Page 85 of Uncharted Desires

“Oh, they’re here to audition to be one of our first artists. My brother says you’ll really like this one.” The kid’s eyes sparkled with laughter, and West wondered what Reggie was up to.

West strode across his backyard to the recording studio. The reception was empty, which was strange. He’d thought the musician would wait in there. He walked into the master control room to see Reggie and the sound engineers hooking up some speakers.

“Where are they?” West asked.

Reggie angled his head to the live room, and West peered through the glass and saw the figure of a woman. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something about her was familiar.

He saw long, dark hair flowing down her back. She was sitting at the piano, and her fingers graced the keys. The sound was off in the booth and he couldn’t hear her, but he hoped to god it was her.

“Leave,” he barked, as he left the room and rounded the corner, practically breaking down the door to get to her.

Her head snapped up at the noise, their eyes locking as she saw him burst through the door, and his heart sank. It wasn’t Kat, but a different woman whose voice was indeed gorgeous. She stopped playing and stood from the piano.

“Hi, Mr. Monroe. I’m Killo.” She offered her hand and West shook it, still in a daze. His heart was breaking again after having his hopes dashed.

“Ah . . . hi, Killo,” he forced out. He cleared his throat. “You have a great voice. Where are you from?”

“Bali.”

Bali? Something seemed off. His senses told him something was supposed to happen. He just couldn’t figure out what.

“Thanks, Killo. You can meet me in the lobby.” He heard Reggie’s voice through the system, and he watched as Killo gave a nod and walked from the live room.

Such a strange encounter.

She had played beautifully, but he hadn’t heard enough to make any kind of decision. Maybe Reggie had listened to more already.

“What did you think?” he heard over the system. West looked through the glass into the control room and almost fell over because there she was. Kat was standing in his recording studio after months of being apart, and she looked prettier than ever. Her hair was down and flowing all around her, while her jeans hugged her perfect curves.

He had waffled between getting on a flight to Iowa and drinking himself into oblivion every single day. He’d even called Cher to see how Kat was, only to discover she had gone back to Bali. And now the girl playing the piano in his studio made more sense.

He almost ripped off the door as he flew around the corner into the control room, his heart in the pit of his stomach. He stopped dead in his tracks as her nearness assailed him.

“Hi, West,” she said, as she dipped her head, not looking him in the eye. He watched her hand stroke the controls on the panel and wished it was him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, standing tall. “Hi? You disappear for months and that’s all you got?”

She frowned, her long eyelashes casting a shadow over her downcast eyes. “I deserve that.”

He was by her side in two swift steps, the warmth of his breath on her skin. “No, you don’t. I’m just surprised to see you.”

Her head tilted up at him. “Good surprised?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

She backed away, walking around the control room, her arms outstretched. “This is impressive. You did it.”

“You know that movie Field of Dreams . . .?”

She nodded, a slow smile building on her face. “I am from Iowa.”

He gestured to the studio. “I built it for you. You pushed me to see where I fit into this industry. Where I could do something worthwhile. You were right. It’s time I made music for myself again, and bring artists along with me who are going to make authentic music. Artists who are unique and stand for something more.”

She gave a slight chuckle. “‘If you build it, they will come.’ So, I’m the ghost in this situation then?”

West took a step closer to her but not close enough to scare her away. “Kat, this is your dream, and my dream is to make you happy. I realized that. I just want to keep making my music. Sure, I love being able to give a platform to voices who aren’t always given one, but you are passionate about this work. I think you should be running things around here, not me. I made this for both of us, but it’s mostly for you.

Kat looked around the space, her eyes wide. “I don’t know the first thing about running a label.”