Page 2 of Hard Rock Muse

“Everly, this is Julian, my keyboardist. Julian, this is Everly Davis.”

Julian nodded at me. Was he pretending we didn’t know each other? Was I supposed to pretend, too?

I decided to return his nod and not say anything else, even as my heart hammered in my chest.

“Let’s get to it,” Cerise said briskly. “Cherry Lips is working on a new album. Instead of me writing all the songs, this time the others are going to contribute as well. Some of them are looking for outside help. They’re all great musicians, but they don’t have a lot of experience with lyrics. You were one of the names brought forward so we decided to bring you in and see if you were interested.”

She stopped, going silent and staring at me. I assumed her statement had actually been a question.

“Which band members would I be working with?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“This guy, mostly,” she said, jabbing her thumb at Julian.

I turned to him, heartbeat pounding and stomach fluttering.

“You agreed to bring me in?” I asked.

Julian’s dark eyes scanned me up and down, from my sleek, straight, honey blond hair to the bottom button on my blouse tucked into my skirt. This was probably the first time he’d ever seen me in anything so formal. Did he like it? Did he hate it? Did he think I looked good, or did he think it didn’t suit me at all?

Not that his opinion mattered, of course.

Julian slowly trailed that gaze back up to my face, his eyes meeting mine.

“You’re one of several we’ve interviewed,” he replied in low tones. “You come highly recommended.”

Fat chance of that. After all these years and with my original name, I was an unknown, brand new to the music scene as far as anyone else was concerned. And I wanted it to stay that way.

“So here’s the deal,” Cerise said. “You work with Julian and you’ll get songwriting credits and a cut of the royalties. Sound fair?”

More than fair. Royalties from songwriting for Cherry Lips would set me up well, and for a long while, too. I’d be crazy to turn it down.

But working with Julian again, after all these years…

Could I still do it? Could I write a song with a man who’d left me heartbroken and vulnerable?

But I also knew I couldn’t turn it down. I needed this job. Badly.

A sour lump hit my gut.

After all the shit that had gone down, after being blacklisted from the industry, after working so hard to reinvent myself…

This was my chance.

A flutter of panic rose in my stomach.

Maybe my only chance.

“Can I talk to Julian alone?” I asked.

“Sure,” Cerise said. “Makes sense you’d want to get to know the guy you’ll be working with.” She stood from her seat and shook my hand again. “Very nice meeting you, Everly.”

She strode out briskly, leaving me and Julian alone.

We stared at each other. The tension in the room was palpable.

“Why?” I asked bluntly.

The corner of his eyes crinkled. Amusement or displeasure?