stuck with another overeager kid who knew nothing about the music industry.
“We came all the way from Connecticut,” Max said. He paced in front of her. “We pretty much left the second I got my B.S., huh, Savannah?”
Savannah nodded. She drew her knees up to her chest. Her brown feet rested on the thin fabric of the couch. Gathering her hair up, she tied it into a messy bun.
A painting hanging on the wall behind her caught Jett’s eye. A younger version of Chloe smiled back at her. Jett took a step forward, eyes tracing the clean lines. “Who did that?”
“Savannah,” Max said. He stood next to Jett. Lifting a hand, he pointed a finger at another wall. Dia de los Muertos skulls stared back at her. They looked almost identical, until she examined the spiraling tendrils. The skull on the left was a mirrored copy of the skull on the right.
“Do you still paint?” Jett asked. She padded toward them. Suddenly she noticed the other canvases in the room. Half-finished paintings leaned against the wall, oils drying.
Savannah shook her head, nodding toward Chloe. “Not so much, anymore.” A soft smile settled on her lips.
“Are any of these for sale?” Jett studied a large abstract painting of sugar skulls. She didn’t exactly have the money for a painting, but she could probably convince Koty to buy one for their condo. The place needed a little bit of color. He had taken all of his black and stainless steel furniture from his bachelor’s pad in New York. She had left behind most of her furniture, except for a dresser that had been her mother’s.
“Sale?” Savannah’s eyebrows furrowed.
“You don’t sell your paintings?” Jett gaped at her. “You totally should. I bet you could get into galleries around here. SoWa has a ton of places with wall space.”
Savannah’s lips twitched. “I guess I never thought about it before.” She glanced at the paintings on the walls. Her lips twisted and she shrugged.
“I told you,” Max called from another corner of the living room.
Jett pivoted toward the sound of his voice. He sat at a keyboard, fingers poised. The second that their eyes met, he launched into the melody from a Perpetual Smile song. Her jaw dropped open. Her old band had never used keyboards. Neither she or Phillip had written music for piano. Hearing their old songs in such a new light sent a shiver down her spine. She closed her eyes, letting the melody carry her away. She could almost feel Phillip’s shoulder under her head after a long night of songwriting. Those nights had been some of the best of her life.
The music faded. She opened her eyes.
Max grinned. “So am I in?”
“You composed that?” Jett joined him at the keyboard. It was beat up and hardly professional equipment. She bit her lower lip.
He nodded. “Does that mean yes?”
She sighed. She didn’t really have much of a choice. Running her fingers over the keys, she nodded.
“Yes!” Max jumped up from his seat. Racing toward Savannah, he lifted her from the couch. He spun her in a circle, peppering her cheeks with kisses.
Jett’s lips twitched into a smile. She wished that she and Koty could be that affectionate.
Max put Savannah down. “Thank you,” he said, padding toward Jett. He held out a hand. “This means so much to us. You have no idea.”
“Yeah, well, we have our first show in three weeks.” Jett clasped his hand. “Are you going to be able to play with us?”
“Are you kidding?” His grin widened. He pumped her arm up and down. “You can count on me. Thank you.”
She pulled her hand away. “You won’t be thanking me after tonight. Meet us at the studio later.” She gave him the address. “Be prepared to spend the night.” She tossed a glance at Savannah, whose eyes narrowed. Then, before either of them could say anything else, Jett saw herself out of the apartment.
Shoving her hands into her pockets, she stepped into the spring afternoon. She almost had a complete band. At least