The Funeral Singer by Budzinski Linda

Author:Budzinski, Linda [Budzinski, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Swoon Romance YA
Published: 2013-09-22T03:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

I ran the half mile from the bus stop to Ty’s, so by the time I got there I was sweating and breathing as hard as a pallbearer at a sumo wrestler’s funeral. The gates flew open as I approached. Great. I squelched the urge to wave at the camera.

I’d spent the past twenty minutes rehearsing my explanation for being late, but something about the set of Zed’s chin when he met me at the door stopped me from even trying. “Sorry,” I managed to mumble as I raced past him into the foyer and toward the basement. “Long story.”

The usually spacious studio seemed almost cramped with Tex in it. He wore a Stetson hat and a brown leather vest that showed off his biceps. He pointed me toward a mic. “Let’s roll.”

This was only my third time singing with the entire band, but it felt like we’d been together forever. Tex sat in a corner, eyes closed, his right hand pulsing to the beat. We went through a few of the older songs and then debuted “White Out.”

“Hold it.” Tex stopped us halfway through the second chorus, as I sang my line, “deeper than you’d dare to go.”

“That has a nice sound, but you’re going to want to build it. Let’s hear it without that line the first time. Wait to add that until the second time around.”

We tried it again, and Tex nodded. “Better.” He hummed the chorus a few times. “Let’s try this. The first time without the last line, the second time with it, and then the third time, Mel repeats the entire chorus by herself, a cappella.”

We ran through it again. When I got to my solo, I sang it straight, no fancy stuff, but I held onto the word “go” for a couple of extra beats. As I ended, Ty threw in a soft bass drum fade that sounded eerily like a heartbeat. My whole body tingled. Brilliant. Now I understood why Tex was so in demand. And why Zed was so anxious to work with him.

I held my breath, and I got the sense the guys were holding theirs, too. What was Tex thinking? Did he like it? Did he like us?

He stared at us, idly fingering his goatee. After what seemed like an eternity, he cleared his throat and spoke. “Well then, if you’ll excuse me, I have a train to catch.”

That was it? I have a train to catch? My stomach tightened and I felt like I might puke for real. “Maybe we could try it again. I could add a vibrato to—”

“No, no, I’ve heard enough, thank you.” Tex shook each of our hands, and then Zed walked him out, leaving the rest of us staring nervously at each other.

J.B. was the first to speak. “So, do you think he’ll sign us?”

Bruno scowled. “What universe do you live in? ‘I’ve heard enough’? He’s blowing us off. He may as well have said, ‘Good luck with that.’”

I twisted a strand of hair around my finger.

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