Page 108 of You Found Me
Actually, Piper and Mattie had done that. Della didn’t know anything about Shania Twain. She ran in completely different circles from The Bellamy Sisters.
But Della knew most musicians started out in a storeroom, or a garage, or on a back porch with an idea, a dream, and a need that wouldn’t quit.
One day maybe she could introduce her sisters to Mason. Mattie could give him some lessons and songwriting tips.
“Go on.” She waved at him. “Let me hear it.”
He shook his head. “Okay, but remember it’s not finished. It’s…”
“Just sing,” she said with a laugh. “You’re at karaoke, and there’s a ton of noise, and nobody’s really listening. Just go.”
He visibly relaxed his shoulders and cleared his throat. “Okay. Here goes.”
His voice was a little shaky at first, but then it smoothed out into a deep, soul-tingling baritone that sent a delicious tingle up and down her spine. He was a young Johnny Cash, without the twang.
His voice could reach straight into a woman’s heart and set it on fire.
Good God, if Renic were in here right now to hear this…
Della thanked all the stars in heaven that he wasn’t. Ward thought his little brother was either playing professional football or going to college to study business.
If any talent scout ever heard Mason sing, college would never happen.
He was a diamond, hiding in a storeroom.
Mason looked everywhere but at her while he sang. His shyness was so cute. She wanted to clap and cheer, but thatwould ruin the moment and bring people running, so she kept her hands tucked at her sides and just listened.
The song was short but full of passion about a girl named Emily.
Mason obviously had a crush on this girl. It wasn’t that he was too shy to sing his own song. He was too shy to sing a song about the girl he had a crush on in front of an audience that she suspected would include Emily.
When he finished, he shot her a hopeful look.
“Nowthat’sa winning song.” She bounced up from her perch, clasped her hands tight, and beamed at him. “Mason, I’m telling you if you sing that song every girl in the audience is going to melt at your feet. They’re also going to be extremely jealous of Emily. Who is she?”
“She’s just a friend. She’s been my best friend since elementary school.” He sat on the edge of one of the bigger boxes. “You really think it’s good enough? I feel like it’s still rough in the middle.”
She waved that concern away. “Trust me, all anybody is going to notice is that fantastic voice you’ve been hiding. Your brother told me you practice all the time in the garage, but he never said how good you are.”
Mason’s crooked smile spoke volumes. “He’s not really a fan of music in general. He’s basically tone deaf.”
“Really? That explains so much.” She shook her head. No wonder he never sang along with the radio.
“You know, if you sang with me we’d kick everybody’s ass.” Mason’s face lit up. “We could turn it into a duet.”
“Oh…um…” She fumbled for what to say to that. “I can’t.”
“Don’t tell me you’re shy. You’re the least shy person I’ve ever met.”
He had his brother’s stubborn streak. She wasn’t going to get away with a simple brush-off. She had to come up withsomething that made sense because she absolutely, positively, could not say yes, and not because she was in hiding. She didn’t want to steal any of the spotlight from Mason. He needed to be heard.
“It’s not that. It’s…well, it’s…the thing is…I’m not supposed to be singing at all. Can you do me a huge, huge favor?” She gave him her best puppy dog eyes. “Please don’t tell your brother you heard me singing.”
He wrinkled his forehead in confusion. “Why the hell not?”
“It’s…” She fished around for a reason. Anything. Then inspiration struck. “It’s a bet we have going. Yeah. He bet me that I couldn’t go for, uh, three months without singing or humming. I’m so close to winning I can taste it and I don’t want to lose. He’ll never let me hear the end of it. Please?”
She knew she had him the second his face took on the crafty look of a teenager about to screw with his older brother. “Oh really. How much?”