The Song in My Heart Read Online Free Page A

Endorse her, somehow.
    Sloane grinned like it was already a fait accompli . “It’s simple. Me on drums, Erika on keyboards or bass or rhythm guitar, whichever the song requires, and Dess on lead guitar. Maybe backup vocals too… Just for this summer tour of music festivals we have lined up, of course. Nothing more.”
    As swiftly as a light being switched off, the color drained alarmingly from Dess’s face. Silence stretched out, Sloane looking less and less like the genius she thought she was, and Erika shifted uncomfortably. Clearly, the idea was not going over well with the Ice Queen.
    “It’s brilliant, Dess, it really is,” Sloane said, her tone less certain than her words.
    “No,” Dess said with asperity. “It’s not brilliant at all. First of all, you know I don’t sing anymore, even backup. Second, I have no desire to be back on stage, let alone a circuit of outdoor festivals. Third, my presence would only ruin things for Erika because it would become all about the washed-up Dess Hampton and not about this emerging, wonderful talent here that deserves all the attention.”
    Erika blinked. She was wonderful? Okay, wait. Dess’s compliments don’t mean anything to me… No sir. Not. One. Single. Thing.
    “It could work, Dess. In fact, nobody would even have to know it was you. You could go by a stage name—just another anonymous band member wearing tie-dye, a big floppy hat and oversized sunglasses. And your presence would help Erika. Having that experience, that guidance, along for the ride would be priceless. Joining us would give Erika that foundation that could push her career to a whole new level.”
    “And I should do all this because why? Because I need the five hundred bucks a week I’d earn? And the adulation of three hundred people sitting on lawn chairs stoned out of their minds?”
    Ouch! Okay , thought Erika, she didn’t have to be mean about it. It was a crazy idea to have her join the band, though. Dess was right about that. And it rankled that nobody had asked her opinion. Christ, could Dess even play the guitar?
    As if on cue, Dess and Sloane gazed questioningly at her. Erika shrugged, her confidence deserting her. These two women had played on stages all over the world, had amassed more awards than Erika could even guess at. Who was she, after all, to offer an opinion when something this big was offered to her? Could she afford to say no? Did she have the right to? She was in a jam. She needed a guitarist, and right now she’d take anyone who knew at least six chords.
    Her attention back on Dess, Sloane said, “For you, my friend, the reason is simple. It would be good for you. Because music feeds your soul. And you’ve been away from real music for too damned long.”
    Dess crossed her arms over her chest, the tea long forgotten. “ Hmph. Kale and quinoa are good for me too. Doesn’t mean I want to eat them three times a day.”
    “No, but this is something you’ll thank me for one day. Just you wait.” Sloane and cocky were no strangers to each other obviously.
    “And I should believe you because why?” Dess said suspiciously.
    “Because I know music is still the most important thing in your life. And this is music, and musical talent in its purest form. It’s about people playing and singing for the love of it and not for the money or the accolades. Or the drugs or the pussy.”
    Erika gasped, unsure how Dess would react to that last part, but she only laughed. And what sweet, warm laughter it was. It softened the faint lines around her eyes and immediately humanized her.
    “Well, damn,” Dess said. “I was looking forward to the drugs and especially the pussy.”
    “ Pfft , as if, Ms. Pure-as-the-Northern-Michigan-Snow.”
    So the Ice Queen didn’t do drugs and didn’t play around. But she did like pussy. That was good to know, although Erika couldn’t say why, just that it gave her a tingle in her southern regions. Dess, by the sounds of it, was serious about