than opening these heavy doors and spending the day cocooned by its soundproof walls.

A massive, custom-built mixing console sat at the center, surrounded by towering speakers that seemed to hum with potential.

Guitars of every shape and size hung on the walls or rested on stands, their polished bodies glinting under the soft lighting.

A vintage drum kit was tucked in one corner, next to a grand piano that had seen its share of melodies.

In another corner, a vocal booth stood, its thick glass offering a view of the main room while keeping sound isolated.

Scattered across the room were an array of pedals, synthesizers, and microphones, each carefully placed for easy access.

A cozy, worn leather chair sat near the desk, where a laptop and mixing software ran side by side with lyric sheets and tangled headphone wires.

Opal walked around, her mouth drooping open. “This place is amazing,” she breathed. “I can’t believe you have all this in your backyard.”

He smiled. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to go inside and get us a drink. I’ll be right back. What can I get you? I have coffee, a bunch of teas, water, soda?—”

“Water would be great,” she said, still taking it all in.

While he was in the kitchen, pouring mineral water and adding slices of fresh lemon, he texted Crystal one more time.

He told her that he and Opal were about to work on some music and he’d love for her to meet Opal and vice versa.

He kept the tone friendly, the way they’d always communicated, and he hoped that she might relax and actually respond.

It wasn’t like he wanted to pester her, so he decided that if she didn’t reply to this one, he’d give it a rest and let things settle down.

Maybe, unlike him, she simply wasn’t obsessed with their kiss. Maybe she was just busy living her life. He hoped so, but somehow he didn’t believe it. He’d screwed up in some indefinable way and he needed to fix it. He needed his friend back.

But even as he thought the word friend , he felt like they’d already moved to something else, something new and a little bit scary. When had his friend become the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about? Dreaming about? Fantasizing about?

He grabbed a pot of cashew nuts and was about to head back to the studio when his phone rang. Crystal!

He grabbed at the thing only to see that it was his brother. Okay, so he’d rather it was Crystal calling him, but he was always happy to talk to Arch.

“Hey, bro, how’s it going?” he said, arranging the snacks on a tray.

“Hey. Good.” His brother sounded terse, as though he was in a hurry.

“Listen, I’ll get right to the point.” There was a moment’s pause.

“I have a service that keeps tabs on any mentions of me in the media. And because they know you’re my brother, they just sent something over.

I’m forwarding it now. You’re not going to like it. ”

Damien’s heart immediately sank into his sneakers.

With Arch still on the line, he opened his email.

There was no subject line from his brother, just a large attachment, and then there it was: a page from a well-known gossip site with a photograph of him and Opal at the airport.

They’d managed to crop out his sister, of course, to make it look all the more compromising.

The headline was damning: Rock star Davenport greets new mystery woman at Monterey Airport.

Damien felt a sudden burst of fury. There he was at the airport with a beautiful young woman, helping her with her luggage. With just the two of them in the frame, it looked like he was picking up someone special. In fact, zooming in, you couldn’t even really see her guitar.

For a second, he seethed in silence, and then Arch said, “You still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Erin and I only picked her up two hours ago. How the hell has a gossip site got photos already?”

“Some lucky pap was in the right place at the right time.” No one understood better than his movie-star brother how the paps could screw with your life. “Who is she, anyway?” Arch wanted to know. “I mean, if there’s a new woman in your life, I figured you might have told us about it first.”

Damien shook his head even though Arch couldn’t see him.

“She’s not a new woman in my life. Her name’s Opal.

She’s a young musician, and I’m mentoring her.

” He’d been planning to tell his family at brunch, but Mila had completely stolen the spotlight with her engagement announcement.

After that, it hadn’t occurred to him to mention Opal was coming.

He hadn’t seen the news as particularly exciting compared to his sister getting married.

Arch said, “Once they see this, and the sleazy headline that goes with it, people are going to think you’re doing a little more than mentoring. Anyway, I just thought I’d let you know. So you can keep your guard up. People know you’re back home now.”

“Thanks for the heads-up. I appreciate it.” He found himself saying, “Do you ever wish you’d gone into business with Dad or become a vet or something? Found a job where nobody cared who you were dating, what you ate for breakfast, where you lived, or followed you around taking photos?”